5 Ways to Lose Fish (And How to Avoid Them)

By Capt. Andy Siegel

I have often joked that I could write a book about how to lose fish. There are many details in offshore fishing; the fish pull hard and the ocean is so unforgiving that things are bound to go wrong.  The best we can do is prepare for the worst by being extremely thorough, checking the details, reviewing and talking through the plans, and making organized chaos when the fish strike.  Every lost fish is a learning opportunity and a chance to up your game. The good news is that you found fish and got them to bite.  The bad news is that you screwed up. A postmortem on what happened is the important part.  The greatest rewards in fishing come from learning and improving.  Take what just happened and make it into something good: strategies to put more fish into the boat. 

LEARNING THE HARD WAY

For me it all started when I captained my first offshore trip back in 2002. Everything seemed to be dialed in. We had made it to 60 fathoms in a very light breeze with no swell, and we started seeing the signs: whales, slicks, and birds. I was very excited, although I had zero expectation to actually catch anything.

Next thing I knew, reels