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Given some experience in handling big fish and fair shake, there is no reason why the spinman shouldn't be able to kill the largest fresh-water game fish made with his 4 ounce rod and an 8-pound test line, or 6-pound test for that matter! 19A Figure 19. Keep your hook sharp for easy penetration! (19A) It's very important to sharpen the hook every time it pulls over a rock or branch. Touch it up even after striking or playing a fish. Do the sharpening from the sides and inside. If the whetstone has grooves, don't use them because they may sharpen the hook on the wrong side. Remember, the sharper the hook, the easier it is to set it. 19B Graphic evidence of the difference that sharpness makes in a hook. Weights on the left, 73 grams, show pull required to set a sharp No. 16 hook in a piece of bond paper. Those in the center, 12l grams, show pull required if the No. 16 hook is dull. Those at the right, 122 grams, show pull needed for a sharp No. 10 (larger) hook. Pictures used by permission of Outdoor Life. This is what is called for in big-fish handling: extracting the last ounce of strength from your light outfit, including the tying of modern knots; fighting your fish intelligently so hat every second he is on goes towards exhausting him; and subjecting every accepted fish-fighting belief, however cherished, to the cold test, how does it help me take larger fish on my light tackle?
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