Fish catcher...

[bigdaddy1963]

I fish in the spring for salmon and lake trout and use sewn on frozen smelt on the bottom. In the spring the fish are finicky,, when the fish take the smelt and they feel any tension on the line they drop it.. Well I discovered a good way to stop that..cast your line out take the slack out of your line then open your bail (if you have a spinning reel leave the bail open , a bait casting reel leave the spool disengaged, spin casting push the button again) by using a clothes pin not the one peice kind but the type that is spring loaded. There is a notch in the clothes pin that when closed, it will fit over your rod near the tip and will still close, now take your line (beyond the tip)and put it on the clamping side of the clothes pin.. be sure not to put it in too far as it will act like there is tension on the line and the fish will drop your bait, test it by pulling the line out by hand if its too tight dont set it in so far,  as you get used to using it you'll know exactly where to position your line,,now when you get a hit the line will pop out of the clothes pin and the fish will run with your bait, when he stops flip your bail and set your hook...FISH ON!!