# Swinging flies and foul hooking?



## DuncanCharles (Sep 17, 2016)

I am really new to swinging streamers for steelhead (just started about a month ago after strictly going indicator tactics last season, my first season fly fishing). I landed my first steelhead today on the swing (which was a freaking blast, now I see why people say there is nothing like it). I ended up foul hooking him on the bottom of the gill plate which leads me to my question to some of you veteran swingers out there ... Is this pretty normal, especially in faster water? I want to believe that he struck the fly, missed and got hooked in the gill but part of me believes I might have just swung the fly underneath him, got caught up in the line, and got foul hooked. Obviously landing fish (correctly) is the point but there is part of the pride aspect where I'm afraid I just mugged him with my streamer. What are your guys experiences?


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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

I've only ever foul hooked fish while fishing for them on reds...that being said...I'm sure it's a possibility even when you can't see them...my best advice if your not one of the yahoos out there doing it intentionally...don't sweat it...stuff happens and the fish swam away...good job.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Might have been that the fish hammered the streamer and swung away, hooking himself near his mouth.
Seen it happen with smallies.


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

creekcrawler said:


> Might have been that the fish hammered the streamer and swung away, hooking himself near his mouth.
> Seen it happen with smallies.


I'm guessing that's what happened. I've yet to foul hook a steelhead but have done exactly that with a smallie after watching him take a swipe at it and missing. I've also foul hooked a ton of creek chubs the same way.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

There is a very good chance your fish did a pass and tried to get away and got hooked. Especially if it is close to the mouth like yours.

There is a technique you can use to virtually assure you will not foul hook a fish while swinging. It starts just before your fly lands. You must straighten your line, leader, sinktip out as soon as your fly lands. Mend your line upstream to form a straight line before you let it sink. You must learn to do this in a split second. Then feed the remainder of the line into the water above the rest as your fly sinks. Once your rod is pointing downstream 70 degrees or so, swim the fly to the other side. This method presents the fly first to the fish, not the line. Maybe some videos out there, but this technique shown to me by an Oregon Guide is how you want to do it. 

Now for the way NOT to do it, in order to avoid foul hooking fish.
Cast your fly and let your line belly downstream. Then slowly pull it through the bottom of your swing. If fish are lined up at all, you cannot help lining, or foul hooking some fish. I actually had someone show this to me in muddy water, 24 inches deep one of my earliest spring days. he hooked and played fish after fish and probably foul hooked half of them. A year or two later, I figured out what he was doing. So if you watch me fish, I am very cognizant of not letting my line become horizontal and perpendicular to the water flow. I know it is fine up in AK but I'm not interested in Lining fish. I guess if you hook them in the mouth, you are legal in OH. Most of the time you will know if the hook point and barb are outside the fishes mouth. Then you Lined the fish.

Really you are just getting started, you are going to foul hook some fish so don't feel bad. If you use barbless hooks, you can usually free a foul hooked fish by giving it slack. Also you will learn not to set the hook if you see a foul hook happening.

Have fun,
Rickerd


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