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playing fish without clutch

A

Alan Jackson

Member
I think I once entered into this debate on here a few years ago and remember getting flamed by the uninformed, if you haven't tried it please don't reply

in the 90's as a club/match angler we used to tighten our clutches right down and play fish directly
we agreed it took far more skill, put you directly in touch with the fish and was a million times more rewarding as opposed to sat there motionless rod held high like a garden gnome with whizzzz whizzz going on every time the fish made a lunge

john Wilson on telly invariably inanely laughing his head off, rod held still whizzz whizz on the telly reinforced this

purists use the centre pin -directly in contact with the fish - and I liken fishing with no clutch to that

so does anyone else fish like this?


without a clutch you are far more in control and it takes far more skill than letting the clutch spin, I mean you could fish with a broom handle if you set the clutch right, but we have fantastic rods that we want to put to the test

netting a fish yourself holding the reel with your finger knowing the fish is gonna surge any minute and allowing everything to be fluid is a fantastic skill to learn and I can see why a lot of people set the clutch and let that do the work

but that work the angler can do himself and is so rewarding its unreal

so is anyone else in the purist no clutch club?
 
Grew up with reels that had rubbish clutches and so learned to backwind so that's what I still do, others I know use the clutch, all down to the individual I suppose but I don't think backwinding takes more skill than using a clutch.
 
I have not until recently used the clutch whilst playing a fish,preferring,as you do to have the clutch locked up and use the rod action and backwinding on the handle when necessary.

However I have recently replaced my shimano 5000 baitrunners with a couple of these....https://fishingtackle2u.co.uk/produ...=996f29c1c01293f0ba90e05c48ff488a&fo_s=gplauk
The front drag on these reels is so so smooth,much better than the old rear drag 5000s which I used to think were pretty good.

Recently I hooked a big carp in a weirpool that took off like a steam train into the main flow which was substantial,I could not backwind fast enough as the fish took around 80 yards of line very quickly as it tore off downstream.The reel handle was flying round like a propeller and I was worried that the spool would be stripped.I eventually managed to get my hand on the spool at the expense of a black fingernail only for the rod to bend double and the 15lb braided hooklink to give up the ghost.

A humbling experience that made my mouth fill with ''F''s,I suffered from a temporary bout of tourettes and it's fortunate that I was on my own.

I now set the clutch to just below the breaking strain of my rig so it will give line at extreme pressure which usually only happens when I get snagged up and pulling for a break.It probably wouldn't have made much difference to the outcome of the fight with the carp but I would have stood a better chance I think.

When hitting a fish I still play it off the handle as you do but also have the insurance policy of the clutch just in case I pull into a big carp again.
 
Like Graham I grew up on reels with crap clutches, Mitchell 410's, I tried putting multiple PTFE washers in but it was still very snatchy so used to tighten down and back wind. When I first started Barbel fishing after a 20 year layoff from fishing out came the Mitchell's which were a bit of a talking point on the bank....and then it happened, I was fiddling with something and the rod took off out of the rests. It happened all so quickly I couldn't believe it, I only just saved rod and reel by doing something completely stupid, I entered a flooded River Severn up to hips and grabbed the fastly disappearing rod butt. So in answer to your question Alan, I was totally a rewind man back in late 60's/70's and 80's but a totally converted clutch man now....besides my Penn Fierce Live Liners on my Big River Rods do not wind backwards !!!!!! :eek:
 
I've used Shimano 5000's (gte's and xtea's) for the last few years and never had a problem with the clutches,set em right and use finger pressure on the spool skirt to control the runs/lunges,as you would on the rim of a pin,plus when the time comes to net em you've got your left hand free to hold the landing net.To me back winding is awkward and cumbersome but using the clutch and finger pressure I feel in control.
 
I use penn live liner reels, no back wind facility. When I first caught a barbel I hadn't set my
Clutch correctly and to back wind.Never again there is no skill in back winding a powerful fish like a barbel. I set my drag which enables the fish to take some line on the take , then I'm in control of playing the fish. I don't use the bait runner facility, the clutch is best part off a reel ,being in control of the fight is the skill not back winding .
 
Trevor Brown said:
I've used Shimano 5000's (gte's and xtea's) for the last few years and never had a problem with the clutches,set em right and use finger pressure on the spool skirt to control the runs/lunges,as you would on the rim of a pin,plus when the time comes to net em you've got your left hand free to hold the landing net.To me back winding is awkward and cumbersome but using the clutch and finger pressure I feel in control.
Click to expand...

Same as that Trevor,..everyone to their own,..but I would not want to go back to backwinding although I enjoy using pins,..which can be controlled with the rod hand.
Totally agree with the landing net comment.
Plenty of different views on the subject when last raised ..
https://barbel.co.uk/site/vbulletin/forum/barbel-talk/10615-clutch-backwind.html
I'm not convinced that " skill" comes into it, but just what an angler is happy with,..which also applies to front and rear clutches.
 
Backwinding

I'm with Trevor,
I set the clutch a bit lighter than need be, anti reverse on, and use finger pressure to control the fish, works for me .....
 
right or wrong it means little to me but unless i am fishing near snaggy areas i usually have my cluth set fairly light and a finger on the spool will control the runs unless its too overpowering then i just clamp my hand over the spool and this action will lock it down as tight as you wish, i suffer almost no line twist this way and rarely would a fish get away at the net:)
 
The "hand free for the landing net" comment set me thinking about what I actually do myself when landing a fish, it must be something I have done for so long that I never think about it but I always land a fish with the anti reverse off, should a fish then take off at the sight of the net (more likely me :eek:) I still have some control over it with my index finger on the spool.

Any other back winders do this or do you put the anti reverse on when netting a fish? clutch users, I presume you have the anti reverse on when playing and landing a fish? what would/do you do if the clutch malfunctions?
 
To perfect the rare skill of backwinding and using the clutch, purchase a vintage Mitchell [ or if you are patriotic an Ambidex ], these fine reels will allow you to practice both skills and eventually become a master :D
 
So many people on here who think its "my way or the high way", it takes more skill to back wind, what a load of old tosh, especially when you are about to land a fish.
Back wound in the 80's out of necessity, use clutches now because they are so good.
 
Graham Young said:
The "hand free for the landing net" comment set me thinking about what I actually do myself when landing a fish, it must be something I have done for so long that I never think about it but I always land a fish with the anti reverse off, should a fish then take off at the sight of the net (more likely me :eek:) I still have some control over it with my index finger on the spool.

Any other back winders do this or do you put the anti reverse on when netting a fish? clutch users, I presume you have the anti reverse on when playing and landing a fish? what would/do you do if the clutch malfunctions?
Click to expand...

I back wind when playing a fish, when it comes to netting I engage anti back wind and set the clutch to a light setting, if the clutch failed, I would jump in and hand it out:rolleyes:
 
Both. Clutch with lines of 5lb +, back winding with lighter lines especially when light-lining for big chub.

More skill in backwinding.
 
I alway set my clutch a little lighter than my rig can cope with. I also use the back wind if needed
 
I can understand why there is more work in backwinding but can someone explain why there's more skill?

Fact is those reels people still rave about like the mitchell 300's had useless jerky clutches. The Abu closed faced reels spent lots of time with the line wrapped around the spindle.
Modern decent reels have silky smooth clutches.

No need to backwind if you don't want to and no extra skill involved unless you include unwrapping the line from the bail arm when you've reversed too quickly.. Only if you want to kid yourself.
Thank you.
 
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