You’ve just come back from a long, angling trip and all you want to do is head out again the moment you return home. But instead of fishing rods, you pick up your favorite dagger and get back out on the water. Probably more people have taken up dagger fishing than those who have switched to it. People love returning to their roots—something so elemental in this activity as the rod and tackle we see now was originally developed for spearfishing. Dagger fishing shouldn’t be limited to those with small spaces or not enough room for an extra rod or two. It’s an experience that anyone can take up regardless of what space they have at home, boat, or on a houseboat notwithstanding.
Why should you go for a Dagger instead of a pole?
If you’re reading this article, chances are you’ve already decided that you’re not only going to take up dagger fishing but also that you’re going to go for the best there is. A few reasons you should go for a dagger are: - - You don’t need a long stand-off with a pole. The long rods and long stand-offs are designed for catching offshore fish or the bigger fish you might find in the open sea. All you need is to get your bait as close as possible to the fish without spooking them, and a dagger with a small stand-off does the job perfectly. - A long stand-off can make it difficult to get your bait in close enough, particularly when it’s under some cover. With its long length, a pole requires a lot of finesse and skill to maneuver in close enough places. On the other hand, a dagger can get in even close enough in places that would be impossible for a pole. - A pole doesn’t offer the same kind of control and handling as a dagger. With a pole, you have to reel and manage the rod, line whenever the fish is on, and pull it back in when it’s off. With a dagger, you have to reel and lift. - A pole offers no protection from the elements or from falling. A pole can snap or break if hit or impacted by something or someone, especially when you’re on a boat or a high platform. A dagger, on the other hand, is always in your hand and safely tucked inside your jacket or pants.
Make your rig
The first thing you have to do when you take up dagger fishing makes your rig. While many ready-made rigs are out there, they’re not guaranteed to work perfectly for you. They’re one-size-fits-all and may not work that well for you. With your gear, you have complete control over the gear. You know how it’s supposed to be and what to do if something goes wrong. You can also easily add or remove accessories to make your gear better or more suitable for certain conditions. You can also do what you want with it and customize it according to your style or preference. Rigs, like most things in life, are meant to be broken. They’re supposed to be tweaked and experimented with to find out what works best for you. You can also modify the gear to suit your conditions better and what’s going on around you. Imagine if you’re stuck in particularly rough and choppy weather and your rig has problems dealing with it. Or it’s summer, and the sun is scorching, but your gear isn’t shielding you enough. You can easily tweak it to fit the conditions better.
Watch where you stand
You’re probably used to being at the bow while fishing with a pole. With a dagger, however, you must stand as far back as possible, as close to the middle of the boat as possible. You’re back from the water’s surface, and your line won’t snap back and smack you or someone else in the face. You’re also not too close to the water, where you can easily get knocked off your feet if a wave hits the boat. You’re also close enough to reach your line without walking around the boat. You can also learn to fish from different positions in the boat with a pole. You can fish from the middle, the stern, or the bow. The boat and the conditions will dictate where you can fish from.
Go light and pack light
You can choose between going with a heavier rod or a lighter but pricier one. The heavier rods can handle abuse and can last longer. However, they’re not exactly the best in the performance department. They’re also not ideal if you go out on a lighter boat, such as a houseboat, where space might be limited. Heavier is better if you’re only going out on a bigger boat. Lighter equipment is easier to manhandle and is better if you’re in a smaller vessel. The lighter the equipment, the better if you’re planning to fish from the bow of the boat, a platform, or a houseboat. You also don’t want to be lugging around heavy gear if you’re planning on fishing for hours or even days.
Don’t forget the BASICS
When you’re using a pole or a line, the basics are pretty clear regarding how and where you want to reel the line. But with a dagger, the basics are slightly different. Your reel is always by your side, and your line isn’t always in the water but isn’t completely pulled out. You must keep an eye on the line and reel it in when it slows. Or when you feel a tug on the line. The best way to reel your line with a dagger is to grab the end of your line with one hand while holding your reel with the other. This will make it a lot easier to reel the line in. When you feel the line go slack, you can use the same hand you’re holding the line with to put some tension on it. When the fish takes off, you can easily reel your line in and get the fish in the boat.
Stay low, stay steady and wait
You want to be as low as possible when fishing with a dagger. The lower you are, the closer you’ll be to your line. You also don’t want to move around when the fish is on. You want to be motionless, so you don’t spook the fish. You also want to wait for the fish to take off before reeling in. If you reel in immediately or reel in too quickly, you might pull your line in and be done with the fish. You have to let the fish take off before reeling it in.
Catch more than fish with your net
If you’re fishing from a platform, you can use your net to catch more than just fish. You can use it to catch bugs, crabs, and other water creatures that you can use for bait. You can also use your net as a scoop and move things around on the water. You can also use it to scoop out flotsam and jetsam from the water. If you’re using your net to scoop things from the water, you mustn’t put your net too close to the water’s surface. You don’t want to accidentally break the net or get it caught on something on the bottom.