Each Hand Fisherman is set up so you have a general idea of how much line you are using. The small model has a six inch gap between the jaw and tail so each wrap around the fish is one foot of line, the medium is set up with a 9 inch gap so a foot and a half per wrap and the large is a one foot gap, so two feet per wrap. This is good to know if you are targeting a certain depth of water, which can be very important if you are targeting species that will stay suspended in the water columns due to the water temperature at each level.

I have tried everything from flylines, both floating and sinking, dacryon type weaved lines, and of course several types of monofilament. The best I have found for casting and overall handling are the stiffer, abrasion resistant monofilaments with a fairly high breaking strength. These tend not to tangle too badly if left loose due to the filament memory, and are easier to hold on to when fighting a fish. We run 30 lb main lines on the small model, 40 lb on the medium, and 50 lb on the large.

** A word of caution, don’t wrap lines around your hands and fingers, if something pulls hard enough to cut your fingers, you need to be able to just let go or feed it line. Remember, this is old fashioned stuff in a new package and shape. Also avoid the new ultra-fine weaved lines like spider wire and others as these can cut fingers very easily. Gloves are recommended for larger fish.

This is one of the biggest keys to fishing success for Hand Fisherman. Very much like fly fishing, the leader needs to suit the species being fished. As well is should have a breaking strength lower than the main line, so if you get snagged up and have to break off a lure, you don’t lose any of you main line. The weak point needs to be near the hook end.

Though our units all come with one leader and rigging set up we keep them fairly heavy 15lb test for smalls, 30 lb test for the mediums, and 30 lb test for the larges. We have kept these a bit heavy, as we do market our product in part for survival fishing and want to ensure some extra strength of the lines.

I typically like to run about a 6 foot leader off the main line, and I use everything from 4-6 lb test for smaller trout and panfish to the 40 lb test leaders that come standard on the large model for Northern Pike and Walleye as they are a bit toothy to say the least.

The options are limitless. The out of the box set up is the old fashioned egg and yarn on a snelled hook with a bobber, and a few weights if needed. This can be fished with or without bait, and was another old school set up for trout, salmon, and steelhead, though it can be very effective on many species.

I also fish spoons, spinners and plugs, in my local waters, as well as flies with a bobber or weights depending on the target water depth.

When casting repeatedly, I typically like to use my Hand Fisherman very similar to a flyrod. I’ll throw out the first cast directly off the Hand Fisherman, then typically peel off a few extra feet of line and put an elastic around the tail so no extra line falls off. The elastic will pull off easily if you get a real lunker and need to give it some line.

Once I have my working line in play I usually let it drop to my feet or gather large loops in my non – dominant hand while I retrieve. You can wrap your line back on the Hand Fisherman each cast, but after a long day on the water it can be a bit arduous.

When you have a fish on the line it can be a good tug of war, or a rapid hand over hand retrieve if they run towards you.

This was one of the reasons we went into production with our products, they can fit in a pocket, a glove box, knapsack, survival kit and are extremely durable. These units are built with marine grade plywood for both strength and longevity. Unlike a fishing rod a bit of bouncing around will not affect the function of the models.

I hope you will enjoy our products as much as I do.

Hand Lining is a skill and a challenge that can be used to feed you and save your life, or just give hours of enjoyment and relaxation. Either way, I think you will find it a rewarding experience and we hope to share that with you.

Dave Sherlock