Ted Baird casts for trout Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
Enter the Bow and Arrow Technique
It seems the better a place to cast and retrieve the more likely you are to get snagged. Even the best of us get hung-up sometimes but I had never heard much on tricks for getting un-snagged until I was fishing from shore near Cambridge Bay Nunavut a few years back. I got my spoon snagged on the rocky bottom and after trying all my old tricks to free it my fishing buddy for the day, a local Inuk named Lawrence, reached for my rod and said “I’ll show you a trick”. Since then I have gotten out of twice as many snags and caught more fish because of it.
Ted with a lake trout Cambridge Bay
Enter the Bow and Arrow Technique:
1) Ready: When snagged, reel in a bit or let some line out to create a little tension on your line, then pinch your line with your thumb and pointer finger right between your reel and the first guide. 2) Aim: Pull your line out, stopping when you feel a lot of tension build and you see your rod bent. 3) Fire: Release the line like you were firing an arrow. The lure will be struck with a jolt that usually jars it from the snag. 4) Try again: If it doesn’t work on your first try (which it often does) repeat the bow and arrow action a few more times while playing with the tension of your line and the angle of your attack.
Note: The Bow and Arrow Technique is not a foolproof method to free your lure from a log but it’s very effective for releasing a snag in rocks when done right.
Lawrence with his catch of lake trout near Cambridge Bay