Harrowing First Run
Apart from being some three to four feet off the bank on the other side of the pond, a waterwheel that was spinning creating splashes around the area was also some three to four feet away. I automatically pressed my thumb on the spool of the reel and yanked the rod in the opposite direction of where I want the fish run (away from the waterwheel), and thank God it did. All these happened within a second (probably).
You know the saying that practise is very important? I believe that it is the amount of fishing that I have done that has created a program in my mind. This program is like muscle memory. When in that situation, do this. It is like driving a car. A lot of it is autopilot. You see, my subconscious mind clearly was at play and did what it did to get out of that situation. I wasn’t consciously thinking. O was actually saying “Oh F*&#,” and I did what I did. After that my conscious mind return to continue the battle. So, if you have been away from the water and not fishing; it is time you go do more fishing.
Ok, back to the field test. As the fish ran, the rod bent and I could feel its power. For some reason it did not really feel like a 30 ton graphite blank. It felt a little softer. Anyway, the drag of the reel was set at about 60%. Together with the friction from the rod (rod guides); the tension was ample to allow the fish to run and have loads of fun battling them. After landing a good number of Golden Snappers we felt that the Abu Garcia Revo X can certainly take a lot more beating and we were being bullies here.