Spend any amount of time tarpon fishing, and you’ve likely heard the phrase “Bow to the King.” It’s a technique anglers use to minimize the chances of a tarpon falling off the hook, and a crucial part of landing a fish. When a good day is measured by how many fish you’ve cast to, making the most of every eat is important. Here’s everything you need to know about bowing to the king.
Bow to the King
Bowing is a technique used to reduce the tension in your fly line when a tarpon jumps. By lowering your rod tip as the fish leaves the water, this imparts slack into your fly line. The slack acts as a buffer, reducing tension and keeping the fly in the tarpon’s mouth.
When
Bowing to a tarpon is a fairly straightforward process. When a tarpon jumps, point your rod at the fish and extend it forward, almost like you’re lunging towards the fish. When done properly, this is where the term “bow” comes from. The key to mastering this technique is to first learn what it feels like when a tarpon is about to jump. Early on in the fight, tarpon typically jump the most. After the initial hookset, these fish will often go ballistic, greyhounding from the air numerous times in rapid succession. In the chaos of the first run and jumps, be ready because a tarpon could jump at any moment.
As the fight progresses, tarpon typically don’t jump as much, but now’s no time to let your guard down. If you survived the initial run, these secondary jumps can often result in your fish falling off the hook. You’ll want to pay close attention to short bursts of energy that signal the fish may be about to jump. At the end of the day tho, tarpon can be unpredictable, so stay ready and focused to be ready to bow when a fish jumps.
How
Now that you have a better understanding of when a tarpon will jump, we can dive into bowing to the king. To properly bow to a tarpon, you’ll want to extend your rod forward, towards the fish. Ideally, time this to coincide with the moment the fish starts to break the surface. As you lower the rod, lean forward in a bowing motion. When the fish lands back in the water, you can lift your rod tip again and resume the fight.
Why
Bowing to a jumping fish is pretty much synonymous with tarpon fishing. Now, that’s not to say it couldn’t help in other angling scenarios, but it’s especially important in tarpon fishing for several reasons, such as a tarpon’s bony mouth. Nearly the entire mouth of a tarpon consists of bone, with only a few soft areas in which hooks can properly seat themselves. As a result, most hooksets are not exactly great. Add to that a jumping fish, and as you apply pressure, this can pop the hook out over time. Bowing your rod reduces tension on the hook when a fish jumps, which results in more fish landed.
Another key reason why bowing is important is to minimize drag on a jumping fish. Since tarpon are capable of long runs, and fly lines have substantially more drag than conventional tackle, bowing helps reduce your overall tension on the line. Watch enough tarpon fishing videos, and you’ll notice this effect when a fish quickly changes directions and jumps. The fly line will often be facing a different direction from the fish, since the drag of the line causes it to fall behind. Add to that modern fluoro bite tippet with no stretch, and light class tippets, and bowing to alleviate this tension becomes crucial to protecting your leader.
