PODCAST: Fighting Big Fish #1 – The Hooks Set and What Comes First – S20, Ep1 (VIDEO and AUDIO)

by | Jul 26, 2026 | 4 comments

Announcements | Catch and Release Safely | Fighting Fish | The Troutbitten Podcast

 The Troutbitten Podcast is now available on YouTube as a video podcast, along with the audio podcast platforms.

** Note **  The YouTube video is embedded below, followed by the the podcast player and links to your favorite podcast platforms.

For Season 20 of the Troutbitten Podcast, we have seven episodes lined up for a Skills Series that’s all about how to land the biggest fish of your life.

Because, when you do hook the big one — that one you’ve been waiting for — a Whiskey, a Namer or the best fish of your life, you want the skills for fighting big fish with confidence. You want these habits to be engrained into your muscle memory, because you don’t have time to think about this stuff when the biggest fish of your life shows up.

Here’s the Episode List for S20

1. The Hookset and What Comes First
2. Where to Fight Them (Water Column and More)
3. Fight Them Fast (You Pull or They Pull – Work With a Trout)
4. The Fighting Position
5. Side Pressure
6. The Last Ten Feet (The Finishing Moves)
7. Wrap Up (With Stories)

My good friends, Matt Grobe and Bill Dell join me for this season.

Resources

Category: Troutbitten | Catch and Release Safely
PODCAST: Troutbitten | How to Handle a Trout
PODCAST: Troutbitten Set the Hook! All About Different Hooksets
ARTICLE: Troutbitten | Are We Taking the Safety of Trout Too Far?
VIDEO: Troutbitten | HOW You Set the Hook Matters Most! – Hook Sets for Dry Flies, Nymphs, Streamers and Wets
ARTICLE: Troutbitten | Don’t Guess – Set the Hook and Set Hard
ARTICLE: Troutbitten | Hookset Direction – Downstream

Here’s the video . . .

(Please select 4K or for best video quality)

 

If you enjoy this video, the best way to support the effort is to like the video, leave a comment and subscribe on YouTube.

Here’s the Audio Podcast . . .

Listen with the player above, or . . .

Find the Troutbitten podcast on any of these services:

— Apple Podcasts
— Spotify
— Google Podcasts
— Amazon Music
. . . and everywhere else where you listen to podcasts.

You can find the dedicated Troutbitten Podcast page at . . .

podcast.troutbitten.com

Season 20 continues next week. So look for that in your Troutbitten podcast feed.

Fish hard, friends.

 

** Donate ** If you enjoy this podcast, please consider a donation. Your support is what keeps this Troutbitten project funded. Scroll below to find the Donate Button. And thank you.

 

Enjoy the day.
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com

 

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Domenick Swentosky

Central Pennsylvania

Hi. I’m a father of two young boys, a husband, author, fly fishing guide and a musician. I fish for wild brown trout in the cool limestone waters of Central Pennsylvania year round. This is my home, and I love it. Friends. Family. And the river.

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What do you think?

Be part of the Troutbitten community of ideas.
Be helpful. And be nice.

4 Comments

  1. Rick B on July 27, 2026 at 6:28 am

    Great topic and a good start.
    Years ago I started keeping a log specifically for lost fish. Paying attention to why I lost big fish was a big step in preventing future losses. The first sep was focusing on the two ways fish get away: break offs or pull outs. Next was unforced angler errors v. doing everything right but just getting bested by the trout. If there was a common thread in unforced errors it almost always came down to line control issues. The third cause that also needs attention is gear failure – most often bent or broken hooks. The final factor was netting mistakes. For me nothing helped more than paying close attention to why I lost the big ones.

    Reply
      • Rick B on July 28, 2026 at 3:39 pm

        Do you have a release date yet for your book?
        The devil is in the details, so good luck.

        Reply

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Domenick Swentosky

Central Pennsylvania

Hi. I’m a father of two young boys, a husband, author, fly fishing guide and a musician. I fish for wild brown trout in the cool limestone waters of Central Pennsylvania year round. This is my home, and I love it. Friends. Family. And the river.

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