Hi :The fastest way to tire a fish is by turning him.Every time he turns to the side pressure of your rod you immediately turn him the opposite way. The only way this can be done is with a low rod and side pressure. If the fish gets some distance from you you can`t exert meaningful side pressure so its important to keep him as close as possible.
With babless hooks if the fish gets upstream of you and moves to the far bank he can more easily shake the hook .Keep him below you if possible.
When he starts to head shake I like to ease the pressure but if he starts to swim in a straight line try to turn him with side pressure.
If a fish gets too far below you, try to walk him upstream with steady pressure. They tow easier than they can be pulled with reeling. As soon as he has been towed 20 yards you can start to pump and retrieve line.
The steadier you can keep pressure on the fish the more easy he is to handle.
Occasionally a fish will try to get behind a rock and bury his head.I always carry several loose leaf binder rings .Snap a ring onto your line ,lift your rod tip and slide the ring down it will bang on the rock or on his nose and get him out of that hole.
Oh yes pray a little while your at it I wont help get the fish but it may help to reduce your anziety.
A friend of mine has a neat trick; he has a good sense of sound pitch, so he guages the breaking point of his line by the pitch of the sound emitted by the vibrating line. The higher the pitch the closer to the breaking point. It works for him. It should work for anyone with a good ear.
coot

First of all if you hook one of big nates that hits the "burners" immediately....well learn to appreciate the moment(typically about a 5 count plus or minus a bit)as these fish rarely stop for anything living especially the two legged kind. Only thing that will stop them is structural restrictions in the hole. Only advice I have is a repeat of FuzzyButts...constantly change angles to the sides of the fish. Just holding on for "dear life"....well it'll be short. The memories of these fish are still some of the best even without catching them.

Gooose

If you're in a boat your options are are greater and your chances for success much better. On the bank a different story. A few years back I landed a big hen about 18lbs fishing from the beach after a 15 min. fight and upon resuming fishing immediately hit an even bigger fish that was thrashing downstream on the surface and had all my 12lb line in less than 10 seconds. I ran down stream and tried to apply pressure but there was no stopping it...popped my leader....and yes that 10 seconds is one of my most vivid steelheading memories even though I've landed a couple 20+ pounders. It's all about the mystery of not knowing how big it really was combined with the power that fish exhibited. I had no chance. Maybe this spring I'll get a good trash'n again.

That was probably a comparable or larger buck layin in the same slot as that big ol'hen. My last experience like that was on the Hump. Landed a nice hen also around 16 pds....retied and cast to the same slot. Couple of casts and a hook set and it was all over in less than 5 sec's. Didn't even have the time to think the thought "holy sheaT!" Memory is still clear as day. Hope to do it again asap.

Gooose

I bank fish alot, and am willing to give luck most of the credit anytime I land a big fish. When you fish the little honey-holes, it seems like you're always dealing with brush, log jams, pilings, and chutes. However, I'll take the blame for losing two of the biggest steelies I've ever hooked. One was hooked on a Super Bowl Sunday and my partner on the net was dying to get home to see the game, which had already started. That lengthy battle ended when the hook pulled out after I followed his suggestion to "tighten the drag a little and bring him in." The second fish was hooked just before dark. It took off downriver and through a chute. Soon, I was looking at an empty spool and a knot. You're pretty much out of options at that point. I gave the rod and 165 yards of McCoy line everything I had, and the fish turned. I can still remember the relief I felt when I had about five wraps on the spool. It took quite awhile to work the fish back up through the fastwater, and it was now dark. When I'd recovered about half of the line, I relaxed for a second. In the dark, I'd made the decision to rest while the fish was alongside a rootwad. The next time I pumped the rod, my line was anchored in it, and the fish was gone. One fish horsed and lost; another fish lost when I stopped horsing it. Fish fighting must be art, not science!

Gooose-- You're right about lost fish leaving vivid memories. My most vivid steelheading memory is the spring evening I hooked three fish on three casts. Burned my thumb each time trying to stop their downriver runs. Never saw the fish, but I'll never forget the experience. Pain helps intensify a memory , also

ROEBOAT-- There's a run of big fish in the Snoqualmie that locals call "Raging River Grinners". Story goes that when you hook one, all you can do is hold on and grin

[ 01-01-2002: Message edited by: CedarR ]

I've yet hook a really BIG nate..... My biggest nate is about 17-18 Lbs. Not huge, but still plenty big. I hear a lot of guys saying to "pour the steel to him" And thre is definately a time and place to do that...... That time and place is when you've run out of options. I also dont believe in babying a fish too much, fighting them too long increases your chances oflosing and itsalso a good way to kill a fish that you'd otherwise release. I just keep steady, even pressure on all of my fish, regardless of if they're big or small, I let my drag do it's job and I use the rod to get some leverage on the fish. If I cant hold the fish and he takes off downstream like crazy, I chase him.... I think it's crazy how guys will have 100 yards of bank to fight a fish in and when the fish takes off peeling line downstream 1000 miles per hour, these guys will just stand there and let the fish run, then when/if the fish slows down, these guys will try to crank the fish back up to them. Why would anyone just stand flat footed and try to pump a big hog back up against all of that current? Get off your @ss and chase that fish down! The time to Start horsing and praying is when you've hooked a fish in a bad spot and there's nowhere to play him. when letting him run would mean losing him in a log jam, or watching him disappear down a slot of rapids that you couldnt follow him down. When that happens, I say a little "Please God, let me get this fish" and start horsing.

I hate big fish. If you get them close, you get nervous. If they run too far, you get nervous. If they jump, you get nervous.
I got a 38 pound king once and never realized how big it was because of the fog. Once it hit the boat, it looked reaaaaally big in the bottom of a 16 foot boat.
Big fish aren't fun. They're nerve-wracking.
And yes, pour the coals to them or they head for the far side of the globe. Medium hard set to the drag, and when they run, point the rod butt at them to turn them....works every time.