how do you deal with snags in the ocean?

How do you deal with snags in the ocean when the wind is pushing you and the swells are moving you up and down?  It's a situation that can turn bad quickly if we're not real vigilant.  I try pretty hard to break off or break loose cuz I don't want to lose the tackle and line if I can help it but I've had to cut at the spool a couple of times.  Anyone have any tips or tricks?

The first thing I do is head back in the direction I came from, 80% of the time it comes lose...

Hobies really help in that department...  I'm surprised at how well my wife and kids use this technique and usually get free...

but your right, the only time I've gone over was pulling on a snag and a swell got me....   

if going back up drift doesnt get it free and i have to break off, i wrap the braid around my fish be good stick and pull till it pops, lose a lot less line this way and dont get cut from the braid or break a rod, cameron

I never use anything greater than 30# braid in the yak, then I use a 20-25# mono leader, when stuck I point the rod at the snag, thumb the spool and brace for the recoil when it breaks.  So far so good, the braid might dig into the spooled line a bit but so far no issues with that. The break almost always occurs in one of the knots so I don't loose much line.

When sturgeon fishing I use the 30# braid with a 60# mono leader, snags are unlikely, but still the 30# will let go without too much stress.

I wrap around my club and use the swell to pull. You wrap up the slack when you go down and hold on when you go up. With 65lb braid and 15lb leader I only lost one set up all 4 days at GS7. Im Sure I moved some rocks. I find 65lb is a little thicker to hold on to and not get your hands cut up. As far as flipping while snagged it happens but with a little bracing its no big deal. I've never flipped while hung up or even come close.

Skip straight to 1:04 in the video. I'm freeing a snag.
This is what I do when pedaling back beyond the point of the snag doesn't work.
Get straight above the snag and reel your rod as far into the water as you can go. Tighten down the drag. Grip the spool with one hand and wrap the other hand around the rod just above the spool. Your hand will be pressing the line against the rod. NEVER WRAP THE LINE AROUND ANY PART OF YOUR BODY.
Lift straight up. If the line stretches a bit, reel down and repeat the process.
Since you are lifting straight up you won't go @ss over tea kettle when it comes loose. You also are not putting pressure on the rod.
If this doesn't work you are better off cutting free.
Conditions were pretty rough in that video. It doesn't look like it because of the camera position, but no one ventured outside the cove at Casper.

I'm surprised there aren't more answers about what to do BEFORE paddling upstream.  The first thing I do is let out a little line and whip my rod tip up and down really quick, not like you're setting a hook, more just a quick wrist movement.  You line should go tight on the whip up and slack on the whip down.  Probably more than 1/2 the time, the jig will pop free before needing to paddle upstream.

-Allen

Yeah I will usually throw into freespool first to see if it will drop out of the snag.

I go to free spool and paddle the opposite direction of where i was coming from. I let out a lot of line, then as I'm still moving I tighten the drag, and lock the reel. Then I yank HARD. Works for me, mostly.

I'm surprised there aren't more answers about what to do BEFORE paddling upstream.  The first thing I do is let out a little line and whip my rod tip up and down really quick, not like you're setting a hook, more just a quick wrist movement.  You line should go tight on the whip up and slack on the whip down.  Probably more than 1/2 the time, the jig will pop free before needing to paddle upstream.

-Allen

X 10000000

That works 90% of the time.  I like to hug the bottom and create alot of commotion thumping the bottom. I get hung up alot, with trebles and don't loose too many jigs.


The last resort....freespool, wind a wrap or two of line under then over the spool and bust it off. 

I'm surprised there aren't more answers about what to do BEFORE paddling upstream.  The first thing I do is let out a little line and whip my rod tip up and down really quick, not like you're setting a hook, more just a quick wrist movement.  You line should go tight on the whip up and slack on the whip down.  Probably more than 1/2 the time, the jig will pop free before needing to paddle upstream.

-Allen

That's the difference between a temporary hang up and a snag.     I agree that I try the above method before heading back which can be a real PITA depending on how much line you have out.
I was going at it from the point that it ain't coming out.

I'm surprised there aren't more answers about what to do BEFORE paddling upstream.  The first thing I do is let out a little line and whip my rod tip up and down really quick, not like you're setting a hook, more just a quick wrist movement.  You line should go tight on the whip up and slack on the whip down.  Probably more than 1/2 the time, the jig will pop free before needing to paddle upstream.

-Allen

That's the difference between a temporary hang up and a snag.     I agree that I try the above method before heading back which can be a real PITA depending on how much line you have out.
I was going at it from the point that it ain't coming out.

Even after heading back upstream, I do the "shaky method" before just coming tight and pulling hard.  Often times, finesse overcomes brute force!  I hold off with brute force until other options have been exhausted.  Brute force often times just pulls the snag deeper.

The shaky method works particularly well when an iron is hooked on the bottom.  Rattling the iron uses the weight of the iron in your favor, hitting the hook from multiple angles (up an down).

BTW, mono sucks for brute force.  Most of the time you are just stretching the line out and make it hard to actually break off.  This is where braid helps.

-Allen

As an alternative to the "shaky" method, which works well, I'll use constant pressure on the line and then click into free spool as I'm applying pressure, the sudden slack of the line seems to drop the snag quite well., not sure how good it is for my reels, but I use cheap ones anyway and the fish don't sem to mind.

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies!  I'm glad I asked.  Lots of good info here.  Hopefully it will help me minimize lost tackle and keep me fishing (instead of re-rigging).

As an alternative to the "shaky" method, which works well, I'll use constant pressure on the line and then click into free spool as I'm applying pressure, the sudden slack of the line seems to drop the snag quite well., not sure how good it is for my reels, but I use cheap ones anyway and the fish don't sem to mind.

I got to try that MBP.

-Allen