this may be a stupid question but anyway...

[BassandRelease]

I hear people always saying the terms "horsing" or "farming" a fish. What does that mean?

[HEMAN]

never heard of horsing, but farming i believe refers to hooking on to a fish and then losing it to head shake or broken line or something like that before it can be landed.

[Captain Castaic]

Horsing is quickly reeling it in...not playing the fish or allowing it to run. Horsing it in can result in lost fish.

C.C.

[CraigH]

never heard of horsing, but farming i believe refers to hooking on to a fish and then losing it to head shake or broken line or something like that before it can be landed.

I've heard farming used this way and I think thats the most common definition, but I've also heard it used on saltwater boats as another term for "hooking and handing". As in, if a deckhand hooks the fish and hands the rod to a paying customer to reel in the deckhand "farmed" the fish.

[BassandRelease]

Cool thanks I kinda had an idea that's what they meant but was unsure

[lurk 182]

"farming" generally means to miss bites or lose fish that you had hooked or should have caught. "horsing" refers to playing a fish in a way where your main goal is to get the fish boatside A.S.A.P. this is usually only done when the angler is less concerned with the fish breaking the line and more concerned that the longer the fish is allowed to stay in the water, the less likely he will be to successfully land the fish. it is generally accepted that you want to horse fish hooked on heavy swimbaits where the fish have a good chance of throwing the large bait if allowed to fight. you generally don't horse fish that you have hooked on light tackle.

[one_leg]

Farming a fish is what ya do when ya bury the carp you caught in your rose bed to fertilize it.

[Stormcrow]

Farming: To swing and miss a fish or to not hook a fish after a strike.

Horsing: Winding hard to bring a fish to the boat with the intent of avoiding the battle

[Vulture]

Horsing can lead to Farming. But Farming has nothing to do with horses.

[one_leg]

Horsing a fish is a method used when you plan on releasing a fish and do not want to overtax it's ability to recover from the fight.

Some fish might swim off after a long and hard battle but they might inevitably die anyways.