Another method that can work in really tight spots is taking the reel off the pole and hanging it from your pocket. If the stream and area you are fishing does not lend you any room to maneuver your pole, then this is something that might work for you. I have tried this a few times, when fishing a small stream and going after trout that are under a low bridge. It works pretty well. This works good with smaller fish, with larger fish it is really hard to hang onto the reel or get it back onto the pole. Usually the line snaps or worst, the reel is lost.
