One of the most common mistakes made by GT anglers is rushing to try to get the rod into the gimbal immediately upon hooking a fish. I have seen many experienced anglers making the same mistake and this loses more fish immediately after hook-up than anything else in the sport. Upon hooking a fish, the best advice I can give is to wind like hell. Even if the line it taut, that's fine - keep the rod pointed at the fish and keep trying to wind as this will ensure that no slack comes into the line. At this point, the rod butt should be under your arm. Your primary focus is to keep the line as taut as possible without any slack.
You should only ever try to get the rod butt into the gimbal when the fish is running away from you or when the boat is driving away such that there is a prolonged period where the line will be very taut. At this point, calmly slot the rod butt into the gimbal belt. Resist the temptation to try to slip the rod butt into the gimbal until you have the above situation.
Any decent fish will eventually make a run giving you that opportunity.
