Losing Big Fish 2024

NorcalBassin reply :

Good news is that I've been getting a lot more bigger fish this year, but the bad news is that I seem to be losing more than I should as I lead them back to the boat. Today I had what would have been my PB... definitely into DD, but she went from holding a couple feet deep (while 15-20 ft from the boat) to rising out of the water, shaking her head, and throwing the freakin wacky jig head right back at me. It was as if time stood still and she just stared at the boat to taunt me for what seemed like a few seconds after she threw the hook. I'm pretty mild mannered, but I almost went Ike on this one.

Anyhow, I was using a 7'2" medium power XF Crucial with a Ci4 and 6# Invizx... so I was making sure to keep the pressure on her with a relatively light drag. This has happened at least 3 more times the past couple months with fish over 5 lbs, which more often than not happens when they jump out of the water. Any ideas on what I should have done so I can quit losing fish??? Thanks!

dhami013 reply :

When they jump, point the rod tip at the fish. It kinda gives them slack so they can't shake the hook. It works for me.

Good luck man.

Bluebasser86 reply :

I'll have to respectfully disagree with pointing the rod at the fish to give them slack. Never has giving a jumping bass slack line turned out well for me. Slack line will just allow the hook to flop around even more and possibly create an even bigger hole for the hook to fall out. When they're trying to jump about the best thing to do is bury the rod in the water to try to keep their head down. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Also you're fishing light line so make sure your hooks are extra sharp to help dig in. Big bass have pretty tough mouths and sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you set the hook or how sharp your hooks are they aren't going to penetrate to the barb and you'll loose them. I hate loosing big fish as much as the next guy but it's something that is going to happen if you fish enough. Don't let it crush you and ruin your day but let it be a lesson on how to fight the next one! If you do the same thing over and over and keep loosing fish then you should be trying something different!

00 mod reply :

/ what he said!!

Grey Wolf reply :

Bluebasser86 hit it on the head.

K_Mac reply :

Keeping pressure on the fish with your rod tip on or in the water will make a huge difference. As Bluebasser said, you may still lose an occasional fish, but keeping them in the water will improve your odds dramatically. Finding big fish is the hard part. Good luck.

James Yalem reply :

It's called variance (a poker term). Some years, you land every big bass that you hook; other years many get away. Sometimes, I believe the difference is how they take the lure, but a lot of it is plain luck.

Sam reply :

DO NOT GIVE THEM SLACK ESPECIALLY WITH TREBLE HOOK BAITS!!!!

Put rod tip IN THE WATER to stop them from jumping.

Keep line TIGHT.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER POINT ROD TIP DIRECTLY AT THE FISH.

If necessary loosen your drag a little if possible to let her run.

NorcalBassin reply :

Thanks for all the tips fellas. A little lighter drag (seemed plenty light but it did not take as much line as I thought it would for how much bend was in the rod) and keeping the rod tip ready to go into the water will definitely be my two initial adjustmemts. Now I'll be ready but will probably be stuck in dinkville for the next few trips.

brushhoggin reply :

i agree with burying your rod in the water, not just the tip, but i put nearly half my rod in the water to keep em from jumping, more frequently with treble hook baits. Once you get em in close, steer the bass in figure 8's to help keep em from going under the boat until he's done fightin. that's when i lose a lot of my fish, after the fight and getting them next to the boat, they like to take that one last dive. Figure 8's can help maintain control of the fish until they are ready for lipping. Also, as far as using light line, I've learned the thinner gauge wire hooks are more easily set on light line than say a Gammy Superline or Owner extra strong.

Sam reply :

Thanks Brushhoggin, I forgot about the figure 8s by the boat.

Usually I try to have them netted ASAP so I try to guide them into the net.

Jim H. reply :

By and large I believe the reason many people loose too many fish is because they try to finesse them and "play" the fish longer than necessary. I'm from the old school and believe the best way is to keep turning the reel's handle and get them in the boat as quickly as you can. If you think the fish is going to jump, turn faster. Every second you waste is just another opportunity for the fish to throw the hook. Obviously the strength of your line will dictate just how long the fight must go on but the objective is to get the fish into the boat not to "play" with it. Just my $.02.

Avalonjohn44 reply :

I NEVER lose a big fish. Because all I catch are dinks these days...

brushhoggin reply :

oh yeah, or you can use a net lol

Catt reply :

On 7/16/2011 at 12:46 PM, NorcalBassin said:
It was as if time stood still and she just stared at the boat to taunt me for what seemed like a few seconds after she threw the hook. I'm pretty mild mannered, but I almost went Ike on this one.

LMAO, I have seen that so many times

I’m not a fan of light line especially 6# because when I set hook I’m trying to break something & I don’t want that something to be my line.

I think bass in the 8# plus size can hold a lure with enough force that you will only slightly move it in their mouth which results on only skin hooking them. The reason I believe this is I’ve missed bass on Rat-L-Traps or cranks & on inspection of the lure there was a perfect imprint of a semicircle of teeth marks.

As for sticking my rod tip in the water to stop a bass from jumping, it’ll work on smaller bass but on some 10# plus bass you aint gonna stop them no matter what so I would rather have my rod up in fighting position.

Each individual bass caught is different so they are fought different, if I’m in heavy cover its man handle all the way, if I’m in open water then maybe I’ll play em a little more.

Give em slack? Not until them are in the boat!

JellyMan reply :

I have only lost 2 big ones. One in pads and when I set the hook, she was on for about 3 seconds then came off. nother had to be like 15lbs. I was using a jig, line got tight and started drifting, when I set the hook it was dead weight... heavy... then the line popped. I was like "hooooolyyyyy s********t!

I loose small ones way more often than big ones.

Locked reply :

If the bass jumps hold your rod down towards the water. I've noticed that you can almost feel when the bass is surging towards the surface. It almost feels as if the fish is swimming towards you. When I get that feeling, I will pull the rod down and away from the fish while reeling. When I say away from the fish I mean have my rod in front of the fishes direction. For example, if the fish goes to my left, I will move my rod further left and point it down to the water. If the fish is swimming towards me, I will try to steer him left or right while pulling the rod down to the water and away from the fish. I'm not sure how much it keeps them from jumping, but I know it seems to help me keep tension on the line.

Dwight Hottle reply :

When I'm concerned about a big fish jumping I always hold the rod to the side below parallel with the tip near or below the water . I just keep steady pressure on them slow reeling & stopping when they are pulling drag. You can't keep all bass from jumping but the slow side pressure keeps most of them down. Most of the time I am fishing deeper water without wood obstructions.

James Yalem reply :

I've caught lots of bass, big and small. I've lost lots of hooked bass, big and small. I just hold me rod and about 9 o'clock and reel. I love seeing a bass jump and fight. If it throws the hook, then I'm not really bothered; especially if it was on a nice jump. OTOH, I can only remember losing two real big ones, over 7 lbs. This was on Truman Lake over 15 years ago. One broke my line because I had a groove in my reel's line guide and one pulled off the hook on a rogue. But in March 2000, I caught an 8lb. on a jig and in March 1987 I caught an 8 lb. on a black bomber. I've caught two ten lb. in Florida. So losing a bass; even a big one does not bother me. However, I'm 56 and have been bass fishing for more than 40 years.

SirSnookalot reply :

All the pointers about the rod tip are correct, keeping a tight line is paramount. Experienced anglers lose less fish for 1 simple reason..........they don't get excited, they stay cool, calm and handle the fish instead of the fish handling them.

Try targeting larger species, get used to a more dramatic fight, landing bass should become easier for you. NO ONE LANDS THEM ALL !

Personally, I want my fishing jumping, that's the excitement for me. Makes no difference to me if the fish comes unbuttoned, I'm letting it go anyway.

NorcalBassin reply :

Thanks again for all the tips guys. Snook... I was probably too relaxed if anything due to being surprised by the size of her. The rod was bent 1/3 of the way over the entire "fight" (medium weight), so there definitely wasn't any slack contributing to her coming unbuttoned (likely should have had drag a little looser). I've caught a halibut around 300 lbs, multiple kings over 30 lbs, and a bunch of steelhead over 10 lbs... no deer in the headlights fright on that fish, although I would've loved one pic with a 10+ pounder for sure!

steezy reply :

On 7/16/2011 at 3:39 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

I'll have to respectfully disagree with pointing the rod at the fish to give them slack. Never has giving a jumping bass slack line turned out well for me. Slack line will just allow the hook to flop around even more and possibly create an even bigger hole for the hook to fall out. When they're trying to jump about the best thing to do is bury the rod in the water to try to keep their head down. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Also you're fishing light line so make sure your hooks are extra sharp to help dig in. Big bass have pretty tough mouths and sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you set the hook or how sharp your hooks are they aren't going to penetrate to the barb and you'll loose them. I hate loosing big fish as much as the next guy but it's something that is going to happen if you fish enough. Don't let it crush you and ruin your day but let it be a lesson on how to fight the next one! If you do the same thing over and over and keep loosing fish then you should be trying something different!

X10, keep the line tight and get the rod tip down (into the water if necessary) so the fish cant easily jump.

Fat-G reply :

On 7/17/2011 at 12:32 AM, NorcalBassin said:

Thanks for all the tips fellas. A little lighter drag (seemed plenty light but it did not take as much line as I thought it would for how much bend was in the rod) and keeping the rod tip ready to go into the water will definitely be my two initial adjustmemts. Now I'll be ready but will probably be stuck in dinkville for the next few trips.

I would say go up to 8 pound InvisX to be honest man. If you're getting a lot of 5+ pound fish, heavier line would be extra reassuring.

WRB reply :

Fully realizing you need to get bit before you can lose any bass; consider changing both the line lb test and the rod power rating, if you are catching bass over 5 lbs.

8 lb is 25%+ stronger than 6 lb line, 10 lb is 60% stronger, the difference is 0.001 in diameter for each 2 lbs in strength!

The medium power Shimano is light to start with, over rated and more like a medium/light action. Try going up to medium/heavy, far better control.

8lb line and med/hvy rod you can put 2 more lbs of drag tension without breaking off, better hook setting by reel set and sweeping the rod back. Use the sharpest, strongest forged light wire hooks on the jigs. Might consider using 12 lb NanoFil with 12' of 10 lb FC leader for better hook setting and control.

Forget about lowering the rod to prevent bass jumping, keep steady pressure, stay in front of the bass and in control, if they jump off they win that day.

Tom

Fishing Noob reply :

All these posts have been helpful for this topic! Thanks guys! All except for the person who stated that variance is a poker term lol....

gobig reply :

As catt mentioned each fish is different. I am curious what hook you are using? When you do land a fish are they skin hooked or are you getting into the meat. In many cases with some slight modifications to the rig or the hook you can get good solid hook ups.

How deep are you fishing? I know out west here, with our extremely clear water using light line can increase the number of strikes. The more line you have out though the more stretch you have when you set the hook. You may want to consider 20lb braid with your 6lb floro as a top shot.

Are you using a snap hook set or are you reel setting? I have found that reel setting has increased the amount of fish I land when it can be applied. Here is a quote from an article written by Bill Siemantle and Mike jones called Reel Force, The Right Stuff.

"For example, with a 4.7:1 gear ratio, the Calcutta 400 takes up approximately 20 1/4 of inches line with each revolution. At a distance of 80 feet, this delivers 11 to 13 pounds-per-square-inch (psi) of force on a combination rod/reel-set (with five full revolutions). A normal hookset (sweeping the rod only) creates between 5 and 5 1/2 psi. It doesn't take a math major to see that a reel-set is a better deal."

00 mod reply :

I lost a big one Sunday (7lber) on a quality jig with a good hookset, fishing in 10 ft of water and it only jumped once, and it got off within 4 ft of my boat! Sucks, but I seemed to do everything right and it just happens! Gonna go back and try and get her again this weekend!

Jeff

J Francho reply :

When the break the surface, you actually have a chance at getting the upper hand, with no water resistence. Just take up as much slack as you can, and keep heavy pressure on them.

secretagnt reply :

I like some of the suggestions posted .... My favorite ... lighten up that drag .... I am using 50 and 60 pound braid and at times with a DD fish will just click my thumbar and play the drag with my thumb if I have to ..

Also the figure 8's work well and be ready to slam that rod in the water if needed .....

Most importantly .... DON'T RUSH IT !!!!! ... Take your time and let the fish do the work

Mike

NorcalBassin reply :

Thanks again for all the help guys. I was using a fresh out of the package Damiki Wacky Head jig.

http://www.***.com/Damiki_Kaiser_Wacky_Head_6pk/descpage-DKWH.html

I usually throw the Gamakatsu wacky heads but decided to try something different (the jig head tends to start rotating after a few fish). The water I fish is gin clear with up to 20 ft of visibility, so I generally stick with 6-8# test with finesse techniques (I do go up to 12# with my baitcasters).

gobig- interesting points with the amount of pressure from a reel set. When I drop shot that's the way I go and with the wacky jigs I'd describe it as some sort of hybrid between the two depending on how the strike feels. Thanks again!

WRB reply :

Never fished the tiny Damiki flick Shaky jig, they look like a size 2 drop shot hook.

The problem with big bass is they have wide tough lips and the small hook doesn't penetrate anything unless it is inside the mouth in the soft tissue. Very difficult to get a big bass in the boat with ultra light tackle on tiny hooks, it can be done and is done on occasion, everything must go right.

I fish custom hair jigs tied on Gamakatsu #114, 5/0 with 10 to 14 lb Sunline FC and consider that light tackle for big bass in gin clear water.

Big bass on light spinning tackle happens and you can land some of them.

At DVL in SoCal 5 & 6 lb FC leaders with 10 to 15 lb braid is the standard set up...it's ultra light tackle for big bass IMO.

Good luck.

Tom

Bass Junkie reply :

I'd use a braid main line with a leader of FC or Mono.... The hooksets you get will triple over normal mono. The extra no-stretch qualities of the braid really help. The best knot I've found for connecting the line - leader is the double uni. I learned the hard way blood knots don't work on braid/mono....

RoLo reply :

Never be insulted if someone reminds you to “maintain constant line tension“,

because even seasoned pros continue to make greenhorn mistakes.

It only takes a microsecond of slack line to lose your trophy, for example,

swapping rod sides that momentarily points the rod-tip at the bass.

Normally I want my bass to jump, and will often use the Bill Dance high-stick to encourage a jump.

But for now, let's assume that we're in a tournament or battling a personal best.

Smallmouth bass usually jump early-on, and usually leave the lake entirely.

Largemouth bass are a little bit different. First off, they usually need a moment

before they decide to jump. When a fat sow decides to jump, she’ll usually roll on her side

then use her broad tail to pry her heavy head above the water. Although the head

seems to emerge in slow motion, the next thing you know she’s standing on her tail

while shaking her head violently. This is the moment when we sometimes find ourselves

ducking the treble hooks that are speeding toward our head.

Oddly enough, I’ve found this to be a vulnerable moment for the bass. Admittedly,

I’ve never found a way to stop the jump but I’ve often prevented the gill-rattling,

which IMO is even more important. When it’s clear to me that the bass is about to jump,

I’ll actually ease up on the rod pressure but maintain ample preload, which allows the jump

to take place as planned. Then precisely as the head emerges above the surface,

I yank fiercely back on the spinning rod, parallel to and just inches above the waterline.

When it works, this will knock the bigmouth off her tail and in some cases, skate her across the surface.

As insane as that may sound, I've aborted more head-shaking with that maneuver than with any other.

Try it…it works and it’s a blast too

Roger

J Francho reply :

Quote
I’ll actually ease up on the rod pressure but maintain ample preload, which allows the jump
to take place as planned. Then precisely as the head emerges above the surface,

I yank fiercely back on the spinning rod, parallel to and just inches above the waterline.

When it works, this will knock the bigmouth off her tail and in some cases, skate her across the surface.

You PERFECTLY described that small window of opportunity I described above. BTW, this works with other species of "head shakers."

WRB reply :

On 7/22/2011 at 3:49 AM, J Francho said:

You PERFECTLY described that small window of opportunity I described above. BTW, this works with other species of "head shakers."

There isn't a lot of time to get ready when a big bass decides to jump. It's my experience they jump soon after being hooked. There is a good vedio of a gaint bass jumping on U-tube; Butch Brown's 19.3. Butch puts this bass in the boat very fast,but it still makes a typical giant bass heart stopping jump! Anyone who thinks you can control a big bass jumping hasn't been frieght trained by one of these explosive fish, it doesn't happen in slow motion.

Tom

J Francho reply :

That video shows a MASTER at work. Most of us are catching fish less than 10 lbs.

I think if you are having a consistent problem of landing fish in the teens, then you don't have any problem at all.

Locked reply :

I would cut my small toe off to catch one of Butch Browns smaller bass.

A few Butch Brown Videos:

Bass Junkie reply :

J Francho nailed it....

WRB reply :

The purpose of posting Butch's link was to point out how fast some DD bass jump, not his fishing skills, they are well documented.

The smallie that Franco is holding can get more air under it than any largemouth. The point is; not all big bass make lethargic last effort jumps...they sometimes explode out of the water and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.

I have been fortunate to catch a lot of giant bass, some make explosive jumps, some never jump, it's the heart stopping jumps you remember most!

My point is' don't put yourself at an disadvantage using ultra tackle when big bass are a possibility to catch.

Tom

J Francho reply :

Thanks Tom, I said it before, but you're welcome to a steel head trip any time. I can show you jumps and shakes like no other! Only thing, they aren't bass.

SirSnookalot reply :

On 7/22/2011 at 8:49 AM, Bass Junkie said:

J Francho nailed it....

There is a good reason why Francho is a moderator, he knows what he's talking about.

Getting back to " losing fish", by no stretch of the imagination am I a world class fisherman. That said I routinely catch that fish that jump more often than bass, jump higher and twist more than bass, fight longer than bass and dwarf in size the largest of bass, and I land my fair share of them. The technique is like built in muscle memory, the more you do it the more your body just reacts without even thinking about it. No question in my mind that catching larger fish have made bass fishing easier for me. As I stated before staying calm and not getting excited puts the moment into reality, a 5 or 10# fish is still only a 5 or 10# fish.

Fish Chris reply :

SirSnook

Quote
Experienced anglers lose less fish for 1 simple reason..........they don't get excited, they stay cool, calm and handle the fish instead of the fish handling them.
Try targeting larger species, get used to a more dramatic fight, landing bass should become easier for you. NO ONE LANDS THEM ALL !

I could not have said it better myself. Just this morning, I was flashing back to a situation many years ago, where I had watched a young guy hook into, fight, and finally lose an 11 lb 4 oz bass > all because him and his buddy just came unglued with excitement, jumping around, stumbling, falling, drag not set properly, net hung up... they just basically made every mistake you could make in a 30 second period.

Oh, how do I know that fish was 11-4 ? Because I hooked and landed it a few days later Only difference was, I waited until "after I had landed it" to get all excited and goofy

And BTW, about keeping the line tight..... Yea, that's a good idea, but I think it's more important that you get a good hookset to begin with. A well set hook will probably stay hooked up, "even if" you give the fish 1/2 a second of slack. While a hook which is just riding by the point, can come out simply by the fish turning to a different angler from you.

So you want to have better, more consistent hooksets ? Use braided line. Somebody said > heavier line.... Why heavier ? How about just "stronger" ?

Peace,

Fish

fishinflip415 reply :

I would say that your probably not getting through the hard part of the mouth. Big fish have a really thick mouth and it takes some pressure to actually get it through the bone and tissue. I would say with six pound line it would be pretty hard to get it through that tissue. You probably had that fish skin hooked in the mouth and when it jumped and shook it's head it popped out. Nothing you can really do in that situation other than keep constant pressure and pray that it don't come off.

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