Need Help Setting The Hook On Bass!!!! / Missed Hook Set 2025
finessefisherman90 reply :
So, I am new with Texas Rig worm fishing. My problem is everytime i feel a tap or two taps on my line I get excited and set the hook (upward motion) right away . Because i didnt want the fish to spit out the lure. At a result I always ended up missing the fish 
. So what is the right technique for setting the hook on bass? Do you wait to feel the full weight of the fish then set hook?
BassHunter954 reply :
Well for my technique as you call it lol i do alil similar to what your doing but its kind of like a fast motion type of hook set for me. Bass when they hit they gulp an its like a tug and i yank an set hook. its probly the lil bass that hit you cause most of the time lil bass try an hit lures thats bigger then them and that probly it. Al ure can be bigger the lil ones but they will still hit it. And it is also on your lure setup too cause if you not using the right hooks with the rubber lure etc. you wont land a fish at all i learned that yesterday when i was out fishing.
finessefisherman90 reply :
Yeah, I think its the small bass or other bait fish that hit my lures, cause the tap is very light. I also have other people told me when ever i feel different on the line or rod. Point the rod down reel in the slack and set the hook. But after doing all of that im afraid that the bass spit the lure out already. So i just set the hook at every tap i feel.
Fishes in trees reply :
I'm assuming that you're using a hook size consistent with the size & shape of the bait you're using. As soon as you're aware of a bite, you need to A - take up the slack as quick as you can, B - get in correct position to set the hook as quick as you can and C - set the hook as soon as you can. This process takes from fractions of a second to several seconds, depending. Be aware that you aren't going to catch them all. Focus on technique and executing technique and you'll catch your share.
Catt reply :
Drop the rod, reel the slack the slack, & set the hook 
This should never take more a second because you should never have anymore than semi slack line and your rod should always be facing you lure and you should never be out of position.
You also need to pay attention to the amount of line you have out and the depth of the water you're casting into. If you're casting into 12' of water and your lure fell 8', you have been bit! If you're casting into 12' of water and 15' of line goes out you've been bit! In either case you could be late on the hook set!
405z06 reply :
your probably getting bluegill biting your bait. Bluegill bites feel like machine gun fire...a quick series of 4-5 ticks/taps. A bass won't do that, it simply inhales the bait. IT will be a single-solid thump. You can't really set the hook too soon if a bass has the lure in it's mouth ,so if your missing them, they probably aren't bass.
Once you feel something out of the ordinary, take up the slack in your line until you feel pressure, Then set the hook. Don't reel so hard you pull it out of it's mouth, but reel deliberately until you can tell if there is something ther. If there is no pressure when you reel in the slack, it probably wasnt a bass to begin with. Once you catch some bass, you will soon be able to tell the difference between a bluegill bite and bass bite. It will become second nature
Mike__D reply :
I reel down and feel for the weight of the fish, if I feel weight I set the hook, no weight no hook set. That's just me though.
Mike D
B@ssCrzy reply :
On 4/17/2012 at 1:14 AM, Mike__D said:I reel down and feel for the weight of the fish, if I feel weight I set the hook, no weight no hook set. That's just me though.
Mike D
x2
finessefisherman90 reply :
What happen if you reel down to feel the weight of the fish, and the fish feels the resistance and let go of the lure?
Mike__D reply :
that is a possibility but i prefer to make sure the fish has the hook in mouth before i swing. I know hooksets are free and limitless, but i haven't had any issues reeling down and feeling weight before i set the hook. Most of the time i am using some sort of soft plastic and fish tend to hold onto those baits a little bit longer.
Mike D
redboat reply :
You may be using the wrong hooks, or dull ones. I prefer wide gap hooks when T-rigging. Small ones (3-0 and smaller) are OK but be sure they have small diameter wire. Bigger hooks (4-0 or 5-0) are good also; these will be larger diameter.
Also the hook should be sharp. I used to use Owner or Gamagatsu (sp?) hooks exclusively but lately I tried Trokar; they are really sharp and don't seem to rust.
If the hook is rusty or not sharp throw it out. One way to tell if its sharp: Drag it along your thumbnail. You should feel a series of tugs, even when just the weight of the hook is on your thumbnail.
405z06 reply :
On 4/17/2012 at 3:33 AM, finessefisherman90 said:What happen if you reel down to feel the weight of the fish, and the fish feels the resistance and let go of the lure?
rarely happens. "Reel down" in this application means maybe 2 revolutions of the reel handle. You reel down to reel excess slack, while at the same time lowering your rod parallel to the water. Then a slow lift of the rod to sense any pressure. Pressure/weight = bass=set the hook. It all happens in less than a second or two
Catt reply :
Straight shank round bend hooks offer a higher percentage of hookups
If you are waiting to feel the weight & you feel nothing it's because the bass has already spit it!
Bass do not have hands so when you feel the tap, thump, bump or what ever you can rest assured it's in their mouth.
Many bass will in fact hit like a "machine gun", Kentucky bass are notorious for this; there is a ridge near Pendleton Bridge on Toledo Bend where the largemouth hit like this.
LgMouthGambler reply :
When a bass takes a worm or soft plastic bait, they take the bait. In my experience, when I fish my soft plastics (which is most of the time), when I feel that distinct bass bite, reel in a bit and feel that its got a good hold by just pulling the rod enough to feel it tug back, then cross that fishes eyes with the hook set. This has never failed me. The small little quick tug tug tug, is uually an bluegill/bream. Even the small bass dont bite like that, they still have that distinct tug, its just not that strong. When I fish soft plastics its usually a 6" Zoom Lizard, with a 3/0 EWG hook. Even that setup, I can still hook a bass that is only 8" long. When bass want something, they will inhale that thing, you just have to feel it. Where are you fishing? I dont see your area location.
NCbassmaster4Life reply :
Watch your line,reel in the slack,set hook.
BassassassinMI reply :
I wait till I fell weight. Then I slam it as hard as I can with out breaking the line!
Catt reply :
The lightest bite you will ever feel will from the biggest bass you will ever catch!
Bass23 reply :
NCbassmaster4life said it perfectly. Watch your line. If ole bucketmouth hit your lure then he has it and isn't hanging around. Your line will start moving away. Reel the slack,set the hook and have fun. It takes practice. Gets real fun if you jig fish.
WRB reply :
On 4/16/2012 at 11:37 AM, finessefisherman90 said:So, I am new with Texas Rig worm fishing. My problem is everytime i feel a tap or two taps on my line I get excited and set the hook (upward motion) right away . Because i didnt want the fish to spit out the lure. At a result I always ended up missing the fish
. So what is the right technique for setting the hook on bass? Do you wait to feel the full weight of the fish then set hook?
This must be the most repeated question on this site. Try searching the site for dozens of threads that have discussions on this exact topic.
You can't hook set too fast using underwater lure presentations. If you detect a strike, set the hook before the bass detects you and spits out you soft plastic worm or creature.
Tom
PS; exception; spotted bass and smallmouth sometimes pick up a crawdad soft plastic by the claws, then you wait a moment.
WookieeJedi reply :
On 4/17/2012 at 10:26 AM, Catt said:The lightest bite you will ever feel will from the biggest bass you will ever catch!
Got a 7+ last year, and could have sworn it was moss hung up on the wacky rig. Then it went to the left, just a little.
hatrix reply :
On 4/17/2012 at 10:26 AM, Catt said:The lightest bite you will ever feel will from the biggest bass you will ever catch!
X2 There mouth is so big you don't feel when they grab the worm or jig.
I lean forward a bit then reel in a couple times and stand back up.
BassfisherMass reply :
On 4/16/2012 at 12:04 PM, finessefisherman90 said:Yeah, I think its the small bass or other bait fish that hit my lures, cause the tap is very light. I also have other people told me when ever i feel different on the line or rod. Point the rod down reel in the slack and set the hook. But after doing all of that im afraid that the bass spit the lure out already. So i just set the hook at every tap i feel.
yes for sure!
Michael DiNardo reply :
Catt gave the key to this whole situation: bass don't have arms. When you feel the bump take the slack out and SET the hook. Don't "pull" the rod high overhead, Set the hook hard by rotating your hips and keeping your rod parallel to the water. It should look almost like you are swinging a baseball bat backwards. At least that is how I can best describe it.
Mike
justin apfel reply :
When you're texas rigging (Or fishing any soft plastic), depending on the size of the worm, you want to go with owner hooks. I just recently switched to Owner and I definitely have noticed a big difference than anything else (besides Trokar which is around $10 for 3 hooks). For a 6 inch worm I would go with a 3/0 or 4/0 hook. I used to only use 2/0 hooks for 6 inch worms, but now I believe they are a little too small.
Also just because you are not hooking these fish does not necessarily mean they are small bass. Bass, big or small, will take lures slowly and they won't always get the whole lure in their mouth right away. Watch your line and give it 2 to 3 seconds and then set the hook. And in the summer or on hot days in the spring you may want to wait a second longer because they aren't going to be as aggressive at this time as they are in 70 degree water. The biggest thing is to not get as excited and just be calm and wait a second longer than you do, it will increase your hookup ratio tremendously. And another thing to think about is how you set the hook, straight up is the best way...to the side is not as effective.
Hyrule Bass reply :
if youre slowly trying to feel the weight of the bass before setting the hook then youre going to miss a lot of fish. if you THINK you have a bite, SET THE HOOK!!! it wont cost you nothing but a swing...
streamwalker reply :
no matter what im fishing for bass,cat blue gill carp anything i always wait till i feel the fish pull i guess i just know how it feels by now but once i feel it pull i yank and set the hook. i rarely dont hook a bass now really only when im using a buzz bait without a trailer hook
Catt reply :
Seriously guys y'all need to do a search on Youtube for Glen Lau, he has 24 videos of bass striking lures of various type.
After y'all have watched them report back here and tell how many bass slowly picked up the lures one bite at a time.
If y'all have never heard of Glen Lau I highly suggest y'all get your hands on a copy of Big Mouth and Big Mouth Forever!
redboat reply :
On 4/19/2012 at 2:52 AM, justin apfel said:(besides Trokar which is around $10 for 3 hooks
They're a little less than that around here - around $1.25 a hook - but still expensive. I thought they were too pricey also but bought a pack just to see what all the fuss was about. One thing I noticed is, the Trokars don't seem to rust like some of the others. Since I throw out probably 3/4 of my hooks because they're rusty that makes the Trokars work out to be less expensive for me.
You might want to order some Trokars from this outfit - $7 for 5 to 7 hooks, depending on size: http://www.basspro.c...10205306/137951
Not to say Owners are bad - I've used them also; they are good.
justin apfel reply :
On 4/20/2012 at 1:06 AM, redboat said:They're a little less than that around here - around $1.25 a hook - but still expensive. I thought they were too pricey also but bought a pack just to see what all the fuss was about. One thing I noticed is, the Trokars don't seem to rust like some of the others. Since I throw out probably 3/4 of my hooks because they're rusty that makes the Trokars work out to be less expensive for me.
You might want to order some Trokars from this outfit - $7 for 5 to 7 hooks, depending on size: http://www.basspro.c...10205306/137951
Not to say Owners are bad - I've used them also; they are good.
Yeah I've heard good things about them and I was just at bass pro yesterday and I looked at them. They are actually only around $7 for a pack of 5 3/0's. But I decided just to stick with my owners haha. I'll try them eventually.
acajun2 reply :
I have the same problem. For some reason, I have the best luck with a wacky worm set up. I catch more bass with this rig than I do with a Texas or Carolina Rig.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5136952_fish-wacky-worm.html
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2025 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.