The Strike, The Hook Set, or the Fight? 2025

Bass_Akwards reply :

When bass fishing, what's the best?

The strike? (whatever your favorite strike is)

Setting the hook? Or

Fighting the fish?

Bass XL reply :

I think at the end, when you have succesfully completed all the above, is the best.

basspro215 reply :

a top water strike is the best of all

D4u2s0t reply :

i enjoy them all equally, but nothing beats landing a nice one

simplejoe reply :

I like the way largemouths strikes a bait, it feels like it has vengeance against it. I also like the fight of a nice smallie.

Rich Tehan reply :

all of the above?

If I had to pick one, I'd have to say the hookset when pitchin a jig

firefightn15 reply :

A good solid strike with the water boilin' 8-)

KYbass1276 reply :

I like the strike myself. The begining of good things to come

cwen reply :

The thump for me. I don't even like the fight that much. I love the casting and the hit.

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

The strike and the fight of a decent peacock is like nothing else. Give me that any day and I'm happy. Either that or a violent topwater strike on a frog.

urban_angler28 reply :

With out landing the fish none of these are fulfilling. If your experiencing a good fight then u had a strike and hook set so i guess the fight would be best.

Randall reply :

Surface swimbait strike!

Revo_Carrot Stix reply :

I'd say the hook set!

The strike is exciting.

The hook set is the reaction to the excitement and determines the outcome.

The fight is nerve racking for me. I want the bass in the boat ASAP which means there is no future for me hosting a fishing show.

HoggBoss reply :

Put me down for the topwater strike. Especially froggin'. The anticipation when the frog is just about to come into an opening in the pads, then it gets there and the water blows up! Awesome!

Hook Set reply :

Hook set!!!

RottManK9 reply :

Quote
a top water strike is the best of all

5bass reply :

I love it when I'm bumping a jig over the rocks and I suddenly feel the THUMP!

JacobK reply :

A SOLID hook set, the initial swing then you connect with the fish and feel resistance and you KNOW it's a solid fish. That my friend is the best part. I just love it when you swing and connect with somethin' on the other end.

tnbassfisher reply :

No matter the fish, whether it be a 5lb Largemouth or 8 ounce Bluegill, I get a little adrenaline rush every single time I feel a strike. Probably the reason why I miss so many hooksets though.

NorcalBassin reply :

The strike... closely followed by the fight/landing the fish. Just getting hammered by a fish and then having that split second wondering if it's a biggin or an aggressive little fella.

islandbass reply :

All of the above. It would be interesting to see this as a poll.

A-Jay reply :

For me . . . It's that split second between the strike and the hook set. That anticipation and satisfaction of solid resistance as the rod bows and the drag slips a little confirming that this might be a "better" fish.

A-Jay

Fishing Rhino reply :

The strike, because the possibility exists that it's a monster. So, it's about anticipation, and imagination.

The fight gives a good indication of the reality of the size, and sometimes the fight isn't much.

Landing a true monster doesn't happen all that often. At least not around here. Landing an average fish, while fun, is nothing to get very excited about, simply because it's, well, average.

It's all in the mind.

Rich Tehan reply :

Quote
A SOLID hook set, the initial swing then you connect with the fish and feel resistance and you KNOW it's a solid fish. That my friend is the best part. I just love it when you swing and connect with somethin' on the other end.

Yes

bassfisherjk reply :

All three get me going, but a Topwater strike is best.

SirSnookalot reply :

If we are talking LMB, it's none of the above..........

It's all about keeping a quality fish on the line during multiple jumps, probably when most fish are lost.

fishizzle reply :

I like the moment you set the hook and see if it loads up or "swing and a miss". The load up part is the one I like

angler1 reply :

The fight, followed by lippin' the fish.

roadwarrior reply :

The fight that begins when a big smallmouth

sees the boat. 20-30 yards of screaming drag

and then she jumps. It doesn't get any better

than that!

8-)

Red Bear reply :

Quote
If we are talking LMB, it's none of the above..........
It's all about keeping a quality fish on the line during multiple jumps, probably when most fish are lost.

so its not really none of the above for you. i would call keeping the fish on the line part of the fight, whether he is jumping or not. to me its jumping is just one of the scenarios you face during the fight.

as for me, i would have to go with the fight. everyone has days where they might get bit but not get the hooksets, then you might get the hookset but the fish comes off anyways, so for me its the fight. i love that adrenaline rush i get after landing a nice fish that i had to fight

Pitchinkid reply :

Pitching a laydown and feeling that "tick". Game over.

BassnMan Mike reply :

For me one of the best feelings is seeing a monster bass lurking under your swimbait and the anticipation of the strike.

However to me the best feeling is watching the bass swim away when I release her after a great battle!

Grey Wolf reply :

Definately the strike.

A-Jay reply :

OK - How about making all this ice melt so we can stop talking about it and go out and do it !

A-Jay

SirSnookalot reply :

Quote
so its not really none of the above for you. i would call keeping the fish on the line part of the fight, whether he is jumping or not. to me its jumping is just one of the scenarios you face during the fight.

Always have the option of keeping my rod tip real low to avoid jumping and throwing the hook, but then the fight lacks a bit of luster. Jumping is what makes it fun.

bigfruits reply :

nothing beats fighting a fat smallie on light line for me.

MALTESE FALCON reply :

I can't pick one. I think that's why I'm so addicted to this wonderful sport. I love reeling in a crankbait, and one of those ill-tempered smallies smacks it so hard, my heart stops. Then the hookset, you rear back, and she's pulling so hard, you think you're hooked to the bottom of the lake. Now the fight, I'm one of those wierdos that likes them to jump. I love acrobatic fish.

Falcon

TommyBass reply :

Nothing is better to me than feeling a big "thump-thump" and watching your line take off sideways. The anticipation of what's on the other end is what's awesome!

I like the fight too, but really today's modern equipment has taken that down alot. Giant stiff rods, hard cranking reels with lights-out drag, and humongous test lines make bass fishing fights turn into more of a formality. Only unless you choose lighter tackle does it become more fun - which I generally choose to do.

grimlin reply :

I can't pick one either.....All 3 excite me. The whole perspective of catching that fish from start to finish is just awesome.

fourbizz reply :

There is nothing in the world that makes my heart jump as much as a bite on a Huddleston. Nothing.

skeeterman24 reply :

I would have to say pitching a jig under a dock and your line magically starts moving sideways.

Dalton Tam reply :

I love a worm or jig strike, if you can call that a strike other than a bite. I just love knowing that they're caught while they don't even know it.

Bass_Akwards reply :

Good stuff guys! So fun to read.

I've struggled with this one but I gotta say, I think I'm a hook set guy. The hookset to me is everything that happens after the strike and before the fight.

In that case, the 2 seconds after I feel that "bump" and the anticipation of what's possibly on my lure PLUS the actual YANK of my rod to feel that fish all loaded up right before the actual fight is just epic fun for me. It's only about 3-5 seconds total, but d**n do I love it.

River Rat316 reply :

A river smallie absolutely crushing a fast moving buzzbait is by far the best for me, second would be the crushing thump on a jig and pig followed by a solid connection and the rod bowing and a little drag peeling off, either largie or smallie on that one.

NJBass12 reply :

The strike...especailly a small mouth crushing a moving bait or a large mouth busting through the weeds after a top water frog.

pitchin fool reply :

I love when you are fishing a soft plastic and don't even feel a nibble, but your line starts floating away from you and then you say to your buddy "There's one right now!" and bam you bear down and set that hook. Oh, man nothing makes me smile more. ;D

Dock Master reply :

Any strike that I can see, whether it be a topwater strike or a surface swimbait strike is pretty amazing to me.

pitchNbass reply :

My favorite has to be the anticipation of seeing a fish when you know you know you have a good one on the line.

From the list of options, I guess that more goes closely with the fight. Although, it sure is nice when you are having a slow day and you get that first good bite.

Bankbeater reply :

Getting that fish in the boat .

ttufishinman reply :

you cant beat jacking the jaw of a nice largemouth my favorite is definitely a flippin hookset its the greatest feeling in the world.

Beastie Bass reply :

Quote
a top water strike is the best of all

Nitro 882 reply :

The HOOK SET for sure. I pitch jigs a lot--stiff rod, heavy duty line, and a short distance tween me and THE FISH.

I've sent a lot of "buck" bass into orbit when setting the hook, but there's nothing like hauling back and THE FISH DOESN'T BUDGE.

Led Blimp reply :

The strike! The moment when old men turn into little boys again...

Day's First Strike

Moon and sun stare at each other across the sky

The night shift ending

Wind nowhere to be found

Sliding across a blue-green sheet of glass

Spotting a crippled oak bent half dead

Splayed out over the lake

Roots exposed holding on with a last desperate grasp

Finger like digging into the eroded red clay of North Carolina

A perfect cast

Placing the Heddon right beside the branches that have already given in

Dangling limbs into Kerr's cool water

Waiting for the few ripples the Zara caused to cease

Then a single twitch

And the plate glass shatters

Spraying shards into the sky

Largemouth engulfing both trebles

Crashing sideways back to where she can breathe

Spitting out the false offering

Leaving tears in her wake.

flyboy reply :

By far the strike...it is the reward for all the preparation for that moment. But without the hookset and the landing of the fish the reward of the strike is cancelled.

BassThumb reply :

The best thrill is when I lip them.

Smiths.R reply :

I love the strike, I even love them just tugging. But there is nothing better than setting that hook, and feeling the weight and force of that fish on the other end. I can't help but curse at the fish every single time I set the hook. I love winning!!

Fat-G reply :

I'm glad this topic came up.

For me, the single most exciting thing in fishing is pitching a jig to a laydown. The best part about it is setting the hook, but my favorite moment is the couple of seconds between the fish biting and reeling up the slack and setting some steel.

bassman31783 reply :

The Strike: If I'm using a topwater

The Hook Set: If I'm fishing with a jig or soft plastic

The Fight: I absolutely love the fight. Especially if it's a monster. Your adrenaline gets pumping & your praying like there's no tomorrow hoping that you just get to lip it.

I love all 3 but if I had to chose 1 it would be the fight. Knowing that the fish did everything it could to come unhinged but I still won is sure a nice feeling.

The Capn reply :

Definitely the hook set! And the best hook set happens when pitching a big jig on heavy tackle and you reel down and crack him...the rod loads up and for that split second the fish doesn't budge. Man, I can't wait for the ice to melt around here!

backpain... reply :

Quote
all of the above?
If I had to pick one, I'd have to say the hookset when pitchin a jig

I think I have to agree.

highlander reply :

It has to be the fight, dad and I were at a secluded electric only lake in upper lower of MI and every fish [ch8220]saw the boat[ch8221] and burned the drag away from the boat. I have never had 12in fish fight so hard it was one of the greatest times I have ever had fishing, it didnt matter how big they were when you finally got them to the boat they all fought like they were trophy fish.

florida strain reply :

the strike on topwater- the hookset on a reaction bait- the fight of a big -n... if i had to pick just one it would be a strike becase of the information

CAdeltaLipRipper reply :

All 3

Taylor Fishin 4 life reply :

i like all three times 10 or 20 or mabye more

NasTMcfingas reply :

Definitely the strike, its the beginning of the other two that follow. No strike, no hook set, no fight.

BassinSoldier reply :

I love them all almost equally but probably the strike more than the other two if I had to chose. Nothing like draggin a football jig through some chunk rock and I feel that tell tale thud. The whole world stops dead and everything falls so silent to me that I can hear my heart pounding in my ears. Also a big fan of pullin the toad through matted grass in the summer. If you don't get the jitters from a largemouth flying a foot out of the water with your lure in his mouth then you need to quit fishing right now.

J Francho reply :

4. The weigh in.

Triton21 reply :

Quote
Definitely the strike, its the beginning of the other two that follow. No strike, no hook set, no fight.

Beat me to it.

I totally agree. STRIKE, Hookset, Fight, Landing the fish.

Kelley

Bass_Akwards reply :

Quote

Quote
Definitely the strike, its the beginning of the other two that follow. No strike, no hook set, no fight.

Beat me to it.

I totally agree. STRIKE, Hookset, Fight, Landing the fish.

Kelley

So do you guys like the STRIKE the best because without it, you can't have the hookset or the fight?

Or are you saying after catching, and landing the fish, you like the strike the best of the three?

And for all you guys that said the STRIKE...

What if you get a nice topwater strike or Jig strike and the bass completely whiffs and you don't even get the hook set? You still telling me you like that whiffed strike as much as a good hookset?

5bass reply :

Quote
What if you get a nice topwater strike or Jig strike and the bass completely whiffs and you don't even get the hook set? You still telling me you like that whiffed strike as much as a good hookset?

I'm confused by this. How do you get a good hookset if the fish whiffs? If the fish misses, the hookset will miss too. I know I hate laying the steel on nothing.....

Triton21 reply :

Quote

Quote
What if you get a nice topwater strike or Jig strike and the bass completely whiffs and you don't even get the hook set? You still telling me you like that whiffed strike as much as a good hookset?

I'm confused by this. How do you get a good hookset if the fish whiffs? If the fish misses, the hookset will miss too. I know I hate laying the steel on nothing.....

I love them all and what I am saying you don't get to enjoy the other 2 without the strike. Therefore I think the STRIKE is the most important.

Kelley

Bass_Akwards reply :

I'm just tryng to figure out from the guys who answered "The Strike" if they like a scenario like scenario #1, or #2 better I guess?

1. You have a great strike on a topwater or a jig. For example one of those topwater blow ups that's super fun and super vicious and splashy. You try to set the hook, but there's no load up. No fish. OOPS! The fish didn't inhale the bait and it was a swing and a miss. All air. Therefore you got that awesome strike y'all are talking about but no fish.

You get a super weak strike on a jig. One of those where you're not even sure a fish hit the bait but instinctively you give that rod a YANK and BOOM, that sucker loads up and you realize "Holy crapbuckets, this things a PIG!"

My view is #2 wins by far. A killer hook set, beats a killer strike.

5bass reply :

Quote

Quote

Quote
What if you get a nice topwater strike or Jig strike and the bass completely whiffs and you don't even get the hook set? You still telling me you like that whiffed strike as much as a good hookset?

I'm confused by this. How do you get a good hookset if the fish whiffs? If the fish misses, the hookset will miss too. I know I hate laying the steel on nothing.....

I love them all and what I am saying you don't get to enjoy the other 2 without the strike. Therefore I think the STRIKE is the most important.

Kelley

Kelly, my post wasnt questioning your reasoning....in fact, on the first or 2nd page I replied that I'm a 'strike' guy myself.

Rebel Angler reply :

I love seein a huge strike on a topwater on a early summer mornin

Dave D reply :

I'm going to say that it's the moment between the strike and the hook set. You feel the first tick when worm fishing and then there is a little bit of a wait(which makes your heart speed up), then BAM!

Gangley reply :

As soon as I get out on the water, my hands are burning for the feeling of that tap-tap or thud. The fight is fun, the hookset is fun, but the the strike to me is the best. It means that what you have worked for, what presentation that you have concieved, was good enough to pass muster. It means you are doing it right. Thats my favorite part, to realize im doing it right.

Catching a fish here and there is nice, but knowing that you used your skill and knowledge, and it resulted in a strike, not by chance but by skill, well, that to me is what its all about.

Nicky Greece reply :

Definitely the fight and the finish... Better than sex, almost.

Triton21 reply :

Quote

Quote

Quote

Quote
What if you get a nice topwater strike or Jig strike and the bass completely whiffs and you don't even get the hook set? You still telling me you like that whiffed strike as much as a good hooksett?

I'm confused by this. How do you get a good hooksett if the fish whiffs? If the fish misses, the hooksett will miss too. I know I hate laying the steel on nothing.....

I love them all and what I am saying you don't get to enjoy the other 2 without the strike. Therefore I think the STRIKE is the most important.

Kelley

Kelly, my post wasnt questioning your reasoning....in fact, on the first or 2nd page I replied that I'm a 'strike' guy myself.

No problem, I took no offence was just explaining my logic.

Kelley

Triton21 reply :

Quote
I'm going to say that it's the moment between the strike and the hook set. You feel the first tick when worm fishing and then there is a little bit of a wait(which makes your heart speed up), then BAM!

Most of the time I don't wait, 'Fish Ain't Got No Hands'!

If I miss a couple then I will wait to the count of 3.

Kelley

demonjd22 reply :

Topwater strike ftw. Aint nothing like watching a bass blowing up to take the bait. Landing it is nice too. ;D

Bountyhunter reply :

I'd have to go with the Topwater strike too. Explosive! Violent! Oh yeah...

DeanFishesNY reply :

I love it all, but setting the hook on a solid jig bite is awesome to me. I love pulling back and knowing there's a big one on the other end.

UGLY STIK reply :

The strike...it gets the old heart pounding !!

_BassAddict_ reply :

I love it all.

Without the knowledge you wouldnt get thre strike

without the strike you wouldnt get the hookset

without the hookset you wouldnt get the fish

without the fish you wouldnt get the picture

without the GEAR you wouldnt get any of it.

I guess im a "Gear Head"

10108

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