What is a classic tap tap? 2024
BubbaBassin’ reply :
I hear often on this forum about the classic tap tap bite. I’ve felt said bite, but what do I do? The one time I’ve felt the bite I set the hook and their was no fish? Just wondering when to set the hook and when not to.
Scott F reply :
As is often said, “hooksets are free”. Anytime you feel the tap, tap of a fish, go ahead and set the hook. Bluegills are often the ones who are tapping on your bait when you set the hook and nothing is there.
tbone1993 reply :
Got to pick up line quickly to get them when they're biting like that. Good thing is when they bite like that you can usually get them to bite again on a missed hookset. That being said fish that tend to rapidly bite a bait are usually gills or perch in my experience. Next time you feel that take a look at your bait for bite marks.
FishDewd reply :
I've had the same issue lately, feel the tap, reel in, swing and miss. I had it five times in a row last week fishing a few spot. The sixth time I waited another second before setting and launched a crappie a couple feet through the air. Answered my question as to what kept hitting my 4" curly tail grub lol. Least I'm getting it down... when a bass hits me, I'll get him!
kenmitch reply :
I just kind of slowly reel into it as I lift my rod and if I feel something then I'll set the hook if needed. Really depends on what you've been catching and what your using for bait. Sometimes just reeling in and turning is enough to set the hook if were talking little guys like bluegill, crappie, and other panfish. Guess with a sharp hook just about any fish. Caught 3 channel cats up to 6lbs last year with #16 treble hook before while bluegill fishing this way. I wouldn't set the hook as I'd just reel in and turn away from the fish to load the rod which set the hook once the fish realized it was hooked and made a run for it . If fish misses the first shot the bait doesn't get jerked rapidly away.
MassYak85 reply :
In my experience "tap tap" is generally smaller fish or bluegills picking up your bait and then attempting to suck it in deeper. With bigger bass it's usually just one solid thud/tap/tick depending how hard they hit it.
greentrout reply :
Some experienced bassers claim you're too late and the bass has spit out the bait...others it's an alarm bell...set the hook NOW...I've caught many with the tap tap...
It's here on BR...
good fishing...
WRB reply :
The 1st tap is your worm or jig going into the basses mouth, the 2nd is going out.
Tom
Catt reply :
This is the way Shaw Grigsby put it to me, he calls the three tap theory.
The first tap the bass has inhaled your bait
The second tap the bass has exhaled your bait
The third tap I'm tapping you on the shoulder asking you why you didn't set hook!
Lead Head reply :
Over time you will learn the difference between what is likely a bluegill "tap" and a bass "tap". When I'm in a area that I know is loaded with bluegill (or any other small fish that will harass a bottom contact bait) I tend to wait a bit longer and see if I can feel the fish or see my bait being moved before I set. Some people here will say I'm missing fish and I'm sure sometimes I do, but I can't afford to replace my soft plastic every cast because a bluegill ripped the appendages off when I set. I would suggest you treat all taps like it's the bass your looking for until you are confident it's small fish harassing your bait, then slow your set a bit. I have had people tell me that a bass will often grab and crunch a bait then spit it out to "kill" it, then pick it up and eat it. This lines up perfectly with the majority my experience. There are many, MANY, different types of "hit" on soft plastics and jigs but most often a bass will hang on to it for a bit (again this is just my personal experience). This is all stuff that is not easily explained but with experience you will slowly begin to understand.
Having said all that, I'll tell you this...
After years of soft plastic fishing and thinking I pretty much had the whole "tap tap" figured out, I had a "tap tap" that I would have bet my paycheck was a bluegill end up being a 4+ pound bass. My line slightly moved down the bank after the taps so I set...
IgotWood reply :
When you feel the tap, reel down to the water and as the line gets tight, make a good hard hook-set. I find that larger bass often give a tap, and normally smaller bass tend to pick up the bait and swim off with it, notifying you right away that you've got a fish on. This is all in regard to fishing non-moving baits btw...
Catt reply :
@BubbaBassin’
Goto YouTube & search for Glen Lau's videos Bigmouth & Bigmouth Forever
Watch closely as each bass strikes the lure & decide do I need to wait or set hook ASAP!
DINK WHISPERER reply :
Sometimes that tap tap is the feeling of the fish spitting your lure out!
ohboyitsrobby reply :
Every tap is different for me. On the creek behind my house the rat-a-tat-tat is almost guaranteed to be a bluegill. So I let it swim and then swing and still get nothing quite a bit. On the lake it's a lil different but I always swing for the fences there. Caught quite a few 4-5 lbers that just double tapped it. Especially when I'm fishing brush piles at night. Cuz if it's a bass I gotta get it up outta there can't afford to let one just swim you around in brush
Catt reply :
I wholeheartedly agree the "rat-a-tat-tat" bite of Bluegill but on many occasions I've set hook on than "rat-a-tat-tat" & it was a bass.
There's a spot on Toledo Bend we call "Machine Gun Ridge" because that's how the bass hit.
I find that Kentucky/Spotted bass hit the same way except a whole lot more aggressive!
scaleface reply :
If you feel a tap when the lure is falling , reel down and set the hook . If you feel a tap when lifting , you may have just ticked a limb or something .
EGbassing reply :
Are you fishing soft plastics? If so, then this will apply: If you feel a tap, set the hook hard. Eventually you'll learn the difference between the tap of a rock and the tap of a bass eating your lure, but for now, just set the hook. Otherwise you'll be missing a lot of fish, and gut-hooking some. The classic bite is just one or two taps. When that happens, quickly reel down until the line is almost tight, and set the hook hard. I hook around 80% to 90% of the bass that bite doing that. As for bluegill hitting the lure, I think it's unlikely. I once found a school of around 50 bluegill just sitting under a dock right off the bank. Out of curiosity, I dropped a T-rig Finesse worm right into the middle and not one would bite it. 
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me.
Glenn reply :
Glaucus reply :
I can usually tell if the tap is a bass or a bluegill. Also, in my experience, I rarely miss a fish after feeling the tap tap.
TroxBox reply :
The biggest bass I've ever caught tapped like a bluegill... better to set the hook and be wrong, than to not and be sorry.
BassWhole! reply :
On 6/9/2018 at 11:22 AM, WRB said:The 1st tap is your worm or jig going into the basses mouth, the 2nd is going out.
Tom
This^. I find the first tap is more like a tick, and the second like a thud. The trick is to know how your bait feels and behaves as you retrieve it. Sure, sometimes you may miss a bite, or mistake a branch, rock or other stuff for a bite, but the more you do it, the more it becomes second nature.
fishwizzard reply :
I fish mostly weightless or lightly weighted soft plastics and most of the time I get 2-3 taps per hit. I find if I set on the first tap I miss more often then not and if I hold off until the second one I tend to get them. I also tend to keep my lures moving, so maybe that is a factor?
I do get a lot of hits where my only indication is my spider-sense going off and then setting the hook, but the double/triple tap really seems to happen more often than not when I am fishing soft plastics.
WRB reply :
I believe jigs are much harder to detect strikes with then Texas rigged worms with slinging sinker. Bass nearly always engulfs a worm and keeps it thier mouth longer then a jig. Depending on the type of bass and the size strikes feel different, for example both spots and smallies tend to grab the claws of a crawdad before engulfing it so you feel several fast taps or ticks and need to adjust your hook set timing accordingly. Small size LMB often grab a jig and run off with it before engulfing it. Adult size LMB don't fool around and engulf the jig crunching down on it to hill it and can quickly reject it. The bigger a basses mouth is the less you feel the strike until they move with it in their mouth. Unfortunitly most bass anglers miss detecting the really big bass strike and miss it.
Tom
scaleface reply :
On 6/10/2018 at 8:19 AM, WRB said:Unfortunitly most bass anglers miss detecting the really big bass strike and miss it.
Yep, most of the time I swing and miss , it was on a lunker .????
Catt reply :
A jig imitates a crawfish correct?
Yes I believes they do
A crawfish has a hard shell does it not?
Yes they in fact have a hard shell
Why would a bass spit what it perceives to be a crawfish because it feels something hard?
When the bass "crushes" the jig to kill it; it feels the hardness of a shell, the softness of the skirt, & the firmness of the trailer just like a crawfish.
Ever look at an un-painted lead bullet weight after catching a bass?
You will see teeth marks! ????
fishwizzard reply :
On 6/10/2018 at 8:19 AM, WRB said:I believe jigs are much harder to detect strikes with then Texas rigged worms with slinging sinker.
I would agree, I have noticed that a lot of my jig-bass come from a spidey-sense hookset. I wonder, is the double tap on a worm 1: the bass grabbing it and 2: the bass crushing it?
813basstard reply :
They ain’t got the whole thing in their mouth. Have to reel down. Hook sets on slack line won’t catch fish. Many times you can feel they have the back of the bait in their mouth. Idk about the 2 second theory or none of that, when I feel them MOVE the line, not tap or thump, but pick the line up and move it, get after him
Sam reply :
The secret is how much pressure does it take to lift the bait up and down.
Raise the worm up slowly and let it fall within a two-foot radius. That is all you need. A two-foot radius from where the worm hits the water using a spinning rig.
You let the worm sit on the bottom for a few seconds and then you lift your rod tip about six inches and let the worm fall again. You do this twice or three times within a two-foot radius. Then reel in and do it again and again and again and again.
Always keep a finger on the line coming off your spinning reel. A tungsten weight will transmit feelings back to your finger so be ready all the time for the tap tap. Braid will transmit what tis going on back to your finger. All line will transmit back to you but tungsten weights and braid line do it best.
The worm is supposed to go up and down easily. If it feels "heavy" the bass has the bait. SET THE HOOK.
Learn how the bait feels without a bass on it. If the bait feels "different or heavy" then it does without any fish on it, you SET THE HOOK. Concentrate on how the bait feels when you lift it or start your retrieve back to you. This is the secret to catching bass.
Many times you may think a bream is pecking on your bait. Very lightly lift the rod tip and if it is heavy or feels different you SET THE HOOK. You could have a five pound bass that has inhaled your bait or holding it in their mouth and is just sitting there with it in their mouth as there are no other bass around for competition.
90% of the time the bass will hit the worm on the fall, be it on the initial fall or if you lift your rod tip to move it upwards so it can float down, like a wacky Senko or trick worm.
If you feel a "tap tap" watch your line. If you feel a "tap tap" and your line starts to move right or left, the bass has your worm in their mouth and is swimming away with it. But if the bass grabs the bait and just sits there with it in their mouth you will not feel a "tap tap." You will fee the worm being heavy.
When this happens, SET THE HOOK.
I remember fishing a country club pond and I just flipped a Senko about 10 feet from the bank. What was different was that the bait landed on a stump and stopped falling. I then remembered there were no stumps in the pond. So I reeled in the slack and set the hook and landed a beautiful four pounder. Never felt a tap. Never felt any weight. The line never moved. She just inhaled it and was holding it in her mouth for whatever reason.
As Hank Parker says, " it don't cost anything to set the hook." So set the hook. You may look funny but I would rather look funny setting the hook over my head with nothing on the other end than to miss a big one because I could not determine if the bass has taken the bait.
If there is nothing on the other end of your line when you set the hook don't fall down on the ground if you are bank fishing or fall out of the boat in case there is no fish on the other end of the line. 
Keep your balance and get ready for the bait to sail past your head or hit you between your legs. If this happens, you are doing everything right.
Now go to your favorite body of water; cast out; and learn the feel of the worm with nothing on it. And remember, if the bait feels "heavy" or "different" you SET THE HOOK.
Glaucus reply :
On 6/10/2018 at 9:37 AM, fishwizzard said:I would agree, I have noticed that a lot of my jig-bass come from a spidey-sense hookset. I wonder, is the double tap on a worm 1: the bass grabbing it and 2: the bass crushing it?
I've seen bass eat my worms far too many times to believe that the second tap is the fish generally spitting it back out. They get a portion of it in their mouth, and then slurp up whatever portion is still left outside of the mouth. Hence tap, tap.
thinkingredneck reply :
Use a fast rod, no stretch line, and tungsten weight. Sharp hooks. Tex pose just under the skin of the worm. Set the hook like yanking out a tooth with a string. You want to move the end of your rod to set the hook.
Koz reply :
On 6/10/2018 at 7:53 AM, reason said:Sure, sometimes you may miss a bite, or mistake a branch, rock or other stuff for a bite, but the more you do it, the more it becomes second nature.
For me, what I notice when differentiating between structure and a fish is that when it's a fish I feel a vibration along with the tap, while when it's structure I just feel a solid tap or thud.
Maybe I'm missing out on a lot of bites. Then again, I've landed my fair share of tree branches
Todd2 reply :
On 6/10/2018 at 10:05 AM, Sam said:The secret is how much pressure does it take to lift the bait up and down.
Raise the worm up slowly and let it fall within a two-foot radius. That is all you need. A two-foot radius from where the worm hits the water using a spinning rig.
You let the worm sit on the bottom for a few seconds and then you lift your rod tip about six inches and let the worm fall again. You do this twice or three times within a two-foot radius. Then reel in and do it again and again and again and again.
Always keep a finger on the line coming off your spinning reel. A tungsten weight will transmit feelings back to your finger so be ready all the time for the tap tap. Braid will transmit what tis going on back to your finger. All line will transmit back to you but tungsten weights and braid line do it best.
The worm is supposed to go up and down easily. If it feels "heavy" the bass has the bait. SET THE HOOK.
Learn how the bait feels without a bass on it. If the bait feels "different or heavy" then it does without any fish on it, you SET THE HOOK. Concentrate on how the bait feels when you lift it or start your retrieve back to you. This is the secret to catching bass.
Many times you may think a bream is pecking on your bait. Very lightly lift the rod tip and if it is heavy or feels different you SET THE HOOK. You could have a five pound bass that has inhaled your bait or holding it in their mouth and is just sitting there with it in their mouth as there are no other bass around for competition.
90% of the time the bass will hit the worm on the fall, be it on the initial fall or if you lift your rod tip to move it upwards so it can float down, like a wacky Senko or trick worm.
If you feel a "tap tap" watch your line. If you feel a "tap tap" and your line starts to move right or left, the bass has your worm in their mouth and is swimming away with it. But if the bass grabs the bait and just sits there with it in their mouth you will not feel a "tap tap." You will fee the worm being heavy.
When this happens, SET THE HOOK.
I remember fishing a country club pond and I just flipped a Senko about 10 feet from the bank. What was different was that the bait landed on a stump and stopped falling. I then remembered there were no stumps in the pond. So I reeled in the slack and set the hook and landed a beautiful four pounder. Never felt a tap. Never felt any weight. The line never moved. She just inhaled it and was holding it in her mouth for whatever reason.
As Hank Parker says, " it don't cost anything to set the hook." So set the hook. You may look funny but I would rather look funny setting the hook over my head with nothing on the other end than to miss a big one because I could not determine if the bass has taken the bait.
If there is nothing on the other end of your line when you set the hook don't fall down on the ground if you are bank fishing or fall out of the boat in case there is no fish on the other end of the line.
Keep your balance and get ready for the bait to sail past your head or hit you between your legs. If this happens, you are doing everything right.
Now go to your favorite body of water; cast out; and learn the feel of the worm with nothing on it. And remember, if the bait feels "heavy" or "different" you SET THE HOOK.
If you guys missed this (like I did while fishing Sat night) do yourself a favor and read this. Good stuff Sam...
scaleface reply :
I remember well, my first bass caught on a Texas rig . I was bouncing it on a rock bank and felt a subtle tap just like the magazines described . I lowered the 5'5" Lews Speed stick , reeled in the slack and set the hook like a boss . That was not the biggest bass I ever caught but it was the most important .
WRB reply :
Back in the dark ages of the 60's when Texas rigged soft plastic worms were a secret, our hook setting technique was to let the bass swim off with the worm pulling off line so the bass didn't feel line resistance while counting to 10 before cross their eyes hook setting. Surprisingly we gut hooked very few bass. The problem this technique created was the bass often swam through a lot of bushes before getting hooked so we used 17 lb to 20 lb mono and broom stick rods to get the bass back out of the cover.
Today hook setting happens as soon a possible.
Tom
RPreeb reply :
I just try to think about how it was when I fished with a worm and bobber as a kid. Watching the bobber twitch and jerk, but never taking any action until it was pulled under, or started to move away. That's how I sort of expect it to feel when a perch or panfish is tasting my T-rigged worm. Sometimes a sunfish or perch would nibble for quite some time before actually taking the hook.
Catt reply :
In the real world that classic "tap-tap" is the last thing I expect to feel.
Love it when it happens because there's no doubt I've been bite.
With Texas Rigs & Jigs the bass will simply flare its gills causing a vacuum which moves water and your bait into their mouth. With this bite there is very little if any line movement thereby not much is transmitted to your rod tip.
The majority of my worm/jigs bites when casting, flipping, pitching, & punching come with NO line movement or tap, nothing until I apply pressure & feel resistance, at this point I set hook, most anglers simply apply more pressure, at which time the bass spit your worm/jig.
WRB reply :
You just know!
If you don't focus and concentrate to visualize on what the jig or worm is doing from the time it hits the water you miss most strikes and only detect the most aggressive strikes.
You know how long it takes for the jig or worm to hit bottom because you know where you cast how deep it is, it's automatic after years of casting jigs and worms.
You know the difference in the weight or line resistance between cover, structure and a live bass, it's a automatic reaction to set the hook, you do it before thinking about it.
The one thing that fakes me out every time is line under the water, you set the hook and it moves....
Tom
Fairtax4me reply :
What I've found is often on that first tap the line will go light. You feel less weight on the line because the fish picked it up and may be moving towards you.
Right after the fish sucks in your lure it's going to crush it, and this is where the second tap comes in.
One of two things happens...
1. The fish didn't get the whole lure on the initial pickup, so the second tap (and possibly third) is the feeling of the fish sucking in the rest of the lure.
2. The fish sucked in the lure and crushes it, but it feels the hook point poke it somewhere in the mouth. The second tap is the fish spitting the lure back out.
If you have the hook point buried in the lure, the fish won't feel the point and will more than likely swim away with it until it feels tension from your line.
Ive found that when fishing open hook lures I set the hook immediately after the first tap, I get a fish.
With Texas rigged plastics or other weedless lures I wait until I feel the fish pull the line slightly or see/feel the line move.
If if the line goes totally weightless, whether you feel a tap or not, set the hook.
rtwvumtneer6 reply :
If I experience this repeatedly, with no fish to show for it, I'll often reach for a dropshot. Most of the time they will hit again, but now with a smaller hook my chances of sticking the fish increase, and I don't have to use such a violent hook set. Most of the time that "machine gun" bite is a panfish, but once in a while it is a bass.
Side note: the majority of my bigger bass, let's call that over 3#, tend to be a much more subtle bite, where the smaller bass are more aggressive. That is, assuming it is not a reaction style bait. I'll either see my line move, or feel weight, but never feel a tap or thump. Anyone else experience this?
Catt reply :
Goto youtube & search for Glen Lau's videos Bigmouth & Bigmouth Forever.
Please watch both videos noting how many times a bass bites a lure by the tail & report back here with the results.
Thank you very much, have a nice day ????
Todd2 reply :
Ok, the when has been covered. How about the how?
So here is the scenario, you make an average cast and watch the line till it goes slack, in the mean time your buddy is telling a story about high school football or whatever..lol..Some time has passed, you refocus on your T-Rig down on the bottom. You start to pull and feel resistance. Do you wait to see if it moves? Do you set immediately? Do you reel out the slack then drop the rod to slack set? Or do you reel hard until your load loads and sweep?
Everyone has a style and some of this has to play in here too. I've been reeling fast and sweeping on tight line with pretty good success but I miss some here and there too.
kenmitch reply :
On 6/12/2018 at 7:21 AM, Catt said:Goto youtube & search for Glen Lau's videos Bigmouth & Bigmouth Forever.
Please watch both videos noting how many times a bass bites a lure by the tail & report back here with the results.
Thank you very much, have a nice day ????
That would be too many to count.
Those are some interesting videos for sure. Kind of eye opening to some extent. Too bad the visual quality of them is so dated.
On another note I really like to throw the lipless crankbaits in areas that are what I call snag city so I tend to let the fish do all the work as far as setting the hook. I really hate to get snagged as most of the time I throw my lure there because it looks like a fish worthy spot. That and I kayak fish so I really have no leverage to pull my snags out. I have to peddle over and retrieve my lures which kills the spot in my mind.
What did I learn from the video....I've probably lost more than a few larger bass as more than once I've felt what feels like a tap or two at times but chalked it up as hitting a stick or other cover. After watching the videos and seeing the suck and spit over and over it makes me wonder what I've lost in the end.
Time for some Jedi lure training I guess....Be one with the lure! lol
Arlo Smithereen reply :
On 6/10/2018 at 9:33 AM, Catt said:A jig imitates a crawfish correct?
Yes I believes they do
A crawfish has a hard shell does it not?
Yes they in fact have a hard shell
Why would a bass spit what it perceives to be a crawfish because it feels something hard?
When the bass "crushes" the jig to kill it; it feels the hardness of a shell, the softness of the skirt, & the firmness of the trailer just like a crawfish.
Ever look at an un-painted lead bullet weight after catching a bass?
You will see teeth marks! ????
A jig can imitate a crawfish. It can just as easily imitate a bluegill.
Catt reply :
On 6/19/2018 at 8:14 AM, Arlo Smithereen said:A jig can imitate a crawfish. It can just as easily imitate a bluegill.
Yes sir you’re exactly right but I referencing the notion that bass will not hold on to a jig long because the hardness of the lead head feels unnatural.
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
previous topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.