hooked em, cant catch em 2024
bartoopuck reply :
Ok, so now that i have fish starting to hit my lures. I get the strike, set the hook, and hes on....I keep a constant pressure on the line, and reel in. at some point, the fish gets off. not during a jump out of the water, not sure what im doin wrong, any ideas?
Bamajoker reply :
what equipment, tackle and hooks are you using.
bartoopuck reply :
using a medium 6 ft rod on 8lb test with a swim bait/frog/popper. I am reeling the fish in, i see him coming. then poof gone.
BassAssasin2 reply :
Could just be the fact that its light tackle, and you cant set your drag heavy enough to drive home the hook. I would suggest getting heavier equipment. When im fishing frogs or such especially around cover i use braid, the zero stretch makes it easy to set the hook. ;D Tight lines
Hammer 4 reply :
Light tackle can, and does bring in bigger bass..I would ask, are your hooks sharp, and how are you setting, or lack there of..the hook..?
bartoopuck reply :
the lure it happens most on is brand new. so i assume hook is sharp. so i get the hit, rod bends, i give a fairly hard tug on it. if u are looking at me from the side, my rod is at 10am, i yank back to 1pm....i hope that makes sense.
Mike Z reply :
I had the same problem tonight.
Tried a few different baits in watermelon and pumpkin but the fish grabbed the hot pink and watermelon/chartreuse Senko every time. Would go to set the hook, the fish would be there for a few seconds then let go. Closest I could figure is that the fish just wasn't big enough to suck up the 5" senkos I had on the line. Kinda hoping that a 4" or 3.5" would allow me to catch them. Sucks getting tons of bites and not being able to bring one in. :-/
InLikeFinz reply :
If you are using a topwater bait are you waiting to feel the fish before setting the hook? You'll want to make sure your bait is in there good before you give him the business end of your bait. This might help with keeping 'em on. Also you might want to try adding a stinger hook to the swimbait. I'm not a pro with swimbaits but I'm sure some of the other guys here can help. Anything to increase your odds of getting them to the boat. 
fishfordollars reply :
Upgrade rod and line
A tug on the line won't do it
Snap hook set
Sharpen hooks even if they are new
bartoopuck reply :
what should i upgrade my rod/line to fishfordollars?
Gangley reply :
what kind of reel are you using and do you have the drag set correctly, thats the absolute first thing you should check. If the drag is too light, you will NEVER be able to set the hook hard enough. Second is hook sharpness.
Suggestion is to go to 20-30lb braid for top water, you can set the hook like a mad man then and not worry. Make sure you have good quality hooks.....Trokar, Owner, Gamakatsu, then Mustad. Eagle Claw should not be in your tacklebox.
Crestliner2008 reply :
Medium-heavy 7' rod, 20-30 lb. test braid with a 17 lb. test fluorocarbon leader of about 6' in length. Use the "Albright" knot to join the two with a dab of "Zap-A-Gap" on the knot.
If a bass takes your offering, it will have a hard time getting out of this trap!
Red Bear reply :
i dont think its neccesarily your equipment, unless its dull hooks. it could also be your drag is set too loose as someone mentioned. no offense to anyone, but some people here are rod/reel/tackle snobs and will have you thinking you need a $400 rod and reel combo to catch and land nice fish, which is completely false. Perhaps youre waiting too long to set the hook or just not setting it hard enough...
Gangley, a lot of people have complained about those Trokar hooks breaking, they dont sound too good to me if thats the case. Also, there is NOTHING wrong with Eagle Claw. I've used mostly EC hooks my entire life and they are plenty sharp and plenty strong and i've never had a problem out of them. i'd like to know what you have against them
Gangley reply :
I dont feel as though an expensive rod and reel are necessary. Wal-mart rods and reels will get it done, they have for me in the past and they will for my kids in the future. I only use better rods and reels now because of choice, not because i find them to be hands down better....they arent.
I do not like Eagle Claw hooks. Its a personal preference. I have bent numerous hooks with moderate tackle, but more importantly, I have lost more hooks to rust than I have to fish. They were stored in the same plastic plano box as my other hooks (Owners and Gamakatsu), yet they would rust and my others wouldn't. I cannot stand to have equipment not function properly, and rusted hooks cannot function as well as intended. Maybe it was a bad batch of hooks, I dont know, but it left a sour taste in my mouth and I will not purchase any again. I was given some Lazer Sharp a while back, and they very sharp and didnt rust at all and I was pleased, but they didnt hold their point as well as my Owners and Gammy's. For the difference of a dollar or two, I chose peace of mind and go with what I percieve to bequality hooks. I have not purchased trokar hooks, and I probably never will because I dont see them as necessary (price vs gains), but there is no arguing their sharpness and quality of materials. They had issues with their first batch of flipping hooks, but that has been resolved as best as I know.
Like I mentioned earlier, its just persoanl preference from my own experiances. Other variables may have come into play that I am unaware of, but I was not happy with the results of the Eagle Claw hooks that I purchased, and therefore will not be using them again. The laser sharp held up well, but in my opinion they dulled faster than my Owners or Gammy's and therefore I will spend the extra dollar to have the peace of mind that comes when I purchase those two brands.
fishfordollars reply :
Quotewhat should i upgrade my rod/line to fishfordollars?
Probably a rod with a little more backbone and a little more strength to handle the hook set.
Remember, when you fish plastics you many times have to drive the hook through the lure before it makes contact with the fish. Try a medium/heavy/fast tip rod with either 10,12, or 14# test and see if that helps. When you are fishing a frog or something like it, line diameter is not as critical. The fish are not paying attention to line size when they are staged in the slop like they would out off a clear main lake point or ridge.
Good luck
zach t reply :
All I have thrown since the spawn is swimbaits. This started happening to me after they came off of beds.
You aren't letting them eat it. They are headbutting to stun, then slurping it up. Chances are, you are setting the hook to early, and the fish is chomping after the hooksset and simply holding on.
I literally brought one to the boat that wasn't even hooked, on Saturday. It just looked at me, spit the lure out and swam off.
Feel for the second hit. Then hit them.
Red Bear reply :
QuoteI dont feel as though an expensive rod and reel are necessary. Wal-mart rods and reels will get it done, they have for me in the past and they will for my kids in the future. I only use better rods and reels now because of choice, not because i find them to be hands down better....they arent.I do not like Eagle Claw hooks. Its a personal preference. I have bent numerous hooks with moderate tackle, but more importantly, I have lost more hooks to rust than I have to fish. They were stored in the same plastic plano box as my other hooks (Owners and Gamakatsu), yet they would rust and my others wouldn't. I cannot stand to have equipment not function properly, and rusted hooks cannot function as well as intended. Maybe it was a bad batch of hooks, I dont know, but it left a sour taste in my mouth and I will not purchase any again. I was given some Lazer Sharp a while back, and they very sharp and didnt rust at all and I was pleased, but they didnt hold their point as well as my Owners and Gammy's. For the difference of a dollar or two, I chose peace of mind and go with what I percieve to bequality hooks. I have not purchased trokar hooks, and I probably never will because I dont see them as necessary (price vs gains), but there is no arguing their sharpness and quality of materials. They had issues with their first batch of flipping hooks, but that has been resolved as best as I know.
Like I mentioned earlier, its just persoanl preference from my own experiances. Other variables may have come into play that I am unaware of, but I was not happy with the results of the Eagle Claw hooks that I purchased, and therefore will not be using them again. The laser sharp held up well, but in my opinion they dulled faster than my Owners or Gammy's and therefore I will spend the extra dollar to have the peace of mind that comes when I purchase those two brands.
ok, i was just wondering what experiences you had with the EC hooks. i understand about everyone having their preferences, and thats fine, sometimes i just wonder why though. ive had some hooks rust, but not many. i never bent one though unless it was an abeerdeen hook which are thin wired hooks anyways. btw, never caught a fish with a gammy, just have zero luck with them when i tried them, not as in missed hooksets, but as in no bites whatsoever
Paul Roberts reply :
I know this was hit already, but I'll say it again: 8lb line is pretty light for many "frogs" and swimbaits. In fact it's pretty light for lots of bass lures.
You need to match your tackle to the lure -mostly weight and esp, hook size. You can't play 18 holes of golf very well with just one club -same for fishing.
8lb is fine for light and med wire hooks up to about size 1/0 (gap). This covers most "bass-sized" treble hook lures you'll
likely fish. For most skirted "bass jigs", spinnerbaits, and texas-rigged plastics, you'll likely need to go up to 12lb or more depending on cover (trouble those fish can get you in). For weedless "frog" baits and swimbaits you'll be best off with 15lb or more -most people like 30 to 50# braid. These are entirely different rod and reel outfits from what you currently have. Roadwarrior suggests a three rod arsenal you can work toward -maybe he'll pipe in.
ALL hooks must be SHARP -so they stick, won't slide, on your thumbnail.
Next is fighting the fish. When they get closer to you the risk of them getting off increases tremendously. Won't bore you with the details but when they get close leave a little more than a full rod's length of line out and lead the fish (in figure eights if need be) until it can be lead it to hand without a lot of thrashing. They will calm down, you just have to be a bit patient at the end.
Hammer 4 reply :
I would just add this re: line weight. The fact is you can land a 10lb bass on 6lb test with a 5'6" Light spinning rig. I must say, this fish was caught by my friend that has hunted and fished for about 50 something years, so the skill level comes into play.
I do agree though that 8lb anything is pretty light to be throwing frogs, and small swimbaits, I would definitly go up in weight. just do what Paul suggest's and you'll be fine..
Paul Roberts reply :
Oh yes, Hammer4 is very right -big fish can be subdued on light tackle (they don't weigh anything supported in water), but part of that experience he mentions is knowing how to match lure and hook size to the tackle.
Gangley reply :
QuoteQuotewhat should i upgrade my rod/line to fishfordollars?Probably a rod with a little more backbone and a little more strength to handle the hook set.
Try a medium/heavy/fast tip rod with either 10,12, or 14# test and see if that helps. When you are fishing a frog or something like it, line diameter is not as critical. The fish are not paying attention to line size when they are staged in the slop like they would out off a clear main lake point or ridge.
Good luck
Something that you touched on briefly, but many people dont pay attention to, is that when top water frog fishing, line visibility isn't as important as line diameter. In top water frog fishing, bass dont focus on the line, there are too many obstructions generally for them to pick your line out from anything. When "frogging" i simply use a medium-heavy, fast action rod as well, but will generally throw 30lb (8 lb diameter) braid on the spool, occasionally using 20lb. Again, your line is generally on top of the water and not where the bass will be able to visably noctice it between the vegetation that you are fishing through. When top water frogging, base your line diameter on the vegetation you are fishing through and around, and don't worry about if the bass can see it, they won't.
Gangley reply :
Quoteok, i was just wondering what experiences you had with the EC hooks. i understand about everyone having their preferences, and thats fine, sometimes i just wonder why though. ive had some hooks rust, but not many. i never bent one though unless it was an abeerdeen hook which are thin wired hooks anyways. btw, never caught a fish with a gammy, just have zero luck with them when i tried them, not as in missed hooksets, but as in no bites whatsoever
If I was getting bites on EC's, but couldnt get a bite on Owners or Gammy's, I gauruntee you my tacklebox would be full of them 
skunked_again reply :
Quotei dont think its neccesarily your equipment, unless its dull hooks. it could also be your drag is set too loose as someone mentioned. no offense to anyone, but some people here are rod/reel/tackle snobs and will have you thinking you need a $400 rod and reel combo to catch and land nice fish, which is completely false. Perhaps youre waiting too long to set the hook or just not setting it hard enough...Gangley, a lot of people have complained about those Trokar hooks breaking, they dont sound too good to me if thats the case. Also, there is NOTHING wrong with Eagle Claw. I've used mostly EC hooks my entire life and they are plenty sharp and plenty strong and i've never had a problem out of them. i'd like to know what you have against them
nose firmly in the air over here.
Red Bear reply :
QuoteQuotei dont think its neccesarily your equipment, unless its dull hooks. it could also be your drag is set too loose as someone mentioned. no offense to anyone, but some people here are rod/reel/tackle snobs and will have you thinking you need a $400 rod and reel combo to catch and land nice fish, which is completely false. Perhaps youre waiting too long to set the hook or just not setting it hard enough...Gangley, a lot of people have complained about those Trokar hooks breaking, they dont sound too good to me if thats the case. Also, there is NOTHING wrong with Eagle Claw. I've used mostly EC hooks my entire life and they are plenty sharp and plenty strong and i've never had a problem out of them. i'd like to know what you have against them
nose firmly in the air over here.
haha, i dont mean it in a bad way either just to clarify, just didnt have a better word to use. some people like what they view as the best when it comes to things they love, such as fishing, and theres nothing wrong with that(also some people just have deeper pockets). but i dont particularly like it when people imply or act like you cant catch nice fish on anything less than [exaggeration]a $400 baitcaster on a $260 rod and a $47 lure on braid with a flourocarbon leader in a $85,000 dollar boat that you tow with a $65,000 truck with tires that cost $410 a piece that must be parked in the garage of a $850,000 house[/exaggeration]
burleytog reply :
10 to 1 isn't a good hookset.
Big Fish Rice reply :
It's most likely either a dull or bent hook, or you're setting the hook to early.
I catch bass on 10lb Sufix Mono all day long, using Zoom Toads in heavy cover. I pull them out of the lily pads without a hitch. Braid will help keep you from losing a few, but some make it more of a tackle issue when it's certainly not the culprit at all.
The key is to only set the hook after feeling the weight of the fish on your line, and then getting them out of the cover as quick as possible.
A higher gear ratio on your reel helps to get 'em out of cover, but your 6' rod and 8lb test can certainly get the job done much more efficiently than some give the setup credit for.
Be a little more patient on the hook set, and make sure your hooks are sharp. Once you have them, rod up in the air high, and burn your reel until you can get it into the boat. Hope this helps your efficiency.
bartoopuck reply :
Thanks for all the posts guys, all the advice I have got here when combined should make it easier this weekend coming up.
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