Loosing fish on Zara Spook Juniors ??

Alright am I the only guy that looses tons of fish on these baits and why? I for the life of me can't figure it out. Now granted a bunch I'm loosing are smallmouth getting Michael Jordon type of air time, lol. I've changed the hooks on mine, add a split ring on the nose and sharpened them to lethal status but continue to see brown fish wave bye to me 20' off the side of my boat while three feet in the air. Somebody tell me the dang secret to keeping them hooked up on these top walkers. Oh and by the way this started for me about two years ago and I use to never have this problem, I'm at a loss??????? Maybe I'm just getting old and loosing my touch. I can tell you this, I'm not gonna stop fishing them because smallmouth just can't stop themselves from smacking them, oh how I love that smack.

It could be your rod for me anyhting with trebles I like a softer tip with 17lb mono line.

[QUOTE=shawnrd81;342651]It could be your rod for me anyhting with trebles I like a softer tip with 17lb mono line.[/QUOTE]

Good thought but I thought of that already and went to medium actions with a soft tip, didn't seem to make a difference.

[quote=mhall;342642]Alright am I the only guy that looses tons of fish on these baits and why? I for the life of me can't figure it out. Now granted a bunch I'm loosing are smallmouth getting Michael Jordon type of air time, lol. I've changed the hooks on mine, add a split ring on the nose and sharpened them to lethal status but continue to see brown fish wave bye to me 20' off the side of my boat while three feet in the air. Somebody tell me the dang secret to keeping them hooked up on these top walkers. Oh and by the way this started for me about two years ago and I use to never have this problem, I'm at a loss??????? Maybe I'm just getting old and loosing my touch. I can tell you this, I'm not gonna stop fishing them because smallmouth just can't stop themselves from smacking them, oh how I love that smack.[/quote]

((( Maybe I'm just getting old ))) I would go with that------ :D

I love the acrobatic/air show of smallies, but I've gotten to where I like landing them more. If I see a fish (hooked on any thing with trebles) coming toward the top to jump, I will stick at least half of my rod straight down in the water, it will help keep them down. If you can keep the pressure tight and keep them under water, your chance are much, much better. If your getting them hooked that often you are doing much better than me - I have a ton of short strikes, and have to follow up with a fluke or senko. But Spooks and Sammies are by far my favorite way to catch fish - especially smallies.

[QUOTE=Col Forbin;342656]I love the acrobatic/air show of smallies, but I've gotten to where I like landing them more. If I see a fish (hooked on any thing with trebles) coming toward the top to jump, I will stick at least half of my rod straight down in the water, it will help keep them down. If you can keep the pressure tight and keep them under water, your chance are much, much better. If your getting them hooked that often you are doing much better than me - I have a ton of short strikes, and have to follow up with a fluke or senko. But Spooks and Sammies are by far my favorite way to catch fish - especially smallies.[/QUOTE]

I do this to and still seem to loose them here lately. Col if you are getting short strikes they are seeing the bait to well, speed it up when this happens and they will usually nail it. Also color changes can play a key role here on short strikes or fish that won't commit.

[quote=mhall;342642]Alright am I the only guy that looses tons of fish on these baits and why? I for the life of me can't figure it out. Now granted a bunch I'm loosing are smallmouth getting Michael Jordon type of air time, lol. I've changed the hooks on mine, add a split ring on the nose and sharpened them to lethal status but continue to see brown fish wave bye to me 20' off the side of my boat while three feet in the air. Somebody tell me the dang secret to keeping them hooked up on these top walkers. Oh and by the way this started for me about two years ago and I use to never have this problem, I'm at a loss??????? Maybe I'm just getting old and loosing my touch. I can tell you this, I'm not gonna stop fishing them because smallmouth just can't stop themselves from smacking them, oh how I love that smack.[/quote]

I agree with what most have already said...softer tip, mono, and hold the rod down. Are these smallmouth bites coming from Cumberland? I'll be down there this weekend and I just hope I have the same problems you are having.

There are so many variables to this problem. Some of these are...do you use a soft tip or a stiff tip rod, are you setting the hook hard enough, are the fish serious about taking the lure, do you hold your rod tip high or low, and how about the time of day and reflecting light throught the water at feeding time, sharpness and types of hooks, and maybe the type of speed and jerk being used. All I know is it has happened to me on certain days. I have watched my patner have no problem setting the hook, and I would be using the same bait and missing everyone.

I think it is a combination of all these things, and I have to agree it is hard to figure out. I think sometimes a bass wants to kill or stun their prey before they actually take the bait into their mouth. When they do this, it hard to get a full hook set. The lure retrieve speed could make a difference to allow time for the fish take the lure. Through the years I have used a stiff-tip rod for top water so I can set the hook hard and then when the fish wants to come to the surface keep the rod tip in the water and pull down. I usually do not loose many fish that way.

This technique started when I was 12 years old one evening coming home after fish a farm pond down the road from my home. It was almost dark and I was holding my rod in my left hand and throwing rocks with my right when I clipped a foot off the tip of my rod. I put a new tip on and kept fishing with it. I noticed I could control bass much better and started pulling down as they wanted to jump and caught more fish with this rod using this technique. I have had a lot of people questioned me on this through the years, but all I know it works. However, I like the fight and the air-time so I don't worry about loosing fish like I once did. Now, if I had Elwood's 12 pound SM at Dale on line, and it threw the lure, now that would make me cry, go home and get under the covers.

It's a little tuffer to work the bait but try a parabolic rod(slow/moderate action) that way when the fish is doing acrobatics you won't have that fast action tip bouncing around. And when they do jump don't stop reeling or pulling this allows the bait to bounce around their mouth, instead sweep your rod to the side and pull them back down when they're airborn.

Hey "m", when I talked to Elwood a few minutes ago, I told him you were having trouble keeping those SM on the Spook, and he had this message for you. He said make sure you have hooks on the bait...just kidding. He said you NEVER look at your bait when fishing top water. By the time you hear the fish hit the bait and turn your head your rod should load up; this keeps one from jerking the lure prematurely and allows for a better hook set.

[QUOTE=00SKEETER;342661]It's a little tuffer to work the bait but try a parabolic rod(slow/moderate action) that way when the fish is doing acrobatics you won't have that fast action tip bouncing around. And when they do jump don't stop reeling or pulling this allows the bait to bounce around their mouth, instead sweep your rod to the side and pull them back down when they're airborn.[/QUOTE]

Sweeping the rod to the side when the fish is airborne, I like this one best of all so far it makes sense I'm gonna try this one. This is the kinda stuff I was looking for something non obvious I haven't tried yet. I still think George is right though I'm just getting old and loosing my touch, because I use to never have this problem, lol.

your probably already using fairly small hooks, but with smallmouth and kentucks' i always down size my hooks. It just seems like when you hook on the side of the mouth the smaller hooks can penetrate further into that skin. iduno tho, the spook jr. already has small hooks, sounds like you just got a bad streek goin.