Hook setting questions.......

I agree with Col Forbin, if it feels different than normal set the hook. He also mentioned my words of wisdom. "HOOKSETS ARE FREE!!!!"[U][/U][URL="http://fishin.com/forums2/member.php?u=30124"]
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all good suggestions when i'm fishing a worm and fell that tap-tap if i have rod in say 10-12 o'clock position i reel down to about 8-9 o'clock position and really set the hook .had very few get off

Another thing about hook sets that really helped me. When I started I would jerk the rod butt and both hands over my shoulder, which in reality was not a "set" but just a long "pull". I do much better when I keep my hands(and the rod butt) at my waist and "snap" the rod tip. Hope it helps.

The only thing I would add to the great ideas is that the Rod and Line should be an important factor to how you set the hook. For example I use a 7ft GLX for most if not all my soft plastic fishing with 17# Excel. My hookset is nowhere near as hard as most people I fish with and is very automatic. Experience tells you when to set the hook and some days are different than others.
I don't break off at the hookset, I hook most or at least as many as anyone and I don't hurt my ailing back when nothng is there. It's technique not brute force muscle that makes a a good hookset. I should mention I'm really speaking of when I'm Pitching, Flipping or short casts. JMO

Thank you all very much for ALL the great ideas and input. It is REALLY nice to know there is a place to come, especially as a novice, and be able to get quality answers to questions that others may consider basic and not get sarcasm or put down. I really appreciate the quality and quantity of feedback on this, as well as no one saying anything condisending about the sillyness of a question like this. You all are awsome and I thank you for all the help. God Bless and Good Catchin to all!!

Rob

One of the biggest mistakes I see some folks do when setting the hook is getting slack in their line after the initial set....ie....they will set the hook and then move the rod forward...some folks even jumping around the boat while moving the rod back and forth..hard to describe some of the hook setting techniques I have seen and I have seen a lot of them for sure. Anyway, when you set the hook it should be one solid sweeping motion no matter if you are setting the hook in an upward, sideways etc position. When you set the hook and then move the rod forward, you are getting slack in the line and this is how fish get off....all a bass needs is a little slack and in a split second they can and many times will shake their head and get rid of the lure. If you want to set the hook a second or third time that is fine...and I highly recommend it in some situations like a C-rig...but don't bring the rod forward when repeating the hook set...just gain some line on the fish keeping the line tight and when you are in position...then set it again with a tight line....this will save you a lot of lost fish.

I might also mention here that one of the things I teach my clients is that after the hook set and as soon as possible, get the rod low to the water to fight the fish....if you have the rod in an up position the fish has control of you....most fish get off when they break the surface thus getting slack in the line...remember..slack in the line allows the fish to shake its head and throw the lure...when you have the rod low to the water you have control of the fish....if she goes one way you can move and position your rod in the opposite direction...if she breaks surface then all you have to do is pull hard to the side in the opposite direction and minimize the head shaking and keep the slack out of the line....if I had a dollar for every fish I have seen a client lose because they were fighting a big fish with the rod tip high I could buy a new boat...lol. Another thing about having that rod high in the air pointed at the fish....where do you think that lure is gonna go when the fish shakes it out....better duck.

Dave,

I appreciate the great insight on the "tip down" approach, most of all, because I am one of the "guilty ones" you mentioned who is keeping my tip up. The things you say make perfect sense and may be EXACTLY what's causing me to lose so many I am hooking. I can't believe this never struck me before, about the fish controling me with the tip up, but then again that's why so many people come to you for help too I suppose. It is REALLY hard to "see" what you are doing wrong yourself, but others you fish with get a curb side seat and are able to watch for flaws that I may not even realize I have/am making (much like you pointing the fact out to me). I thank you very much for that as I will make a conserted effort to pay attention to this now in the future (if I can learn not to get so darn excited when I hook one, I am still a "newbie" and the adreniline still controls my brain more than my thought process when I get one on). Thanks again.

Rob

Believe me....that adrenaline still flows no matter how many times you have done it....lol.