Bass swallowing the hook means one thing: they have the bait in the mouth for too long before being hooked. So, you are guilty of it. But let´s not focus on the guilt but focus on the reasons why that happens:
1.- Knowingly/willingly you let the fish mouth the bait for too long, there´s people who let the fish grab the bait and let it swim away with it.
2.- Unknowingly/unwillingly you let the fish hold the bait for too long, some of the most common reasons are:
a) not paying attention to the line
adverse conditions that don´t allow you to see the line or feel the fish ---> wind/current
c ) lack of sensitivity in the gear ( rod & line )
By the time you notice the fish has taken the bait it has already swallowed it.
Fortunately they are preventable:
a ) watch your line, if you keep your eye on the line from the moment the bait touches the water until it reaches bottom you can notice any goofy behavior on the line and goofy most of the times means a fish has the bait ---> set the hook.
b ) weight your bait more or use a heavier bait to contrarest the effect of wind drag blowing on the line above water keeping it tighter, you will be able to notice when the line goes slack or tighter ---> set the hook.
c) nobody is going to tell you your rod is crap or go and buy the most expensive most sensitive rod you can find, simply by changing the line type you can increase the sensitivity, use denser line like fluoro or braid, those increase a lot you ability to feel the fish better just because they transmit vibration a lot better.
By adding those; paying attention to the line, using a heavier bait, maintaning a tight line and using denser line your gut hooked fish will be reduced greatly without having to shell out big bucks in a more sensitive rod.
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