Snagged

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Been getting snagged a lot and losing several hooks, worms, and some other more expensive lures as well. It seems kind of unavoidable since the bass are usually around structure. If I cast near brush piles, logs, or downed trees, Im gonna get snagged sometimes. I can live with that. But sometimes Ill lose 4 or 5 hooks/worms in a couple hours. How often do you guys usually get snagged? And whats the best way to try and free a snag? Someone told me to tighten the drag and pull strait back. It will either pull free or the line will break. This is what Ive been doing but Im thinking its probably bad for the reel/drag system. Any advice?

[Shewillbemine]

That's exactly what I do when I get snagged (which isn't often lately because I like weedless rigs).

If you're on a boat, I like to move closer to the snag and remove it by hand if it's reachable. When it's underwater, I try to maneuver from different angles and pull that way, trying to work it out.

There are also specialized lure retrieval tools out there but I've never tried them.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

No boat. Fishing from the shore. Ive seen those lure retrieval things on different websites and was always curious if/how they worked. Anyone ever use one?

[Bluebasser86]

I use a telescoping lure retriever from my boat and it has almost a 100% success rate. I also do what I call the bowstring technique that lots of other guys do. Put a little pressure on the rod and then use your reeling hand to pull the line in the middle between the reel and first guide towards you so it's like a drawn bowstring towards the rod. Let go of the line while releasing pressure off the rod. Sometimes this will knock the bait loose also.

[LgMouthGambler]

Thats a lot of baits you are losing, especially worm baits and hooks. Are you rigging them weedless? Is the hook deep enough in the worm so that it doesnt come out? When you get a little hung up, dont pull hard at first, just let the line go slack, and give a little twitch. This will sometimes either help to free the bait, or help to hop it over what its getting caught on.

[rockchalk06]

Thats a lot of baits you are losing, especially worm baits and hooks. Are you rigging them weedless? Is the hook deep enough in the worm so that it doesnt come out? When you get a little hung up, dont pull hard at first, just let the line go slack, and give a little twitch. This will sometimes either help to free the bait, or help to hop it over what its getting caught on.

X2

If its truely a weedless rigged worm, then you must be getting the weight or the entire rig wrapped around a limb etc for it to snag.

Whats the clarity of the water?

I fish jigs about 85% of the time and they are expensive at 4 bucks a pop. I switched over to 50# braid on my pitching rod and hardly loose a jig one now. I end up flatening out the hooks.

[Topwaterspook]

I can speak for our experience with a lure retriever. We wouldn't be without one in the boat. Some of the lures can be awfully pricey these days, and let's face ity, I'm cheap....lol........the one we use has 6 short pieces of sash chain dangling from a painted lead body.........it's tied to a 25ft long retractable dog leash..(the kind with a cord, NOT A RIBBON)..........rarely do we lose a lure, generally by season's end, we have retrieved more than we started with....the small investment is well worth the original cost. Though I don't think it will do much for you from the bank.

[Sam]

_{1. Invest in the weedless hooks as mentioned above.}

_{2. If in a boat understand that you may have to move to the snag which will destroy the place you are fishing.}

_{3. If in a boat go to the location of the snag and using your rod either:}

_{A. Pull on bait in opposite direction you were fishing it when you got snagged; or}

_{B. Using your rod tip reel down to the bait and shake your rod tip to free it.}

_{4. Be carefull when doing 3B as rod tip can break.}

_{5. Pull on line and snap it like a bow for a bow and arrow. Works sometimes.}

_{6. Put a snag knocker on your line it so the snag knocker can run down your line and hit the lure to free it.}

_{7. Use your net to try to unsnag the lure by running the net along the snag to the bait.}

_{8. Cut the line and retie.}

_{9. If on the bank try to walk as far to the left or right to get the lure free but it is very difficult unless you go into the water.}

_{When considering buying a new net try to get the one made out of rubber so that the hooks do not get caught in the webbing.}

_{Congrats on losing your baits. You are fishing the correct way, as you said, where the fish live. This is why you buy hooks and sinkers with more than one in a pack!!!!}

[scaleface]

Most snags occur on a Texas rig because the plastic slides down the hook. Keep it from sliding down and you will cut your snags down considerably. This is how i do it. I use the smallest barrell swivel that will fit over the point of the hook . Rig it like this.

Start the Texas rig but dont finish it.

Slide the other end of the swivel on the hook, then finish the texas rig.

You will now get fewer snags and you will hook more bass.

[moguy1973]

While it doesn't work so well for me, my uncle uses a line popping technique to get his lures loose. Seems like it works best on single hook baits such as jigs and worm rigs. He lifts his rod to put tension on the line then grabs the line just above the reel and pulls it out tight and then releases it quickly to "pop" it. This quickly releases the tension on the bait and usually it drops free from what it is caught on. I would say he probably has a 50-60% success rate doing this. The other times he just trolls the boat over and gets it loose.

[gramps50]

I have never tried this but have been told to hold the rod up and slide a used spark plug down the line. Seems feesable

[WRB]

Been getting snagged a lot and losing several hooks, worms, and some other more expensive lures as well. It seems kind of unavoidable since the bass are usually around structure. If I cast near brush piles, logs, or downed trees, Im gonna get snagged sometimes. I can live with that. But sometimes Ill lose 4 or 5 hooks/worms in a couple hours. How often do you guys usually get snagged? And whats the best way to try and free a snag? Someone told me to tighten the drag and pull strait back. It will either pull free or the line will break. This is what Ive been doing but Im thinking its probably bad for the reel/drag system. Any advice?

Fishing from shore you are trying to work a bottom contact lure up hill through cover ( bushes, logs, etc are cover elements) and bottom structure like rocks etc. try a finesse type C-rig and lighter weight T-rigs. The key to not getting snagged is to recognize a potential snag from a bass strike and not setting the hook hard into the snag. Lift your rod as high as possible, you may need to get higher on the bank, and lightly jiggle the lure free by bouncing the rod tip against a little slack line. You can move sideways to get a different angle, this works at times. Ounce you barry the hook point into wood ot wedge the weight into a crevice, you are out of options from shore, your line either breaks or the lure pulls free.

Tom

[roadwarrior]

If you are fishiing parallel to the bank, walk past the snag anfd pull from the opposite direction.

[Jigfishn10]

Most snags occur on a Texas rig because the plastic slides down the hook. Keep it from sliding down and you will cut your snags down considerably. This is how i do it. I use the smallest barrell swivel that will fit over the point of the hook . Rig it like this.

Start the Texas rig but dont finish it.

Slide the other end of the swivel on the hook, then finish the texas rig.

You will now get fewer snags and you will hook more bass.

Great minds think alike:

http://www.bassresou...be-hook-advice/

Post #4

[scaleface]

Great minds think alike:

http://www.bassresou...be-hook-advice/

Post #4

I wish it was my idea. I read this tip in Bassmaster, a reader submitted it. I think it makes for a much better rig and use it 100 percent of the time I Texas rig.

[Jigfishn10]

I wish it was my idea. I read this tip in Bassmaster, a reader submitted it. I think it makes for a much better rig and use it 100 percent of the time I Texas rig.

Not sure where I read about it and I know it wasn't bassmaster, but the rig works great, doesn't it?!

[scaleface]

Im a Texas rig man. Its been my number one weapon for thirty years . After reading about the swivel trick ,and trying it I felt really stupid for not coming up with it myself.Its so simple.

[JigMe]

There isn’t much you can do if fishing from shore, either walk to the opposite direction or start swimming. But losing 4-5 worm hooks in few hours is not too bad, try some weedless worm hooks and I rarely get a snap on them.

[Crestliner2008]

I fish from shore many times and Texas rig quite a bit. I don't loose a lot of baits or hooks though. Mainly - I think - because I do this weightless vs. using a bullet sinker, most often. If I do use a weight, it's probably a lighter version than if I were fishing from a boat. And that swivel idea does work.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

The key to not getting snagged is to recognize a potential snag from a bass strike and not setting the hook hard into the snag.

You hit the nail right on the head there. Still working on that one.

Thanks for all the tips guys. Barrell swivel sounds like a great idea. Ill try that and a lighter weight. Also gonna make sure my hook points are buried in the plastics properly for my t-rigs. If I do get snagged Ill see how that 'bowstring' method works for me.

[WRB]

There are a lot of techniques to keep the worm head from sliding down the hook. The rigged shown requires a barrel swivel, there are a few wire keepers on the market, they add weight and cost. There are also hooks designed to keep the worm head in place: KVD Mustad and Roboworms Rebard for example. I use a 1/4" piece of Peg-It through the hook eye, then pulled into the worm head, works great. When you peg the weight to the hook as shown, it becomes a Florida rig, good for vertical presentations and not my choice for casting.

There is a advantage allowing the sliding weight to slide; the weight separates from the worm on the fall giving the worm freedom of movement. I also like to add a glass bead between the weight and hook, protects the knot and adds clicking sounds. When you snag a T-rig, the weight moves away from the worm and helps to loosen the hook from the snag. Unless You fishing heavy cover, a T-rig will usually out fish a Florida rig when casting horizontal and retrieving from shore. The finesse C-lrig, I believe may be your best choice for shore fishing soft plastics.

Tom

PS; you can make a quick finesse C-rig when using a T-rig with a glass bead by pegging the bead up the line. Use the thin ends of the same Peg-it you use to hold the worm to the hook eye into the weight and thie rubber will hold the weight against the hook for a Florida rig. I think we are getting into the lure forum.

[Loop_Dad]

I used to fish from shore and lost fair share of the lures. My .02 below. I didn't read all the advices above, so sorry if there are duplicates.

1. Have a good set up that you can feel what's going on down there. If you are using mono, switching to floro will give you much better feedback from the bottom. This will help you distinguishing bites and snags.

2. If you feel potential bite, keep the tension on the line and pose for just a second. If it is fish, you will feel the fish, then set the hook.

3. Use lighter weight to reduce the chance of weight getting caught. If you go too light, then you lose some of the sensitivity. You have to find the good balance for you.

4. Pegging the weight on t-rig might help.

5. Try different way of retrieving. (less jerking)

Hope this helps.

[ClackerBuzz]

lure knockers don't work well from shore b/c they are too heavy to slide down the line at a 45deg angle. you kind of need ur pole to be 20+ft in the air for it to slide to ur lure. they do however work awesome from boats/kayaks etc. save me a bundle of money. here's a home made/homedepot version

[Loop_Dad]

lure knockers don't work well from shore b/c they are too heavy to slide down the line at a 45deg angle. you kind of need ur pole to be 20+ft in the air for it to slide to ur lure. they do however work awesome from boats/kayaks etc. save me a bundle of money. here's a home made/homedepot version

ClackerBuzz, I might make this one! So you need some chain, the quick clip thingy and...is that a treble hook? Why do you need the hook?

[SirSnookalot]

If you are fishiing parallel to the bank, walk past the snag anfd pull from the opposite direction.

Yep, probably the first thing to do. Everything works some of the time and nothing works all of the time. As bluebasser said the bowstring method works well, even better with braid because of the no stretch, I would try jiggling the line by hand first, pulling hard to quick may result in burying the hook deeper. If I'm really stuck I'm going wrap the line around my shoulder and walk backwards, release your bail first so you don't break a tip, I learned the hard way on that one.