Strikes During The Fall (Of The Lure)

[Shewillbemine]

So many helpful responses so far.

So here's a follow up question. Forgive the exaggerated notion since I'm trying to drive the lesson home for me (and my confidence).

If we're in agreement (and know through your experiences) that bass hit jigs and many lures on the INITIAL FALL..

Then is it safe to assume that if I simply threw 100 jigs (untied to a line) into the water at 100 different times (so not altogether), some would be hit by some bass without additional retrieving or "jigging"?

In other words, is it impossible for me to claim that I've never had a bass hit the jig on the initial fall and most likely I'm just not sensing the strikes?

[SirSnookalot]

The strikes that take me longest to detect are when the bass grabs the bait on the fall and swims towards the boat. There is an akward pause in my brains communication with my hookset. Solution...If it doesn't seem right, reel in the slack and set the hook. Otherwise, was others have said, watch your line and feel your line.

WRB

Do you really believe this to be true? I think alot has to do with brand of jig. Some jigs have a higher hookup % than others. With the right rod line and jig, there is NO reason one cannot detect a jig bite no matter how light it is.

That's true about bass, the like to swim towards you, but I have encountered very few rocks that swim, so set the hook !

I've never fished with a bass fisherman, so I don't know how they react, from my experience I've not noticed any difficulty in detecting a strike. I also do not use bass jigs, whether 1 brand is superior I don't know, but I do use bucktail jigs and fish them a varierty of ways for bass. One of my favorites to use is a bonefish flats jig with or without a worm trailer.

[wnybassman]

In other words, is it impossible for me to claim that I've never had a bass hit the jig on the initial fall and most likely I'm just not sensing the strikes?

Well over a half of my strikes are on the initial fall and that includes baits up to one ounce, and when you get into lightweight or weightless plastic that number jumps to 80 to 90 percent of strikes are on the initial fall.

You are missing bites. Lots of them.

[mnbassman23]

Agreed with wnybassman, if you are fishing a jig (or any plastic) and believe you have never had a bass hit on the initial fall you are missing fish. For me this is especially true when pitching/flipping into cover. You're putting the bait into high percentage areas and those fish are reacting to the bait when it comes down on the initial fall.

Like others have said, watch your line and pay close attention to your lure as soon as it hits the water.

[WRB]

The strikes that take me longest to detect are when the bass grabs the bait on the fall and swims towards the boat. There is an akward pause in my brains communication with my hookset. Solution...If it doesn't seem right, reel in the slack and set the hook. Otherwise, was others have said, watch your line and feel your line.

WRB

Do you really believe this to be true? I think alot has to do with brand of jig. Some jigs have a higher hookup % than others. With the right rod line and jig, there is NO reason one cannot detect a jig bite no matter how light it is.

It's true! A jig is a simple lure; a hook with a head molded onto it. The hook is important, most commercial jigs use undersized hooks, a few use good premium hooks. I make my own jigs with premium hooks designed for fishing deep rocky structure lakes that have giant bass populations. The one fact that will garantee is majority of big bass strikes are missed by jig anglers that never knew they were bit.

Tom

[merc1997]

for those of you that think they feel every bite, you need to do some research and study on the subject. about the only bait you can fish and know for absolute certain that you knew every bite on it, is a topwater. you can see that. bass, especially big ones, can take in your lure and blow it back out in a blink, and you will never know it. i have fished with several different people over the years, and the only time they caught bass was when every bite was that nice tick. on the days when every "bite" was an absolute nothing, they would never cath a bass while i was loading the boat, and i am sure that i was only getting a small percentage of those that were taking my lure. when you can watch a bass on a bed with an underwater camera and watch it take your partners lure and spit it back out, and your partner never even knew they had a bite, i will say that those of you that really think you feel every bite you catch, i am sure that you are making a correct statement. you just never catch those you are not feeling.

bo

[bazzelite19]

Make sure to have a graphite rod, graphite reels are more sensitive to. Invest in fluorocarbon line, its more sensitive, and hold your combo lightly, to detect bites easier. After a cast, keep semi-slack in your line and peel line as the lure descends. Watch your line close, you'll see it jump if you get a bite. The higher you keep the rid while working your bait, the more sensitive it'll be also, but with your rod at a steep angle be sure tobhave a quick reel to reel down quick and set the hook.

[BassThumb]

A lot of strikes come on the fall, sometimes even occurring with reaction baits like spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits.  Watching the line is useful, but carefully picking up the lure after it is allowed to fall and paying close attention for any weight is the best way to catch fish that strike on the fall.  A well-scented lure buys you some time to detect these strikes because the fish will hold onto it a little longer.

[WRB]

The best measurement of strike detection is to fish with a partner who is good at detecting strikes, if you are both catching some of the biggest bass in the lake, then you are detecting jig strikes often. Jigs are big bass lures, catching them is a good barometer of your jig skills.

There isn't a rod or line on the market that is more sensitive than your finger or thumb tips; feel your line and watch the line for movement, this is your best strike indicators.

Don't you ever question how bass were caught 30 years ago! How could we catch bass back then? We used the most sensitive rods, line and sharpest hooks of the era. The answer; we used our eyes and finger tips, just like we do today.

This months Bassmaster magazine, Jan 2013, has a photo of Andy "Cooch" Cuccia with his 14.4 bass caught on a Wadda jig. Cooch is a good jig angler and guides on the California delta. I mention this to point out fishing with an expert jig angler will reduce your learning time on the water.

Tom

[Crookedneck]

Lot's of good points and techniques in the posts above. 

 

I fish alot of deep water in rivers, gear has alot to do with improving hook ups.  The right hooks, floro, sensative graphite rod, and a high speed reel are all going to help with hook up ratios.  Knowing the water you are fishing helps too. 

 

Time on the water is the best way to learn 

[ww2farmer]

Time on the water is the best way to learn 

 And if that's not working for you, just make a ton of posts on the internet.............boom...........instant expert.

[Teal]

Since I fish jigs and plastics a lot most of my strikes come as the bait is falling. As soon as my bait hits the water or just before it hits the water I engage my reel and get my rod in the 10:00 position. When I see line move or feel a strike I set the hook immediately before it can spit out the bait.

As I am fishing the bait back to me I try to keep in touch with it as much as possible. I also try to keep the rod working from the 9 O'clock to the 12 O'clock position. That way I am always in position to set the hook.

Took the words right outta my mouth. If it is a close pitch or flip normally ill see the hit by watching my line rather than actually feeling it. Very important to always pay attention and don't get into a monotonous casting or pitching pattern. Always expect the bite to happen on the fall.

Just remember bass fishing can be expensive, but hook sets are always free

[WRB]

Fishing forums allow both the novice and accomplished anglers to post their opinions and share their thoughts, it's a mix of ideas and experiences, credentials are not a requirement.

Tom