Solid Hookset Then It Is Gone??

[flippin Dan]

This weekend a friend and I fished a tourney. Anyway we had 6-8 hook sets that were solid and then the fish would spit it out after a couple of seconds. The hook was still inside the plastic when we pulled it in the boat. Two of the fish were easily 7-8 lb fish and the others 3-5 lbers. Plastic was skin hooked and we were setting plenty hard. Were they maybe clamping in their mouths or what. 4/0 hooks 3/8 bullet weights and 4 inch creature baits.

[Oldplug]

Sounds exactly like a gar.

[flippin Dan]

Line or plastic showed no teeth marks or fraying and we saw both of the big fish so sure at least those two were bass. I took my daughter back to one of them the next day and it wrapped up and pulled off but she can not set the hook hard enough cause she is a bit small.

[The Rooster]

You said the hook was still in the plastic when reeled back. Did the hook point come out of the plastic at all on the hookset from where you had it skin hooked? Obviously you didn't get penetration. Did you try tossing it with it not skin hooked? Any way you can use a trailer hook? Maybe try a different plastic where the hook is better exposed. What kind of hook was it, offset worm, EWG, or what? Is the hook point sharp enough? What about rod power and action, was the rod too weak? What type of line, is there much stretch? There's a lot that could have affected this.

[WRB]

Sounds to me like you are bed fishing...right? Based on we could see the fish.

Bed bass strike to kill intruders, this means they are not eating your offering. The hook must be inside the mouth, back into the crunchers to be able to get a good hook set, you can't hook the lips very easily.

Wait too long and they spit the lure out, swing too early and you miss altogether.

Use an exposed hook point rig.

Tom

[SirSnookalot]

Just the way it is sometimes, I've been experiencing the very same thing for the last 2 weeks.  I don't fish beds, don't use EWG hooks and as Oldplug said I know some of them have been gars.  They are just not overly aggressively and have just been letting go of the bait.  I'm not reading anymore into it than what it is, I can't fish exposed hooks and I do not care to worm fish.  I'll deal with it, as with everything they will be back on again.

[wademaster1]

Sounds to me like the fish are hitting the part of the bait that the hook is not in....basically, you're setting the hook and the fish are hanging on for a second before letting go

[J Francho]

Sounds to me like you are bed fishing...right? Based on we could see the fish.

Bed bass strike to kill intruders, this means they are not eating your offering. The hook must be inside the mouth, back into the crunchers to be able to get a good hook set, you can't hook the lips very easily.

Wait too long and they spit the lure out, swing too early and you miss altogether.

Use an exposed hook point rig.

Tom

 

I think Tom hit the nail on the head.

 

I know I've posted this link a lot lately, but it might help you: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html

[Hyrule Bass]

i had a pack of dull hooks once that wouldnt hook nothing no matter how hard i swung, they did pierce the plastics i was using though. could just be some odd coincidence the bass picked up your bait in and odd way preventing them from getting hooked...

[FD.]

Watch this, it changed the way I fish.

 

 

[quanjig]

Crusher bite, take a hooked bait in an enclosed fist, try to set the hook...... Bet you can't!!

[Oldplug]

The thought just entered my mind you were not using one of those ZMAN things were you. There was a discussion on here about those things and I got to thinking that plastic might be the same as what is used in the ZERO series of wacky worms. sure enough in tiny letters on the package was a ZMAN logo. I have a few of them and can tell you if that plastic wads up around the hook you are almost certain not to get a hook set.

[flippin Dan]

Was using ewg hooks. Bait looked just like before I threw it. Not really bed fishing our fish are still holding off in about 5-6 foot of water. 7'6 mh rod with 65 lb power pro. Throwing gene larew rattling crawlers. I think my luck is just no good on big fish. lol if you haven't tried this bait u may wanna.

[WRB]

Not a fan of EWG off set style hooks for worms for a few reasons;

1. Direction of pull, the hook eye is inline with the hook point. This can result in missed hook sets.

2. The larger wide gap bend can act like a bale and rotate between the bass lips and lay flat, this results in missed hook sets.

The straight shank hook; the hook point is above the hook eye, the line pulls the hook point into the mouth tissue. The smaller gap doesn't rotate and flatten between the lips as easy as a EWG hook.

With worms you usually can take a little longer to make a hook set, bass like the feel of soft plastic and will hang onto it longer than a jig for example. It's always a timing issue, swing too soon or too late and you miss strikes.

Tom

[flippin Dan]

Just drove 3 hours for trokar flipping hooks. See tomorrow if it helps.

[WRB]

Just drove 3 hours for trokar flipping hooks. See tomorrow if it helps.

Spare no expense! At least you will know the hooks are sharp.

Tokar doesn't make a straight shank style worm hook. Owner 5103 or Gamakatsu 464 are both excellent worm hooks for braid presentations.

Good luck.

Tom

[jhoffman]

It wouldve been cheaper to make a $50 order at TW and pay overnight shipping. 3 hours of driving for hooks?

[BrettD]

My local walmart has trokar flippin hooks.

[james 14]

I had this problem for a couple of weeks several years ago when flipping with braid and EWG hooks. What I didn't realize was that over time the hook had straightened out a bit and need to be turned back in with a pair of pliers. It wasn't much of a difference that you could see but it was a HUGE difference in hooking fish. I was literally ripping fish out of the water and over my head with them still getting off. I was getting VERY frustrated until I took a closer look at my hook. After I fixed the hook my problem was over.

 

Any other time I've had this problem I simply needed to let the fish eat the bait a little longer. There are a few other fluke occasions where this can happen to you but not like the pattern throughout the day you noticed. Check your hook and maybe let the fish eat it a little longer.

[South FLA]

I must be living an a parallel universe then, because I use EWG on just about everything other than regular plastic worms and flipping style baits, where I use straight shank since I don't need the extra wide gap to accommodate plastic thickness. My "luck" is outstanding with the EWG and miss very few fish, same with straight shank hooks in the correct lure. 

 

As far as the poster's question, I think that the bass are just lipping the lure as stated in the thread and an exposed hook will work wonders.

[MARSH MASTER]

my buddy was having the same excact problem a few weeks ago. look at the space you have from the belly of the bait to the belly of the hook it has to be greater then the thickness of the bait. i recomend 5/0 flipping hook or bigger

[WRB]

Just read the opening post and missed the fact you are using a 4" creature until you identified the soft plastic as Rattling Crawler, soft plastic crawdad lure. Are pegging the weight?

Gene Larew uses salt water plastic that is fairly tough and durable, it also can create the problem you are having. The body looks about 3/4" wide X 1/2" thick and that is a lot of plastic. A trick that helps is cut a 1" long X 1/4" deep slice (pocket) in the belly like a Fluke has, leave about 1/8" of plastic on the back to hold the hook point in place. This will help your hook sets.

Pegged weight create a condition like a jig head that can wedge behind the inside lip ridge of big bass with the mouth closed and the weight prevents the hook from moving when you hook set, again a timing issue and hook set technique problem. You have 2 choices; the snap set if the strike occurs within 30 feet or the reel set if you make longer casts. The snap set you drop the rod tip a little and snap or whip set into slack line. The reel set is a combination of pointing the rod tip at the bass, reeling fast to load up the rod and making a firm rod sleep at the same motion.

Both I will drive the sharp hook point through the basses hard mouth areas. The typical cross their eyes rod set applies minimum force on the hook set.

Tom

[merc1997]

there could be a number of issues. first, sometimes bass will bite the sinker and not have the hook. the other thing is the hook you are using could be preventing forward motion of the hook. sproat style hooks that have slices or a keeper on the shank of the hook can cause that problem. the slices catch on the lip of the bass and prevent forward motion of the hook. also, the most popular styles of hooks that have the two 90 degree bends to hold your plastic in place can do the same thing. the straight face coming down off of the first 90 from the eyelet, will with the bone in the lips coming out and prevent forward motion of the hook to get the hook point to penetrate through something. a jig hook like a 29114 gammie with a hitch hiker attached to the eye to attach your plastic to the hook will do a better job. the leg of the hook will always tend to turn the hook upright because it is a lever and will follow your line. also, since your plastic is attached to the hitch hike, you do not have plastic sliding down the hook shank to block the throat of the hook. then, there is nothing about that type of hook to prevent forward motion on the hook set. if you will try it, you will like it.

bo