Your Ideal Hookset For T-Rigs & Jigs

[Catt]

The hook set should be 3 things!

#1: Speed, at the slightest hint of a strike, a bass can spit it faster than you can set it.

#2: Forceful, it should be with more than force to drive the average hook into the roof of the mouth.

#3: Powerful, it should turn the bass's head & get em coming toward you.

NO WHIMPS ALLOWED

[FrogFreak]

My hook set has 4 distinct parts:

 

When I feel the bite I:

1. Look at the camera
2. Reel in the slack line
3. Set the hook putting my body into a reverse C
4. Say something like WHOO NELLY

But seriously, I really try to remember to modify my hook set depending on what technique I'm using. The hardest thing about drop shotting for me is to remember to simply lift up the rod (exposed hook). The first couple times I lost fish by yanking the hook out of their mouth. On the other extreme, when frog fishing, I wait longer than I can stand, feel the fish and set the hook with as much force as I can muster. Anything less and the fish is spitting the frog unless they are very aggressive and eating the heck out of that frog.

[JD96]

My hooks are sharp, firm wrist flick to 2 o clock.

[jessejames556]

I see/feel the tap, bring in the slack and put my whole body into arching backward and pulling the rod up on top of me. My friends give me crap but eh, who cares

[Lil'Gunner]

No need for all that rod-whipping. I reel down until I actually feel the weight of the fish, and then I just "oomph" upward like I'm picking up a bucket of paint. If I feel the weight and I'm sporting a Gamakatsu hook, and I never, ever miss. Seems the only time I miss is on those big sweeping sets... too much slack, and usually means that I'm rushing.

[BassAssassin726]

I fished jigs a ton this year since It was my technique I chose to improve. Having a great year with them and they have become a real confidence bait. In the beginning I lost a lot of fish though. I've realized, at least for me with jigs no matter how much line I got out I reel up the slack and rip the rod to my right like there's no tomorrow. My buddy laughs every time but its been working great for me. With a Texas rig I snap the rod straight up as hard as I can. For some reason the sweep set doesn't work too good for me with a Texas rig

[Loop_Dad]

Interesting thread...I honestly thought more of you do sweeping hook set.

[Paul Roberts]

The two are different IME.

 

Bass will often hold plastics, esp the soft (boiled) ones I often use -long enough that I've gone barbless for much of my T-rigged plastics. Enough with the esophagus or deep tongue hooked fish already. I feel the take, reel down to the edge of taut, and sock 'em. Sometimes I don't feel the take an just see line twitch, or skate. Set and they are there. Not so with jigs.

 

Jigs are different. Bass rarely hold onto them. This means better detection (rod angle and attention), a crisp strong rod tip (no wimpy tip rods), and an instantaneous reaction.

 

I also have done a lot of light tackle jigging, and this also requires detection and instantaneous reaction. I used to fish for crappies a lot and found the whole body hook-set was just too slow. I found just wrist movement (instantly standing the rod up) was MUCH faster and doubled or more my hookup rate. Now these were tiny light hooks (which also work for bass), not the big irons found on "bass jigs", so power isn't needed.

 

I also did a lot of steam smallie fishing, again with light jigs, and found wrist setting better there too. Takes were often more difficult to detect in moving water and at times, when I was really grooved in, I would set when I expected a fish, not felt one. Similarly, in nymphing with fly tackle, or UL spinning, by the time you've seen the flash, it's over.

 

In bass fishing, braid has changed things quite a bit from mono, which I don't use anymore -except for CB's. If I'm on top of the take I can often wrist set with braid, more of a sharp pop! than a full body swing. On long casts though, deep fish, or many jig strikes I'm not exactly on top of, I swing long to move precious line. The risk with largemouths is that some are big, and you can hit bone. Wimpy sets can cost you those fish. J Franco has a cool photo of just such a fish he was lucky to get in the boat -hook point stuck in the maxillary of a 6lber.

[TrippyJai]

No need for all that rod-whipping. I reel down until I actually feel the weight of the fish, and then I just "oomph" upward like I'm picking up a bucket of paint. If I feel the weight and I'm sporting a Gamakatsu hook, and I never, ever miss. Seems the only time I miss is on those big sweeping sets... too much slack, and usually means that I'm rushing.

 

+1

 

This is how I do it.

[rangerboy]

if im fishing a heavy jig. when you set the hook right your goods should hurt.. lol. no room for wimpy hook sets pulling hawgs out of heavy cover in the ca delta. to each their own