Hook Set For Soft Plastics

[livemusic]

I fish mostly soft plastics, Texas rig. We all hate to lose a fish. When you are setting up your fluke or worm or whatever and you stick the hook through in that final step to make it weedless, it seems that it might take quite a hook set to get that hook to first, come out of the plastic and then into the fish's mouth. So, I set the hook pretty hard. I wonder about that. So far, I have been using braided line, even up to 65 lb, and that should have very little stretch. So, is a hard hook set necessary? When I lose a fish and get the bait back and the hook is not totally out of the plastic, it's kind of bunched up, I think "Aargh, not a good enough hook set." I try to remember to set the hook twice.

 

The ideal lure would be one with an exposed hook, but that's impossible around here, what with the heavy cover. I have also thought of trying a weedless hook, the kind with the thin wire loop around the hook barb. You wouldn't have to come through the soft plastic. Anyone tried that or what is your secret, if you have one?

 

One thing that does seem a good thing is to make sure you set the hook by kind of having the butt of the rod anchored into your body, elbows touching your body, and then the butt of the rod is used kinda like a fulcrum, and the rod tip is jerked upwards/backwards with your lower arms and wrists. A powerful snap. When you watch any pro, it seems that's how they do it. I see them feel the fish and usually reel down a bit to take out slack and wham.

 

Setting the hook is important when fishing Texas rig, just wish there was a definitive answer.

[rdj3385]

Have you ever tried pulling the hook out of the top of the bait, just enough so that it is running parralel to it, and then sticking the very point of the hook back in? I've found my catch rate goes up when I do this. It does, ocassionally, come out and cause a snag, but very infrequently.

[Jig Man]

Tex-skin.

[Dypsis]

I fish a TON of soft plastics and skin hook all of them pretty much.  I fished alone for a long long time and learned most everything from this site and youtube.  One thing that helped me improve my hook set was when I finally fished with a long time fisheman he told me my drag wasn't set tight enough so since then my hook up ratio has improved immensely.  It could be your drag isn't set tight enough.    

 

Just something to think about.  Either way good luck.

[WIGuide]

To avoid losing fish, rig it tex-sposed as rdj described. Also, be sure to use a quality hook that is sharp. Your drag doesn't have to be super tight, but it shouldn't be slipping on a hookset. You shouldn't have to set the hook multiple times, once should be good. It won't completely eliminate lost fish, but that should take care of the majority of the misses. 

[Choporoz]

To avoid losing fish, rig it tex-sposed as rdj described. Also, be sure to use a quality hook that is sharp. Your drag doesn't have to be super tight, but it shouldn't be slipping on a hookset. You shouldn't have to set the hook multiple times, once should be good. It won't completely eliminate lost fish, but that should take care of the majority of the misses. 

Have to agree.  Sharp hook, tex-posed.  As long as the gap is appropriate to the bait and drag is sufficient, I think it would be awfully hard to improperly set the hook.

[mrc.in.wi]

I find a sweep of the rod horizontal is enough of a hook set, no matter how you rig it.

Only time I vertically hook set is with a jig, and even that is more like a 45*.

Those big hook sets you see on TV are for TV.

[Alpha Male]

I find a sweep of the rod horizontal is enough of a hook set, no matter how you rig it.

Only time I vertically hook set is with a jig, and even that is more like a 45*.

Those big hook sets you see on TV are for TV.

Those big hooksets are for mono and fluoro line which stretches.

To the OP you shouldn't have to set the hook that hard with braid. You need to reel down and pull. You do need to be firm and load your rod up so that you can tell that there is resistance. Once you have pulled the hook should VERY easily pass through the plastic bait you're using. The only thing that might cause an issue is how deep you have the tip down in the bait AND the angle of the tip. If the tip is buried deep and pointing into the body of the bait it may not come out of the plastic before the fish has a chance to spit it out.

[Blues19]

I agree with RDJ on how to rig it, with going all the way through the bait and tucking the hook right under the skin of the bait.  When you say it bunches up, are you talking about the top of the bait comes down and bunches up? I have had that happen more often than I would like. I feel like it hinders the hook up ratio a lot. I watched a video this winter about using a little bit of THICK mono and sticking it through the plastic, through the eye of the hook and then again through the other side of the plastic. He says the thick mono is stiff enough to keep the bait in place a bit better. I keep remembering when I am out at the pond when the extra line is at home. About to go find the line and throw it in the tackle bag.

[livemusic]

Yesterday, I bought a pack of Trokar Lazer Flippin Hook 4.0, $6 for 4 hooks at BPS. These have couple of knobby things near the eye to keep the plastic bait on the hook. I had 6 strikes and caught 6 bass. Can't beat that! All were hooked in side or roof of mouth and no way would they get off. This was using my brand new 7' Berkley Med action rod and Pfleuger President 6940 reel with 20lb Sufix 832 Advanced Superline. To get 6 out of 6, I'm pumped. The only disadvantage is that the head of the Zoom Fluke seemed to tear up quicker. I could only catch a 1-2 fish on each fluke.

 

EDIT: I just remembered how this was not a perfect test because the six I caught were small bass, all 1 - 1.5 lb. The test is the big ones. Although, if a big one is hooked in the side or top of his mouth like these were, he's not getting off.