Hook set with Wacky Hooks

[Shak Muscles]

How do you guys set the hook with a owner wacky hook?(or any wacky style hook) 

Do you set it vertical and hard or just a reel set or a slight sweep motion? I fish my senko's vertical so I find it easy setting the hook upwards. I usually yank decently hard since I'm pretty used to it but many times the hook pops out of the fish's mouth. Sometimes it will seem like its on for a second or two and then its gone. I'm switching to these wacky hooks because I heard they have a high hookup percentage and I want to maximize it by doing it right!

[Cmiller]

I fish my senkos on a medium heavy fast action rod, and use Owner wacky hooks, all that is needed is a sweep of the rod tip in my experience.

[papajoe222]

I do more of a sweep and reel than a straight upward hook set.  The only exception is when I use circle hooks, then it's just reeling with the rod tip up high.

[OCdockskipper]

X3 on the sweep.  Most of my wacky fishing is skipping them under docks, so the sweep also helps lead them out from under the dock.

[Bluebasser86]

I fish mine on braid with a leader. All I do is reel into them. 

[hawgenvy]

As long as it's a thin, sharp hook I'll start with a reel set, which is just reeling fast till there's a good bend in the rod, and then, while keeping the pressure on, I'll reinforce that with a lateral sweep to make sure the hook penetrates past the barb.

Lately I've been liking the Gama G-Finesse jig-headed hook, 1/16 oz size.

 

[Shak Muscles]

Ok maybe I should phrase the question differently.. Would a decently hard hookset hurt your hookup percentage? I ask this because I love setting the hook. Its a part of fishing which gets my adrenaline pumping. It's that GOTCHA! moment that I absolutely love. I don't think I would have nearly as much joy with a reel set. 

So would settings the hook hurt your chances like it does with a circle hook? Or is it fine but not just not necessary?

[YoTone]

has anyone ever tried the weighted wacky hooks?

im starting to fall asleep waiting for it to sink.

[Darren.]

1 hour ago, Shak Muscles said:

Ok maybe I should phrase the question differently.. Would a decently hard hookset hurt your hookup percentage? I ask this because I love setting the hook. Its a part of fishing which gets my adrenaline pumping. It's that GOTCHA! moment that I absolutely love. I don't think I would have nearly as much joy with a reel set. 

So would settings the hook hurt your chances like it does with a circle hook? Or is it fine but not just not necessary?

You will probably yank the hook out of the mouth
if you do the types of hook sets you see on TV...

Most reel the slack and set the hook with a sweep
or reel and lift. I have occasionally set the hook
hard - but usually if I'm fishing a bigger hook like
a 3/0 Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap...

[Shak Muscles]

Are there any other wacky hooks that allow hooksets? I had bought 5/0 gamakatsu octopus hooks and they were way too thick. I felt like they wouldn't even penetrate the fish's mouth I missed a ton of fish on them. I was too scared to buy a smaller than 5/0 size for the octopus hook because it looked too small. Maybe I'll have to try the gamakatsu finesse wide gap hook. 

[J Francho]

I pop a wrist flick hook set without any issues.  I use a Gamakatsu Wide Gasp Finesse Hook, usually 1/0 or 2/0.  If you're yanking them out of their mouth, lower your drag, and use a wrist flick set.

[MassYak85]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

I pop a wrist flick hook set without any issues.  I use a Gamakatsu Wide Gasp Finesse Hook, usually 1/0 or 2/0.  If you're yanking them out of their mouth, lower your drag, and use a wrist flick set.

x2

[Rhino68W]

I typically set the hook with the reel. But sometimes if there isn't much slack I sweep it while reeling constantly. 

[Senko lover]

It's a sweep/reel to the side for me.

[Luna2406]

I use that Gamakastu wacky weedless hook 3/0, i feel the bump real down until i see the line moving then I sweep set. I dont set as hard as i can but i dont use just the reel and bend of the rod to set the hook for me. I have yet to pull a hook out of a fish and my hook up ration recently has been very good, i've only lost 2 fish out of about 20.  I use braid with a flouro leader. 

[TheBassMonkey]

Watching your line is a real key. Hook sets are free! Reel down and sweep laterally. I don't get carried away with a super aggressive hook set like other rigs. I've also found that I can hook up with a vertical motion but it's not a solid "hookset" and I lose more fish on the way in.

I use 2/0 finesse hooks and 3/0-1/16oz weighted wacky hooks when I want a fast sink. Hope this helps. 

[Shak Muscles]

So I was out yesterday on the lake and I was using my newly bought owner wacky hooks 2/0 and they were great! I caught 11 bass and only missed 1 that I can remember. I actually felt confident that the fish won't fall off the hook which is rarely the case with me. 

Half the time I did a sweeping hookset and the other half I let the bass take it for a second and then did an aggressive upward hookset and both seemed to work just fine. I feel like the key if you want to do a more agressive hookset rather than a sweeping hookset is that you should let the fish take the worm all the way so that there isn't a risk of losing the fish by having the hook pop out of its mouth during the hookset. I let the fish take it for 1-2 seconds after i felt the nudge nudge nudge on my line and then set it upwards with decent power and the fish were hooked so good that they had no chance of coming off.

For me personally the reel set didn't work for me because I ended up gut hooking both fish I tried a reel set on. And since the hook was so small it was a pain to remove. I could have been doing it wrong though, I might not have reacted fast enough.

[J Francho]

What makes you think they aren't taking the worm all the way on the initial strike?  It's pretty unusual they do not, outside protecting bedding areas.  Feel a tap, set the hook.  All you're waiting for is the fish to determine whether it's edible or not, and reject the bait.

[Shak Muscles]

Sometimes if I set the hook right when I feel the tap I come up empty, so I let them take it in. Sometimes they are just holding on to the tip of my senko and I set the hook and all I come back with is an empty hook, senko gone. 

So I like to wait a bit, not long just a second or so till I feel the second or third tap and then I set the hook. 

[J Francho]

Those nibblers probably aren't bass.  Bass rarely nibble:

 

[BassnChris]

On July 31, 2016 at 10:19 PM, papajoe222 said:

I do more of a sweep and reel than a straight upward hook set.  The only exception is when I use circle hooks, then it's just reeling with the rod tip up high.

X2

[Shak Muscles]

@J Francho

Wow, you're right. They did spit it out when they found out that it was a lure. Maybe I'm too slow a reacting and they spit it out before I set the hook. 

That was a fun video!

[J Francho]

There's no exact science, but most of the time, you feel them dropping the bait.  I did have a day where they were literally just grabbing the skirts on frogs, and pulling them under.  It was weird.  Bass on beds will just lip the ends as well.  But if their eating, it's a gulp.

[CNYBassin]

No yanking or jerking. Just a steady smooth lift combined with reeling into the fish. I use gamakatsu finesse wide gaps for wacky rigging. Usually 1/0 or 2/0 size.

Basically the same hook set I use when fishing a drop shot. Just lift and reel.

[J Francho]

You gotta see my buddy No Good (Noel) hook set a drop shot.  He sets it like two or three times, and hard!  He's a got a few smallies over 6 lbs., so who am I to say? I still wrist flick set on any light hook.  I've had some get off trying to just lift and reel.  This guy knows a thing or two, and he recommends the same: http://www.richz.com/fishing/articles/dropshot.html

Not saying the reel set and sweep is wrong, I just have zero confidence.  I use to say the same about crankbaits and trebles - just reel and sweep, but I payed attention, and I even pop them too.  Nothing like the "lift and separate" smash and grab jog I do on jigs, T-rigs, and frogs, but definitely popping them.  Like a lot things in fishing - whatever works!