Rod tip for strike indicator

[WRB]

There was for a short time a thread by Matt Allen using the rods deflection for strike indicator I thought was a good topic.

The basics are when a very active bass strikes we all detect it, when a less active bass strikes we often miss it and I agree.

Using finesse presentations like a drop shot for example  the rig has a normal resistance that bends your rid tip the same when you move the weight, let's say that is 2" bend for this discussion. If for any reason your rid tip bends more then 2" that often indicates a bass has the lure in it's mouth and is sitting there, I call this a pressure bite and you need to instantly set the hook.

The nothing bite can also be detected when the rod tip go straight in lieu of it's normal 2" bend, this indicated the bass has the lure in it's and moving towards you, reel fast and set the hook.

Matt's point is you can see the difference in rod deflection but can't always feel it and I agree if you don't feel the line with your finger tips.

Thoughts....

Tom

[12poundbass]

I've been using my finger for a while now. I'm going to give this a try. I might be depressed to see how many bites I've been missing. 

[TnRiver46]

Good info, although I thought you weren't supposed to set the hook with a drop shot??? Just kidding i knew what you meant 

[MassYak85]

I saw his video on it and it is definitely something I'll pay more attention to. My only concern is fishing around or through cover where "extra pressure" might just be the weight/lure getting caught in some weeds or trying to come over a log etc. I'm sure we'd all be shocked if we could know how many times fish have picked up our bait and gone completely unnoticed by us. 

[BuzzHudson19c]

I thought it was interesting, but personally I don't like it. However my finesse type of stuff is pretty light. Spinning tackle, 6'6 med/light and 8lb mono. I've yet to have a fish surprise me and not be able to feel it on that, with the only exception being in heavy current. But whatever works and helps people catch fish, do it.

[12poundbass]

11 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

My only concern is fishing around or through cover where "extra pressure" might just be the weight/lure getting caught in some weeds or trying to come over a log etc.

My thought at first....but hooksets are free! ?

[Catt]

1 hour ago, BuzzHudson19c said:

I've yet to have a fish surprise me and not be able to feel it on that

 

I can guarantee you every time you have been fishing it's happened & more than once!

 

Get on YouTube, search for Glen Lau's Bigmouth & Bigmouth Forever.

 

Many will say "But that was back in the 70s, rods are more sensitive, lines are better, yada, yada, yada"

 

Still happening to everyone! ?

[Team9nine]

...And this is why I love spending so much time out in open water tossing lightweight jigs for crappie - the best way to learn about pressure bites. It's how I showed Wheeler.

[Todd2]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

let's say that is 2" bend for this discussion. If for any reason your rid tip bends more then 2" that often indicates a bass has the lure in it's mouth and is sitting there

So if I'm dragging along and the normal is 2", as soon as I hang on anything it's gonna load up more than that...right?  That's the only thing that confused me in the video.

[Columbia Craw]

32 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

I can guarantee you every time you have been fishing it's happened & more than once!

 

Get on YouTube, search for Glen Lau's Bigmouth & Bigmouth Forever.

 

Many will say "But that was back in the 70s, rods are more sensitive, lines are better, yada, yada, yada"

 

Still happening to everyone! ?

 

When I watched the video, this is exactly what came to mind !  So what do you want to watch, your line or your rod tip ?  I prefer to watch my line.  I understand the concept Matt Allen is stressing but it needs to be tempered.  Not everyone is fishing a Dobyns 742SF with a drop shot.  The more bites and type of bites you detect or don't detect is the best learning tool.   My buddy John Sewell taught me that decades ago when I learned to fish a worm. I found I was actually pulling my worm out of the fishes mouth, thinking it was vegetation, until one would not let go.  The light bulb lit up.  I told John I had to have a bass commit "Sewell-cide" to finally get it.  I then caught *** in a row.  

[Jerryj33]

Been paying very close attention to this all week since Matt and Tim dropped that video. Haven't definitively caught a fish because of it though, but it's been extremely tough fishing this week and not much catching. However, I started keeping my index finger on my line on spinning rods earlier this season, and I definitely noticed bites I would have missed. The whole rod deflection thing seems extremely situational to me. As in only in situations where there is absolutely nothing that could obstruct your weight/lure. And that rarely ever happens for me.

[MassYak85]

9 minutes ago, Columbia Craw said:

 

When I watched the video, this is exactly what came to mind !  So what do you want to watch, your line or your rod tip ?  I prefer to watch my line.  I understand the concept Matt Allen is stressing but it needs to be tempered.  Not everyone is fishing a Dobyns 742SF with a drop shot.  The more bites and type of bites you detect or don't detect is the best learning tool.   My buddy John Sewell taught me that decades ago when I learned to fish a worm. I found I was actually pulling my worm out of the fishes mouth, thinking it was vegetation, until one would not let go.  The light bulb lit up.  I told John I had to have a bass commit "Sewell-cide" to finally get it.  I then caught *** in a row.  

I've definitely had the vegetation with a worm thing happen to me. Sometimes I can even tell afterwards that the pressure just let go way too suddenly for it to just be slipping out the weeds.

 

2 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

My thought at first....but hooksets are free! ?

Until you bury a tungsten weight in between two rocks, then it costs 5 bucks haha. But yea for most situations I've tried to be a little more liberal with my hooksets this year, I think it is helping a little bit. 

[WRB]

I will take this a step further and say we miss more strikes then we detect, especially on big bass. The bigger the basses mouth is the harder strike detection becomes so take heed and stay focused.

Bed bass are a good lesson for every bass angler where water clarity allows to to watch the bass strike lures. Realize these bass are not eating the lure, they are trying to remove it from the nest and the only way they can do that is with their mouth. You watching the bass for the strike and can't feel it when it happens a high percentage of the time.

You normally can see bass strike underwater lures, you need to detect a strike you can't see. Rod tip movements can be a good strike indicator until the bass feels the resistance and rejects the lure. 

I have caught more giant bass on small size lures like a 4" jigs than all other lures I use combined and don't know anyone else who has caught more. Not bragging, just pointing out how important strike detection is, it's the difference between consistantly catching the biggest bass in any lake verses catching only the smaller most aggressive bass.

When I fish with a partner they are often behind me and thier rod tip is only visible if I make an effort to watch it. I see more strikes missed then my partner detects, when I watch his rod tip move or go slack, often without any reaction because they are not focused.

I am a line feeler with the line going over my index finger tip under my thumb pad and rely on detecting strikes by feeling them. It's easier to see your partners rod tip move then your own, they see your rod tip sideways, you don't.

Working through weeds you feel a rubber band type resistance before it releases, if you feel that same rubber band resistance and you are not moving your rod tip, set the hook!

You will become a better bass angler if you improve your strike detection kills and trust me on this, you need to improve, we all do!

Tom

[J Francho]

If your rod tip moves 2" and you can't feel it, then you need to see the doctor!

[WRB]

9 minutes ago, J Francho said:

If your rod tip moves 2" and you can't feel it, then you need to see the doctor!

It's a hypothetical "normal" rod flex moving the lure/weight, like your 1/2oz drop shot weight and I hope anyone can see it and then see the difference when it flexes another inch.

Tom

 

[MrPeanut]

I know I definitely miss strikes at times, but I'm getting better at it.  For me, the light bulb went off when I caught a couple I didnt feel bite at all, but was using an exposed hook and they ended up hooking themselves.  Luckily they weren't gut hooked or anything, but taught me to get my head in the game haha

 

 

[islandbass]

I think we need watch both rod tip and line for anything that we don't personally add to the rod/line/bait equation.

 

When I watched that video, I was thinking, dang! That's what I do (in addition to watching the line)

 

I can share with every one from personal observation and experience that if the line has too much slack, i.e., if it is more slack than the controlled slack that is used in drop shotting, we will NOT feel that bite. Simply, there has to be a certain  amount of tension for us to have a chance at detecting the bite or take.

 

I watch my line, bait and all, and I'd leave excessive slack intentionally.  I see them take.  They might remain still or even slightly move a little.  It was incredible.  Seeing them take, but I could not feel anything whatsoever, but I can clearly see that they took it.

 

Incredible as in its literal meaning, not believable.  Here I thought, I could feel every bite, and I wasn't.  I shudder to think how many fish I missed when this exact same thing happens sight unseen. Yow-sah!

 

So when I have enough mental energy to stay focused, I really try to pay attention to rod tip, line and try to ensure I have at least a controlled amount of slack.  Do I probably still miss fish? I think so, but I strive to minimize those losses. 

[BuzzHudson19c]

3 hours ago, Catt said:

 

I can guarantee you every time you have been fishing it's happened & more than once!

 

 

Absolutely. I'm sure it happens. What I mean to say is I am not missing more fish by not staring at my rod tip. If I can't feel it, then I wouldn't see it.

 

I have watched a few videos on it and it just seems like something you tell someone to do who has never held a rod before.

 

All this being said, we are talking about people that have caught more and bigger fish than I have, so maybe something to try next time I got the jigs or finesse stuff out.

[Catt]

Sensitivity strarts in the hands & continues up to the brain.

 

Let me explain it this way!

I could put any high end reel on any high end rod, spool it with braid for maximum sensitivity, tie on a Texas rig & then give it to my wife. She could not "feel" any difference if I had rigged it up on a Berkley Lightening rod!

 

Why? Cause what is transmitted up the line, down the rod, through the hands will be lost in the brain.

She doesn't fish & would not be able to interpret what she is feeling.Even for the average angler a certain amount of "sensitivity" is lost in the brain.

 

Watching your line & rod will definitely help  ?

[Bluebasser86]

I used this technique all the time when I used cheaper rods that didn't have the same sensitivity as the rods I own now. I'll still do it occasionally if I tighten up on something that isn't moving and I want to be 100% sure it's not a fish. 

[Russ E]

I have tried this a few times. For me it has worked better with med /light rods using baits like ned rigs or wacky rigs.

these baits give very little deflection on their own, even on the lighter tackle.

 

On heavier casting tackle ,it has been less effective for me.

Always run the line over my index finger with casting tackle.

By the time I notice any deflection  I can feel the fish or it can feel me.

Pretty sure I have missed fish because of this. 

 

 

 

 

[Sword of the Lord]

This is only my 4th year bass fishing and the first year since I stopped a few years ago when I got sick. Picked it up again now that I'm healthy. This is something I learned on my own very quickly this year. It's like my brain and my hands and arms are perfectly in sync. I'm setting the hook before I'm even comprehending that I felt or saw the bite and that I'm setting the hook. Remarkable stuff. 

[deep]

Never really watched my rod tip, almost always run the line between my fingers.

 

The *ticks* and the *thumps* are the easy ones to detect. If you've never set the hook on instinct or just because ~something~ didn't feel right, you're missing fish. Even on treble hooked baits.

 

I don't fish cranks, but I do fish jerkbaits a lot. Once in a while, after a pause and before jerking again, I'll find the line wrapped around a hook or something. That was a fish that ate and rejected the bait and I didn't feel it; baits don't usually foul on their own. On certain days, I never even feel the bite, and the fish is just there when I get to jerking the bait again. Lucky!

 

Once you really attuned to your rod reel line bait setup, it's easier to instantly find when something isn't right. That something is usually a snag or a fish... (Yes, I've set the hook on snags many many times too.)

 

P.S. If you want to practice *losing contact* with the bait, find a riprap and fish it with a jig or a texas/ florida rig. Warning: You will lose baits.

[3crows]

21 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

My thought at first....but hooksets are free! ?

Unless you hookset into a log.

[ww2farmer]

18 hours ago, Catt said:

Sensitivity strarts in the hands & continues up to the brain.

 

Let me explain it this way!

I could put any high end reel on any high end rod, spool it with braid for maximum sensitivity, tie on a Texas rig & then give it to my wife. She could not "feel" any difference if I had rigged it up on a Berkley Lightening rod!

 

Why? Cause what is transmitted up the line, down the rod, through the hands will be lost in the brain.

She doesn't fish & would not be able to interpret what she is feeling.Even for the average angler a certain amount of "sensitivity" is lost in the brain.

 

Watching your line & rod will definitely help  ?

You ain't kidding. I have watched people on my own boat miss bites with equipment that costs 10x more than what I use.