Help with hook sets (heavy applications)

[rtwvumtneer6]

Rod: 7'4 H/F rated for 3/8-1 1/2oz

Reel: 8.5:1 50# braid

 

I'm missing a lot of fish pitching and flipping this set up.  Using straight shank flipping hook and Snell knot with 1/2-1oz tungsten.  It feels like (unless I'm right on top of the fish) I am not driving the hook into them, but pulling it from their mouth.  

 

I'll admit the rod is quite stout, and their is no standard for "heavy" or "fast".  Could it be a matter of rod tip? Human error? Smaller fish?  What can I do to increase my hook ups?  

 

Thanks!!!

 

[riverbasser]

If your punching you should normally be pretty much on top of them. Making long pitches when punching decreases hookups, makes strikes harder to detect and is just overall harder to get a bait through the cover efficiently.  Rod seems fine could be fish are feeling the  heavy weight and your not quick enough on the gun, only thing else I can say is reel down and really hammer it home with this technique 

[FishDewd]

Not specifying the bait size, hook type, and pressure level of the waters you fish. I've missed plenty due to having a larger bait on a smaller hook, in pressured waters. For example, I decided to use a 1/16 road runner with a small Powerbait worm the other day in a highly, highly pressured pond, mainly for practice. I got a hit. I reeled down and set that SOB, but I missed. I think it was because the fish knew to hit the tail of it to feel if it was real or not. Obviously it wasn't, and I pulled it out of its mouth on the set. It never wouldn't have eaten it, I'm confident of that. Fish just knew it wasn't real. It happens. The hook didn't have enough shank to it in this scenario. But that's fine. It taught me some stuff. Next time. Tbh I don't pitch/flip much because I am awful at it so I can't comment on that. Those techniques just don't work for me.

[Bluebasser86]

I agree that it sounds like the issue could be the distance. In the thick vegetation, the more distance you have between you and the fish, the more stuff you're trying to get a hook set through, the more fish you're going to miss. They usually don't mind you getting pretty close when they're buried up in the slop, use that to your advantage. If you can't get any closer, you might need to step up to a longer rod, even up to the 8' range to give the reach and lift to get a better hook set. 

[Sam]

RT, I may be off base but pitching and flipping are finesse techniques that have been adopted as the basis for punching though grass and pads.

 

Your reel ratio and braid test look good.

 

Your rod, being a heavy, is proper.

 

But the above is not for the "standard" pitching and flipping setup where we use either a medium or medium heavy rod, a "6 to" spinning reel or "7 to" ratio baitcaster reel and braid line with or without a fluorocarbon leader.

 

And with your setup you need a strong, thick hook for your bait. You do not need a strong, thick hook when flipping and pitching.

 

You need a "punch shot" rig to get through and below the grass and pads with the rod strength you are using. In fact, your rod is great for punching through the grass and throwing deep diving crankbaits but I would not use if for everyday flipping and pitching.

 

As the guys above have penned, if you continue to use this rig you need to be on top of your target and not make long casts. Setting hooks with long casts, especially in heavy grass, is difficult and the odds that the bass will shake the hook free are in the bass' favor.

 

So if you want to continue to use this baitcasting setup try to hit your target area closer to the boat.

 

Good luck and let us know if popping through the grass in front of you works better with your hookup ratio.

 

And one more thing, if you want to cut through the grass and pads consider a Grass Goat for your trolling motor.

 

 

[keagbassr]

When I was using straight shank for punching my strike to land ratio was at best 50% since I switched to ewg grip pins it's at least 90%.

[sully420]

Wait for the fish to turn with the bait in its mouth and reel and lean back. 

A quick jarring hook set with your gear will blow a basses mouth open and eject the bait.

[Catt]

2 hours ago, keagbassr said:

When I was using straight shank for punching my strike to land ratio was at best 50% since I switched to ewg grip pins it's at least 90%.

 

I use straight shank hooks almost exclusively & strike to land ratio is above 95%. The fish I do miss are on EWG hooks.

 

2 hours ago, sully420 said:

Wait for the fish to turn with the bait in its mouth and reel and lean back. 

A quick jarring hook set with your gear will blow a basses mouth open and eject the bait.

 

Around here if ya wait on anything you'll not land many fish!

 

In my personal opinion there is a time frame that begins when the bass inhales your lure & continues until it spits it out.

 

If your strike detection is late in this time frame then your hook up ratio will be poor!

[LxVE Bassin]

Is that rod by any chance a 7’4” St  Croix Avid X?

[rtwvumtneer6]

10 minutes ago, LxVE Bassin said:

Is that rod by any chance a 7’4” St  Croix Avid X?

 No.  I can't say the company name on here but I will give you a big hint. It's VERY GREEN.

[keagbassr]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

 

I use straight shank hooks almost exclusively & strike to land ratio is above 95%. The fish I do miss are on EWG hooks.

 

 

Around here if ya wait on anything you'll not land many fish!

 

In my personal opinion there is a time frame that begins when the bass inhales your lure & continues until it spits it out.

 

If your strike detection is late in this time frame then your hook up ratio will be poor!

I agree with that gotta hit them quick  and if you want some 6/0trokars just say the word and they're yours.

[WRB]

14 hours ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

Rod: 7'4 H/F rated for 3/8-1 1/2oz

Reel: 8.5:1 50# braid

 

I'm missing a lot of fish pitching and flipping this set up.  Using straight shank flipping hook and Snell knot with 1/2-1oz tungsten.  It feels like (unless I'm right on top of the fish) I am not driving the hook into them, but pulling it from their mouth.  

 

I'll admit the rod is quite stout, and their is no standard for "heavy" or "fast".  Could it be a matter of rod tip? Human error? Smaller fish?  What can I do to increase my hook ups?  

 

Thanks!!!

 

Discribe how you hook set?

Tom

[Catt]

30 minutes ago, keagbassr said:

I agree with that gotta hit them quick  and if you want some 6/0trokars just say the word and they're yours.

 

Not a big fan of Trokar hooks

 

My personal choice is Owner 4X Jungle Flipping Hook 

 

 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I know I might be minority, but swap to a Palomar knot and ditch the Snell. 

 

See if things change

[sully420]

My advice was based on the way I fish. The way I fish I don't need to switch hands after I flip so I was finding myself setting the hook the instant I got a bite. And I'm a Duckett Rod user and imo they are on the lighter end of the spectrum, so with those facts together extremely quick hook sets with my gear (I use trokar Hooks and Snell Knots) I wasn't having success with quick vicious hook sets. That being said I don't advise that you wait forever and let the bass swim around with the Bait in it's mouth. It's the difference between an instant hook set and setting the hook a second later. Generally if I'm having a problem with fish spitting the bait out which I don't very often I go to a powerbait craw or I use like JJ's magic or spike it and they hold on to that bait quite a bit longer. The most important part is understanding how you like to fish and finding the gear and utilizing the techniques that work the best for you.

[rtwvumtneer6]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Discribe how you hook set?

Tom

Sometimes I think I should video myself to truly answer these questions.  I'll give the rod tip to the fish and reel slack which puts my hands around my belt,  take a half step to transer my weight and open my hip while I set, a hard jerk up to my chest/shoulder.

1 hour ago, keagbassr said:

I agree with that gotta hit them quick  and if you want some 6/0trokars just say the word and they're yours.

I'm using the trokars. Been using 4/0 with dbombs but a 6/0 might fit the magnum rage bug.

50 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Not a big fan of Trokar hooks

 

My personal choice is Owner 4X Jungle Flipping Hook 

 

 

Don't have any owner flipping hooks but I've used their ewgs and I have no doubt they are heavy enough for flipping.  Know a couple guys who swap out all their trebles for owners too. 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I like the "Hunter shryock" hookset. YouTube him if your unfamiliar!

[WRB]

I believe you are taking too much time and the bass spits out the lure while you are getting set the hook set.

2 methods I use are the reel set with rod sweep, see Hackneys vedio and vertical hook sets with jigs I snap set.

Snap set is quick tip drop and snap upwards into the slack line driving the heavy wire hook home.

Reel set is crank the reel handle quickly and sweep the rod back, use this with more horizontal hook sets.

Tom

[Chuck Popeeye Moser]

What, pray tell, is emg?

 

[Catt]

19 hours ago, Catt said:

 

In my personal opinion there is a time frame that begins when the bass inhales your lure & continues until it spits it out.

 

If your strike detection is late in this time frame then your hook up ratio will be poor!

 

9 hours ago, WRB said:

I believe you are taking too much time and the bass spits out the lure while you are getting set the hook set.

 

Tom

 

 

[fishballer06]

Another yinzer. Welcome man. Punching around here? I can only think of one lake that really offers that... 

 

I don't do much heavy punching/flipping, but I will say that I haven't bought into the snell knot hype. Perhaps try switching to a palomar and see how it works?

[NittyGrittyBoy]

1 hour ago, Chuck Popeeye Moser said:

What, pray tell, is emg?

 

I think it's supposed to be EWG, which is "extra wide gap" hook. 

[rtwvumtneer6]

8 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

Another yinzer. Welcome man. Punching around here? I can only think of one lake that really offers that... 

 

I don't do much heavy punching/flipping, but I will say that I haven't bought into the snell knot hype. Perhaps try switching to a palomar and see how it works?

Ha, I've lived in a few places so I speak a combination of regional language.

 

And, around here the heavy stuff stays at home 90% of the time.  

[bhoff]

You could try loading the rod tip up a little before setting the hook. I feel like you may be basically punching the fishes mouth open from the inside with the top of the bait/weight. Other than that maybe try using a larger hook as this would also help with the hookup ratio to a certain point.

[ww2farmer]

A couple of things.....ditch the snell knot, why that has become a thing is beyond me. Anything that rotates the hook to have less of a bite is a bad thing. When I am flipping/punching/pitching with a straight shank hook, me hook up% is better with a Palomar knot.

 

Another thing is, if you're cracking them hard, with braid, big tungsten, and stiff rods, you are going to pop their mouths open and miss them. Lean into them and do an upwards sweep set, and you'll drive more hooks home.