How to detect a bite?

[RealtreeByGod]

I get the whole concept of line watching for slack line presentations, and I've been catching fish doing it, but how are you supposed to detect bites for stuff like wacky rigs, jigs, and deadsticked flukes at night? Do you just not use them? 

[scbassin]

Catt once again you hit the nail on the head!

[corn-on-the-rob]

I don't care how good you get, you will reel into tons of fish, honestly that is very normal. Still work to develop more sensitivity, but all that takes is time with the rod in your hand and willingness to improve.

 

Like I said, whether you missed it, or they picked it up in a way that didn't transmit to your line/rod, the key here is to not be content with "oh the fish is on like normal, I'm fighting him now!", you need to understand he has YOU, and though you skipped the expected detect/hookset phase, you still need to set the hook. Depending on the lure/technique, you'll either need to continue in the direction you reeled into him, keep going hard in that direction as high as you can (like a sweep/reel set), or at times you may even drop the rod tip, and come up hard with a snap set. 

 

EDIT: Also, I feel like most every fisherman, even the most experienced can relate to this, but at any given time, especially when it is slow, you'll question yourself, "what does a bite even feel like?, I feel like I can't remember. Am I missing bites? Will I be ready when one does happen?" Then BOOM, you're like "duh, yup, that's what it feels like!".

[OCdockskipper]

I am going to answer this from a different, non-technical direction.  I would suggest the easiest way to detect bites is spend a lot of time on the water fishing bottom bumping baits in lakes with healthy fish populations.  After enough hours on the water, you too will instinctively set the hook on bass that others would have never felt.

[MickD]

On 7/10/2018 at 12:29 AM, Koz said:

There's a lot of good advice posted above, especially about dragging your lure over different surfaces and imprinting what you are feeling at that time. Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject:

 

1. Get yourself a float (bobber) and a nightcrawler and toss it out there. While it's out in the water, keep a little tension on the line and grasp the line between your thumb and forefinger. Watch the float for an indication that a fish is nibbling at or engulfing the bait. At the same time make a mental note of what both your line (held between your fingers) and what your rod feels like when the fish hits the bait.

 

2. In most, but definitely not all cases, if you feel something and the line is not running off when your lure hits some sort of structure (rocks, trees, or even weeds) the feedback you get from your line and rod will be more of a single thud whereas with a fish it will be more of a pulsed vibration. The vibration may be subtle or it may be the classic tap-tap.

 

3. Having your fingers contacting your line can be an important part of detecting a bite, especially if you're new to fishing. For example, when using a falling bait like a jig or a worm you can grab the line between your thumb and forefinger as it falls allowing you to feel the more subtle vibration of a fish grabbing the bait. If your fishing a bait like a jig along the bottom you can place your thumb lightly over the line on the spool while you work the bait or are letting the bait rest on the bottom.

 

Lastly, rod sensitivity is also a factor in detecting a bite as well as detecting different types of structure that your lure encounters. I fished an Ugly Stick for years and I loved it. I caught a lot of fish with it. But it wasn't until I upgraded my rod that I noticed how much I had been missing when it came to feedback from bites or structure.

I only meant to comment on the last paragraph, which is very important to this discussion.  After a very sensitive rod, braid is a very big help in feeling bites.  I strongly disagree with the statement somewhere above that states that the only way to detect bites is to watch your line and rod tip.  If your rod tip moves from a fish and you didn't feel it, you've got the wrong rod and line.  Also, the difference between mono, co-poly, and flourocarbon line, in my opinion is very subtle.  The difference between them and braid is MAJOR.

[Team9nine]

On 7/9/2018 at 1:27 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

Pay attention to what your bait feels like each time you lift your rod tip up and the line tightens. It takes time but you'll start to notice the difference between rocks, sticks, weeds, and fish if you pay close attention. When in doubt, set the hook. 

THIS ^^

 

Often refereed to as "weighing your jig" by some. Fish with the same outfit long enough, and eventually you develop a keen feel for how much tension ("weight") should be on your line at all times. When what you expect to feel doesn't happen, you set the hook. Other things like line watching, and timing your drops, etc. will also come into play. Just takes time to develop this sense.

[NHBull]

Last year, I took 2 weeks and used nothing but 2 rigs. One was a 3/8 swim jig  the other being a 1/2 football. I had to learn what these felt like with no fish in them.  As I learned "the lack of feel", and resistance, I set hard.  My percentage went up as did my confidence.

 

I also found that shortening my cast helped.  Setting a hook at 100 feet cast is tough

[EGbassing]

If you're not sure whether it's a fish or not, set the hook.  

[Krux5506]

There are so many different kinds of bites that range from the absolutely unmistakable chomp of aggressive bass to a very dainty kind of scoop up in the mouth and swim off type of bite. Both of which can happen when jig fishing. But your best bet if you're wondering specifically with jigs how to detect the bite, just keep fishing them and catching more and more fish. You will get a real good feel for those different kinds of bites in different bodies of water, time of year/weather conditions etc. One thing for me that's so addicting about bass fishing is the variety of methods of catching them, each one often producing a different kind of bite. Like a spinnerbait bite vs ned rig bite.

[geo g]

Be a line watcher, the line wil jerk or move long before you could ever feel it through the rod and reel.  Train yourself to study the line at the furthest spot you can see.  My eyes are focus as soon as the bait hits the water.  This is extremely important for plastics fished slow.

[mattkenzer]

If there is one thing i know for certain, it is how my lures feel without fish on them ....

[geo g]

4 hours ago, mattkenzer said:

If there is one thing i know for certain, it is how my lures feel without fish on them ....

Lol!!!!!!