Fishing Line/Sensitivity Problem

[KnightFisherman18]

Hello,

 

I am pretty new bass fishing and i've been having a problem detecting bites. Recently i've been using both weightless/weighted Texas rigged worms (Senkos, Zoom Trick Worms) to fish a  couple of ponds near my house (A 1.5 acre pond and a 12 acre pond). Now, i've caught fish with this rig and I know it works. I also know that the "finesse worm bite" is said to be ...different/lighter/harder to detect but I don't think thats the problem. Whenever I LAND a fish with this setup its because  I felt the fish DEFINITELY hit and take the bait. I've also been learning what the bottom/hydrillia/weeds and muck feel like with this rig and I think that, for the most part, I can feel the difference. So heres the rub...

 

Sometimes I get what feels like little bites or it feels like a fish inhaled the bait or I see other signs like the bait moving on its own, little tics on the line, weightlessness or a sudden extra weight. When any of those things happen I try to reel down and wait just a second to sort of double check that thats what I feel before i set the hook (A lot of times I feel that feeling and I reel down, "set the hook" and my bait comes FLYING out of the water). The problem is I almost NEVER land the fish that feels like that. It would be easy to say that I was clearly hung up on weeds but I don't think thats the case because....

 

THE PROBLEM

My line, (10-lb Berkeley Vanish Fluorocarbon) is almost always really really "loose" and floating on top of the water (See Image below). 

Black - Pond bottom/Shoreline

Blue - Water Surface

Green - Senko

Purple - Rod

Red - Fishing line 

 

My line is ALWAYS on top of the water. I can only get my line to be tight or even semi-tight right after a cast or if i'm fishing a different lure (Spinnerbaits, KVD 1.5 the line will be tight. Rebel Pop-R the line is also loose like that). Even when the line gets to the guides of my rod it is NOT TIGHT. It doesn't matter if i let my bait fall/sit for 30 seconds, or if i reel in the slack and let it fall again (Line gets loose), or if i raise my rod tip up (Raising my rod tip seems to just move everything closer to me without making the line any tighter) or if I have a 1/8 oz lead sinker on my bait.

 

And thus my question. 

What do I do about this? Should i move to lighter line? Braid? Monofiliament? Or is there something else that i'm doing wrong that I am unaware of?

 

 

[Scott F]

Those light bites are more than likely bluegills that are pecking at your bait. Not much you can do about hooking them unless you drastically downsize and fish for panfish.

[TylerT123]

The line will always be semi loose using baits that aren’t constantly moving. I wouldn’t use Vanish, just from the bad reviews. It really doesn’t sound like there’s much of a problem with the line to me. You could switch to braid for more sensitivity. There could be weeds or small fish nibbling at the bait too.

[Tennessee Boy]

I would just add this to what the others have said.

 

1)  WELCOME TO BASS RESOURCE.

 

2)  Don't EVER think that you have done something wrong if you set the hook and the bait comes flying out of the water.  Unlike baseball,  you cannot strike out in fishing.  You will catch a lot more fish if you set the hook every time something inside tells you you might have a fish on the line.

 

3) Keep fishing.  Your feel will continue to improve.

[Ycerides614]

Hey there. I would suggest using a line & line color you can watch easily, like either a hi-vis monofilament (I like Trilene XT, Big Game, Stren, Sufix Elite or Seige, etc in Solar, Green, Orange) or hi-vis braid (like Sufix 832 or Power Pro in Yellow, Neon Green, and many others) with your Vanish fluorocarbon line as a leader. A leader is line tied to the end of your mainline to reduce visibility, abrasion resistance, etc. In reference to your diagram, it would be the line that starts at the top of the water down to your hook & senko. It's easily tied on. With this Hi-Vis line, you'd be able to watch the line more rather than completely relying on "feeling" it with your rod. I'm guilty of not line watching, as well. But being able to see the line move will certainly help with your problem, as you won't need the line to be tight, and the slack can work to your benefit. 

     The line test # will depend on if you're using spinning or baitcasting reels. If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

[TylerT123]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

2)  Don't EVER think that you have done something wrong if you set the hook and the bait comes flying out of the water.  Unlike baseball,  you cannot strike out in fishing.  You will catch a lot more fish if you set the hook every time something inside tells you you might have a fish on the line.

Like baseball, you can still get hit though. That’s why I set the hook and duck.  

[J.Vincent]

A slight bow in the line shouldn't substantially alter your ability to feel a bite, especially with a fish weighing 1 pound or bigger. And I agree with Scott F and his reply. Those are most likely bluegilll tilapia, panfish or some smaller species pecking the Senko.

[kenmitch]

....Big bass will inhale and spit out baits rather quickly. There was a video linked here somewhere showing it. Don't remember the names but it was a guy fishing while he had a diver filming the action. Could be panfish like others have stated. Maybe somebody could link it? Worth watching none the less.

[MichaelCopeland]

Before you make any drastic changes in line type, try wacky rigging your senkos and trick worms. Rigged that way will create more resistance on the retrieve in turn tightening up your line a bit more making bite detection easier. If you do decide to change lines I suggest switching to Sufix 832 braid. I use 30lb on my spinning rig and 40lb on my baitcasters. I just recently bought some 17lb Berkley Vanish flourocarbon for one of my baitcasters in hopes it would help with the possibility that the bass, in this one lake I've been fishing alot lately, are line shy. I don't believe they are and braided line casts so much easier and better with less foul ups. Plus with braid the sensitivity is so much better. If you don't decide to change lines, I suggest that you keep your finger lightly on the line your using as you reel it in, as it sits or while your bait is falling on slack line. That will help detect bites no matter what line you're using. Hope this helps. Good luck and tight lines. ?

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard!

 

Hooksets are free, never forget that!  

[islandbass]

From what you described, it could be smaller fish nibbling, trying to eat your bait, reminiscent of machine gun tapping. 

 

That “weightless” and pull sensation are definitely takes IF you know you aren’t the cause. 

 

I am am guessing you are taking just a wee bit too long to decide to set the hook.  The instant you feel either of those sensation set the hook. Faster reaction time is attained through repetition. Don’t worry we all go through this especially at the beginning. 

 

I envision that weightless sensation as the fish takes the bait and swims toward you. The line tension is effectively gone as a result. Start reeling quickly, lol.

 

that eventual pull is a take and if there is enough tension, we feel the tug. This sensation is delayed if the line was too slack during the take but comes to pass as the slack dimishes. This diminishment  can be the fish moving away or you reeling up the slack or a combination of both. 

 

Sadly, I think we all miss more strikes than we can imagine. There is footage of bass and other fish sucking baits in and spitting it out without us even knowing.

 

That is why we need to set the hook asap. 

 

One last thing... lose that vanish line. You’re literally playing roulette, lol. I pray you have a decent batch. I recommend you look up posts about vanish. It is a fitting name for this line. I call it poof. Cause that is what the fish will do... POOF!! And the fish on the line vanishes, lol. 

[WRB]

Unweighted Senko is difficult to detect strikes with, most anglers have issues with bass swallowing a Senko before detecting strikes.

10 lb Vanish line is difficult to manage with a spinning reel do to it's memory tends to coil or twist the line. 

Watch the "V" the line on top of the water the makes where it sinks, that is a good strike indicator, movement equals strikes. Fast series of pecking strikes is usually bluegill or baby bass, move it a few feet if it's a bass you will feel the added weight.

Tom

[kenmitch]

Figured out what the videos were called. Old school as far as video quality goes but it's content is enlightening. 

 

 

[LionHeart]

1/8 oz is a pretty light weight.  That will make it fairly tough to keep your bait on the bottom unless you are dragging it really, really slow and there is nearly zero wind or current.  Be prepared to drag super duper slow, or maybe go to a 3/16 or dare I say 1/4 oz weight.  $20 says you notice a huge difference.

 

If you aren't able to feel the bottom with your bait, you're just kinda guessing.  

 

P.S.  Sometimes it's just a dang blue gill.

[KnightFisherman18]

Oh man, thank you all so much for these response. Truth be told, I was really worried that I would be told that Im just not great at fishing but those responses lead me to believe that there some things I can change and improve!!

 

With that, my action plan is going to be to swap over to a HI-Vis braided line - Most likely 10 -lb Suffix or Powerpro - so that I can see the line better and a Fluorocarbon leader ( Convenient because I need to re-spool soon). I will also grab a few 1/4 oz weights - Probably Tungsten … although im not sure if I understand the hype and why its supposed to be better. I will definitely set the hook faster and more often when I feel weightlessness or any tics on the line as well and I will give the Wacky Rig a shot - I've been weary of using it just because it seems …unlikely to me that a small bass can actually inhale an entire 6 in Senko + the hook. I just always figured that a bass would try to inhale the bait and only get like half of it or something.

 

Once again thank you all so much !!

[MichaelCopeland]

5 hours ago, KnightFisherman18 said:

Oh man, thank you all so much for these response. Truth be told, I was really worried that I would be told that Im just not great at fishing but those responses lead me to believe that there some things I can change and improve!!

 

With that, my action plan is going to be to swap over to a HI-Vis braided line - Most likely 10 -lb Suffix or Powerpro - so that I can see the line better and a Fluorocarbon leader ( Convenient because I need to re-spool soon). I will also grab a few 1/4 oz weights - Probably Tungsten … although im not sure if I understand the hype and why its supposed to be better. I will definitely set the hook faster and more often when I feel weightlessness or any tics on the line as well and I will give the Wacky Rig a shot - I've been weary of using it just because it seems …unlikely to me that a small bass can actually inhale an entire 6 in Senko + the hook. I just always figured that a bass would try to inhale the bait and only get like half of it or something.

 

Once again thank you all so much !!

You'd be surprised at the big baits a small bass can get in its mouth. The chances of attracting a larger bass is better with big baits, but smaller bass do tend to strike at them and pretty hard in my experiences. I've had small bass annihilate a 1/2oz chatterbait with a Rage Craw trailer to the point I thought I had a big one until I got them reeled in. Boy was I surprised...lol. ?

[Ycerides614]

8 hours ago, KnightFisherman18 said:

Oh man, thank you all so much for these response. Truth be told, I was really worried that I would be told that Im just not great at fishing but those responses lead me to believe that there some things I can change and improve!!

 

With that, my action plan is going to be to swap over to a HI-Vis braided line - Most likely 10 -lb Suffix or Powerpro - so that I can see the line better and a Fluorocarbon leader ( Convenient because I need to re-spool soon). I will also grab a few 1/4 oz weights - Probably Tungsten … although im not sure if I understand the hype and why its supposed to be better. I will definitely set the hook faster and more often when I feel weightlessness or any tics on the line as well and I will give the Wacky Rig a shot - I've been weary of using it just because it seems …unlikely to me that a small bass can actually inhale an entire 6 in Senko + the hook. I just always figured that a bass would try to inhale the bait and only get like half of it or something.

 

Once again thank you all so much !!

Hey again,

     I think you definitely have the right idea, that's a great plan. Many people say to use the same diameter of braid as you do fluorocarbon, but I'm not too much of a stickler on that. I'm assuming you're using spinning gear, and 10lb equivalent braid would be rather thick for spinning (I think it would be like 40-50lb braid)! You can't go wrong with either Suffix or Power Pro, really comes down to which you prefer. The tungsten weights will help, too, as they offer greater sensitivity. Don't worry, as you fish more you'll recognize the bites more and look back on this as part of learning. It's apart of the fun! 
     I still have a problem with the sight fishing, and typically just pull a little, with the rod, and "feel" if there's a fish on. I know that's what you're trying to avoid and it certainly makes me loose some fish. Good luck though! You'll get it!

[Deleted account]

17 hours ago, KnightFisherman18 said:

 that Im just not great at fishing...there some things I can change and improve...

These two things aren't mutually exclusive, and I'm thinking we're looking at a bit of both. This is what my grandma said to me when I was a kid on the subject "mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo" 

 

[KnightFisherman18]

Thank you again guys !!

 

Yeah, I actually am using spinning gear. I only have one rod so far, a medium 6'6 Ugly Styx GX2. I know that they're cheap but I figured that it would be a good place to start. I'm actually moving up to the St. Augustine area in the fall and if your from Florida then you know that means fishing the St. Johns River and i'm very excited about that. I'm hopefully going to pick up a couple more rods while i'm up there!!

 

I'm getting better at NOT being disappointed when I go out to fish and don't catch anything. At first, it was really really hard and demotivating but its getting easier

[WRB]

1/8 weight is enough to feel the bottom in 20' of water or deeper using a Senko in a calm conditions.

You need to slow down and watch and feel what your line is doing. 

Braid floats and is harder to manage regarding feeling loose. Both FC and braid are expensive lines that will not solve your problem, braid will reduce line twist problems.

Tom

[kenmitch]

42 minutes ago, KnightFisherman18 said:

Thank you again guys !!

 

Yeah, I actually am using spinning gear. I only have one rod so far, a medium 6'6 Ugly Styx GX2. I know that they're cheap but I figured that it would be a good place to start. I'm actually moving up to the St. Augustine area in the fall and if your from Florida then you know that means fishing the St. Johns River and i'm very excited about that. I'm hopefully going to pick up a couple more rods while i'm up there!!

 

I'm getting better at NOT being disappointed when I go out to fish and don't catch anything. At first, it was really really hard and demotivating but its getting easier

There's nothing wrong with jumping into the sport sporting a Ugly Stik. I kind of look at it as it's a good place to start when deciding if it's a passing fad or if you develop a passion for fishing in the end. The only downside I see to the Ugly Stik is it's almost indestructible and if one treats higher end rods like a Ugly Stik most likely they'll break. I figured it's worth pointing out as it may save some heartache in the future.

 

Fishing can be fun or it can be more stressful than your job in the end. It's best to go for the fun aspect of it and make the best of the current situation. If the fish are biting your golden, if not then you can always practice casting, techniques, other lures, etc to make the best of the slower times. Just remember that your not on the crew of a wicked tuna boat or a tournament fisherman and you'll do fine.....Unless your hungry and are fishing for food.