Hooksets

[Ik_47]

Been reading some stuff on this site abot hooksets. A lot of times when I get bites, I feel two sometimes 3 taps.  Normally I wait until atleast the second tap or until I feel the fish if the bite isnt big and I rarely miss any. Im reading however and a lot of people are saying the second tap is the fish spitting the lure and if you dont set on the first hit you’ll lose the fish. If I set too early I seem to pull the bait out of the fishes mouth. However, most of the time that I feel taps, the fish are small and all the bigger fish I’ve caught I’ve only had 1 or two taps. Im just kinda confused, whats everybodies hookset pholisiphy with jigs, plastics, and reaction baits.

[Choporoz]

If I feel ANYTHING other than bottom, wood or weed I set the hook.  I'm not ever waiting for another sign

Highly suggest this video

 

[Russ E]

2 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

If I feel ANYTHING other than bottom, wood or weed I set the hook.  I'm not ever waiting for another sign

^^^ I agree. If you get into a  feeling contest with the fish, it will usually spit the bait.

 

there is one bait that I will hesitate, before I set the hook. that is big 10-11 inch worms. I still don't try to feel the fish, I just wait a couple seconds for it to get the whole bait in its mouth.

 

I have watched bass suck in and then instantly spit lures while sight fishing the shallows.  It felt like 2 quick taps. Not much you can do about it, when that happens.

 

 

 

 

[scaleface]

If  a tap is felt  when the lure is falling , drop the rod , reel most of the slack up and set the hook .

[Derek1]

I’m no pro but every time I set the hook into those several little taps I don’t get em,I think it’s small fish. With plastics I usually wait till they give me something to set on, wether it be line moving or a good tug. With a chatter bait or crank bait when the vibrating stops I set the hook sometimes it’s fish sometimes weeds, either way I real them in and take them off the hook. 

[Russ E]

52 minutes ago, Derek1 said:

I’m no pro but every time I set the hook into those several little taps I don’t get em,I think it’s small fish. With plastics I usually wait till they give me something to set on, wether it be line moving or a good tug. With a chatter bait or crank bait when the vibrating stops I set the hook sometimes it’s fish sometimes weeds, either way I real them in and take them off the hook. 

if you are getting several little taps, it is usually sunfish biting the tail. A bass is usually one tap as it sucks in the bait.

 

[WRB]

What do you do when you don't feel anything like the lure was cut off? Or you detect a slight increase in the lure weight? Bass don't have hands so anything you detect that isn't usual is more then like a strike....set the hook.

Taps are line movements you detected by feel, do you ever see the line move? If the line moves and doesn't transfer the movement to the rod you will not feel it, only see it or feel nothing when something should be there. A big bass has engulfed your lure and either sitting there with it in it's massive mouth or moving towards you....set the hook.

Tom

[Bluebasser86]

Even a small bass can instantly inhale a much larger bait than most think. They can also blow an entire bait out of their mouth and well away from their body way faster than even the most amped up angler can set the hook. 

 

If it feels like I fish, I set the hook. Allowing them to chew on the bait just gives them time to spit it, ball the bait up in their mouth and make setting the hook difficult, or swallow the hook. 

[Catt]

Three Tap Theory as explained to me by Shaw Grigsby 

 

The first tap the bass has inhaled your lure

 

The second tap the bass has expelled your lure

 

The third tap is me tapping you on the shoulder asking way you didn't set hook!

[NHBull]

Swingings are free and they always get your partners attention ?.....

[Catt]

Bassmaster University video titled “Denny Brauer on flipping and pitching”, in it Denny answers viewer questions and one question was “what does a jig bite feel like?” Denny’s answer was “I don’t know but I know what it doesn’t feel like!”, he went on to say he felt 100% confident that not a single bass wrapped it’s lips around his lure and he didn’t take a shot at it.

 

His next commit was “observers in my boat might think I’m a complete idiot because I set hook 20 times but only landed 5 bass so the other 15 times I didn’t have a clue want was going on and they may be right but one thing for sure the other 15 times were not bass.

 

When in doubt, drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook! 

[soflabasser]

I set the hook when I feel I am getting a bite but I do not do any exaggerated hooksets like some bass fishermen do. I don't even do exaggerated hooksets for snook and snook are far more powerful fish than any black bass species. I save that energy for the gym when it comes time to barbell curl some heavy weights.

21 hours ago, Russ E said:

if you are getting several little taps, it is usually sunfish biting the tail. A bass is usually one tap as it sucks in the bait.

 

A lot of the big bass I have caught have given small taps so its not always small sunfish biting. Downsizing a lure does seem to work if I am fishing a area with lots of small bass.

[Russ E]

19 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

I set the hook when I feel I am getting a bite but I do not do any exaggerated hooksets like some bass fishermen do. I don't even do exaggerated hooksets for snook and snook are far more powerful fish than any black bass species. I save that energy for the gym when it comes time to barbell curl some heavy weights.

A lot of the big bass I have caught have given small taps so its not always small sunfish biting. Downsizing a lure does seem to work if I am fishing a area with lots of small bass.

my personal best bass was on a fluke and it was a series of taps, but it felt a lot different than the constant pecking of a bluegill when it has the tail of a bait.

there is no standard,  feeling for a bite. if something doesn't feel normal, I set the hook. the worst you can do is hook a sunfish or nothing at all. 

[TOXIC]

Have you ever heard anyone say..."I just felt weight" or "it just got heavy"?  A lot of times a bass will just pick up a lure (ie., a Senko) and just start swimming with it.  Also when fishing current or tide swings, there is no tap depending on the way the fish takes the lure and which way it swims.  Setting the hook is a series of quick decisions depending on conditions.  I have taken more than one hit to the family jewels setting the hook....small price to pay.

[Choporoz]

1 hour ago, TOXIC said:

A lot of times a bass will just pick up a lure (ie., a Senko) and just start swimming with it.  Also when fishing current or tide swings, there is no tap depending on the way the fish takes the lure and which way it swims. 

so true....couple weeks ago I casted and my attention was diverted while it dropped in 20 fow --- I was still holding the rod, but happened to look up and my line was cruising right past me -- probably traveled 20+ feet without me feeling anything

[Mobasser]

As others have said, if you feel anything different set the hook. Also, many times the biggest fish strike softer. 

[Catt]

On 9/17/2018 at 7:43 AM, TOXIC said:

Have you ever heard anyone say..."I just felt weight" or "it just got heavy"?  A lot of times a bass will just pick up a lure (ie., a Senko) and just start swimming with it

 

Or they will pick it up & not move at all until you apply to much pressure & they spit it!

 

When in doubt!!!!!

 

Drop the rod, reel the slack, set the hook!!!!!

[Harold Scoggins]

On ‎9‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 6:44 PM, Choporoz said:

If I feel ANYTHING other than bottom, wood or weed I set the hook.  I'm not ever waiting for another sign

Highly suggest this video

 

You nailed it!

[Pro Logcatcher]

I set the hook on everything! Guys I fish with always give me weird looks because I'm always swingin'.

[Boomstick]

I feel a tap and I set the hook. Generally, with a moving bait I find this is very safe. With a more vertical presentation, I'm better off to wait for the second tap.

[scaleface]

I once set the hook and the bass jumped on the other side of the boat I was fishing . My buddy laughed his tail off .