If you get 10 good strikes on a plastic, how many do you expect to land?

[primetime]

Im curious......What percentage of quality strikes on a simple weightless worm....Do you expect to land before you get frustrated?

 

I feel like I missed almost half my strikes yesterday, maybe more, I started to get really annoyed as I feel like I usually only miss a handful and usually I know why I missed them.....

 

I think I know what my issue was, but I am actually curious to hear the responses. The Strikes where you feel the weight and line is moving, "Slam Dunks" I guess I am asking....

 

 

[flyfisher]

all 10.  If you are missing a bunch of fish it could be a color thing or smaller fish not really getting a big bite on them.

[CroakHunter]

10 bites I plan to land 10 fish

[PersicoTrotaVA]

100%  I don’t try to miss fish. If you are missing fish, downsize the bait or change colors. They are exploratory bites if they aren’t hanging on. Remember a fish uses it’s mouth like we use our hands. Also switch to an open hook rig like the ned rig or a wacky rig, hook ups shouldn’t be an issue with an open hook type rig. 

[Ksam1234]

Weightless worm , 10/10

[Dens228]

I'd go with 9 for me..

[WRB]

Asking that question will result in 100% positive replies otherwise everyone has to admit failing something we all do more then realized. 

How many strikes do you all mis by not detecting them? The same answer comes up when I asked this question before, we don't mis strikes.

The honest answers are we mis about 50% on a good day and some days we detect 0 strikes that occur. You felt your jig or worm hit a rock or snag a weed for a moment when it was actually a solid strike where the bass had it inside it's mouth and you didn't detect it. After making several casts to the same spot the rock moved and you can't feel anymore weeds it's time to be honest, it was a bass you just missed.

To answer the question how many bass do I land after hooking them; high 90'percent, I don't lose many.

Tom

[scaleface]

Not 100 per cent , thats for sure .

[Bankbeater]

I’d say probably 8 out of the 10. 

[Brad Reid]

I've been out almost every day for the last 2 weeks. 5 out of 7 is a common statistic for me, so 71% is about my average with a weightless 4" Keitech Impact. Pretty similar to a weightless worm.

 

What I don't necessarily know is what critters I am missing on the 2 out of 7. Depending on the plastic, I can often tell, say, if a small paddle tail is chewed off by a big bluegill or a crappie. You likely know what just nipped a dollar bill out of your wallet.

 

I had a weird thing happen 2 years ago. It changed how I fish. I was on Purtis Creek Lake, just happened upon a point where I was getting hit over and over as I made short casts to various locations using a drop shot and a small Roboworm. I had solid bites, too, yet if I recall correctly, I missed 25 out 25 fish. Nothing similar had ever happened to me, before or since. I was using one of the Gamakatsu swivel hooks. Always worked before. I surmised that the bass were spawning and just picking my Roboworm up and moving it away, not trying to eat it. Anyway, something weird.

 

So, I changed up after that miserable spring day statistic, and have been using a T-Rigged Roboworm on a light wire Rebarb hook ever since for drop shots. No issues. I'd use up my swivel hooks sooner or later, maybe when fishing a bit more vertically where I am pulling "up" to set the hook.

 

And, ANYTIME I can use a straight-shanked hook over an EWG, I never fail to take advantage of it. Or, at least as far away from that sort of hook as I can get. My hook-up ratios have improved a ton, still not perfect.

 

My personal calculus: Straight shank > Jig hook > offset hook > EWGs.

 

Brad

[FCPhil]

Weightless plastics...10/10 on hooksets, 9/10 on landing them. Only reason I would expect losing one is if the bass tangled me up in cover. I always skin hook wide gap hooks. I never imbed the hook in the worm like with a strait shank hook. 

[Dieselguy416]

It sounds like maybe they are picking it up and trying to move it. 

[Pacoac10]

My worse time is after ice out.  After not fishing all winter my mechanics are off a little and I get a bit antsy. Guess it is a missed fish if your setting the hook before they have it.  But I say I start out 60 percent and go up as the season goes.

[WRB]

Lowest % will be lipless crankbaits and weedless frogs, highest % will be any single hook soft plastics with structure spoons somewhere inbetween. Then there is Smallmouth bass that jump a lot lowering the hook to landing %.

Tom

[blckshirt98]

As a shore guy who fishes primarily drop-shot for finesse, I'm shooting for a 50% hookup rate whenever I go out.  Landing rate I'm aiming for 100% once I get a hookup and I honestly think I'm floating around the mid-90%'s for a landing rate.

 

The hookup rate I could improve by not being so lazy (i.e. re-tying more often, or, even sharpening my tied-on hook that has obviously dulled).  The landing rate I'm happy where it's at, as most fish that are lost is when they jump and are able to the throw the hook.

[MassYak85]

Just like a weightless senko or something, probably 9/10. I always get those random dinks that will grab half the worm and then I'll rip it in half on the hookset. 

[Fishing_FF]

I guess it depends, is it a 4" stickbait rigged on a 2/0 hook or a 6" stickbait rigged on a 5/0 hook? 

 

For the 4" on a 2/0, I'll probably be in the 9/10 range. It definitely has a higher percentage for landing, but I've had it happen twice that a big fish straighten out the hook.

 

For the 6" on a 5/0, I'm probably in the 5/10 range if that. The issue is the fish just aren't getting the hook, be it small sunfish like bluegills and redears nipping at the tails or really small bass. We were having this issue 2 Sundays ago, getting hits but reeling back plastics with pieces missing. We down sized and started landing 4-6" bass. 

 

More frustrating for me is flipping craw plastics, getting hits only to reel in the craw missing is claws. We'll downsize from 4" to 3" craws (same color) only to have no bites, and when we go back to the 4", claws gone again. Just nature of the beast, er bass. 

[fishwizzard]

It depends on the worm, tackle, and conditions.  But for my most common "weightless worm" presentation, a Trickworm rigged on a 3/0 Owner cutting point hook and fished on a MH/F rod in light shoreline cover, it is pretty darn close to a sure thing so long as these three things happen:

1. I am paying attention at the moment the bass grabs the worm.
2. The bass hits when my rod tip is at the bottom part of the "lift and lower" cycle of working the worm back in
3. The bass is large enough to get the entire worm and hook into it's mouth.

This presentation is my usual starting point for smaller ponds and anywhere I find sparse shoreline pads/grass in ***' of water.  It's a slow way to fish but it when it works it really works.  

[OCdockskipper]

11 hours ago, PersicoTrotaVA said:

...Remember a fish uses it’s mouth like we use our hands...

I sure hope I don't catch any lonely male bass who have internet access...

[Catt]

12 hours ago, primetime said:

Im curious......What percentage of quality strikes on a simple weightless worm....Do you expect to land before you get frustrated?

 

8 out of 10 I'm happy ?

 

 

[Gundog]

7 minutes ago, OCdockskipper said:

I sure hope I don't catch any lonely male bass who have internet access...

Just don't kiss them. 

[thinkingredneck]

This made me think.  If I am in thick stuff, I probably land only 70 percent.

[Wildbillb]

11.  Ha ha

[OCdockskipper]

Expect to land? 10

 

Results using an open hook technique (Ned rig, wacky rig, small swimbait) - 9 plus

 

Results using a Trig or other weedless application - between 8 - 9

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

"Expect" should be 100%. Real results, I never measured, but If I miss or loose multiples in a short time I'll change something. What depends on conditions.