Hook setting

[SEB]

I'm new to bass fishing and I've been having some luck with a whacky rigged 4" senko at this pond near my home.  Today I decided to go out and try a weightless t-rigged set up.  I had a ton of bites, but I was only able to pull in one bass.  When I would try to set the hook the fish would either swim around for a few seconds and spit it out, or I'd yank the hook out of the fish's mouth.  I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions on why this might be happening? I'm using a spinning rod with 12lb line and a 2/0 offset hook.  I thought maybe the hook was too small, or possibly my timing was off, I just don't know.

[jbsoonerfan]

Well, since you are new to bass fishing, I will point out that you weren't fishing it t-rigged if it was weightless. What you were doing was rigging the senko weedless. My guess is you don't have enough backbone in your rod to drive the hook home or your drag isn't set properly.

[Jig Man]

That is a pretty small hook.  I’d use a 3/0 or 4/0.  I’d also Texskin instead of Texas rig.

 

jb makes a good point about the rod and drag.

[Catt]

17 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Well, since you are new to bass fishing, I will point out that you weren't fishing it t-rigged if it was weightless

 

The Texas Rig (hook point buried) come out before the sliding weight was added.

[BassinCNY]

I think the problem is that your hook doesn't have a wide enough gap. You want a hook with a gap that is at least double the thickness of the bait. I'd use a light wire 2/0 EWG hook. 

[Bird]

Whenever I'm Texas rigged or throwing a weightless Senko, I like to see my line move before setting the hook.

 

Plastic worms and Senko's are inviting to little pan fish and those are the ones you usually miss, or have your bait stolen. 

[CrankFate]

Could just be rock bass. They can be very aggressive, they love senkos and they have small mouths. If you switch to a small hook and small bait You will catch them if that’s what it is. I can always tell it’s them, just by the weight of the fish that swims around without getting hooked.

[MassYak85]

I'd check three things...

 

The rod - What is the specs? If it's a rod with too much flex you will have trouble exposing the hook on the hookset.

The drag - You're using 12lb line, you can pull harder than you'd think, tighten the drag a bit. 

The hook - I like a light wire 2/0 EWG for 5" stick baits on spinning gear. A normal offset round bend might not have enough of a gap to collapse the bait and expose the hook point. 

[WRB]

This time of year male bass maybe picking up the Senko and moving off the nest and never have the hook in it's mouth. If wacky rigged worked why change? If you decided to weedless rig the Senko try running the hook point through one side of instead of through the center and skin hook the point.

12 lb line with a spinning reel is pushing it unless it's braid.

The problem with waiting too long to hook set is the bass may swallow the Senko. 4" Senko using 2/0 hook should be OK rigged like I mentioned in the side.

Tom

[Armtx77]

2/0 offset, might be a touch small. Is it a EWG/Hybrid or a straight shank?

 

I run 3/0 and 4/0 for my TRigging and I throw a ton of 5" Senkos. I couldn't tell you if one hooks them better than the other, but I throw them both and buy them by the 25 pack...using 40lbs braid, I typically go through a few bags of Senkos before changing a hook out.

 

I typically touch them up on the stones and toss it back in the 25 count bag.

[Smokinal]

All good info above but I'm betting on most of those bites you missed were either small bucks or panfish just grabbing the tail end of the bait. 

 

You could try a couple of things in that case.  Try a 4" senko on a 2/0 EWG hook;  try a 3/0 or even 4/0 in a 5" bait with the hook more in the center of the bait, rather than on the very end (run the bait farther up the hook/line before exiting the bait)

 

And when fish short strike a crankbait or jerkbait, one thing that can tell you is your color may be slightly off; try a different color to make them commit more to the bait.

 

Keep us posted!

[SEB]

36 minutes ago, WRB said:

This time of year male bass maybe picking up the Senko and moving off the nest and never have the hook in it's mouth. If wacky rigged worked why change? If you decided to weedless rig the Senko try running the hook point through one side of instead of through the center and skin hook the point.

12 lb line with a spinning reel is pushing it unless it's braid.

The problem with waiting too long to hook set is the bass may swallow the Senko. 4" Senko using 2/0 hook should be OK rigged like I mentioned in the side.

Tom

Decided to change just try a new presentation. Just out fishing behind my house for fun and trying to figure out what works the best and how to fish different set ups. 

24 minutes ago, Armtx77 said:

2/0 offset, might be a touch small. Is it a EWG/Hybrid or a straight shank?

 

I run 3/0 and 4/0 for my TRigging and I throw a ton of 5" Senkos. I couldn't tell you if one hooks them better than the other, but I throw them both and buy them by the 25 pack...using 40lbs braid, I typically go through a few bags of Senkos before changing a hook out.

 

I typically touch them up on the stones and toss it back in the 25 count bag.

Looks like I had my hook types confused, I was using a 2/0 EWG hook.

[Armtx77]

26 minutes ago, SEB said:

Decided to change just try a new presentation. Just out fishing behind my house for fun and trying to figure out what works the best and how to fish different set ups. 

Looks like I had my hook types confused, I was using a 2/0 EWG hook.

Still probably an offset...I would move up to a 3/0. I know it doesn't sound like my much, but fractions of inch of ruined and forged greatness.

[jimmyjoe]

3 hours ago, SEB said:

When I would try to set the hook the fish would either swim around for a few seconds and spit it out, or I'd yank the hook out of the fish's mouth. 

 

   When you say "Senko", are you talking about a Yamamoto Senko? The reason I ask is that those are a very soft and easily destroyed lure.  Yet you said that you'd yank the hook out of the fish's mouth. That means that you had no chance for the hook to pop out of the plastic so you could set it. That's VERY unusual for a Senko. One of their saving graces is the soft texture of the material, allowing excellent hooksets.

   The behavior of swimming around for a few seconds and then abandoning the lure also fits the pattern of a male guarding the nest.

   I doubt that small sunfish were trying to devour the Senko. Those little demons don't give up; the lure would be torn in two as quickly or more quickly than if a bass took it.

   The more I think about what you've said, the more I think Tom's assessment is correct.      jj

[dodgeguy]

If the bite feels like a machine gun it's panfish. A single thump is a bass. A 5 inch senko should have a 3.0 or 4.0 ewg hook.

[Beeno]

If you’re using a 4 inch senco then the 2/0 your using is perfect size hook.

[geo g]

Not all ticks on the line are bass.  Often you will feel something but it is a small bait fish just grabbing the tail moving off with it and the hook never gets in their small mouth. As for bass they suck in the bait in a quick motion.  when you feel a tick, take up slack first until you feel the weight, then set hard because you don't know the size until the hook is set.  

 

Try using thin wire hooks for better sticking ability.  #3 and #4 hooks come in a variety of thickness.  The thins just stick better than a thicker wire.  The thins will work well unless in real thick cover.  Also use good quality hooks.  Just a few tips.

[CrankFate]

23 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

 

   When you say "Senko", are you talking about a Yamamoto Senko? The reason I ask is that those are a very soft and easily destroyed lure.  Yet you said that you'd yank the hook out of the fish's mouth. That means that you had no chance for the hook to pop out of the plastic so you could set it. That's VERY unusual for a Senko. One of their saving graces is the soft texture of the material, allowing excellent hooksets.

   The behavior of swimming around for a few seconds and then abandoning the lure also fits the pattern of a male guarding the nest.

   I doubt that small sunfish were trying to devour the Senko. Those little demons don't give up; the lure would be torn in two as quickly or more quickly than if a bass took it.

   The more I think about what you've said, the more I think Tom's assessment is correct.      jj

Brings me back to thinking small rock bass. They can attack a Yamamoto Senko all day without making a mark on it. LMB will damage it. 

[soflabasser]

Make sure your hooks are sharp and sharpen or throw away any hooks that are not sharp. The hooks you are using have to be the appropriate size for the soft plastic you are using.  Using smaller size soft plastics can increase the hookup ratio if the bass are small or very picky.

[snake95]

Tons of possibilities on here.  I for one don't think the problem is your hook, unless it is dull.  

 

I am in north Georgia and in our ponds we have seen a lot of bass either on beds or protecting fry.

 

Last weekend we had lots of bites that were clearly about bass exhibiting protective behavior, not feeding behavior.

In fact, even got to watch bass attacking some baits but not inhaling them.

 

Catch rate is usually close to 100% but only landed about 25% of the bites on two separate days.

 

I think the odds are high that it has more to do with the bass than what you are doing.  

 

I would go with Tom's answer first.