Tight Line or Slack Line hookset?

[Kenny Yi]

tightliner, but i do swing fast like a slackliner.

[TOXIC]

Since I’m a finesse guy and plastics are my go to, I use premium hooks and tight line.  If I slack line set the hook, I would break off 90% of the time.  

[jimmyjoe]

   Tight line ........... out of habit, I guess.              jj

[A-Jay]

After watching several seasons worth of my own hooksets back on video, I can say with the highest of confidence, that I am a tightliner. 

Even when "they knock three feet of slack in it", which I do love btw.

It works for me.

Fish Hard

A-Jay 

[Mike L]

If I get hit on a slack line most times it wouldn’t be felt. 
 

Anyway, I swing to hook ‘em which is always best on a tight line. 
 

 

 

Mike

[Deleted account]

Never slack.

[HaydenS]

Definitely don't slack line, but I'm somewhere in between. 

[Functional]

Tight.

 

I've had too many bass spit it out as I went slackline to set and never notice until I came up empty. Tight lets me feel when they spit it and pick it back up better.

[geo g]

When fishing plastics, I work them using a slack line, but I am a line watcher all the time.  When I see or feel movement of any kind I immediately take up the slack and check for life.  At this point the rod is in hook set position, and I set the hook like its a ten pounder regardless of size.  So at the time of the hook set, I am setting with tight line always.  This all happens automatically in less then a few seconds.  If you do it enough you don't think about it any more, it just happens.  You must be a line watcher, have sensitive line, and the proper terminal equipment to get the job done.  90% of the time I am throwing plastics of some kind when out fishing.  10% of the time I am throwing top water, and hollow body frogs in the weeds and slop.

[Glenn]

I replied "Slack line", but really it's more of a "somewhere in between".  My hooksets on T-rigs, weightless plastics, and Jigs are "whip" action - quickly lower the rod while reeling and snap it back in one, very quick motion...like cracking a whip.

 

Faster moving baits like cranks, buzzbaits and spinnerbaits are tight line hooksets.  

 

Finesse is entirely different.  Sometimes the line is tight, other times it's slack, but every time it's a "reel set", which is basically reeling fast while pulling back. So it's not a traditional hookset.

 

Here's a video showing the "cracking the whip" hookset I mentioned:

 

[David 7]

Not sure but because I use circle hooks on my senkos, I just reel  it in without having to set the hook. 

[Bankbeater]

Tightline.  Even if I get a bite on semi slack line I will take up the slack first and then set the hook.

[Hammer 4]

I voted tight line. Which 99% of the time.  

[ironbjorn]

I voted somewhere in between simply because sometimes the bite is on slack line.

[Ksam1234]

Tight line for sure ! I have tried slack lining and always miss more when trying to slack

then set. I tight line and hit them hard and fast! 

[Bankc]

Semi-tight.  I try for tight line, but I get excited and usually wind up setting the hook while there's still some slack on the line.  

[WRB]

A slack line hook set to me means detecting the strike and intentionally lower the rod tip putting slack in the line then whip setting. Back in the 60’s to early 70’s we actually pulled line off the reel counting to 10 before cross their eye hook  setting T-rigged worms. Good way to break off a big bass.

Tight line to me is the reel set with firm rod sweep, my preferred hook set.

Sometime the+hook set is in between  like weightless  Senko’s or lake strike detection and a pause to let the bass turn with a top water lure.

Tom

[Jig Man]

For me it depends on the bait that I am using and whether or not the fish are aggressive. 

[N Florida Mike]

If you set a hook if it’s slack  you won’t hook many fish. 

If you set the hook with it already tight , you won’t hook many fish either.

You lower   the rod and set the hook with a little slack left , to time it so that it’s tight only at contact with the fishes mouth .So I say in between... but it’s a case of semantics really...

[NoShoes]

4 hours ago, Glenn said:

I replied "Slack line", but really it's more of a "somewhere in between".  My hooksets on T-rigs, weightless plastics, and Jigs are "whip" action - quickly lower the rod while reeling and snap it back in one, very quick motion...like cracking a whip.

 

Faster moving baits like cranks, buzzbaits and spinnerbaits are tight line hooksets.  

 

Finesse is entirely different.  Sometimes the line is tight, other times it's slack, but every time it's a "reel set", which is basically reeling fast while pulling back. So it's not a traditional hookset.

 

Here's a video showing the "cracking the whip" hookset I mentioned:

 

I double this. I tend to not be tight before setting but I reel as much slack I can without the fish feeling me before setting. 

[Bird]

When I feel a fish.......I set the hook.

What technique requires a slack line hook set ?

 

Moving a bait takes up slack, taking up slack allows you to feel resistance. 

[N Florida Mike]

14 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

If you set a hook if it’s slack  you won’t hook many fish. 

If you set the hook with it already tight , you won’t hook many fish either. Im talking plastics now...

You lower   the rod and set the hook with a little slack left , to time it so that it’s tight only at contact with the fishes mouth .So I say in between... but it’s a case of semantics really...

I do set the hook when it’s tight with spinnerbaits and crank baits. Tight, because the fish made it tight when he hit it.

 

[DitchPanda]

I'm in between..I ain't Tharp but I sure ain't Swindle either.

 

 

In more ways then one.

[Catt]

Drop the rod, reel the slack, set the hook...it's done in one motion.

[schplurg]

I do what Glenn told me to do in his videos. If it's wrong then talk to him  

 

In my videos I see that if I feel a tap or tug on my T-rig I lower the rod while reeling in slack, then hookset. It's pretty quick usually. Even looks like I know what I'm doing sometimes LOL.

 

Depends on the bite though. If I'm catching smaller fish I often give slack and wait a sec while they get a better hold of it, or I just do a slower tip-down motion and see what happens. 

 

If I'm close enough to a hookset position already, or if the fish is pulling hard then I don't lower the tip, I just give 'er a yank!