Struggling to convert bites...

[DitchPanda]

This happens from time to time to all of us but its been especially bad for me my past few trips. Whether its dumping fish ive hooked or completely missing the bite its been pretty pathetic. I could make excuses but to be honest I've just been sucking and having a hell of a time landing fish. I think in 2 trips I've caught 8 or 9 but have missed or lost at least that many. A 50% landing percentage is sad. Don't know what's going on for sure if I lost my mojo (no pun intended) or if I'm just in a funk and not on top of my game. I can remember times when I've gone months without losing fish and I can't really see what I'm doing different. Hopefully I can get the train back on the tracks and start fishing clean.

 

Sorry just needed to work that out.

[Boomstick]

For what it's worth, it seems that I'm either on the money and landing almost every fish that bites but when I'm missing them I miss them all at once, maybe 60 or 70% or worse. For the most part, I really can't see what I'm doing wrong and I don't think I'm doing anything all that wrong.

Then there's frog fishing. If I set the hook too early on the first one that bites and miss it, it's going to be a recurring problem all day.

[jimmyjoe]

   For me, it's speed. It's unbelievable how much better my hookups are when I slow down. I can't see the fish, so I'm not totally sure, but I think it has to do with the fish actually getting a better purchase on the lure when they hit it.           jj

  

[MGF]

I think it has to do with the way they're hitting sometimes. Last Sunday on the river I caught quite a few SMB on tubes using a jig with an exposed hook. I had several fall off the hook and land in the boat as I was lifting them in. I lost a couple in the water alongside the boat and I had one nice bass that had the tube way down in his throat but the hook didn't penetrate much. The hooks were sharp.

 

They were kind of picking up the bait and swimming toward the boat. Between the wind , current and the way they were biting I think it sometimes took a ridiculously long time before I even realized the fish was there.

 

[David 7]

Not sure if the rod is the issue but make sure you have a medium heavy with a firm tip.

[scaleface]

I've been toad fishing and have less than a 50 percent hookup ratio any way . On top of that there are bass  buried in heavy brush 5 to 8 foot deep and I'm having a difficult time getting them out . I set the hook on them , they are hooked  and then I'm hung. Cant get them through it and have to break the hook off . My equipment is not heavy enough for that situation . I'm using 7 foot hvy action rod with 17 lb test trilene xl . The string is strong enough . Its extremely difficult to break . I need more leverage like an 8 foot rod .

[Koz]

Smaller hooks. Those bites may not be bass.

[DitchPanda]

9 minutes ago, Koz said:

Smaller hooks. Those bites may not be bass.

They are definitely bass...ive lost several and seen several.other bites. Out of the 8 or so bites I can confirm at least 6 are largemouth.

[Bankbeater]

It could be the bass are keyed in on a different food source.  Around here the water willows are blooming, so it seems like all of the bass were trying to get the flying bugs that were landing on the water willow flowers.

[DitchPanda]

28 minutes ago, Bankbeater said:

It could be the bass are keyed in on a different food source.  Around here the water willows are blooming, so it seems like all of the bass were trying to get the flying bugs that were landing on the water willow flowers.

This is a possibility...hadn't thought of that

[Luke Barnes]

I read the title and knew this was for me. Im in the same boat and think I snapped out of it mostly. First fish of the year came via drop shot and came off ten feet from the bank. I then missed so many bites I lost count. I consider myself good at detecting a drop shot bite. Switch to t rig and swinghead and knew I was missing bites and still no 2021 fish. I kept going and kept getting bit and freezing. Finally landed one on the swinghead and switched gears. Wacky and chatterbait have been going good since then with hookups and landing. 

[mhone]

I have about a 60% hook up and land ratio. Most of my fishing is from a kayak and is really hard for me to get a great hook set because the kayak moves toward the fish when setting the hook.  Today I lost a large (I’m telling the story so it was huge lol!) bass right at the kayak just as I was pulling him out of the water. I was disappointed to say the least. Later I got another bite in about 2’ of water so I hammered down on my hook set and pulled a dink clean out of the water and over my head!  But, by golly I landed that one!  I’m learning to get better at hook sets but sometimes it’s discouraging when you lose more than land. 

[Bankc]

If you switch up presentations, it might mess with your hookset if you're not careful.  I often miss a couple when I switch from small to large hooks, because I get used to the weaker hookset.  And then when I switch back to small hooks, I sometimes tear them out of the fish's mouth.  

 

Also, I think the lips of bass change with the seasons.  It seems like they get thinner in the heat of the summer, and too hard of a hookset can rip a big hole that will allow them to slip out.  

 

Those are my theories.  I might be way off here and just looking for excuses to dodge responsibility.  

[WRB]

You always need to factor in the spawn cycle when bass are not eating your lure, they strike it and drop it. 

The sumner transition period bass start to but....selectively because bait size is smaller young of the year. Big lures are often rejected...think smaller lures.

Tom 

[papajoe222]

Sharpen single hooks and sharpen, or replace trebles.  Something I've done when it seems like I'm having trouble keeping them hooked is to set the hook a second time. Sometimes, you just don't get that hook point in them past the barb on your original hookset. Don't give them slack line, just reel down and give a quick half sweep. I began doing that years ago with muskie and pike and it stayed with me.

[Rich12]

A: Slow down

B: If you hooking outside the mouth or on a rear hook, change colors. Same for plastics. missed fish, change colors.

 

Lastly, Sharpen your hooks till they stick you even if your just looking at them.

Did I say sharpen your hooks?

 

[Bluebasser86]

Had no less than a half dozen bass jump and toss or just pull off a jig or T-rig Saturday, the last one was a big, big. No idea why, just one of those things that happens sometimes. 

[mhone]

Could a loose drag prevent us from getting a good hook set? I checked mine yesterday (couldn’t go fishing since it was supposed to rain all day but didn’t!) and I realized it was probably looser than it should be.
I’m going to take @Rich12’s advice and get a hook file. I work in a machine shop and we always want the newest and sharpest tools but I never thought too much about hooks. Thanks for the advice!

[galyonj]

1 hour ago, John6.47 said:

Could a loose drag prevent us from getting a good hook set? I checked mine yesterday (couldn’t go fishing since it was supposed to rain all day but didn’t!) and I realized it was probably looser than it should be.
I’m going to take @Rich12’s advice and get a hook file. I work in a machine shop and we always want the newest and sharpest tools but I never thought too much about hooks. Thanks for the advice!

 

It absolutely could, but I feel like it's rare that the drag's the only culprit on not getting the hook completely seated.

[CrankFate]

The only things I know that cause missed bites are too much give in the hook set and not enough give in the hook set. The only things I know that cause dropped fish is too much give on the retrieve or not enough give on the retrieve. 

[hokiehunter373]

On 6/12/2021 at 9:50 AM, DitchPanda said:

They are definitely bass...ive lost several and seen several.other bites. Out of the 8 or so bites I can confirm at least 6 are largemouth.

What lures are you fishing?  I've been out of the game for a while and just got back into it last year.  Picked up a swim jig for the first time last week.  I don't have any problem with bottom contact baits and watching for line movement, seeing it, reeling in slack, and dropping the hammer.  If I worked the swim jig in the same manner, bam, I was landing lots of fish.  But if I was actually swimming the jig I was not able to drive the hook home.  I lost like 4 2-3 pounders that night in a very short period of time and was fuming.  Couldn't figure it out.  When I got home I realized I just wasn't getting the slack out of my line before setting the hook and I needed to slow down when I felt the bite.  Problem solved.  I hope you can get it figured out quickly but regardless better days are ahead for you!

[papajoe222]

7 hours ago, John6.47 said:

Could a loose drag prevent us from getting a good hook set? I checked mine yesterday (couldn’t go fishing since it was supposed to rain all day but didn’t!) and I realized it was probably looser than it should be.
 

I could see this happening with a spinning reel.  With a casting reel, I learned to clamp my thumb down on the spool when setting the hook. I can keep the drag set fairly loose when fishing open water and not have to worry. When fishing cover, I just keep my thumb on the spool and if the fish surges when it sees the boat, I just release pressure.  

I guess you could do something similar with a spinning reel, but it'd take some practice for it to become automatic.