Losing big Smallmouth often lately, need advice.

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, kayaking_kev said:

 

 

I have it on video, I record everything. I might have to bleep out the cusswords that followed. I hooked it and it jumped once or twice and ran at my kayak and it started to go under my kayak I think, and I think my drag was just to tight and I pulled to hard to try and stop it from going under.

 

I'm starting to think it's my drag being be to tight and I'm pulling to hard. I think that may be for two reasons. My 2nd year of fishing (2 years ago), I caught my PB Bass, a 4 lb 10 oz. LM, and someone watched the video and made a comment about it being the longest fight for a 5 lber. ever. It took a few minutes for me to land it, but it was my first big fish, I was using an Med. 6'0 Ugly Stik Gx2 and I didn't think it took all that long, maybe 3 minutes and there was some vegetation. But, anyway that comment kind of stuck with me for some reason, and plus I see these pros who just ski these fish to the boat. The 2nd reason may because I have caught a lot of dinks most of this season and now I'm finally getting a lot of hits from big fish. I'm still able to land the small ones, but I think me overpowering the bigger ones might be creating too big of holes where the hooks can more easily be spit out. 

 

I went out earlier this evening and the same thing happened. I landed the small ones, missed some really nice ones. I even tried a tube and hooked up on a nice one and it even jumped and spit that right out.

 

So, I'm going to loosen up my drag and let the fish make it's runs and let it get tired and see how that goes. I'll probably be going on a big river trip tomorrow if the levels don't drop anymore and there's some real nice SM there, so I will let you know what happens.

It sounds like you are temporarily snake bit. I recall the video you are referring to, you got the fish so that’s all that matters.  I was fishing with a beginner for large trout a couple weeks ago and they hooked up on a nice brown trout. In my mind I was thinking the fight was lasting too long but the line was tight the entire time so I didn’t make any suggestions to pull the fish in faster, although it was running through my mind. Typically when you say “bring him on in toward the net,” that’s when the hook pops out and it seems like my fault so I kept quiet.  The trout ended up in the net and the beginning angler was elated, that’s the important part. There’s more than one way to skin a cat! some people reel them in fast, some reel them in slow. In a BASS elite tournament earlier this year on northern smallmouth, most anglers were using braid with leader. Ito was using straight Floro and battling the fish for much longer with more drag being pulled out. All this to say I don’t know what your problem is but a stretch of recent bad luck has to be playing a part. Your theory definitely makes sense, especially with trebles. If you pull to hard they will come right out. And if the fish jumps they can come out no matter what happens 

[cyclops2]

THe reasons & conditions are many................. But if you are a catch & release person?  

 

I am.  So I take no offense if the fish gets off early. Real early. like 2 seconds after a tight line.

 

Be back.

 

Remember the claims & results of / from the " Circle Hook '  guys ?

 

I Have started removing The trebles .  They get dulled very quickly on rock bottoms or around boulders, rock walls or concrete bridge piers.  The big SMB can squeeze the small black Rapala hooks slightly closed over time. Been there. The white grisle on the edge of a mouth can be VERY tough to set the hooks into. Especially if the lips are tightly squeezing the FLAT  outer 3 SURFACES ...ONLY !!!..... Ther is NO  NO  way the hook points are inside the soft meat of the mouth !! Yank hard ?  Bring fish close to boat reach out to net Or pick up ?  Fish opens his / her mouth. Another no feeling the slime come off  on my hands.

 

Getting a bite is always the biggest challenge to me

 

Mu simple cure was to CUT OFF 2 of the 3 hooks an a treble. BIG improvement in solid hookups.  

 

We all know we are MUCH smarter than a DUMB fish right ?    Not always.  They do learn to be a LOT MORE CAREFUL when attacking a fish that ONLY swims straight at a boat with a guy sitting or standing in it. 

Or someone standing on land or in the water.  Same place same times.

 

 They get tired of going to the dentist just to make us happy.

 

The fall feed has started in my bay.  LOADS of small fish of all types  getting hooked on small Rapalas with just a tail stock treble deeper in the mouth.  The water is changing already.  Full hook ups are back.  Enjoy            

 

?

[JWall14]

When smallmouth want to run in current let them. But since you are using casting gear I would say set your drag (for trebles) so that you can pull line out without wrapping your hand around the line. Then just sweep hook set and get em in. That should allow the bigger ones to pull drag if they run.

[Tatsu Dave]

22 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’m picking up litter and loading old ladies groceries in their car, trying to build up river karma haha

Thats what it must be for me.........I pretend I don't see the old ladies with groceries and usually trip on the litter while trying to avoid seeing the groceries! I'll just have to walk faster..........

[kayaking_kev]

10 hours ago, cyclops2 said:

THe reasons & conditions are many................. But if you are a catch & release person?  

 

I am.  So I take no offense if the fish gets off early. Real early. like 2 seconds after a tight line.

 

I Have started removing The trebles .

 

Mu simple cure was to CUT OFF 2 of the 3 hooks an a treble. BIG improvement in solid hookups.  

?

 

Yes, I catch & release, but I record everything on my GoPro so I like to hold the fish up for the camera and then later I'll screencap that frame so I have a pic of every fish I catch.

 

I tried once this year to remove the back treble hook on one of my Whopper Ploppers because I was sick of them tearing up the fish, and replaced it with a single inline hook. But, then I realized I was losing fish because of it due to SM loving to shake the front trebles out of their mouth and the back ones being the only ones keeping them from getting off.

 

I use barbless when fishing Neko and Wacky Rigs though and don't have many problems with them.

16 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

 And if the fish jumps they can come out no matter what happens 

 

Like someone mentioned earlier and I talk about a lot, in these really shallow rivers there's no diving deep, so they jump at least once and usually multiple times just about every single time.

 

But, I've been fishing these rivers for 4 years now, and the first year I used that Ugly Stik and cheap $1.50 Ozark Trail Lures and caught plenty of nice fish and didn't seem to lose near as many. I think I just took my time getting them in, and then the next year I get that comment about taking so long to land the 5 lber. and I think I let it get in my head the last two seasons, as I thought it was a way to improve my fishing skills.

[Rich12]

Hot Tip.   Never ever ever ever use a production fishing lure with the original hooks and rings, period.  Buy the best most expensive rings and hooks you can find and replace them all.  Dont care what a lure manufacturer says, replace them.   I speak from 60 years of doing this.

 

[Dave Hull]

D

[Dave Hull]

Do you have a backreel switch on your reel? Probably not as reel makers have dropped them.

I'm always prepared to backreel at the boat since that's where he's most likely to get off when they surge boatside. Your drag should cover you otherwise. Make sure it's smooth, no Jerking when Paying out.

Sometimes it's fate...

[kayaking_kev]

3 hours ago, Rich12 said:

Hot Tip.   Never ever ever ever use a production fishing lure with the original hooks and rings, period.  Buy the best most expensive rings and hooks you can find and replace them all.  Dont care what a lure manufacturer says, replace them.   I speak from 60 years of doing this.

 

 

I had just replaced my WP with Owner ST-36 trebles right before I lost 4 nice ones in a span of 20 minutes. I find the stock WP hooks to be pretty good as well a the 6th Sense. I also changed out my Square Bill hooks after having to many get off and it kept happening.

 

I did however replace one of the split rings with what was probably an Eagle Claw brand. I'm not sure yet how exactly good o-rings makes a difference, but I'm sure they do. Do they break less?

 

I've used so many generic stock hooks from cheap lures before and I'm sure they weren't very good, but I never had problems as much as this.

1 hour ago, Dave Hull said:

Do you have a backreel switch on your reel? Probably not as reel makers have dropped them.

I'm always prepared to backreel at the boat since that's where he's most likely to get off when they surge boatside. Your drag should cover you otherwise. Make sure it's smooth, no Jerking when Paying out.

Sometimes it's fate...

 

No, I don't, I have a SLX MGL 70 on my Phenix X-10 Composite Cranking Rod. I definitely could of used more drag in that situation, but I guess I could've also just pushed the thumb bar down too and let line out freely. Sometimes it's hard to think fast when you're excited with a big one on the line. I think my muscle memory will kick in after more experience.

[cyclops2]

I mostly use 4# test sTRETCHY Ande Monofilament line. That mono can stretch a lot with any sized lure. When I use the small 1.5" Rapala they can inhale it fully inside. Or a corner of the jaw hookup.  Do not lose the fish. 

But those BIG 6 to 8" lures can get tossed far more often.  I do not worry about It. I enjoy the strikes I created.   ?

[JWall14]

9 hours ago, kayaking_kev said:

 

I had just replaced my WP with Owner ST-36 trebles right before I lost 4 nice ones in a span of 20 minutes. I find the stock WP hooks to be pretty good as well a the 6th Sense. I also changed out my Square Bill hooks after having to many get off and it kept happening.

 

I did however replace one of the split rings with what was probably an Eagle Claw brand. I'm not sure yet how exactly good o-rings makes a difference, but I'm sure they do. Do they break less?

 

I've used so many generic stock hooks from cheap lures before and I'm sure they weren't very good, but I never had problems as much as this.

 

No, I don't, I have a SLX MGL 70 on my Phenix X-10 Composite Cranking Rod. I definitely could of used more drag in that situation, but I guess I could've also just pushed the thumb bar down too and let line out freely. Sometimes it's hard to think fast when you're excited with a big one on the line. I think my muscle memory will kick in after more experience.

Yes I use owner hyperwire split rings for a rigs and big glide baits for that reason. They are super strong.

[Tatsu Dave]

I think a smallmouth is a master at the high flying sling the lure routine. I do go down with the rod tip when I see them getting ready to go airborne and notice the new Sierra keeps tension on the lure better on abrupt explosions. Sometimes they are gonna get off for sure, and we just live and learn as we go, equipment failure-poor hook penetration-wise and tougher jawed older fish-and just plain fishing as we know it. I am studying EWG hooks vs straight j style bend hooks. One sits parallel to the bait and one sits point ready to penetrate outward, one makes it easy to hook lure straight and the other is a lot of work to keep straight.

[OldManLure]

I would focus on technique, and what might be contributing to allowing slack in the line.   I have fished for years for river smallmouth from a kayak, and have had the privilege of introducing a number of folks to the experience.  What I have seen in nearly all of them is a tendency to sweep their rod tips back and forth to, I guess, stay 'ahead' of the hooked fish.  But almost always this rod sweep tends toward a more horizontal plane.  I think this rod movement creates brief moments of slack in the line, moments the smallmouth is especially skilled at exploiting.  And I think the effects of these 'horizontal' movements are more risky from a kayak due to sitting essentially at the water's surface.  In a kayak, you don't have the built-in advantage of the enhanced upward line angle that you get fishing from a boat, especially from an elevated deck.  It may be worth taking a quick look at the positions of your rod and line after hooking up before spending money on new hooks, new lure size, different rod action or a new reel.  

[PaulVE64]

Smallmouth aerials!

They're the best!