rod tip too soft? missed hook sets

[jb_from_texas]

I did a search and couldnt find a string for my question...so forgive me if this has been asked before...

Yesterday I was out and fished my best spot.  first cast, fish on for just a few seconds.  Within 10 minutes another with the same result.  This pattern continued for 5 missed fish.  Each time i checked to see if my hook punched through the worm and tried to hook the fish.  each time no hook exposure.  I remember the thread and video about setting the hook and was thinking of this before i even started and told myself i was going to set the hook BIG TIME.

After missing these fish and thinking about it for a while i think my problem is two-fold.

1. wrong gear.  fishing a 6 foot med rod with a 3/0 WG hook with a senko type worm.  I think the rod tip is too weak.

2. still not setting it hard enough.

My question...do you feel the rod tip is my problem?

[Raul]

I don 't think that 's the problem.

I think the problem is:

1.- Hook not sharp enough: a dull hook is dull no matter how you look at it, if it 's not razor sharp then it 's dull.

2.- Bait not rigged properly: if you are not fishing with a really powerful rod then you need to skin hook the bait so when the fish strikes it the thin ammount of plastic covering the point hook breaks exposing the hook point.

Hooksetting can be achieved by either brute force or by continous pressure applied to the hook point on the tissue contact point in the fish 's mouth by the fish itself during the fight and the pressure of the rod, but your hook has to be really sharp to cut the tissue.

[roadwarrior]

I agree with Raul:

#1  A sharp hook is MANDATORY.

#2  A powerful hook-set is not (usually) needed, but a quick-set or snap-set will get the job done. When you feel a tap, lower your rod tip and reel down quickly. When you feel the fish, snap your wrist moving the tip, but leaving the position  of the rod butt stationary.

[jb_from_texas]

after the first few misses i did "skin" the hook.

the hook is new.

I'm doing all you have said so rod tip is my best guess

[roadwarrior]

A rod tip that is too soft is certainly a possibility. My favorite rod (PR844S) is rated Medium Power/ Fast Action, but the tip is way too soft to be used fishing soft plastics. My soft plastic and jig rods have very firm tips.

[dodgeguy]

if you are doing what these guys say then i would agree the rod is to soft and you may have to much line stretch.i never fish soft plastics on anything less than a mh.also consider a low stretch line.a line that stretchs %20 will stretch 10 feet on a hookset with a 50 foot cast.

[senile1]

What kind of rod are you using?  Some mediums can be on the lighter side of the action spectrum.  Are you making long casts with monofilament?  The combination of a lighter medium action rod and long casts with stretchy monofilament could all be contributors to your problem.  

[Raul]

I still don 't think it 's the tip, I fish a lot with medium rods, very seldomly I miss a hookset. New hook doesn 't mean it 's sharp, it cen even get dull inside the box or pack, the only hooks that I 've found really sharp right out of the box are Owner cutting edge, but those don 't have a "point" per se, meaning point as a narrowing of a wire. Owner cuting edge have a triangular cross section where the three angles are sharpened, pretty much like the needles used in skin sutures that cut through skin like butter.

[Banor]

It was bluegill?  They bite hard and will hold onto your bait for a bit then let go.  If you set the hook well and have a fish on with T-Rigged plastices 9 out of 10 times it will be curled up and balled up at the bend of the hook.   What you are describing sounds like a tiny fish such as bluegill that never got your hook in their mouth.

B

[jb_from_texas]

What kind of rod are you using? Some mediums can be on the lighter side of the action spectrum. Are you making long casts with monofilament? The combination of a lighter medium action rod and long casts with stretchy monofilament could all be contributors to your problem.

using an inexpensive Dill Dance rod. I believe IM6. Yo Zuri 15lbs, i believe.  maybe 12.

These are def bass hitting. I need a new rod for another reel, so I'll be getting a stiffer one and see how that goes. just wanted to make sure i got some different perspectives.thx all

[justfishin]

I use almost all MH for my worm rods but, I do  use mediums for weightless wormin such as Senkos and such as well as four inch worms  and never had any problems.  I really do not think you have a rod problem.  If you say that your hook is sharp and you have the right size then I think you came across the ugly fish called a shortstrikadess tailgrabitiss or maybe one of those panfish that like to aggravate fisherman. I have ran into them as well and they sure are a pain. Seriously, if you giving a good hook set and it is not even breaking through your skin hooked worm, I honestly think it is a short striking fish or bluegill or something along those lines. Good luck. I have even had those buggers hit my 12" worms and actually hang on during one of my profound hooksets and brought them out of the water as well as been hit in the  chest with them,lol.

[scbassin]

I use to have the same rod & never had a problem with the hook set. It's not the rod. I am with the others the fish is picking it up by the tail, probley a small pan fish.

[Lightninrod]

I never do a "hard" hookset except with a swimbait.  I use Sugoi hooks, Tex-skin-posed on top of all my soft-plastics and I use a 7' Medium rod with 100% fluro line.  Once in a great while, I fish with a young guy and he almosts fall out of the boat when he sets the hook on a T-rigged worm :-/  It's not necessary with the right equipment.  A longer(7') rod will give you more leverage for a good hookset, just bringing the rod up and back to just in front of your chest.

Dan