Question about your successful hook set rate and fish loss rate

[CDMTJager]

Was just wondering what people here believe is an acceptable successful hookup or hook set rate with soft plastic flukes and swim baits Texas rigged weedless using either or both screw lock hooks and non screw lock type hooks such as EWG's and Offset hooks when you're confident you've done your part and set the hook at the correct moment.

Secondly how often once hooked on either a screw lock hook or a non screw lock hook do you have fish get off?

 

I asked because as many here likely know I've just started fishing flukes Texas rigged and went from using non screw lock hooks (EWG's or OS hooks) to strictly screw lock hooks and my hit to successful hook set rate is about 60% and once the fish is hooked on I have about 25-30% of fish get off. I did notice that on about at least 30% of the bass I land they aren't hooked that great and in my opinion if I had allowed significant slack to occur in the line during the fight odds were they would have gotten off more likely than not.  

 

I should add I am essentlually brand new at fishing flukes and swim baits so I am still in the learning stages of what will work best for me and I have other hooks I plan on trying out like the Gamakatsu Offset G-lok hook.

I'm just trying to establish if  my hook set and land ratios are in need of improvement or are they about as good as I can reasonably expect.

For example my successful hook set rate (if the bass first doesn't hit like a runaway down hill cement truck) went from about 35-40% to its current 60% simply by giving it a 3 second count while I reeled the slack out of the line to the fish felt him on the line and then set the hook HARD this all is accomplished during the three second count.

[Tennessee Boy]

You’re losing way too many fish.  I can’t say why.  Is your hook big enough to handle the size bait you’re using?  

[Bankbeater]

Are you setting the hook at soon as you feel the bite?  You might want to let the bass have the bait a little longer.

[CDMTJager]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

You’re losing way too many fish.  I can’t say why.  Is your hook big enough to handle the size bait you’re using?  

Using a 3/0 for a 5.25" Zoom Super fluke

8 minutes ago, Bankbeater said:

Are you setting the hook at soon as you feel the bite?  You might want to let the bass have the bait a little longer.

After I sense the hit I am simultaneously give it a 3 second count reeling up the slack and then set the hook

[Bird]

Super flukes were a problem for me for years getting a good hook set.

Nose hooked greatly increased the ratio as did the Gamakatsu superline 3.0 screw lock.

Will never throw a fluke any other way.

[Big Swimbait]

33 minutes ago, Bird said:

Super flukes were a problem for me for years getting a good hook set.

Nose hooked greatly increased the ratio as did the Gamakatsu superline 3.0 screw lock.

Will never throw a fluke any other way.

This^  I always use a hitchhiker spring in the nose, then nose hook the bait thru the spring.

[PaulVE64]

Whopper plopper I threw into the shallows on the far bank was  blown up 10 times without getting a single treble hook into flesh. 

Totally twitching to hookset,  just waiting for a bit of weight.

[casts_by_fly]

With any Texas rigged soft plastic I expect to have zero fish throw a hook. It might happen, but I’m surprised when it does. The plastic has basically zero weight to lever the hook and a single sharp hook will penetrate well.  Plus, when fish hit a fluke it’s easy for them to inhale the full thing on the first strike. If you’re losing fish that way, there is something amiss. 
 

to that end, a 3/0 ewg on a 5” fluke isn’t enough hook gape for me. At a minimum a 4/0 ewg with a longer shank that puts the bend far back in the bait is the starting point. Owner light 4/0 hooks with the cps spring or even 5/0 depending on the specific bait. 

[Catt]

This is the way Shaw Grigsby put it to me, he calls it the three tap theory.

 

The first tap the bass has inhaled your bait

 

The second tap the bass has exhaled your bait

 

The third tap I'm tapping you on the shoulder asking you why you didn't set hook!

 

I don't wait on anything, my hookup ratio is in the upper 90 percentile range. 

 

Like @casts_by_fly said...4/0 hook.

[Jar11591]

Don’t wait on a hookset. Bass can inhale and then reject a bait much faster than we can even realize it happened. Waiting on a hookset is just giving bass more time to reject a bait. When you feel the hit, drop the rod, reel up the slack, and let em have it as fast as you can. You will never have to wait on a bass. They’re faster than you. 

[CDMTJager]

14 hours ago, Bird said:

Super flukes were a problem for me for years getting a good hook set.

Nose hooked greatly increased the ratio as did the Gamakatsu superline 3.0 screw lock.

Will never throw a fluke any other way.

Can't nose hook it due to jungle like weed growth 

11 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

With any Texas rigged soft plastic I expect to have zero fish throw a hook. It might happen, but I’m surprised when it does. The plastic has basically zero weight to lever the hook and a single sharp hook will penetrate well.  Plus, when fish hit a fluke it’s easy for them to inhale the full thing on the first strike. If you’re losing fish that way, there is something amiss. 
 

to that end, a 3/0 ewg on a 5” fluke isn’t enough hook gape for me. At a minimum a 4/0 ewg with a longer shank that puts the bend far back in the bait is the starting point. Owner light 4/0 hooks with the cps spring or even 5/0 depending on the specific bait. 

 

2 hours ago, Catt said:

This is the way Shaw Grigsby put it to me, he calls it the three tap theory.

 

The first tap the bass has inhaled your bait

 

The second tap the bass has exhaled your bait

 

The third tap I'm tapping you on the shoulder asking you why you didn't set hook!

 

I don't wait on anything, my hookup ratio is in the upper 90 percentile range. 

 

Like @casts_by_fly said...4/0 hook.

 

7 minutes ago, CDMTJager said:

Can't nose hook it due to jungle like weed growth 

Thanks for all the advice. Will stop hesitating to set the hook. Honestly do not know why I started to. I remember reading in Tom Manns book on fishing rubber worms him saying if you think you had a strike and wait to think about setting the hook you waited to long. I knew it was true 35 years ago why I thought it would have changed I don't know. 

 

I have ordered Gamakatsu super line screw locks, Gamak OS G locks and owner screw lock lite hooks in 4/0 and 5/0 and will give them a try and see if combined with no more hesitation my hook set and landing ratios increase. 

[fin]

5/0 might be too long. I use 3/0 with no problem.

 

Are you using a medium power rod? Maybe try Medium Heavy. I use a medium, but you know, it varies by manufacturer, yours might not be stout enough.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

3 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

Don’t wait on a hookset. Bass can inhale and then reject a bait much faster than we can even realize it happened. Waiting on a hookset is just giving bass more time to reject a bait. When you feel the hit, drop the rod, reel up the slack, and let em have it as fast as you can. You will never have to wait on a bass. They’re faster than you. 

I believe this is 100% accurate, and have always questioned the folks who wait a significant time between bite detection and hook set.  

 

I've seen enough underwater videos to know that the biggest fish many times simply inhale the bait and spit it out the fraction of a second they realize it's not legit.    It was either Dave Mercer or Tactical Bassin that said how often they observed a fish put an entire crankbait inside their mouth, spit it, and the whole time never detected the bite.   

 

In my own observations many times when you observe a fish moving your line before you actually feel the bite.....it's a big fish.  Sometimes it's a competitive or spawn deal, but more times than not that's a big ole' slaunch doing it.   

 

I think the smaller, dumber fish will hit the bait harder, and hold on to it longer thus allowing the delayed hookset to work well.   

[Catt]

What opened my eyes was back in the 70s at a fishing seminar that featured the Hawg Trough (huge aquarium on wheels).

 

I was standing right up against the glass eyeing a 4# bass when the Pro flipped a worm in front of the bass & it flared it gills sucking the worm in & spit out before I knew what happened.

 

After what happened sunk in my pea brain I thought...dude ya better set hook faster & don't wait on nuthin.

[CDMTJager]

2 hours ago, fin said:

5/0 might be too long. I use 3/0 with no problem.

 

Are you using a medium power rod? Maybe try Medium Heavy. I use a medium, but you know, it varies by manufacturer, yours might not be stout enough.

I will give a 4/0 a try and see what happens. I need some 5/0s anyway as I ordered some 7" Zoom Super Flukes to try out.

I would include a picture of my rigged flukes but unfortunately all my phone pics  are to big to post here system says NoNo.

Bare in mind I am a shore fisherman so unless I can wade in to get a fish stuck in the veggies (which I will do WO hesitation and did so two nights ago) I'm scaroooued.

After losing (all were hooked at about 30-35yrds from me in water to deep to wade to) two big bass (4lb+) and one behemoth bass (5lb+) to IMO my setup lacking the backbone to horse a big bass up onto and over the veggies in not just ONE night but in less than two hours, I upgraded from using a 7'3" MF Daiwa Tatula with a size 2000 reel spooled with 10lb Yo-Zuri Copolymer to using a Falcon Lowrider 7'3" MHF rod size 2000 spinning reel 30lb Suffix 832 HI-vis yellow braid swivel to 12"-18"s of 12 or 15lb Yo-zuri copolymer. I use a four wrap Trilene knot.

I have on hand another size 2000 reel with I will spool with 20lb Hi-Vis yellow Suffix 832 and give it a try for some extra casting distance on the wise recommendation of a fellow member here. 

 

Upgrading to the much stouter setup bore fruit literally first cast first time I used it, as I cast a 5" Cabelas Shadee Shad in White Ice with a Owner 3/0 screw lock hook that the last .5" of the tail I had dyed chartreuse into a small cattail point I have caught many 4lb+ bass from this year including this years best bass at 5.7lbs I caught back in early April on a chatterbait. The fluke barely hit the water and I didn't even have a chance to close the bail and I saw the hi-vis yellow Suffix 832 heading away from me and I set the hook hard and was able to drag her out of the cattail entanglement and maintain a very hard strain on the line until I waded out to get in line with where she was and dragged her out. I guessed her weight conservatively at 4.5lbs and released her.

I am absolutely positive I couldn't have done that with the weaker rod and line setup I had been using without risking breaking the line. I do not exaggerate in saying I was pulling VERY hard on that fish like I do when frogging and using 30lb braid.

[WRB]

19 hours ago, CDMTJager said:

Was just wondering what people here believe is an acceptable successful hookup or hook set rate with soft plastic flukes and swim baits Texas rigged weedless using either or both screw lock hooks and non screw lock type hooks such as EWG's and Offset hooks when you're confident you've done your part and set the hook at the correct moment.

Secondly how often once hooked on either a screw lock hook or a non screw lock hook do you have fish get off?

 

I asked because as many here likely know I've just started fishing flukes Texas rigged and went from using non screw lock hooks (EWG's or OS hooks) to strictly screw lock hooks and my hit to successful hook set rate is about 60% and once the fish is hooked on I have about 25-30% of fish get off. I did notice that on about at least 30% of the bass I land they aren't hooked that great and in my opinion if I had allowed significant slack to occur in the line during the fight odds were they would have gotten off more likely than not.  

 

I should add I am essentlually brand new at fishing flukes and swim baits so I am still in the learning stages of what will work best for me and I have other hooks I plan on trying out like the Gamakatsu Offset G-lok hook.

I'm just trying to establish if  my hook set and land ratios are in need of improvement or are they about as good as I can reasonably expect.

For example my successful hook set rate (if the bass first doesn't hit like a runaway down hill cement truck) went from about 35-40% to its current 60% simply by giving it a 3 second count while I reeled the slack out of the line to the fish felt him on the line and then set the hook HARD this all is accomplished during the three second count.

What rod , reel and line are you using???

The bass has a mouth full of soft plastic like a gum ball, it’s not stretch out!

Hook set timing various but the 1,2,3 method isn’t going to work very often.

Like Catt said set the as soon as possible when you detect a strike.

If the worm comes back balled up on the hook, the point didn’t penetrate the plastic.

Hook sets needs to move the hook into the basses mouth tissue and to do that your tackle applies the force needed.

Tom

 

The OP answered my tackle question while posting the ???

So a bank angler using spinning tackle and making long cast. Spinning reels move a lot of line, the rod maybe a few feet. My suggestion is use the reel set by reeling fast and then a firm rod sweep to move the hook into the basses mouth,

keep the up and loaded  while applying pressure to prevent any slack line.

Tom

[king fisher]

My experience has been the complete opposite.  I grew reading about how fast a bass spits out a bait, and how fast you have to be on the hookset.  I fished for years with a hair trigger hook set.  I was always locked and loaded, one small twitch away from instantly yanking back as hard as I could.  I was fast as electricity, and always running on 220.  I would loose a large percentage of the bass that bit soft plastics before the fight even started.

 

After years of fishing for other species of fish, with techniques that required a more subtle approach I was willing to try something different for bass.

 

My method now is soon as I detect a bite, either by line twitch or feel.  I stay calm, slowly reel in slack, gently feel if the fish is still there, then set the hook while continuing to reel.  My hook up percentage has increased significantly.  I don't purposely give the fish more time, but I don't just reflexively yank back.  I take enough time to make sure I am prepared to get a good hookset, while not giving the bass too much time to reject my bait.  Slowing down has definitely helped my fish landed per bite percentage.

 

 I will admit, I am very high strung, so if some one were to watch me set the hook, they would probably say I am very quick on the trigger.  I do take my time, but I have never had enough time to say there she is before I set the hook.

 

 

 

 

[CDMTJager]

43 minutes ago, WRB said:

What rod , reel and line are you using???

The bass has a mouth full of soft plastic like a gum ball, it’s not stretch out!

Hook set timing various but the 1,2,3 method isn’t going to work very often.

Like Catt said set the as soon as possible when you detect a strike.

If the worm comes back balled up on the hook, the point didn’t penetrate the plastic.

Hook sets needs to move the hook into the basses mouth tissue and to do that your tackle applies the force needed.

Tom

 

My old setup of my first 15-18 or so outings fishing flukes and save for my last outing of two days ago all my fluke fishing was with using my 7'3" Daiwa Tatula MF rod a size 2000 reel and 10lb Yo-Zuri copolymer and was the set up I had 99.9% of my experience fishing flukes and was the setup I lost three larger than average bass to the weeds. During my last outing and now my dedicated fluke fishing set up is a 7'3" Falcon Lowrider MHF rod a size 2000 spinning reel with 30lb Suffix 832 HI-vis yellow, a swivel to (that night) 15lb Yo-Zuri copolymer. 

That night I had 10 hit got 6 in two went airborne and got off, one got off as I went to lip him allowed slack in the line and he got off and one the line broke below the swivel and shame on me as I SAW there were two areas of likely damage to the line below the swivel but I didn't re-tie.

I had zero problems getting every bass I landed out of and on top of the weeds with minimal effort. Much improved over the performance of my setup using the MF Daiwa Tatula and 10lb test.

Every fish I landed that night the hook was in to the point he wasn't getting off unless the line broke. 

I strongly suspect my issue lies in my hook setting methodology so I will work on that. 

[CDMTJager]

27 minutes ago, king fisher said:

My experience has been the complete opposite.  I grew reading about how fast a bass spits out a bait, and how fast you have to be on the hookset.  I fished for years with a hair trigger hook set.  I was always locked and loaded, one small twitch away from instantly yanking back as hard as I could.  I was fast as electricity, and always running on 220.  I would loose a large percentage of the bass that bit soft plastics before the fight even started.

 

After years of fishing for other species of fish, with techniques that required a more subtle approach I was willing to try something different for bass.

 

My method now is soon as I detect a bite, either by line twitch or feel.  I stay calm, slowly reel in slack, gently feel if the fish is still there, then set the hook while continuing to reel.  My hook up percentage has increased significantly.  I don't purposely give the fish more time, but I don't just reflexively yank back.  I take enough time to make sure I am prepared to get a good hookset, while not giving the bass too much time to reject my bait.  Slowing down has definitely helped my fish landed per bite percentage.

 

 I will admit, I am very high strung, so if some one were to watch me set the hook, they would probably say I am very quick on the trigger.  I do take my time, but I have never had enough time to say there she is before I set the hook.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing your experience and the excellent advice.

My situation is essentlually the same as yours. Bottom line is I will have to experiment with my hook set methodology until I find what works best. I did start fluke fishing with a hair trigger set, but after one or two outings and a very poor hook up ratio and hooking a lot of vegetation, I began to think maybe I should give the bass some time like in fishing topwater hollow body frogs. 

 

But now I realize I am almost certainly giving the fish to much time between feeling the strike and setting the hook. I feel I also have improved dramatically in my abilities to tell the difference between a hit and contact with vegetation and now with much confidence can tell the difference between contacting a lily pad stem and coon tail or similar weeds.

 

My last outing I did notice a increase in both successful hook sets and landing fish when as soon as I felt a strike I quickly as I could reeled down to eliminate the slack and set the hook. I feel my increase in ability to sense strikes was almost entirely due to the fact I was for the first time ever while fishing flukes (or any soft plastic for that matter) using 30lb braid which has ZERO stretch VS Yo-Zuri Copol which undoubtedly has more stretch, how much I don't know but it is more VS braid. I will just have to keep experimenting to see what works best and remember bass have personalities of their own as well as mood swings and some days some will hit like freight trains some days some are light hitters. It's up to me to pay attention and learn to tell the difference between fish strikes and contact with vegetation and listen carefully to what the bass when they strike are trying to tell me about the mood they're in.

[Woody B]

My opinion is 3/0 is too small of a hook for a 5+ inch bait.  3 seconds is 2.999 seconds too long to wait on a hookset.   I suppose species of Bass could matter though.   It's my experience, with Largemouth the big ones don't chew on stuff or hold it in their mouth.    Small ones will mouth and chew on stuff for a while.  I'm not after small ones.  (even though my big ones are small by some people standards)   

 

Regarding species.  I don't fish for Smallmouth enough to have an opinion.  I've been told they'll chew on stuff for a while.  Smaller Spotted/Alabama/Kentucky Bass will chew on stuff, but the bigger ones are quick and subtle like Largemouth.   

[Catt]

Do I rip tails off plastics...you bet ya!

 

Do I set hook on stumps, logs, limbs, twigs, grass...you bet ya!

 

Do i lose hooks, weights, plastics...you bet ya!

 

Do I set hook on nothing...you bet ya!

 

I guarentee y'all I stick more than I miss ?

[CDMTJager]

42 minutes ago, Woody B said:

My opinion is 3/0 is too small of a hook for a 5+ inch bait.  3 seconds is 2.999 seconds too long to wait on a hookset.   I suppose species of Bass could matter though.   It's my experience, with Largemouth the big ones don't chew on stuff or hold it in their mouth.    Small ones will mouth and chew on stuff for a while.  I'm not after small ones.  (even though my big ones are small by some people standards)   

 

Regarding species.  I don't fish for Smallmouth enough to have an opinion.  I've been told they'll chew on stuff for a while.  Smaller Spotted/Alabama/Kentucky Bass will chew on stuff, but the bigger ones are quick and subtle like Largemouth.   

Thank you for the advice. Plan on trying a 4/0 hook to see if my hookup ratio improves. I am also always after big bass, BUT what is considered a big bass for THAT lake. AND keeping in mind I am shore fisherman with very limited access to limited structure that holds bass. In the three lakes near my home I do 85-90% of my fishing in anything over 3lbs is a higher quality bigger than average bass, anything over 4lbs IS a BIG bass.

 

My success of the last 4 years has dramatically increased because I have started to very aggressively scout the shore line of these lakes which very high and very dense weed growth has rendered anywhere from 20-30% of the shore inaccessible to shore fisherman. Once I find a promising looking spot I set about busting brush and wading to the new area.

 

Has made a HUGE difference in my fishing success. But brother it aint easy. The weeds are 6-8' high thick as boiler plates and full of multiflora rose thorn shrubs and LOUSY with ticks. Navigating my way through the jungle of weeds bringing along rods that are 6'6"-7'3" is zero fun, But the number of 4-5lb+ bass I now catch every year has gone up by over 400% and so has the overall numbers of bass I catch so it's well worth my efforts and considerable amounts of bloody scratches I get and 6 of 10 such outings I end up with a tick or two on my skin or clothing. I use clothing dedicated only for this that is sprayed with tick repellent worn over other clothing and not worn directly against my skin. Really sucks starting mid June till September when temps average way over 80* but lymes disease is just to big of a risk to ignore. 

 

The things we do to catch bass.

[A-Jay]

The OP has been using a Moderate action spinner - 

A-Jay

 

[Reel]

Using a weighted fluke and a weightless fluke are two completely different things.  A weighted fluke is like a worm or a creature bait , you can feel the fish before you strike.  A weightless fluke is fished like a weightless swimbait or a jerkbait.  You strike immediately.  

 

Also, get a stiffer rod, you are using mono.  

[fin]

If you’re having to cast 30 yards or so to get to where the fish are, and then having to pull them through weeds, that makes the hookset problem and the high loss rate a little easier to understand. Flukes are awesome, but not the easiest for setting a hook, so when you get a lot of distance, it’s going to be even harder. If you're fishing weightless, it's even harder.

 

Regarding a pause, I think @king fisher put it best - only pause long enough to eliminate any slack, and then like @WRB said, swing and reel.

 

Ditch the swivel if you're still using that.