Hooksets with heavy cover jigs

[Rocky998]

So today I was pond fishing and I had 2-3 fish that took my jig (yes, fully cause they were taking it with good force), but then when I tried setting the hook, they were able to fight it off...

My question is, how hard should hooksets really be?

I don't want to be one of those youtube guys that are exaggerating it, but I also want to make sure I'm actually getting that hookset. So how hard do I have to set it?

[casts_by_fly]

3/4+oz of weight?

 

if less then swing away. Reel tight to the fish and sweep the rod. 
 

if more, reel tight to the fish and sweep. But every now and then one will just not quite set. 

[gim]

Jigs have heavy gauge hooks. You’ll need to set it hard.

[A-Jay]

True Heavy Cover jigs are almost always sporting a Beefy Hook.

Reason being that we need to be able to put quite a bit of pressure on them

in order to get them up & out of the Heavy Cover.

So that hook needs to be able to handle that.

Along with that, our tackle, (Rod Reel and especially the Line),

also needs to be up to that same task.

It all starts with the hookset and as you have apparently discovered, it needs to be pretty stout

to bury that barb.  Not crazy, over the top, but let's just say it's right up there with a frog fishing hookset. Pretty hard. 

There are a few ways to do it, and as long as it works for you it's good.

I prefer more of a sweep to side hookset.

So after the strike and once the slack is mostly out of the line between me & the bass

(and that needs to happen fairly fast)

I quickly lean into the fish ensuring I'm putting a good bend in the rod.

Seems beneficial to keep that going all the way to the net.

This is what it looks like for me.

I'm fishing for deep Big bass here, so I'm using a 1 oz jig, Heavy fast action rod & 20 lb FC line. 

https://youtu.be/1to6ti-tlZY?feature=shared&t=697

A-Jay

[Rocky998]

41 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

3/4+oz of weight?

 

if less then swing away. Reel tight to the fish and sweep the rod. 
 

if more, reel tight to the fish and sweep. But every now and then one will just not quite set. 

This is great to know! Thanks!

26 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Jigs have heavy gauge hooks. You’ll need to set it hard.

Alright! I'll be sure to hit em hard with it then! Lol 

Thank you

16 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

True Heavy Cover jigs are almost always sporting a Beefy Hook.

Reason being that we need to be able to put quite a bit of pressure on them

in order to get them up & out of the Heavy Cover.

So that hook needs to be able to handle that.

Along with that, our tackle, (Rod Reel and especially the Line),

also needs to be up to that same task.

It all starts with the hookset and as you have apparently discovered, it needs to be pretty stout

to bury that barb.  Not crazy, over the top, but let's just say it's right up there with a frog fishing hookset. Pretty hard. 

There are a few ways to do it, and as long as it works for you it's good.

I prefer more of a sweep to side hookset.

So after the strike and once the slack is mostly out of the line between me & the bass

(and that needs to happen fairly fast)

I quickly lean into the fish ensuring I'm putting a good bend in the rod.

Seems beneficial to keep that going all the way to the net.

This is what it looks like for me.

I'm fishing for deep Big bass here, so I'm using a 1 oz jig, Heavy fast action rod & 20 lb FC line. 

https://youtu.be/1to6ti-tlZY?feature=shared&t=697

A-Jay

Thank you so much for all this info! And the visual on the video definitely helped a lot for me as I'm a visual and hands-on learner most of the time.

 

My set up is a daiwa coastal 150 sv tws 7.1 on an abu garcia vengeance pro series 7ft MH fast action. It's spoiled with 50lb braided line and has a 20lb mono leader

[F14A-B]

Jerk that rod man, don’t play.. 

[papajoe222]

Your tackle is up to the task, so I'd agree with you that your hookset is what needs to be addressed. If you were a ball player, swinging for contact and swinging for the fences both accomplish hitting the ball.  You should be swinging for the fences with that hookset..

[king fisher]

Like this

 

[Glenn]

 

[PhishLI]

4 hours ago, Rocky998 said:

My question is, how hard should hooksets really be?

There are other things that matter when you're fishing a heavy-wire hook on a low-stretch setup. Try to avoid keeping your rod tip low and pointed directly at the bait once you've reeled out the slack after a cast. You don't want your line coming out in a straight-line from your reel to the bait. A slight bit of give is available when stroking or dragging a jig by keeping your rod at an angle to the line or generally keeping the tip higher as you work the bait back.

 

Also, if you notice that you're tightly gripping your rig, take a chance and relax your grip a little. That'll also impart just a little "give" into the system.

 

The first part of a hit you'll feel is when they suck it in where the metal bangs through their lips or on the back of their mouths, and then a split second later when their tongue grips the bait against the roof of their mouth. That's right when you want to set the hook, when you feel that pressure and the fish's weight. You should be successful swinging on them but there's always the chance that they might be in the process of ejecting the bait where they won't catch the hook's point at all, and ain't nothing you can do about that.

 

I was never really a blown-hookset-machine, but it happened enough for me to try to figure out why. I initially thought about what I was doing in total then adjusted my approach when fishing chatterbaits on a MHF or a Fast rod and straight braid. My miss-rate diminished greatly. This translated directly not only to heavy wire baits but somewhat lighter single hooks too when fished on stouter, fast rods.

 

[Pat Brown]

In my experience - when a bass has my jig in it's mouth - they get hooked pretty well usually.

 

Chances are pretty good they're spitting it out or they didn't have it yet to begin with.

 

I agree with other who say hastily reel out the slack and quickly and firmly sweep the rod and load it up with vigor.

 

The biggest mechanical issues I see a most people have with their hookset is that they do not continue to reel throughout the whole hookset And instead of firmly setting the hook, they snap their rod and that usually just blows a fish's mouth out with a jig.

[Tackleholic]

Lots of good advice given, I could add a couple of "maybe" suggestions : Be sure your drag is tightened down.  Shorten your monofilament leader or eliminate it.  Also, heavy cover jigs are generally intended for short flips, pitches, and casts;  if you are making long casts, your hookset percentage will probably go down.

[Catt]

Ditch the heavy cover jig for a Hack Attack Flourcarbon Jig. 

 

Designed around a smaller diameter hook than the original Hack Attack Jig, the hook’s smaller diameter allows the hook to penetrate faster with less effort, so you still get solid hooksets despite the added stretch of fluorocarbon.

 

I throw em on straight Big Game.

[rgasr63]

I have 2 jigs that I use consistently the first is the Denny Brauer structure jig. And the trashmaster jig. When I down size I will use a bitsy bug flip jig. Everyone has their own favorite but I believe that the hook gap between the weight on the jig and the hook point is important. I started catching more fish of all sizes when I started paying attention to this IMHO. 

[Rocky998]

9 hours ago, Glenn said:

 

This video was extremely informative for me! Thank you!

 

8 hours ago, PhishLI said:

There are other things that matter when you're fishing a heavy-wire hook on a low-stretch setup. Try to avoid keeping your rod tip low and pointed directly at the bait once you've reeled out the slack after a cast. You don't want your line coming out in a straight-line from your reel to the bait. A slight bit of give is available when stroking or dragging a jig by keeping your rod at an angle to the line or generally keeping the tip higher as you work the bait back.

 

Also, if you notice that you're tightly gripping your rig, take a chance and relax your grip a little. That'll also impart just a little "give" into the system.

 

The first part of a hit you'll feel is when they suck it in where the metal bangs through their lips or on the back of their mouths, and then a split second later when their tongue grips the bait against the roof of their mouth. That's right when you want to set the hook, when you feel that pressure and the fish's weight. You should be successful swinging on them but there's always the chance that they might be in the process of ejecting the bait where they won't catch the hook's point at all, and ain't nothing you can do about that.

 

I was never really a blown-hookset-machine, but it happened enough for me to try to figure out why. I initially thought about what I was doing in total then adjusted my approach when fishing chatterbaits on a MHF or a Fast rod and straight braid. My miss-rate diminished greatly. This translated directly not only to heavy wire baits but somewhat lighter single hooks too when fished on stouter, fast rods.

 

Awesome! I'll definitely be trying to set the hooks like this then and remember that!

Thank you! I appreciate all the help!

4 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

In my experience - when a bass has my jig in it's mouth - they get hooked pretty well usually.

 

Chances are pretty good they're spitting it out or they didn't have it yet to begin with.

 

I agree with other who say hastily reel out the slack and quickly and firmly sweep the rod and load it up with vigor.

 

The biggest mechanical issues I see a most people have with their hookset is that they do not continue to reel throughout the whole hookset And instead of firmly setting the hook, they snap their rod and that usually just blows a fish's mouth out with a jig.

I'll keep that in mind! Thanks!!

 

3 hours ago, Tackleholic said:

Lots of good advice given, I could add a couple of "maybe" suggestions : Be sure your drag is tightened down.  Shorten your monofilament leader or eliminate it.  Also, heavy cover jigs are generally intended for short flips, pitches, and casts;  if you are making long casts, your hookset percentage will probably go down.

I have the mono to act as, 1 a shock absorber for my chatterbaits and hard blows, but also as a form of line s.tealth so the fish don't see it as well.

 

I'll try to shorten my casts, but I love sending it way out there so I can cover lots of water. I don't have a boat, so I like to make sure I'm getting the best use of the water available.

3 hours ago, Catt said:

Ditch the heavy cover jig for a Hack Attack Flourcarbon Jig. 

 

Designed around a smaller diameter hook than the original Hack Attack Jig, the hook’s smaller diameter allows the hook to penetrate faster with less effort, so you still get solid hooksets despite the added stretch of fluorocarbon.

 

I throw em on straight Big Game.

Yeah sorry, no. I just got these and spent some nice money on some stuff, finally. The last thing I'm doing is just ditching them without giving them a chance.

I have the dirty jigs no-jack and finesse swim jigs. 

 

I've seen the Hack Attack jigs and they kinda look the same as far as the weed guard goes, but I'm fairly certain the dirty jigs just have a better build to them.

3 hours ago, rgasr63 said:

I have 2 jigs that I use consistently the first is the Denny Brauer structure jig. And the trashmaster jig. When I down size I will use a bitsy bug flip jig. Everyone has their own favorite but I believe that the hook gap between the weight on the jig and the hook point is important. I started catching more fish of all sizes when I started paying attention to this IMHO. 

Oops, missed this reply lol.

 

Yup, I was using the bitsy flip jig when the fish came off. I just didn't set it right lol.

 

Thanks for the info! I'll keep in mind next time I'm out! 🫡

[Catt]

45 minutes ago, Rocky998 said:

they kinda look the same as far as the weed guard goes

 

Ya ain't sticking with the weed guard!

 

[Zcoker]

Only thing that I will add is strike detection. It can make or break you. Mastering it will make things a whole lot easier. Things that help are a quality rod with good sensitivity, braided line, and a keen focus. The rest can be a bit more subjective, more subliminal, if you will. But it does all come together, eventually, if you keep at it long enough. 

[LrgmouthShad]

What is your setup and what jigs are you using? I saw Dirty Jigs No-Jack and a bitsy flip? 

[Rocky998]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

 

Ya ain't sticking with the weed guard!

 

Lol. Sorry, my brain is running slow today. What do you mean?

29 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

What is your setup and what jigs are you using? I saw Dirty Jigs No-Jack and a bitsy flip? 

My set up is a daiwa coastal 150 sv tws 7.1 on an abu garcia vengeance pro series 7ft MH fast action. It's spoiled with 50lb braided line and has a 20lb mono leader

 

(Sorry the quality on some photos are bad, they were really clear, but if im being honest the file size here really limits quality photos from being posted)

[LrgmouthShad]

7 minutes ago, Rocky998 said:

Lol. Sorry, my brain is running slow today. What do you mean?

My set up is a daiwa coastal 150 sv tws 7.1 on an abu garcia vengeance pro series 7ft MH fast action. It's spoiled with 50lb braided line and has a 20lb mono leader

 

(Sorry the quality on some photos are bad, they were really clear, but if im being honest the file size here really limits quality photos from being posted)

Where is your drag normally set when you are fishing jigs?

[Rocky998]

1 minute ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Where is your drag normally set when you are fishing jigs?

Usually I have it set so line starts to pull out RIGHT as the braided line starts to dig in on itself so I don't have anything bad happen to my spool.

I use my thumb when pulling so line doesn't dig and drag doesn't pull out

[LrgmouthShad]

1 minute ago, Rocky998 said:

Usually I have it set so line starts to pull out RIGHT as the braided line starts to dig in on itself so I don't have anything bad happen to my spool.

I use my thumb when pulling so line doesn't dig and drag doesn't pull out

Your drag may be too loose but hard to say because I’m not there. I don’t use a lot of braid as a mainline but I don’t care if it digs some when I I’m testing drag. I just want to make sure that my drag is good. Usually with a single hook bait that ain’t flimsy and line that ain’t light I like the drag to where I can pull it off the spool but it takes some force. With heavy hook jigs I might go even a touch tighter to where I can’t pull it off the spool. I will sometimes loosen the drag when I’m fighting a fish but I want to drag tight enough to go through the weedguard, get the fish onto the hook, and finally bury the barb. With the Dirty Jigs No Jack jigs, that hook is a monster and takes some force to get the barb buried. I have several of them where I’ve taken off some strands of the weedguard to make it a little easier to get that fish onto the hook. Just all depends on the cover you are fishing. 

This is a really subjective topic but everything else in your setup seems okay so if you are having trouble keeping fish pinned, I’d try tightening the drag. Rod might be a little light for some of the bigger jigs but I don’t think that’s the issue here.

[WRB]

Lots of good advice so far including the reel set with firm rod sweep is what I advise when casting jigs more horizontal.

Listen to ole Catt if you want to catch bass in lieu losing them. 
I Don’t see a lot of jigs in your box, several swim jigs, bladed jigs, a few football swing heads and upper right corner a couple weed gaurd  cover jigs.

With MHF rod using 20 lb mono leader you set the drag to lift 5 lbs dead weight ( 5 1 pint plastic drinking water bottles in a grocery bag = 5 lbs). Using your tackle as you fish it hook the jig onto the bag handles and slowly, carefully lift the bag and adjust  the drag to slip when the bag starts to lift off the floor. Be careful don’t high lift the rod to avoid breaking it.

Now do your hook set and control the bass.

Good luck,

Tom

PS, 15 lb FC in lieu of 20 lb mono you lose about 7 lbs knot, abrasion and impact strength! Change the dead weight to 4 lbs lift.

[Catt]

2 hours ago, Rocky998 said:

Lol. Sorry, my brain is running slow today. What do you mean?

 

4 hours ago, Rocky998 said:

I've seen the Hack Attack jigs and they kinda look the same as far as the weed guard goes

 

 

[T-Billy]

Heavy cover and heavy tackle, I try to throw 'em over the boat when I swing. It works great for moving big fish out of cover, but I lose some smaller ones as they sail over my head on a slack line. That's a trade off I'll take every time.