I'm losing a lot of fish...any tips?

[Ohnooze]

I use paddletails / swimbaits probably 85% of the time because...just works for me better than anything else.  I recently decided to go from 3.75" to 4.75" Strike King Rage Swimmers with #4 fusion 19 weighted hooks....looks kind of like this pic below.  However, I started losing a lot of fish when pulling them in.  I decided to go up to #5 hooks and got the same results.  I mean I'm losing about 4 out of 5 fish and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.  This weekend I had some really good fish get off the hook and it's really frustrating.  Now I just started using these hooks so I don't know if they have something to do with it or if I have picked up and bad habit or what.  Any tips or feedback on these hooks would sure be appreciated. 

 

 

 

[scaleface]

I'm guessing a  combination of the hook being buried in the plastic and not enough backbone in the rod.

[Pat Brown]

Sounds like hookset mechanics need work or maybe a rod power thing.

 

I'm guessing you're not penetrating the fishes mouth past the hook barb because your rod is too slow action for big single hook baits and/or your hookset needs a little more oomph.

 

Maybe you noticed when you upsized your bait and it forced you to use a bigger hook - which would require more force to set the hook on.

 

Also also - bass fish enough - you'll have days like this regardless of what gear or mechanics you implore.

 

Bass are weird!

[F14A-B]

Can’t see the hook real well but look for a smaller wire hook which will absolutely aid in hook penetration..

possibly move up in power/action on your rod as well. 

Ok. That’s a stout hook w a clip on it and FC line? On spinning gear.. that’s not the set up I’m using for that bait. 

[Bankc]

It sounds to me like you're not generating enough force on the hook to penetrate the lip.  Now, the cause of that, I can't tell you. 

 

But some things to check are:

 

Make sure you're timing is good.

Make sure the hook can easily puncture the soft plastic body.

Make sure the hooks are sharp and sticky.   

Make sure you're generating enough force during the hookset. 

And if you're still having problems, look for anything in your gear that is absorbing the force away from the hook.

[Swamp Girl]

I have caught hundreds and hundreds of bass on weighted paddletails in 2024. I have also lost many, many bass on weighted paddletails in 2024. Because the hook point is tight to the paddletail, you won't hook as many as you would with a crankbait, but losing 80% means something is wrong.

 

Do you set the hook when you first detect a bite?

 

I don't. A paddletail is soft and salty and a bass won't drop it immediately like it will a hard, tasteless lure, so I set the hook on the second or third tug or after the line tells me that the bass is carrying its kill off to wherever. 

 

Then crank down until you feel the bass's weight right before you set the hook and cross their eyes. Even then, you'll lose some. I do. 

 

Here's what I use with my paddletails, made by VMC. I've tried others, but the VMCs are far sturdier and the underspin gives you twice the attraction:

 

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I also use Rapala's Crush City Mayors for my paddletails. I've tried other brands, but the bass seem to prefer the Mayors.

[Ohnooze]

Maybe I'm not putting enough power into my hookset.  I'll give that a go.  TY guys for the tips.

[Skunkmaster-k]

Line size might be part of the issue , unless you’re using braid . Mono or fluoro are likes a rubber band on a long cast. To get a good hookset in that situation a longer , stiffer rod and a thicker line with a reel down and sweeping hookset will help. 

[Zcoker]

Might just be not enough hook. From your picture (if that's what your rig looks like) the hook needs to pull through a lot of plastic and then, when it does, not enough of it is exposed because the top of the weight prohibits it. 

[Cuivre]

One of the biggest problems is the EWG style hook on that rig.  I fish flukes a lot and stopped using EWG style hooks due to the number of lost fish- the hook simply doesn't grab flesh when it is parallel to the line.  Some folks bent the point to the side so it can grab flesh in the side of the mouth, hopefully.  I still lost some this past weekend in a tournament, but this was due to needing a stiffer backbone rod, as was mentioned (I use spinning gear for flukes and small swim baits).  If you can find a weighted conventional round bend hook, I would definitely try that route. 

[Ohnooze]

9 minutes ago, Cuivre said:

One of the biggest problems is the EWG style hook on that rig.  I fish flukes a lot and stopped using EWG style hooks due to the number of lost fish- the hook simply doesn't grab flesh when it is parallel to the line.  Some folks bent the point to the side so it can grab flesh in the side of the mouth, hopefully.  I still lost some this past weekend in a tournament, but this was due to needing a stiffer backbone rod, as was mentioned (I use spinning gear for flukes and small swim baits).  If you can find a weighted conventional round bend hook, I would definitely try that route. 

So how do you fish weedless swimbaits then? I went larger on the hook because the body of the rage swimmer is pretty fat so I wanted to make sure the bait could be pushed down enough to open up to the hook.  It's really no different than a Texas rig worm right?

[Cuivre]

I skin hook the hook point but it is ready to pop out and catch fish when I set the hook.  EWG hooks simple slip out between the bass' lips.  Like I said though, if you still want to use EWG hooks, kick the part of the hook to the side with some pliers- but not too much or it will affect the swimming action due to being out of balance.

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Line size might be part of the issue , unless you’re using braid . Mono or fluoro are likes a rubber band on a long cast. To get a good hookset in that situation a longer , stiffer rod and a thicker line with a reel down and sweeping hookset will help. 

 

Agreed. I'm part of @T-Billy's Straight Braid Brigade. 

 

#braidalltheway!

[Ohnooze]

This is my actual bait setup on a #5 - 4 3/4" rage swimmer 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

I also use 5/0 hooks too with 4" Mayors.

 

Again, I urge to wait a sec when you detect a hit. The only time I set the hook immediately is when a bass fully commits to killing my lure and runs with it. The bass tries to yank my rod into the water, so I yank back. 

[Ohnooze]

12 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Agreed. I'm part of @T-Billy's Straight Braid Brigade. 

 

#braidalltheway!

I used 30 lb braid with about a 3'+ of 15 lb mono leader.

[Fishing_Rod]

Greetings All,

I prefer using an exposed hook where possible, especially when dealing with dynamic (moving) baits. Better to have a higher probability of hook engagement. That being said, you can consider adding a stinger hook to the belly of the EWG hook. See example below:

 

 

This may bring things more in your favor with faster moving baits where you can improve the hookup potential. Easy to do, just be sure to check local regulations regarding allowable number of hooks.

 

Be well, and Cheers!

[4n2t0]

Are these fish that you're losing while bringing them in once hooked? Or missed hook ups? With a lot of hook free real-estate on the ass end on that bait you'll have to wait for the fish to commit before givin' em the business.

[Ohnooze]

3 minutes ago, 4n2t0 said:

Are these fish that you're losing while bringing them in once hooked? Or missed hook ups? With a lot of hook free real-estate on the ass end on that bait you'll have to wait for the fish to commit before givin' em the business.

Usually I have them pulled up to the kayak so I'm assuming I had them hooked and they are shaking it out.  Twice this weekend they came up out of the water and spit the hook.  So I THINK they are hooked but I'm not totally sure.  Maybe the hook is totally penetrated....I'm not sure.

 

Was watching a lot of videos talking about setting hooks...so many different opinions.  

[Swamp Girl]

42 minutes ago, 4n2t0 said:

With a lot of hook free real-estate on the ass end on that bait you'll have to wait for the fish to commit before givin' em the business.

 

So many times I feel a single tug and reel in a tailless Mayor. 

 

36 minutes ago, Ohnooze said:

Usually I have them pulled up to the kayak so I'm assuming I had them hooked and they are shaking it out. 

 

That's the danger zone, for sure, i.e. right beside the boat where you're most likely to lose tension in your line. I've lost many bass simply reaching for a net, giving them just enough slack to shake free.

[Bigassbass]

EWG= extra wide gap or long shank hooks work best for thick softbait lures.  Long shanks, just skin hook them so they are weedless.  Tie straight to the hook don't use swivel or anything between the hook and line.  Pause just for a second when you feel the bite then reel up and set the hook at the same time.  When you've learned how to set the hook faster or your hooked fish improves, you want to set the hook as soon as you feel the bite to prevent gut hooking the fish.

[4n2t0]

47 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

That's the danger zone, for sure, i.e. right beside the boat where you're most likely to lose tension in your line. I've lost many bass simply reaching for a net, giving them just enough slack to shake free.

 

I think ol'crickety nailed it. You're probably hooking up fine but not maintaining good steady pressure. There's a fine balance that needs to be struck when it comes to line tension, tight, but not too tight, lol.

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Bigassbass said:

Pause just for a second when you feel the bite then reel up and set the hook at the same time.

 

Yep. It's all one motion. 

[Catt]

9 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Agreed. I'm part of @T-Billy's Straight Braid Brigade. 

 

#braidalltheway!

 

[Susky River Rat]

I set the hook like that fish owes me money. How is your drag set up? To little the rod won’t do the work once hooked to much and the fish will rip a hole it’s its mouth and pull the hook. I try to keep my rod more parallel  to the water that rod tip high.
 

It’s just all things to consider. Don’t  go and try to rewrite the book. Change one thing at a time and when you start landing more  stick with it.