Three Inch Sluggo on Light Line

[jkoch]

Hi,

First of all, I'm still trying to get used to using light line and smaller lures on spinning gear.

Last night I was fishing a three inch Sluggo, with a size 1 Gamakatsu offset shank worm hook.  I rigged it "Texposed" - like a Texas rig, but with the point exposed.  In under a half hour, I felt a bump 5 times, but I set the hook and nothing was there.  I finally caught a fish after the sixth bite.  I decided to wait a bit before settng the hook, but I ended up hooking him in the roof of the mouth rather than the jaw, which leads me to believe that I should have set thehook sooner.

Does anybody have any ideas on how I could be missing so many fish?

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard!

Don't set the hook until you feel the weight of the fish. Bass will often slap a Slug-Go. I think that's what was happening.

[jkoch]

That makes sense, thanks roadwarrior!

Do bass often slap it and then take it?  Should I anticipate a strike after the slap?

[roadwarrior]

Sometimes. Just keep working the bait, other fish notice the strike and may try to steal it from the first fish. I work the Slug-Go with short twitches trying to duplicate the action of feeding minnows.

[Raul]

Bass do a lot of that oftenly when hitting soft plastic jerkbaits, flukes, shad assasins, shaddicks or sluggos, I 've seen the same fish hit 4-5 times the bait before chewing on it. When fishing those I wait until I can see the line moving before setting the hook otherwise you hook nothing.

[Tin]

If you know that a bass "slapped" your bait, do one of two things. Either let it fall like a dying baitfish or speed it up making it look like it is trying to get way.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Unless it was a bream? :-?

[jkoch]

Thanks a lot for the replies guys.

[Guest avid]

Do bass often slap it and then take it

Not necessarily,

but if you wait till closing time you may find someone who will.  8-)

[Guest avid]

And now for something completely serious.

When using a bait that small I find that an owner mosquito hook, or circle hook, size #1 or 1/0 is the best.

With these hooks you do not strike the fish at all.

Rather you just reel.  Yup, that's it.   Just reel.

As you feel the rod load up you may want to "lean" into him a bit, but do not set the hook.

Using this method produces very reliable hookups.  The bass is hooked and on his way to the boat before he realizes something is wrong.

Very cool, and very C&R friendly as the bass will be hooked in the lower corner jaw 80% of the time.

I know.

It took some time before I was willing to try it, then I saw an FLW pro using these hooks on redfish in the flats.  He was landing fish after fish and could not say enough about how great these hooks are.  Being a die hard owner hook fan, I tried it and have never looked back.

for LMB may I suggest that you move up to the 4 1/2" sluggo?   It is a great #'s bait and will catch a goodun on occasion.

Here's my secret for success with the sluggo

Pull the nose of the bait over the hook eye.  It will curve up slightly.

This gives the bait that killer side to side motion. with a jerk bait type retrieve.  Then it will slide backwards and down on the pause.  Fish it weightless or wrap a storm suspend strip around the hook shank directly under the middle of the bait.  The mustad hooks with the "keeper" and sliding weight work great also.  This keeps the bait horizontal on the fall, rather than diving nose first.

I believe if you fish it this way, you will have a new favorite.

good luck and have fun.

avid...................

[Marty]

I don't have a 3" Slug-Go to look at, but just for laughs, check that #1 hook. If the gap isn't at least double the size of the bait's diameter, then get a larger hook that meets that criterion. And I wouldn't dismiss the already-mentioned possibility of bream or other small fish, unless you know otherwise.