bad hook sets

[reddragon]

today and yesterday i went out to a local lake and went for some stripper, bass action... when i got there i loved the weather it was perfect for strippers so i put on an x-rap and started jerking... when i got my hits 3 in total i had the fish for about a good 10-15 seconds hooked.. while hooked the drag went down like crazy but right when it stopped the lure popped off... lots of lovely words came out btw haha..  well my question is that is it the lure, lure hooks, the rod, or the way im setting the hook on the fish it cant just happen 3 times with the same lure actually once was with a different color but still 3 times???  my rod is a 7' MF avid w/ a chronarch 51mg on it.. please help i would of lost my rods virginity if not due to this problem it's still fishless...

[Fish Chris]

and went for some stripper

So I take it, your single ?

Anyway, I like strippers too..... but dude, this is a fishing forum :-)

Peace,

Fish

[mrlitetackle]

OK,,,,first I have had this same scenario happen many times.  The first thing i did was sharpen the hooks to an amazingly needle sharp point!!  Next, i am assuming that you are fishing "barbed" hooks...they take much more pressure to penetrate than barbless hooks.  Ive seen a demonstration on Mark Sosin's show that was very telling on this matter....either way, my best solution is what i have started doing for years now........make sure your hooks are extremely sharp first, then after you have set the hook for the first time and reeled a slight bit of slack ...... give the line 2 to 3 hard pumps while keeping the line tight. this will ensure your hooks puncture rather than rest on the fish's mouth. (if you are using light lb. line i might recommend staying away from this technique though).... good luck!!

[SimonSays]

OK,,,,first I have had this same scenario happen many times. The first thing i did was sharpen the hooks to an amazingly needle sharp point!! Next, i am assuming that you are fishing "barbed" hooks...they take much more pressure to penetrate than barbless hooks. Ive seen a demonstration on Mark Sosin's show that was very telling on this matter....either way, my best solution is what i have started doing for years now........make sure your hooks are extremely sharp first, then after you have set the hook for the first time and reeled a slight bit of slack ...... give the line 2 to 3 hard pumps while keeping the line tight. this will ensure your hooks puncture rather than rest on the fish's mouth. (if you are using light lb. line i might recommend staying away from this technique though).... good luck!!

To tell you the truth, imo you shouldn't need more than one good set especially with trebles...triple setting, or simply double setting can even lead to lost fish due to the size of the hole you're tearing into the fishes mouth. Not to mention the damage to the fish itself...

sharp hooks are key, if you don't have confidence in your hookset try a braided line, no stretch = strong hooksets

[SirSnookalot]

The real answer..........ch*t happens! We call it fishing not catching.

You have done nothing wrong, you just get days like that.  I have outings that I can't get a solid hookset only to go out the next day with the same equipment and lures and have no troubles at all.

Don't read too much into a bad outing, you found fish, so dwell on the positive.

[reddragon]

and went for some stripper

So I take it, your single ?

Anyway, I like strippers too..... but dude, this is a fishing forum :-)

Peace,

Fish

haha funny!!

but ya i was thinking maybe the treble hooks on the bait may be a little to small for the striper's there because the average size at that spot is about a good 30 inches i've caught plenty 30's and today a boat fishermen brought in 3 30inchers too on jumbo minnows.. im thinking ill probably up the size of the lure because im only using the 7/16 oz. one or just change the hook size on them..

[Catt]

I've noticed that some times with hard baits a bigger bass or stripped bass will clamp down on the bait with their teeth not having it completely in their mouth; when this occurs the bass simply opens its mouth and out flies the bait. This happens a lot with lipless crank bait and can be verified when you see a perfect semicircle of teeth marks on the top of the bait.

So like what has been mentioned it is not a problem of yours it a problem of fishing

[Crestliner2008]

Try changing out your rear treble to a "SureSet" treble by VMC. Great hooks with tremendous holding power. I agree with the above as well - crush down those barbs! They're worthless. Good Luck!