Need to vent my frustrations...

[BassDeaton01]

This past week I have lost two fish that I know would have been over 5 lbs. The first one shook the hook after it jumped out of the water twice. I had my drag set too tight and he shook it. Well last night I was fishing with a yum craw on a 3/16oz stand up shaky head. I got the lure probably 5 feet away from the shore and I felt a little bump. Then the line started to slowly swim away. So i set the hook. Well it feels like I hooked into a whale. All I can hear is my line being jerked out by this monster with my reel squealing....Then just like that he comes unbuttoned and off swims my monster lm. What is wrong and why is it that these fish keep coming off on me? Well I know the answer. The biggest fish I've caught so far is a 3.5 lber and I'm still learning to play the fish. Any advice on how to keep the fish from jumping and coming unhooked? Thanks for listening to my rant.

[roadwarrior]

To keep a fish fromjumping:

When you feel or see the bass coming up, pull her towards

you forcefully. Lower your rod tip into the water and reel

quickly.

To stay buttoned:

NEVER let a fish stage. She should be pulling drag or

coming your way. Maintain pressure at all times: slack

line = a lost fish.

8-)

[Tin]

With the Yum Craw on a shakey head there is a lot of plastic to get through to get that hook to penetrate. So you probably didn't get a good hookset on the second one. What kind of set-up were you fishing it on?

[BassDeaton01]

I was fishing on a Berkely 7' spinning rod. Med action. I was wondering if the bait was too big too allow me to get a good hook set. Is there anything I can do to get a better hook set and use that bait. It seems to be a big fish bait and I have caught a couple of 3 lbers on this set up. I just don't want to continue missing these lunkers and leave the lake ticked off at the world > Well thanks for the input guys. I will definitely point my rod tip down the next time I feel like they're going to jump on me and maybe I will try jerking harder next time on the hook set to get through all that plastic. Hopefully, I will have a pic of one of these monsters soon!

[BassDeaton01]

One more question...how do yall set your drag. I think mine may have been too loose.

[roadwarrior]

25-30% of the line's breaking strength (within the parameters

of the rod). Specifically, 2 1/2 - 4 lbs for me.

8-)

[BassDeaton01]

What is the way to gauge how many pounds of drag you have on or take off with the clicks? On my spinning reel it just clicks and doesn't have anything to tell how many pounds of pressure you took off or put on.

[steezy]

To keep a fish fromjumping:

When you feel or see the bass coming up, pull her towards

you forcefully. Lower your rod tip into the water and reel

quickly.

To stay buttoned:

NEVER let a fish stage. She should be pulling drag or

coming your way. Maintain pressure at all times: slack

line = a lost fish.

8-)

X2

If jumping after hookset, rod tip down (in water if possible) and NEVER allow slack in line.

These habits were 2 of the best things I ever learned about bass fishing.

I try to keep my drag set to around 3 lbs.

[SirSnookalot]

Regardless of the species any fish that jumps will throw that hook( must keep a tight line when jumping), with practice you will lose less fish.  There isn't a fisherman alive or dead that has landed every fish hooked, don't read more into it.

Many people love watching them jump, my self included.

[BassDeaton01]

Ok yesterday I went out and landed a nice 2 lb fish and practiced the lowering the rod tip method. And it worked. But I think my drag was still set a little too tight. I hooked into another big fish and right after the hook set, the line snapped and I missed him again. I'm going back in the morning to catch this fish...hopefully he's still in the same place that he's been the last week. I just have a feeling that it's the same fish breaking my line like that. It feels like I hook into a log when I set the hook. I just want to know how big he really is.