Setting the hook???

[preach4bass]

When you set the hook, do you reel in at the same time?  A buddy and I were debating this the other day and we both continue to reel when we're setting the hook with a spinnerbait or crankbait, but he dosn't when he's setting the hook with a worm or jig.  I do.  What do you do?  Which is right?

[Rattletrap]

Your right. You don't have to really set the hook on a spinnerbait or crankbait. Raise your rod tip up with good pressure(your technically setting the hook, but not as hard as you would with a worm tied on) and keep reeling. Worms and jigs. Reel in any slack quickly and and pop that rod up at the 10 to 12 o'clock position. Good luck driving that hook home!!!

[Nick_Barr]

I just put pressure and reel for reaction lures, and i reel down and take up slack and slam the hook home like my life was depending on it. But i dont reel until i know i have the fish hooked

[Will]

When setting the hook, I am always reeling unless I am flipping and pitching. When I am flipping and pitching the fish usually takes a little bit before coming out of the cover, so I will pull him out with my rod while reeling up the slack line. Otherwise I continue reeling and setting the hook at the same time. One good example is with crankbaits, there is alot of slack line between the fish and myself. I don't do a hard hookset, but more of a gentle swing, because of this I continue reeling to be sure all the slack is out of the line making sure I do get a good hookset.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

With crankbaits I just turn my upper body.

With plastics, jigs, etc. my rod tip is usually up  around 10 o'clock when I detect a bite.  I immediately drop the tip of the rod and point it in the direction of my lure and at the same time reel up all the slack line.  Then I SET the hook.

[roadwarrior]

Ditto, KU_Bassmaster although I try to be a little quicker with jigs than soft plastics.

[Guest avid]

Funny, but I never really thought about this before.   I don't think I consciously keep reeling when I set the hook on a spinnerbait or crank. I know I don't when I'm setting the hook on a worm or jig.   Wait, now that I think about it I know I don't keep reeling ever when I set the hook.  It's the moment after the hook that a good fish will test your drag by peeling line off of the reel.  the worst thing you can do, especially with a spinning reel (not  that i use them) is to keep reeling.  Nope, I don't keep reeling when setting the hook.  8-)

[preach4bass]

Thanks avid, I've never thought about it that way.  I'm going to quit reeling in now (at least on my spinning reels).  That stinks.  Now I have to admit to my friend that he was right :'( ;D

[KenDammit28]

anything on a dead line, I reel before setting the hook, then after I've pulled the fish out of its "home"..if that makes sense...and when I get bit with a moving bait, I stop cranking, set the hook and then try and get all the slack out of the line and fight the fish.  No reelin for me during a set, and I never use hard sets, I think they're way too over-emphasized and unnecessary.  I've missed fish, but its not because of a soft hookset, just didn't get the chance to set it at all..lol.  My opinion is that these hard hooksets that some people try to do just pull the bait away from the fish...don't think you need anything more than a quick snap with anything other than a jig.

[N.Jack]

Cranks And Buzzbaits, I wait till I feel Pressure, then I sweep

Spinnerbaits, quick jerks to the side

Worms, Rip there lips off like no tommorow

Jigs, I like to cross there eyes as well!

[Lightninrod]

With 'regular' baits, I usually don't reel when setting the hook and I too don't use a very hard hookset except with pitched jigs.

Now with a swimbait(a 'non-regular' bait) , it's different in that you must reel when setting the hook.

Quoted from "Big Bass Zone":

First off, you have to learn how to do a reel-set. For those who've grown up fishing saltwater, the simple act of reeling as you swing the rod comes naturally. Yes, we know you've probably read something somewhere about setting with your reel. Then why don't you do it? Probably less than 10% of all bass fishermen (and that's being optimistic) use a reel-set in their day-to-day fishing.

For those of you who want specifics, hang on. Understanding how a reel-set makes a difference is all about specifics. At this level, relying on a standard, high-end baitcasting reel is akin to bringing a knife to a gunfight. Not good. No matter what the manufacturers may tell you (remember, most don't know anything about big baits), a normal bass-fishing baitcaster will not hold up. It will not perform. It will, as we say in big-bait land, "grenade" on you.

If you're serious about swimbaits, you need to be equally serious about your tackle. Since we have no financial connections to tackle companies in the Big Bass Zone, the following is without sponsor bias. Over years of testing, the Shimano Calcutta 400 is one reel that has proven itself both in durability and performance. Obviously, this Calcutta is a size larger than the standard baitcaster. Perhaps other choices exist, but we haven't found them yet.

When matched to a Lamiglas XC 807 Big Bait Special rod and spooled with Maxima 25-pound mono, the Calcutta 400 becomes part of a balanced rig. Moreover, it can deliver a much more forceful hookset when the reel-set is employed.

For example, with a 4.7:1 gear ratio, the Calcutta 400 takes up approximately 20 1/4 of inches line with each revolution. At a distance of 80 feet, this delivers 11 to 13 pounds-per-square-inch (psi) of force on a combination rod/reel-set (with five full revolutions). A normal hookset (sweeping the rod only) creates between 5 and 5 1/2 psi. It doesn't take a math major to see that a reel-set is a better deal.

What may not be as obvious is the amount of force generated by a more standard, but still quality baitcaster such as the Shimano Chronarch 100A. Spooled with 20-pound Maxima mono, this 6.2:1 reel takes up 24 3/4 inches of line per revolution, yet can only generate 7 to 8 psi on a rod/reel-set and 5 to 5 1/2 psi with a normal hookset at a distance of 80 feet.

Even more surprising, the same reel spooled with 12-pound mono at a distance of 80 feet produces nearly the same results as it does with the heavier line - 8 psi on the rod/reel-set and 4 psi with the normal hookset.

Since we're more interested in catching big bass than understanding physics, it's safe to say that the construction and dimensions of standard baitcasters don't lend themselves to effective hooksetting with big baits. You need something that's bigger, stronger and better balanced to the rest of your tackle.

The other part of reelset hooksets is you must keep the rod down, parallel to the water, and pointed directly at the bait, allowing no slack in the line.  To me, this is the toughest part about swimbaiting as I have to force myself to keep my rod in that position as I retrieve the swimbait and I have to keep on reminding myself as I reel to remember to do a ReelSet.

Dan

[skeeter944]

i use a hard hook set with jigs and worms. i normally reel up the slack and then poundthat hook home,while continuing to reel, so i can get the fish out of cover, then i let up and let the fish tire out.

[GobbleDog]

Reel while setting the hook? Umm, no. Maybe when the fish is running at me or it's in heavy cover or something wierd.

But normal worm fishing? No. I reel up the slack and then set the hook.