What percentage of your bites are landed?

[Needemp]

I was curious, how many of your hits on a normal day (not counting ones that you know are bluegill, etc.) end up in the boat? I'm curious to find out how many people keep track and what the normal percentage is. I have been landing on average 75% of my strikes, which may or may not be a good percentage, but it's for sure better than my old ratio.

I have had days where when the bass are hitting real light, I only land 10%, but I also have had days where I land almost every bass that I fool. But those are very rare days. Anyway, just curious of your responses.

[Shimano-king]

I land about 50% as of now, but I think that my hook setting skills could be better.  I notice that when I get a bite im so excited that I just start reeling as though the hook is already set.  I've been told that once you feel the "tap" "tap", your supposed to wait a second then set the hook.  I see Bill Dance, and Roland Martin, and how they set the hook. Maybe thats the right way but it just seems a little too extreme.  Do you have any techniques?

[J@k3 01s3n]

I do keep track, to try and see if I'm improving at all.

Last 3 trips:

1- 6 hours 12 landed 4 missed = 75%

2- 4 hours 8 landed 3 missed = 73%

3- 2 hours 4 landed 2 missed = 67%

I think for me it just depends on the kind of fishing I am doing. With soft plastics I normally do well, as I pay attention to every little tick, and I usually land around 70% on a good day. Its harder to detect bites sometimes with carolina rigs, and I don't always have large hookup ratios with crankbaits. The worst for me is topwater, as often they just flat out miss. I also have TONS more luck with a sweeping hookset rather than a straight up one.

I bet you could improve your percentage by just making sure that you are using sharpened hooks. Do yourself a favor, go to walmart and buy a sharpener. I always thought that using new hooks I'd be fine, but my hookups have significantly improved since I started sharpening my hooks. If you don't feel like sharpening though, I find gamakatsu to be just about the best out of the package.

[RoLo]

Realistically, I can't answer that question.

The strikes we receive are not all delivered by bass. Most of the time I can tell the difference,

but sometimes I can't. Just the other evening, I missed at least 2 fish and landed only 2 bass.

However, during that same evening I lifted two sunfish out of the water that fell off the hook

of a 6.5" kut-tail worm (1 bluegill, 1 warmouth). I'm sure we're plagued by untargeted fish

more often than we realize. If I didn't actually see the culprits, I might've blamed myself

for a poor hook-set. While bass fishing this year, my wife and I have landed bluegills,

warmouth, crappie, pickerel, bowfin and one alligator. I have a hunch that

my hook-up percentage on bass alone is probably 70 to 80% but I honestly don't know.

As for bowfin, yeah, that's got to be 100% ;D > ;D

Roger

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

yea, I track more variables than most people.  I know Rolo's records are pretty in-depth also.  That one however, is just too inconsistent to track for way too many reasons such as the ones mentioned and the biggest variable of all would be which bait are you using?  

Someone that fishes 3:11 no bull frogs and buzzfrogs primarily will have a much lower ratio than a jig fisherman.  If the angler employs both tactics,  then it's a completely inconsistant number.  Now that's just recording 2 tactics.  Personally I use many more than that in one outting and a tournament fisherman even more than me.  Waaaaay too much information.

[Redtail]

Good Question - I wondered about that also!

I use mostly Senkos, Ikas and kreatures.  On those I think it's pretty good, maybe 70% or so.

Topwaters - much different - maybe 25%.

Spinnerbaits and cranks - I'm still waiting for a bite to find out!  Man I stink with that stuff!

[sparky]

With my SENSITVE MH Worming rod matched with braided line and Eagle Claw #4 hook, I miss about 50% average. It is much harder to feel strikes with a LESS SENSITVE limber rod and monofilament line.

[Fish Chris]

That is a really good question (remember, I pretty much only fish with 1 lure nowadays... the 8" Huddleston trout).

But my buddies and I have gone back and forth about the best way to rig them. Recently my one buddy says, "Yea... but whats your hooking percentage... about 30%" ? Ouch !

So in my defense, I would like to explain it this way.... Yes, small fish (like 1 to 4 lb'ers) will often try to eat a trout lure. Sometimes they give it all they have, but usually can get it in there mouth to hook themselves. Other times, a big fish will come up and give it a little half-hearted swat, or a nip, just to see 'what the heck is up with that trout' ? If you call the above "missed hits".... then yea... I miss a bunch of them. But when a big ol' 10 plus bass flat decides its going to eat that trout (lure), and inhales it, my hooking and landing percentage is over 95% !

My buddies sometimes use multiple, and / or smaller hooks on there swimbaits, and they hook more of those half hearted swatters... mostly the smaller ones that I miss, which is good for them, especially if they are fishing tournies. But for myself, I'd rather miss the smaller ones, if my hook rigging gives me (at least in my own mind) a slightly better chance of landing the monsters.

Peace,

Fish

[jeronimo]

i can honestly say that with anything other than a buzzbait its right around 90%. with the buzzbait however its about 25%. i really need to put a stinger on them.

[alhuff]

so far this year my % for hook ups on topwater has gone up...i tend to get a but excited when they hit topwater and set the hook to soon, but i'm getting better.  

Alfred

[bassmasta7]

1000%... or 70%

[Siebert Outdoors]

I dont really keep track of it but I dont lose to many fish or mis many.  It is lure specific like said above.  To take a guess I would say total would be 85-90%.  This weekend I will try to keep better track.  Just hope its not one of those crazy missing fish weekends.

[Raul]

I think you guys are just trying to figure out a number of how high is your hook up ratio to feel comfortable, it 's a lot less of what you think. A bass can swallow a bait and spit it repeatedly and you won 't notice it, so saying : oh my hook up ratio is 90%.........man you 're BSing yourself, and that is sad, there 's nothing wrong in being realistic, fish strike a lot more times your baits than you are willing to accept. If you want me to put a number then I would say that my hookup ratio is 20%.

[bassmasta7]

I have probably a 30% hookup % with swimblades. :'( That is my worst hookup % lure.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Well Raul ...... I prefer to think positive

I land 100% of the bass I catch ......

Raul is right though.  If you knew how many times a bass inhaled your bait and spit it out without you knowing it, it would probably make you sick.  I highly recommend the Bigmouth video series.  You'll find those bass are trickier than you thought.

If the numbers above reflect "known" bites, then I would say everybody is pretty close.  But also like other people have mentioned, it's really hard to put one number on it.  

I know for a fact though that my number is right on. ;D

[Raul]

I highly recommend the Bigmouth video series.  You'll find those bass are trickier than you thought

Exactly ! that was what I had in my mind when I replied KU.

The question should be: If you are able to detect the strike then what is your percentage of hooked and landed fish ?

In that case I 'd say 80% of the fish I hook are landed.

[KillerTomato]

about 70% for me

[CJ]

This is a topic I have been working hard on.I agree with Raul.I don't think there is a way of knowing excactly how many fish get away with biting your lure,especially if your fishing the right spots(structure and cover).I have worked hard on detecting bites in the last couple of years.I am a tournament fisherman and if I don't miss a quality bite than I only need 5 of em'.

[J@k3 01s3n]

I guess it just needs clarification. When I state my hookup ratio, I am talking about fish on for at least a couple seconds that then throw the hook because of poor hook sets, not just bites or ticks.

[dodgeguy]

going by your clarified definition i have to say 95% landed.i rarely lose a fish that's ON.it does happen but not that often.

[slappy]

its about 50percent for me but getting better

[Needemp]

Thanks guys for the responses. That gives me an idea.

I know there was some confusion about what I meant in the question. What I was talking about was the actual bites that no doubt about it you had a bass on. I wasn't refering to the bites we get that we don't know about. That would be kind of hard to keep track of, at least for me anyways lol! I'm not even talking about the ones that could be the bottom or a limb or something like that. What I was talking about was the ones that you could definately say "that was a hit". I know some could be bluegill, catfish, etc., but you cant always tell, so they get counted.

[DDbasser]

Normally I land about 90% of the fish that I get on the hook.

But, last night we fished a 3 hour jackpot and I lost 3 bass on a crankbait( I saw all of them ), and missed 2 smallmouth on topwater(saw those too), I landed 2 short bass and 2 white bass hybrids. OUCH, less than 50%  :'(