landed fish VS unlanded fish.....

[Jeff C.]

What would you guys think is a normal,, or average

catch ratio..???

for instance

this morning I...

got 3 bass in the boat..

had 3 others jump & throw the hook,,

2 others got off under water..

1-got my worm and swam away..

and 3-4 more that I just plain missed the hook set...

these were on wacky rigged senkos..

this was a bad landed fish & unlanded fish ratio for me..

but usually with missed hook sets & fish offs

I run about 50/50

what kind of catch ratio do you guys average ??

thanks

Jeff

[THEbassmaster]

good question. ive never really paid attention to this before, but i will try keep track a little this weekend.

aaron

[roadwarrior]

If I detect the bite, my hook-up ratio is something north of 95%. Once hooked, my landing ratio is much higher.

To improve your ratios I suggest the following:

4/0 EWG Gamakatsu or X-Point Offset Worm Hooks.

Yo-Zuri Hybrid or Hybrid Ultra Soft, #6 on spinning gear, #12 for baitcasters.

Set your drag, with a scale, at 25% - 30% of line breaking strength.

"Snap-set" hook-set: When you detect a bite, lower your rod tip and reel down QUICKLY. When you feel the fish, snap your wrists to raise the rod tip without moving the reel position relative to your body.

NEVER, double set.

Keep your rod pointed up between 10 o'clock anf 12 o'clock. Reel when you can, let the fish run when it wants to. Maintain pressure on the fish at all times.  NEVER allow any slack in your line.

[surfer]

Nicely said RW. I was only going to say sharp hooks and always maintain tension in the line / never allow slack.

I am somewhere around 90 to 95% landed after the hook set. i can only remember once in the last 30 hook sets that i know was a bass, but the hook just didn't get him. I am somewhere around 30% for figuring out if its a weed or a fish I am setting the hook on, but hey, swings are free.

[MALTESE FALCON]

I don't have a specific percentage, but I'd have to say it's well above 75%. My biggest problem is with Spooks and lipless crankbaits, I'll lose some when they jump.

Falcon

[Jeff C.]

R.W.,

Are you sugesting 4/0 EWG hooks for wacky Rigging??

and,

for the drag setting,,

say If I am using 12# mono on a spinning reel ( open Face )

then set the drag with a scale @ apx. 3.5 pounds?

Jeff

[frogtog]

RW is correct. Every little thing you do counts for improving your catch ratio.

My ratio is around 97-98% and I owe this to drag set, hook set and my spare

time sharping my hooks. I Never use a hook without fine tuning it.

[roadwarrior]

R.W.,

Are you sugesting 4/0 EWG hooks for wacky Rigging??

and,

for the drag setting,,

say If I am using 12# mono on a spinning reel ( open Face )

then set the drag with a scale @ apx. 3.5 pounds?

Jeff

Well, yes with regard to the line, but I suspect you will find that this is too much for your rod depending on the Power rating. Now this gets a little tricky. The weight you force your rod to lift cannot, by definition, be more than it's maximum capacity. You will have to play with your rod a little, but with a stick rated Medium Power the maximum flex* is not going to be much over 3 lbs. I want to be at 75% of maximum when setting the drag so I have margin for hang-ups and "aggressive" hook-sets. So, in this example 2.5 lbs for your drag setting might be a better choice.

*Maximum flex does NOT equal maximum lift capability. At some point the rod will no longer bend, but it will not necessarily break. However, as you increase weight beyond this point, stress mounts and at some point the rod will in fact break.

Regarding wacky rig: No, 4/0 EWG is probably not the right hook. I was addressing a T-rig presentation.

I don't go wacky, but I think several members have suggested #2 circle hooks. Someone please correct me if that is the wrong size.

[Jeff C.]

Wow,

there are some very impressive catch ratio's here, !!!!

and

some very good info too..

keep it coming..

thanks guys

Jeff

[senile1]

Some lures are prone to lower landing ratios, such as frogs.  When a wacky-rigged Senko is used I would expect a hook-up ratio somewhere north of 90 percent most of the time.  The other posts have already covered most of what you can do to improve your ratio.  I would add that when fishing topwaters you wait until you feel the fish before setting the hook.  

[roadwarrior]

Some lures are prone to lower landing ratios, such as frogs. When a wacky-rigged Senko is used I would expect a hook-up ratio somewhere north of 90 percent most of the time. The other posts have already covered most of what you can do to improve your ratio. I would add that when fishing topwaters you wait until you feel the fish before setting the hook.

Yep.

I was addressing soft plastics and single hooks only. My hook-up and landing ratios and everyone else's is MUCH lower with hardbaits and treble hooks. I don't really know how to put a number on that, but the range would probably be something less than 75%, especially if you count all the slaps and times THE FISH misses the bait!