Hard Hookset help please.

[Jeffthefisherman]

Hey guys. can u explain me the technic of a good hook set with texas rig weedles soft plastic. I feel the bite. after i reel slack line then i pull hard??? please tell me in a good detailed version please! Thanks!!!

Jeff.

[J Francho]

Fish the bait with rod tip relatively high.  Feel the bite, and point the rod tip at the fish as you reel in the slack, and then swing hard upward.

[Hammer 4]

Except on dinks..I've seen the whole side of their mouth ripped apart, also it's easy to get em hooked in the eye from the backside..just thought I'd toss that in the mix..

[kms399]

i don't have time to look for  a better video but this should give you an idea

[WRB]

Hey guys. can u explain me the technic of a good hook set with texas rig weedles soft plastic. I feel the bite. after i reel slack line then i pull hard??? please tell me in a good detailed version please! Thanks!!!

Jeff.

How you actually set the hook follows several more important factors.

1. The rod type you are using.

2.The reel and line.

3. The hook style and size.

4. The size of the worm verses the size of the hook.

Setting the hook is a simple matter of applying enough force to the hook point to penetrate the basses hard mouth tissues. If you wait long enough time, the bass may swallow the plastic worm and hook, so timing is another factor to consider.

How about answering the first 4 questions, then we can talk about hook setting techniques, like snap setting or slack line setting.

WRB

[Jeffthefisherman]

Ok so here are the info u needed:

1. i Use a 7'0 MH Rapala Ts2 baitcast

2.i got a Quantum code with 12lb mono Trilene XL smooth cast

3. i use a size 3/0 white gap bigmouth hook

4. I use the 5" senko

Now, could u explain me the way to get a good hookset? like i point the rod to the fish while reeling the slack andi pull?

[Crestliner2008]

I use a MH action 6'6" spinning rod with 12 lb. test fluoro and a 3/0 EWG hook for most of my largemouth fishing. I like the pull-set technique as well; crimping the barb down on all my off-set hooks to facilitate removal. Rarely do I miss bass this way. If a bass picks up a Senko, it won't let it go, so you can be patient!  

[Catt]

Detection, Timing, & Speed is paramount when setting hook while using plastics

[CWB]

Except on dinks..I've seen the whole side of their mouth ripped apart, also it's easy to get em hooked in the eye from the backside..just thought I'd toss that in the mix..

How do you tell if it's a dink or a hawg unless you are sight fishing?

Rod speed is the key. Upward and sideways motion work for me.

I don't let them have it too long. Reel up slack and swing!

[HAMMER23]

Except on dinks..I've seen the whole side of their mouth ripped apart, also it's easy to get em hooked in the eye from the backside..just thought I'd toss that in the mix..

                                                                                                               Except on dinks ? when you set the hook how do you know the difference between a dink and the biggest bass you have ever caught !

[TommyBass]

With treble hooks you barely need to do anything but lift your rod and reel faster.  With soft plastics and jigs you need to give it a little more umph but not alot.  Most people way over exaggerate the need to set the hook hard.  As sharp as hooks are these days they will go in with only the slightest pressure (just put one on your finger and pull slightly, you'll see).  Now thats not saying you dont need to set it at all.  I usually fish the rod higher, reel down slightly until almost taunt and give it a sweeping jerk.  I don't miss many fish doing it this way and you save our baby bass the traumatic hookset flight many of them get (sadly I'vee seen dinks killed by people who set the hook real hard).  Most guys have a macho-fisherman feel that they need to really lay into them, but its not completely necessary.  Save your back and the fish and just be reasonable about it.

[HAMMER23]

I will put it to you this way, it's better to be safe than sorry so give it a yank !!!

[WRB]

Ok so here are the info u needed:

1. i Use a 7'0 MH Rapala Ts2 baitcast

2.i got a Quantum code with 12lb mono Trilene XL smooth cast

3. i use a size 3/0 white gap bigmouth hook

4. I use the 5" senko

Now, could u explain me the way to get a good hookset? like i point the rod to the fish while reeling the slack andi pull?

Senko's are fat body worms with a lot of salt to sink them. Why you prefer to use a Senko T-rigged is your choice. The Mustad Big-Mouth hook is designed for tubes, short shank J bend.

Checking the hook size to the worm body diameter; after you insert the hook and position the point where you like it, push the front of the worm and the worm body where the point was inserted down onto the hook bend gap. This is what happens to the worm when a bass bites it and you try to set the hook. If the hook bend gap is filled with worm body more than 50%, the hook point can't penetrate the fishes mouth tissue, regardless of how much force you try to apply.

For T-rigged worms I prefer the straight shank sproat bend hook in 4/0 to 5/0 size for fat bodied worms 3/8+ diameter.

Also with a Senko use the light, 3/32 oz, bullet weight. Senko's are designed to make slight wiggles as they fall. When a Senko hits the bottom, they lay motionless. With a Texas rig a floating style worm may give you better results; softer smaller diameter body, the bullet weight swims the worm down and the tail end floats upwards. Just a thought.

Hook setting a T-riiged worm; work the worm with the rod tip, typical motion is lefting between 2 o'clock to 1 o'clock, when you feel a strike, lower the rod down to be parallel to the water surface, reel up the slack and snap set the rod back upright. With practice you should hook a high % of the bass you detect.

Good luck.

WRB

[Catt]

Southern sproat worm hooks both straight shank and offset went out of style in the 70s and have been replaced by the more efficient round bend or wide gap.

It's simple geometry

Wide gap hooks have the hook point directly in line with the eye of the hook or slightly above the line eye on extra wide gap hooks. When you set the hook, the sinker and the front of the lure clear a path for the hook point to escape a bass's mouth without imbedding. On straight shank hooks the point rides substantially above the eye of the hook and aims for the roof of the bass's mouth, resulting in a more hook-ups. The extra wide gap hooks do an excellent job of holding fish if you manage to get the hook through the bass's mouth on the hook set. There are plenty of times when a bass completely takes the bait and even on a short pitch with braided line, the hook flies cleanly out of the bass's mouth on the hook set. Missing an extra fish every once in a while doesn't sound like a big deal, but if that fish is the Lunker of a lifetime, losing it is a huge deal.

[Hammer 4]

That's my point..if you have sharp hooks, and use the proper technique, you don't need to slam em, i.e. whip the rod with all you have..As was said..reel down then set it with enough force to get the fish..Now if your in real deep water, then use more force.

I see 200+# guys with broomsticks throwing all their body weight into a hookset, which IMHO there's no need for it...JMHO.

With treble hooks you barely need to do anything but lift your rod and reel faster. With soft plastics and jigs you need to give it a little more umph but not alot. Most people way over exaggerate the need to set the hook hard. As sharp as hooks are these days they will go in with only the slightest pressure (just put one on your finger and pull slightly, you'll see). Now thats not saying you dont need to set it at all. I usually fish the rod higher, reel down slightly until almost taunt and give it a sweeping jerk. I don't miss many fish doing it this way and you save our baby bass the traumatic hookset flight many of them get (sadly I'vee seen dinks killed by people who set the hook real hard). Most guys have a macho-fisherman feel that they need to really lay into them, but its not completely necessary. Save your back and the fish and just be reasonable about it.

[WRB]

The difference between a round and sproat bend is irrelevant, it's the size of the gap throat that makes the difference, not the bend shape.

Gamakatsu #11 is a good sproat hook and # 484 a good round bend, #584 is the EWG hook. All 3 are good choices.

Mustad, Owner, Daiichi are all high quality products with similar hook styles.

WRB

[flechero]

Here is why I think so many have a "hard" hookset- ever had a nice fish come up and spit a jig at you? Most of the time it's because the hook never got her... with a closed mouth it can be tough to clear the jig's head and hook the fish. Tie a jig or something on and hold the line above the jig- see how much force a light hand hold can withstand before the hand opens and the jig begins to slide through.

Even on a good hookset, I have an occasional fish come up and open its mouth to (smile and then) spit it at me... and I clearly see that the jig was just held in her mouth and not hooked. I've watched many guests do the same thing with a t-rig bullet weight, when the hookset was weak.

[NBR]

I put the hook completely through the worm then back it inside to make the rig weedless or I leave the hook through the worm and just skin hook the point.

Regardless your words, "then pull" flashed a red light. I drop the rod tip towards the fish to about horizontal, put the rod butt in my big fat belly button and snap the rod to vertical while reeling. You want to get the tip and therefore the line and hook moving fast except with circle hooks.