losing fish right next to the boat

[Luke at Gouldsboro]

Hey Everyone, I've had this major problem of losing bass right next to the boat. The fish are usually within 2 feet of the boat and they do a head shake and "poof" they're gone. Any hints or tip would be helpful and greatly appreciated. Thanks

[J Francho]

Get a net!

That, and what baits are you experiencing this trouble with?  Is there a pattern to the drops, or are you dropping fish in every situation?

[retiredbosn]

From your other post I am going to assume you are talking about fish you are catching on crankbaits.  If so what kind of pole do you have and what kind of line do you use.  I used to have the same problem with loosing crankbait fish near the boat.  The problem was that the rod was too stiff, I purchased a BPS Crankin stick, problem solved.  A crankin stick or a graphite rod with a slow to medium action will give to the fish and not pull the trebles out.  If you are using a crankin stick of some type I would look at the line, if you are using a line that doesn't stretch any, then I would switch to either mono or a hybrid line.  Same problem as a stiff rod, the rod and line must give enough to keep the hooks in the fishes mouth but not enough to give too much slack.  If you are talking about throwing jigs worms etc then take this advice and reverse it.  Good luck

[farmpond1]

It could be a number of things.  Are you using soft plastics?  Maybe you aren't setting the hook hard enough.  Or perhaps you aren't keeping enough tension on the line/fish and the fish shakes it free.  Or, as Retiredbsn said, maybe your rod is too stiff or your line not stretchy enough (or both) and the fish tears off.  Or it could be that the fish you catch are light biters and you are only hooking them on the outside edge of their mouths.  Or maybe you use too heavy of a lead weight with a carolina rig.  Or your hooks aren't sharp enough.  As I said, it could one of many things.

[Culln5]

Without knowing all of the details, I would venture to say that you are either pulling the fish's head out of the water or allowing the fish to break the water.  Try to eliminate the head breaking the water...... Try using a net.

[Luke at Gouldsboro]

Now that I think of it, they were breeching the water, and I had my rod held high. I think my biggest mistake is when i'm trying to get the fish right next to the boat, I'm holding my rod high and their heads come out, they jump, and they're gone. Oh by the way, Every time it happens I'm using a new crank bait with sharp hooks

[aarogb]

    1.  Get a net.

    2.  Keep your rod in the water to keep the fish's head from coming out the water.

    3.  ALWAYS keep your line tight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CWB]

1. Get a net.

2. Keep your rod in the water to keep the fish's head from coming out the water.

3. ALWAYS keep your line tight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

X2

I would switch 2 and 1. keep rod in water top prevent fish from jumping. If they jump and spit the bait out of netting range a net won't help much.

[J Francho]

Sometimes burying the rod in the water doesn't keep a big girl from doing what she wants, but it does make it easier to keep constant pressure applied.  This is a reentry shot of a 5-0 smallmouth.  I ended up giving her the "figure-8" treatment toward the end of the battle, until she was ready for the net.

Result:

[SirSnookalot]

Net is almost foolproof but experience is the key. Keep the pressure on them, trebles will give you more trouble than single hooks.

[Paul Roberts]

When the line is short between you and the fish, things get critical: much less line stretch, and the possibility of gaining slack or pulling too hard are greatly magnified.

Do as J Francho suggests -lead the fish with the rod. Don't reach for a fish (with net or hand) unless it's coming toward you. You control this by leading the fish with the rod. Figure eight -just keep the tension even and then get her coming toward you smoothly.

Also, keep the head under the water. Drop the rod tip to the surface (or below) if it tries to jump or head thrash.

Realize, you've got time. No rush.

I really liked John's photo of him leading that big smallie. He had about as much control of that 5.0 smallie as you can get.

[RoLo]

As a rule of thumb, the only time to play with a fish is after it's in the boat.

The more time the fish spends in the water, the greater its chance for freedom.

Nevertheless, if it's an outstanding fish and I notice that it's only lightly hooked,

I won't hesitate to back-off on the drag tension.

If you want to encourage any fish to jump, just use the Bill Dance showboat maneuver

by holding the rod-tip high above the water. It naturally follows that a low rod-tip position tends to discourage a leap,

but that's just a "tendency". I'm not aware of any surefire method for preventing a jump from a bass that's hellbent on jumping,

especially a smallmouth bass. Heaven knows, I've dunked more than one water-resistant wristwatch to no avail.

After all, the bass have to win one once in a while too.

Roger

[WRB]

Your problem with crankbaits is a combination of the rod, the rods position and your drag. Your rod should have a slow enough action so it bends evenly from the middle of the rod to the tip; parabolic bend.

A typical bass rod has a fast action and bends mostly at the top 1/3rd near the tip of the rod. The fast action rods are good for nearly everything in bass fishing except crankbaits.

With your rod held at 12 o'clock, the rod is lifting their bass out of the water as it approaches the boat. A good slow action cranking rod bends enough to help prevent this lifting action, plus puts less pressure on the hooks.

Setting your drag to no more than 1/3rd the line strength or no more than 3 lbs will also prevent tearing out hooks or breaking line near the boat. The only time you need more drag is around heavy cover.

Controlling the bass means keeping the fish in front of you and keeping the rod and line loaded up with pressure at all times, give no slack line.

Landing the fish will require you to keep the rod tip up so the rod can bend, do this after the fish is under control.

WRB

[joshuaryan]

I hate it when that happens.  I had a 5+ lber right at the boat, shook its head and tossed the lure at the boat making a big kla-lank sound.  I was heart broken for a week   :'(

[DINK WHISPERER]

I hate it when that happens. I had a 5+ lber right at the boat, shook its head and tossed the lure at the boat making a big kla-lank sound. I was heart broken for a week :'(

MAN, you got to weigh it before it got off!?!  

[Flippin & Pitchin]

The first one I lost at the boat was last year when I was in a friendly competition with 2 of my friends. I was controlling the boat and pulled up to a point. They each caught fish right off the bat and then we went dry for a bit.

I got a good bite and got her hooked...right to the surface and while I was waiting for the net she threw it. It would of been a keeper on that lake (18 inch+). I answered with a 5.2# about an hour later on the same point. This time the net got to me in time

[Crestliner2008]

The older I get, the less important it is to me to land every fish I hook. I'm more into the hunt and the subsequent successful presentation, that means the most to me. Being a CPR fisherman anyway, so it's not a problem to loose a fish or two at boat-side. The overall fishing experience is much more important than landing every fish. JMO.