Fail to set hook at short distance

[steezy]

I have found a nice honey hole where I am catching 3-4 lb'ders  on a regular basis.  The location is a waterfall where there is a good supply of small fish for the bass to eat and the water is deeper and the area is shaded.  I typically catch a large fish every 20-30 min but I miss 2 or 3 times as many fish by failing to set the hook.  I usually just flip/pitch a black plastic worm or dark tube bait into the waterfall with only 8-10 feet of line from my rod tip to the bottom of the waterfall.  This morning I caught a 3.5 lb'der that struck so hard he pulled my rod tip under the water.  They strike so hard it feels like a hammer hitting my rod.  I think my problem of not getting the hook set is caused by holding the rod tip to low and now allowing enough line and distance to properly set the hook.  Should I just keep the rod tip higher or will that potentially increase the amount of slack line.

I would appreciate any comments or suggestions to help me solve this so I can catch 3 times more fish.

[Catt]

For the last month all the bass I have caught has been what I call short strikers; meaning the bass wait until they are 15' or less from the end of the rod. This is occurring with spinner baits, rat-l-traps, buzz bait, t-rigs, & jigs; on the t-rigs, & jigs it's almost directly under the boat.

What I do with t-rigs & jigs is to keep my rod at the 1 o'clock and then follow the fish down to the 2 o'clock position before setting hook like I'm trying to break something.

On the other baits I point the rod towards the fish and set hook.

[RoLo]

For the last month all the bass I have caught has been what I call short strikers; meaning the bass wait until they are 15' or less from the end of the rod. .

You Too?

Odd, but that's exactly what I'm dealing with here in Florida (all our best bass have been stuck within one boat-length).

I believe Catt uses Trilene Big Game, which puts him at an advantage to me at short range.

I use braided line, which has virtually no shock absorption and can be brutal at short range.

Just to waste about a half-second, I force myself to drop the rod-tip first, then react in the normal manner (it works pretty good).

Roger

[George Welcome]

Short strikes shock the senses causing a momentary brain failure. When a fish hits close range, set the hook right then regardless where  you rod is. That hard hit creates a false image within your brain that the bass hooked itself, which doesn't happen often unless they swallow the bait.

Don't be slow and don't be fooled: you get hit, hit back. It's what flipping is all about.

[Shad_Master]

I guess I have a little different take on this - I often fish a particular drain pipe that flows from a golf course - after a rain the water is rushing through and this causes the fish to stack up in the flow - I have found that if I let 'em run for just a few seconds before setting the hook I have better results.  I pitch my lure into the flow on slack line and let it wash out until I see the line move and then engage the reel.

[DINK WHISPERER]

I ALWAYS keep my rod tip low and the spool open. That way you have enough slack to allow the fish to take the lure good. Plus, i get some bone jarring hook sets with the tip low to the water!

[Catt]

A momentary brain failure & a false image within your brain

Perfect descriptions

With spinner baits, rat-l-traps, & buzz bait these have been freight train hits within 4-6' from the rod tip; the longer distances have been with the t-rigs & jigs but the savageness of the strikes are the same.

Odd?

No totally weird that it's continued this long