The Strike, The Hook Set, or the Fight?

[Beastie Bass]

a top water strike is the best of all

X2

[Nitro 882]

The HOOK SET for sure. I pitch jigs a lot--stiff rod, heavy duty line, and a short distance tween me and THE FISH.

I've sent a lot of "buck" bass into orbit when setting the hook, but there's nothing like hauling back and THE FISH DOESN'T BUDGE.

[Led Blimp]

The strike!  The moment when old men turn into little boys again...

Day's First Strike

Moon and sun stare at each other across the sky

The night shift ending

Wind nowhere to be found

Sliding across a blue-green sheet of glass

Spotting a crippled oak bent half dead

Splayed out over the lake

Roots exposed holding on with a last desperate grasp

Finger like digging into the eroded red clay of North Carolina

A perfect cast

Placing the Heddon right beside the branches that have already given in

Dangling limbs into Kerr's cool water

Waiting for the few ripples the Zara caused to cease

Then a single twitch

And the plate glass shatters

Spraying shards into the sky

Largemouth engulfing both trebles

Crashing sideways back to where she can breathe

Spitting out the false offering

Leaving tears in her wake.

[flyboy]

By far the strike...it is the reward for all the preparation for that moment.  But without the hookset and the landing of the fish the reward of the strike is cancelled. 

[BassThumb]

The best thrill is when I lip them.

[Smiths.R]

I love the strike, I even love them just tugging.  But there is nothing better than setting that hook, and feeling the weight and force of that fish on the other end.  I can't help but curse at the fish every single time I set the hook.  I love winning!!

[Fat-G]

I'm glad this topic came up.

For me, the single most exciting thing in fishing is pitching a jig to a laydown. The best part about it is setting the hook, but my favorite moment is the couple of seconds between the fish biting and reeling up the slack and setting some steel.

[bassman31783]

The Strike:  If I'm using a topwater

The Hook Set:  If I'm fishing with a jig or soft plastic

The Fight:  I absolutely love the fight.  Especially if it's a monster.  Your adrenaline gets pumping & your praying like there's no tomorrow hoping that you just get to lip it.

I love all 3 but if I had to chose 1 it would be the fight.  Knowing that the fish did everything it could to come unhinged but I still won is sure a nice feeling.

[The Capn]

Definitely the hook set! And the best hook set happens when pitching a big jig on heavy tackle and you reel down and crack him...the rod loads up and for that split second the fish doesn't budge. Man, I can't wait for the ice to melt around here!

[backpain...]

all of the above?

If I had to pick one, I'd have to say the hookset when pitchin a jig

I think I have to agree.

[highlander]

It has to be the fight, dad and I were at a secluded electric only lake in upper lower of MI and every fish [ch8220]saw the boat[ch8221] and burned the drag away from the boat.  I have never had 12in fish fight so hard it was one of the greatest times I have ever had fishing, it didnt matter how big they were when you finally got them to the boat they all fought like they were trophy fish.

[florida strain]

the strike on topwater- the hookset on a reaction bait- the fight of a big -n... if i had to pick just one it would be a strike becase of the information

[CAdeltaLipRipper]

All 3

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

i like all three times 10 or 20 or mabye more

[NasTMcfingas]

Definitely the strike, its the beginning of the other two that follow. No strike, no hook set, no fight.

[BassinSoldier]

I love them all almost equally but probably the strike more than the other two if I had to chose.  Nothing like draggin a football jig through some chunk rock and I feel that tell tale thud.  The whole world stops dead and everything falls so silent to me that I can hear my heart pounding in my ears.  Also a big fan of pullin the toad through matted grass in the summer.  If you don't get the jitters from a largemouth flying a foot out of the water with your lure in his mouth then you need to quit fishing right now.

[J Francho]

4.  The weigh in.

[Triton21]

Definitely the strike, its the beginning of the other two that follow. No strike, no hook set, no fight.

Beat me to it.

I totally agree.  STRIKE, Hookset, Fight, Landing the fish.

Kelley

[Bass_Akwards]

Definitely the strike, its the beginning of the other two that follow. No strike, no hook set, no fight.

Beat me to it.

I totally agree. STRIKE, Hookset, Fight, Landing the fish.

Kelley

So do you guys like the STRIKE the best because without it, you can't have the hookset or the fight?

Or are you saying after catching, and landing the fish, you like the strike the best of the three?

And for all you guys that said the STRIKE...

What if you get a nice topwater strike or Jig strike and the bass completely whiffs and you don't even get the hook set? You still telling me you like that whiffed strike as much as a good hookset?

[5bass]

What if you get a nice topwater strike or Jig strike and the bass completely whiffs and you don't even get the hook set? You still telling me you like that whiffed strike as much as a good hookset?

I'm confused by this. How do you get a good hookset if the fish whiffs? If the fish misses, the hookset will miss too. I know I hate laying the steel on nothing.....

[Triton21]

What if you get a nice topwater strike or Jig strike and the bass completely whiffs and you don't even get the hook set? You still telling me you like that whiffed strike as much as a good hookset?

I'm confused by this. How do you get a good hookset if the fish whiffs? If the fish misses, the hookset will miss too. I know I hate laying the steel on nothing.....

I love them all and what I am saying you don't get to enjoy the other 2 without the strike.  Therefore I think the STRIKE is the most important.

Kelley

[Bass_Akwards]

I'm just tryng to figure out from the guys who answered "The Strike" if they like a scenario like scenario #1, or #2 better I guess?

1. You have a great strike on a topwater or a jig. For example one of those topwater blow ups that's super fun and super vicious and splashy. You try to set the hook, but there's no load up. No fish. OOPS! The fish didn't inhale the bait and it was a swing and a miss. All air. Therefore you got that awesome strike y'all are talking about but no fish.

or

You get a super weak strike on a jig. One of those where you're not even sure a fish hit the bait but instinctively you give that rod a YANK and BOOM, that sucker loads up and you realize "Holy crapbuckets, this things a PIG!"

My view is #2 wins by far. A killer hook set, beats a killer strike.

[5bass]

What if you get a nice topwater strike or Jig strike and the bass completely whiffs and you don't even get the hook set? You still telling me you like that whiffed strike as much as a good hookset?

I'm confused by this. How do you get a good hookset if the fish whiffs? If the fish misses, the hookset will miss too. I know I hate laying the steel on nothing.....

I love them all and what I am saying you don't get to enjoy the other 2 without the strike. Therefore I think the STRIKE is the most important.

Kelley

Kelly, my post wasnt questioning your reasoning....in fact, on the first or 2nd page I replied that I'm a 'strike' guy myself. 

[Rebel Angler]

I love seein a huge strike on a topwater on a early summer mornin

[Dave D]

I'm going to say that it's the moment between the strike and the hook set.  You feel the first tick when worm fishing and then there is a little bit of a wait(which makes your heart speed up), then BAM!