When to Set the Hook on T-rigs: First tick or Let 'em Take it?

[gotarheelz14]

And by this, I mean mostly T-rigs and maybe Jigs.

The reason I ask is because I almost always give them a good two to three seconds before setting the hook. I like to see at least some kind of line movement to know they have fully taken it.

On the other hand, I don't want to gut hook many fish, which I typically do not, but I do get a lot of "cheek?" hooksets and not on the lip as I see many of the pros get.

I would hate to miss a fish knowing that maybe he had only taken the back side of a worm or head of the jig. On the other hand, I don't want to gut hook fish or miss fish that spit out my bait after tasting or feeling something odd.

Let me know what you guys think!

Carlos

[MaxumBass]

Depends on what the fish are doing for me. Some days they just lay there and chew on it and you have to use the FORCE to even tell your getting a bite. ;D Other days they slam it and there's no doubt. On the days they slam it I give them about a second and stick them.

[SuskyDude]

I set when I feel the tap. The time it takes me to drop the rod tip and reel in the slack is all they need.

Waiting will eventually lead to deep hooked fish.

[K_Mac]

When I feel the tap, I set the hook, esp with a jig. With a worm I fire immediately most of the time; if that's not working well I might pause for a second or two, but not usually.

[Skinnyh2ofishin]

Like others have said, some days it can differ... But on most days, if I get a single tick, or even think I got a single tick, I set the hook. It doesn't take many swing-and-misses to know how the bite is going to be that day.

I've had the great fortune of growing up with a canal behind my house and have caught more bass by sight than I can count and this is what I've come to...

Often when we get bit and feel it (as opposed to not feeling it and seeing the line move) with plastics, it's either a single tick or a double tick. A single tick usually means the fish has the whole bait in it's mouth when you feel the bite because it only took one flare of the gills to suck the worm in. A double tick usually means the fish sucked in half (give or take) the worm at first and then sucked the rest in. Either way the fish has the entire bait in it's mouth by the time you know they were even there.

SOME EXCEPTIONS:

That single tick could also be a small fish picking at the bait to check it out.

The double tick could be the fish inhaling the bait and then spitting it right back out.

Sometimes there are more ticks when a fish really can't make up it's darn mind about eating your bait and picks at it repeatedly in succession.

There is no way to tell if the fish that hit is a giant or a dink!!

Ultimately what I've gained from this is that I'm not willing to let a double digit bass (or any nice bass in general) decide it doesn't want my worm because I wanted to wait to set the hook. At the beginning of every trip I set the instant I feel anything different. If I find I'm missing the fish then I slowly allow a little more time to my hookset, but only in the area where I'm missing fish. If I move to a different type of area or change to a different color/type of worm (often a good idea in the first place if the fish aren't inhaling it) I start all over again.

Just with EVERY other facet of fishing, you can take in all the advice in the world but experimentation is where learning really starts to mean something.

Good luck!

[Scorcher214]

Ya, somtimes you wont have any idea they are there until you lift up your rod and feel the weight of a fish. I try to get em on the first tick i feel, if i set the hook and no fish, i cast to the same spot and let the fish take for a bit longer.

[roadwarrior]

ALWAYS lower your rod tip while reeling down QUICKLY.

Snap your wrists to raise your rod tip without moving the

position of your hands relative to your body. When fishing

a T-Rig, a delayed hook-set is NEVER the right choice!

8-)

[fishfordollars]

Quickly, the second tick you feel usually is the fish rejecting the lure.

[WRB]

The old saying that fish don't have hands applies.

You can't set the hook too fast with a jig when fishing for largemouth bass. Smallmouth and spots you need to let them peck at the jig, if the jig trailer has claws.

T-rigged worms depends on the size of the worm verse the size of the bass; large worm/small bass you might give it a pause. Keep in mind; swings are free, if you snooze you loose.

WRB

[hookingem]

IMO on a jig you have to hit them hard and quick dont wait they will spit jigs fast.

[farmpond1]

Bass don't have hands.  They can't pick a lure up that way.  They have to use their mouths.  While it is possible for the bait to not make it completely in the bass's mouth on the first uptake, it is not in a bass's best interest to give a food source a chance to escape. They usually inhale it pretty well.

The only time I "allow" is the time required to get into proper hookset position (see Roadwarrior's contribution).  But that's it.  Generally, I get a solid hookset on around 85% of the bass that strike so I'm confidant you should set the hook immediately.

[gotarheelz14]

As always, I am extremely thankful for your help. You guys have given me a LOT of insight. Not only what to do, but the reason behind it and what the fish is doing to make things so.

This place rocks!

Thanks.

[Gangley]

One thing to consider that a lot of people don't, is when the strike occurs.  I generally decide whether or not to set the hook depending on the point in my retrive that the strike occures. 

Strike on the lift:

If I'm slowly lifting the rod and feel the tap, I will not set the hook unless I feel weight on the line.  In most cases, if I feel a tap while lifting the rod, there will immediately be weight on the line afterwards, and I apply my bionic ninja hookset.  However, if I dont feel weight, then I continue slowly lifting and generally I will feel another tap, or multiple taps, and I set the hook once the tap turns into weight.  If the bites are aggressive that trip, then I will start to set the hook hard on the first tap just to make sure that I am not leaving any fish on the table, but for the most part, I have learned that by keeping a little pressure on the line, I can tell if a bass has it in his mouth or not.

Strike on the fall or slack line:

If I feel a hit while on the drop or on slack line, I set the hook immediately, no questions asked.

Feel Weight when lifting lure off of bottom:

Usually an instant hookset

[Vinny Chase]

ALWAYS lower your rod tip while reeling down QUICKLY.

Snap your wrists to raise your rod tip without moving the

position of your hands relative to your body. When fishing

a T-Rig, a delayed hook-set is NEVER the right choice!

8-)

Exactly....Most of the time bass inhale the bait, so right when you feel that tap go through your routine. Tip down, start reeling slack, let er rip!

[Raul]

If you wait to "let 'em take it" two things happen:

1.- You end up with a gut/gill hooked fish or

2.- The fish spits the bait

[Catt]

This is the way Shaw Grigsby put it to me, its call the three tap theory.

The first tap the bass has inhaled your bait

The second tap the bass has exhaled your bait

The third tap I'm tapping you on the shoulder asking you why you didn't set hook!

Drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook 

[Vinny Chase]

If you wait to "let 'em take it" two things happen:

1.- You end up with a gut/gill hooked fish or

2.- The fish spits the bait

Boom! Spot on

[SoFlaBassAddict]

This is the way Shaw Grigsby put it to me, its call the three tap theory.

The first tap the bass has inhaled your bait

The second tap the bass has exhaled your bait

The third tap I'm tapping you on the shoulder asking you why you didn't set hook!

Drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook

x2

Was going to post that.  I just couldn't remember what the third tap was.

I feel the tap, reel down, stick em.  No need to wait for the most part.

[brushhoggin]

wait till all the ticks are over, then let em have it

[BassThumb]

Well put, RW.  There's no reason to wait with any soft plastic lure or jig.

[NBR]

Some years ago at a seminar one of the pros answered this question with, " The first tap is the bass taking the worm(jig), the second tap is the bass exhaling the worm(jig) and the third tap is God tapping stupid on the shoulder for not hooking up with another bass.

[DBatey]

Bass don't have hands, i agree the first feeling is them inhaling the bait so set the hook. If you are getting a lot of misses its usually sunfish or bass that are too small to inhale the bait anyway.