Problem Landing Bass

[dwtaylor]

I have been fishing finesse jigs a lot lately and I seem to be losing a lot of fish as they get closer to me. About 60% of the bites end up in the boat, while the others end up getting hooked and shake off or something. The jigs that I am using have a light/medium diameter hook and a medium stiffness weedguard. I am also using a 7' mh Team Daiwa S rod (worm/jig) and 12lb trilene 100% fc.

When I do land a fish, the hook is set in the mouth pretty good, but I am wondering if I am ripping lips or something on the lost fish. If that is the case, how could I change that?

[hookingem]

use Braid, and Swing hard.

[gobig]

Personally I do not think you need to use braid on a finesse jig. There are a couple of things that could be going on here. The first thing is poor mechanics in fighting the fish. The faster the rod tip is the less forgiving it is. The more parabolic bend (looks like a C, a more continuous bend in the the rod) that a rod has the greater the margin for error. It shouldn't take a whole lot to get a good hook up with a light wire hook. In fact I throw finesse jigs on a medium spinning rod with very few problems. The other thing I would look at is the jig that you are using. If its got a crap hook that could pose a problem also. With a finesse jig they should almost hook them selves.

[CODbasser]

Try tightening your drag a little; Just dont tighten it so much that it doesn't serve its purpose. Maybe try a medium hvy in 7' if you aren't already using something with similair action.

[kms399]

how sharp are your hooks, you may also want to trim your weed guard a bit.

[gar-tracker]

Its very important to reel down to the fish before setting the hook when fishing a jig, in other words make sure you have contact with the fish more so than with a worm or craw.

Although this should be done with all plastics with a jig its more important.

Also make sure the jig your fishing has a good hook, many jigs put crappy wide gap hooks that aren't that strong, the first thing i do with a new jig is make sure that it has a good strong sprout type hook.

[Hyrule Bass]

I have been fishing finesse jigs a lot lately and I seem to be losing a lot of fish as they get closer to me. About 60% of the bites end up in the boat, while the others end up getting hooked and shake off or something. The jigs that I am using have a light/medium diameter hook and a medium stiffness weedguard. I am also using a 7' mh Team Daiwa S rod (worm/jig) and 12lb trilene 100% fc.

When I do land a fish, the hook is set in the mouth pretty good, but I am wondering if I am ripping lips or something on the lost fish. If that is the case, how could I change that?

Try tightening your drag a little; Just dont tighten it so much that it doesn't serve its purpose. Maybe try a medium hvy in 7' if you aren't already using something with similair action.

i see a lot of this, people answering questions trying to help people(which is all good), but not really reading or paying attention to the original post before typing their reply...what gives?

[dhami013]

This happens to me from time to time. It's usually because I've let some slack on the fish. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the fish if they're swimming fast towards you, then they'll jump. Another thing, when they do jump, my Pops always told me to point my rod tip towards the fish. That way they can't throw it as easy. It's worked for me. So I keep doing it.

But I mean we can't catch every fish we hook into. It's just that way sometimes.

Good luck to you

[WRB]

I have been fishing finesse jigs a lot lately and I seem to be losing a lot of fish as they get closer to me. About 60% of the bites end up in the boat, while the others end up getting hooked and shake off or something. The jigs that I am using have a light/medium diameter hook and a medium stiffness weedguard. I am also using a 7' mh Team Daiwa S rod (worm/jig) and 12lb trilene 100% fc.

When I do land a fish, the hook is set in the mouth pretty good, but I am wondering if I am ripping lips or something on the lost fish. If that is the case, how could I change that?

You are getting 60% or 6 out of 10 bass in the boat, so you are doing a lot of things right. Try using a jig without a weed guard and up size the premium hook at least 1 size; 2/0 to 3/0 for example.

Replace the weed guard with a hitchhiker type spring and 1 1/2" piece of finesse worm the same color as the worm or creature you are now using. Split the worm peice so the hook point enters the split to cover the hook point. If you are using a shaky head jig; use the type with a spring worm holder.

Important: reel set; keep the rod tip down, crank quickly until the rod starts to load up, then sweep the rod back to set the hook.

Tom

[ks cranker]

I have been fishing finesse jigs a lot lately and I seem to be losing a lot of fish as they get closer to me. About 60% of the bites end up in the boat, while the others end up getting hooked and shake off or something. The jigs that I am using have a light/medium diameter hook and a medium stiffness weedguard. I am also using a 7' mh Team Daiwa S rod (worm/jig) and 12lb trilene 100% fc.

When I do land a fish, the hook is set in the mouth pretty good, but I am wondering if I am ripping lips or something on the lost fish. If that is the case, how could I change that?

Could be a lot of things going on. I use finesse jigs most the time too (BassX Jig - 15lb flouro - Shimano Cumara 7'2" MHF). One of the biggest things that I've done to help land most the fish I hook anymore...

Loosen the drag so that you can pull the line with just a little bit of effort (not sure how to quantify that, but a 2lb fish should be able to take some drag)

- I do this so I can keep the rod bent 100% of the time you are fighting the fish - if the fish has any slack line he will always will throw the jig

- Also you can rip the roof of the fishes mouth if he is just skin hooked

Could also be how you are playing the fish at the boat... for that, it just takes practice!

So next time you are out - Look how the fish has the jig in the mouth... if he is getting hooked deep in the roof of the mouth see if you have any tearing going on.

[Jigfishn10]

I have been fishing finesse jigs a lot lately and I seem to be losing a lot of fish as they get closer to me. About 60% of the bites end up in the boat, while the others end up getting hooked and shake off or something. The jigs that I am using have a light/medium diameter hook and a medium stiffness weedguard. I am also using a 7' mh Team Daiwa S rod (worm/jig) and 12lb trilene 100% fc.

When I do land a fish, the hook is set in the mouth pretty good, but I am wondering if I am ripping lips or something on the lost fish. If that is the case, how could I change that?

You probably answered your own question. The one's that you're landing, the hook is probably like a half inch down from it's lip where the cartilage is a little thicker than near the lips. Hooking a fish near the lips is more than likely elongating the hole near the lip during the fight or even at hookset (no need to swing for the fences if you don't need to). It's gonna happen especially when you fish heavier jigs that the jig will fall out during the fight. The good news is, you're hooking them, the question you have to ask yourself, do you really want ot wait a little longer before setting the hook to make sure that jig is down further and risk losing the fish?

Eventually you'll get the feel for it and it won't be as much of a problem. Jigs, more than any other lure, takes more concentration to fish with. JMHO. I really don't think you should change anything you're doing. You already know that you can hook a fish on a jig and it's already in the back of your mind that you need to play the fish with a little more caution. Keep at it and it will come together for you.

Good Luck!

[dwtaylor]

I went out today again and I started using some of these tips. I used the suggestion that said to point the rod tip straight to the fish, and it works awesome. I did take a closer look, and I am tearing the lips of the lightly hooked fish. Today: 20 quality bites, 18 fish landed (I lost 2 fish due to line breakage from fishing in rocks).

[CODbasser]

i see a lot of this, people answering questions trying to help people(which is all good), but not really reading or paying attention to the original post before typing their reply...what gives?

Dude you must be really bored,