Fishing Questions???

 

I need some serious help here!! 

When I've got my line in the water and I feel that little tug, what am I supposed to do?  I mean I do the quick little jerk as to try to "land the big one", but I always end up losing the fish or my bait, or both. 

Someone please give me some tips because I want to be an avid fisher person!! 

Mary

Hmmm, that's a tricky question as it really depends on what you're fishing for and what sort of line, rod, lure, hook, etc... you are using.

For example, when fishing with circle hooks (as in the case of mooching for salmon), you never want to give a quick jerk as it will just pull the hook out of the fish's mouth.  In this case, you let the fish set the hook itself.

For most other types of fishing, reel any slack in the line, give a "little jerk" to set the hook and then keep steady pressure on the fish. By little jerk I mean swing the rod tip up just a bit, a foot or two.  If you "jerk" too hard you could pull the hook right out of the fishes lips.  There are some types of fishing that do call for the "big jerk" to set the hook as well.

So what are you fishing for anyway?

Brian

IMO: if you feel a tap, wait and keep your rod parallel to the water. Wait for the fish to commit - and you'll know once your rod tip starts to point down into the water = set the hook and say "HULI KA!!"  

If you keep missing the fish - it could just be that little fish are picking on your bait.

I'm sure everyone does it differently - I guess it would also depend on what type of fish your fishing for  

The jerk is "setting the hook," and it varies from species to species, bait to bait and technique to technique.  More info is needed to give you accurate advice.

Mary, Give example of what you fished for so these guys can guide you. Trout,cats,shark,rock,ling all differ. For instance a Batray will pull where a leopard shark will shake and rattle your rod.

 

Ummm Sudmucker had me fishing for bait fish. I was using some kind of ugly worm, it had pinchers, Pile worm I believe he called it. 

I'm just startin out fishin here guys, there isn't any way that I could even attempt something as big as a leopard shark, or a sturgeon or even a salmon for that matter.  I think it would freak me out too much right now that I would just let the rod go.  So until I'm comfortable it will be little things like bait fish, trout, bass, etc...

Mary

If you're fishing with pile worms for baitfish, I'm not too surprised that you had problems setting the hook.  These sorts of fish have really small mouths and unless your bait and hook are really small, it's hard to get a good hook set.   

I'm just startin out fishin here guys, there isn't any way that I could even attempt something as big as a leopard shark, or a sturgeon or even a salmon for that matter.  I think it would freak me out too much right now that I would just let the rod go.  So until I'm comfortable it will be little things like bait fish, trout, bass, etc...

Mary

$5 says Mary nails the next sturgeon while fishing for bait....any takers


If you're talkin jacksmelt and anchovie there is no hook setting you just lift slowly and reel.  You'll develop a feel for it.  If you're using those smelt for stripers then you have to let them run with it a little since the bait is big, chovies you can usally whack them pretty quickly since they gulp them down in one shot.  If you're already fishing the bay you might want to bait up with squid and practice on sharks, let thet hit once or twice then swing for the fences.  Alot of it is just experience.

probably little bait stealers.

put out some tiny hooks and pull 'em in. 

then you'll know what it was at least.

Mary , Let's do what agarcia suggested and get you onto some small sharks at the Dunbarton. You'll have fun and learn a thing or two about how to set a hook. As if they need help...

Mary , Let's do what agarcia suggested and get you onto some small sharks at the Dunbarton. You'll have fun and learn a thing or two about how to set a hook. As if they need help...

Sharks???   

This is a VERY situation specific question.

If you were fishing a texas worm for LMB the very second you felt the tap you would wind down and swing for the fences.

With live bait, I would tend to point the rod toward the fish and wait for the fish to bring the line taught, and then swing for the fences.

Unless your fishing for crappie, you can't set the hook to hard (with mono) in my opinion.  Spectra, maybe don't swing as hard, but mono you need to be serious.

Different baits/fish require different hooksets.  And, as has been pointed out, hooks have a role to play also.  Circle hooks do not get "set" in the traditional sense, but once I have solid pressure I will give a little hookset with circle hooks to firm up the bite the hook has made.

MolBasser

If it had pincher's you are talking about "Blood Worms".  Pile worms have pincher's but are greenish brown in color.  Blood are pink and leak blood.  I usually throw a "blood worm" down on a hard surface and the cut off the pincher's with a knife before putting it on the hook.

Halibut you do not set the hook.  Let them eat.  Stripers will tell you when they are "On".  Set the Hook Hard.  Salmon is a "Cat & Mouse" game, unless you are trolling.  Trout I let them run.  Tuna let them run unless using iron.  Yellowtails the same.  Catfish I let them hook themselves.  Large mouth and small you set it hard.  Surfperch you have to be quick. Sturgeon be tight on the the sinker and full drag and set on anything.

Ken kickfish

Yakingal

When starting out and fishing bait, consider using a circle hook such as the Owner Mutu Circle series of hooks. They come in light and heavy wire, ringed or un-ringed. I use heavy for tuna, big sharks and yellowtail, light for everything else including lingcod. If you are using live bait get the ringed hooks which allow the bait to swim better. The advantage of the circle hook is you don't need to set the hook. When you feel the fish swimming off just engage the drag and start reeling. The other advantage of circle hooks is that they tend to lip hook and not gut hook the fish. This makes for more succesful catch and release. If you are using traditional J hooks, using spectra lines may improve your hookset success. Good luck!

Scott (GB2)

Sorry Scott,

I do not use circle hooks unless I am told to (Fish & Game).  They have J-hooks with rings also and you can make your own.  Circles hook up ratio is way less than the J's.

Been Salmon fishing for well over 30 yrs. And, when they changed the rules.  Everthing went south.  I have seen so many undersize salmon gut hooked with a 5/0 to 6/0 circle.  Some party boats would have to kill about 5 to 6 undersize to get a leagal one.  Pretty glad that "Mooching" has not been the "Way to catch Salmon" the last few years.  But, then again.  I hate to troll.

They (F & G) just should have made it the first 2 salmon you get ( No Circles).  But, then you have a problem of the boats up grading.

Using circles has 2 advantages....1. hook in the corner of mouth...easy to release......2. No line chew.

Ken kickfish