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Reply With QuoteFirst thing I'd check, and I don't mean to disparage any of the other folks who replied here, is whether my hook is sharp. Sounds simple, but if I miss two fish in a row, I pull out the file and touch up the hook point.
Crappie.com 1K Star General
That is exactly what I was going to suggest. Since I am strictly a jig fisherman, I have run into that issue many times over the years and making the gap a bit wider usually helps.Originally Posted by eagle 1
You can always bend the hook gap open a tad to see if it helps .
It is not about the equipment you have to use,
It is about how you use the equipment you have. :D
Slabmaster
First thing I'd check, and I don't mean to disparage any of the other folks who replied here, is whether my hook is sharp. Sounds simple, but if I miss two fish in a row, I pull out the file and touch up the hook point.
dfar LIKED above post
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Set the hook harder brother .......if you are losing fish it's most likely with that hook and set up you ain't getting good penetration ......that's my take and I use the same weight and hook size for all my jig pitching most of the time ....sometimes I go heavier weight but same hook size ......its amazes me regularly how lightly fish have been hooked when I get them in after setting the hook like I am trying to break something .....lots of line out there has lots of stretch
sum kawl me tha outlaw ketchn whales
Slabmaster II
Sometimes they don't take the lure all the way in their mouth. just the way it is some days. When it's like that I sometimes downsize a little, like go from a 1/24 to a 1/64 jig with a #8 or 10 hook vs a #6. I too use sickle hooks and a #8 is about the size of a #6 in a regular hook so that my be part of the problem when they are in the hit and spit mood. If you use a light small lure they can suck it in easier when they are finicky. A power wiggler or crappie nibble helps them hang on and take the bait deeper also.
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That usually works for me.You can always bend the hook gap open a tad to see if it helps .
Fair Winds and Following Seas
Bill H. PTC USN Ret
Chesapeake, Va
Crappie.com 3K Star General
.1/32 ball head jig with a #6 matzuo sickle hook
Agree with Ketchn's idea: "sometimes I go heavier weight but same hook size".
Match bait size to hook size. Hook bend should come out at half or less of the body length, which may be of the total lure length or less.
What is the hook size? #8 is definitely too small for aggressive fish or fish you've made aggressive with the lure. #4 and #6 hooks have no problem hooking fish and are needed for certain body length ranges.
Sharpen the hook. A file is an angler's best friend.
I've never liked using sickle hooks. IMO they reduce the gap needed for good hook sets and I have a hard time sizing baits to them.
5'4" Fenwick Silverhawk ULSometimes short UL rods are too wimpy to set the hook soundly at long distances and I've found that spooling a casting distance (+ five feet) with light braid (8-10# test) solves the problem. Tie to the end, 2' of 6# test f/c line and hooksets will be more forceful and prevent fish from flipping off. Rod tip angle matters when fighting any fish - after a high angle hookset, I keep mine far and away from the hooked fish, to one side and then the other.4lb fluorocarbon
My short U/light action rods collect dust in my basement. Six foot or a bit longer medium action does fine for me and even small fish are caught with no problem.
One last thing. Hair is nice, but plastics sometimes bring out the beast in fish. I no longer use curl tail or shad tail grubs, preferring prong tails or my own thin, wide tail or no tail grub. The aggression level of the strike and ease of hook set much of the time depends on the bait used as well as the slowness of the retrieve.
Last edited by Spoonminnow; 08-22-2016 at 08:21 AM.
