[puppet]

Went out on Sunday evening for some fair weather surfcasting.

The snappers were in force with nothing notable chasing them.

The sun dropped and a pair of ****tail blues took turns for short rides on the
siwash of my needlefish. I switched over to a nine inch black sluggo for the
remainder of the outing. Just as the light disappeared I got slammed pretty
hard but after a five count the hook pulled. The sluggo came back whole, so
I assume it was a bass.

question:
I am new to fishing these larger sluggos. On my first rigs, I used 7/0 oct
circles, which I had managed to hook one fish. After pulling a couple
hooks, I rigged a new batch using regular 7/0 octopus. I figured that the
circles may not be as likely to engage as the regular octopus hooks.

When fishing these sluggos and a fish takes them:
1. Do you set the hook immediately...or do you let them cruise a bit?
2. How hard do you set the Hook?
3. What is your strike to land ratio?

I fished another couple hours for a few mystery bumps and a couple chomps
from the blues. Not much else to report.

 

[TallPaul]

When Using any type of artificial, I set the hook as soon as I feel the hit. For the most part, they inhale the entire lure. Unless it's a popper that is too bog to fit in their mouth.

Set the hook as hard as you can without snapping your line. And then don't give the fish any slack. The hook has to pass through the flesh past the barb to hold.

You may have just had an unlucky day. Fish do throw hooks. Everyone looses some fish. You just may have lost a few more than usual.

Check your hooks to make sure they are sharp and straight. It's possible for hooks to dull quickly in some conditions. You should not be able to tap your finger tip against a proper hook without it breaking skin. They should be like needles.

 

[puppet]

thanks.

It seems like I am not setting the hook correctly. I probably need to
be more aggressive. I have missed strikes....which can be normal, but
the two times I have been engaged with a decent fish, I felt both pop
off. I expected to have a broken line, but in both cases I retrieved
the full rig. hooks sharp...intact.

Next time I will give the bugger a full swing.

 

[snapperman]

the second you feel the bump set the hook.

with the circles, dont jerk it, just strat reeling when you get a hit.

This post edited by snapperman 09:38 PM 09/10/2008