Bass Fishing Hook Set – The Moment of Truth

By Marc Rogers

Cast, retrieve, cast, retrieve…..a bass picks up your offering and you experience the moment of truth in bass fishing.

The worst time you will experience this moment is when fishing is slow and you have not had a bite for some time. You concentration is lacking and you are not paying attention to what your offering is doing under water. During this moment, the bass will inhale and expel your lure before you realize you should have set the hook. There is generally no second chance for catching this bass.

In the past, anglers were instructed to set the hook hard while fishing soft plastics. Much of this was due to the hooks that were available. These older hooks were sharpened with files and stones regularly for the best performance. Today, hooks are manufactured with chemically sharpened points that are super sharp. These hooks penetrate easily through soft plastic lures and into the mouth of a bass.

The new technology used to make hooks have changed the way many anglers now set the hook on bass. Instead of the extremely hard hook-set, anglers are now using a sweeping or slight snapping motion to set their hooks. Reeling in the slack line and simultaneously pulling back or snapping the rod is common among anglers using bottom bouncing soft plastic offerings. Other techniques require different hook-sets.  Recently I caught up with Derek Vahey and Aaron Hunter to discuss how they set the hook while bass fishing.

Derek Vahey, Midwest Fishing Tackle Staff Member, reports, “When fishing Texas rigged soft plastics, you have to push the hook through plastic. In this case, when I feel a bass or see my line move, I keep slack in the line and set the hook with a slight snapping action to drive the hook through the soft plastic and into fish. If you do not do this, what will happen is the hook will simply slide into plastic and never penetrate the fish’s mouth, and the fish will come off. The key is making sure not to snap the line to hard and pop the fish’s mouth open before the hook can stick the jaw.”

In addition, Vahey says, “When I finesse fish for bass I usually use finesse jigs or shaky heads with light line and spinning tackle. This requires a properly set drag for the light line to prevent breaking off when setting the hook. After taking up any slack line, I lift straight up and back to set the hook, and then keep constant tension on the fish until I get it to the boat.”

When flipping and pitching soft plastics to heavy cover it is best to use long rods, casting reels and heavy line. This requires an aggressive hook-set to ensure the fish is coming to the angler and away from the cover. It is a balancing act on how hard to set the hook using these techniques. While setting the hook too hard can pop the lure out of the bass’ mouth, a soft hook-set may result in anglers not being in control of the fish and it will tangle in the cover.

Vahey said, “I will error on the side of the hard hook-set when fishing heavy cover. If I miss one by pulling the lure away there is a chance I can get it to bite again. If I lose it in the cover after hooking it, chances are slim it will bite with a lure stuck in its mouth.”

Aaron Hunter says jig fishing is his favorite way to catch big bass. Hunter said, “I am never on the water without a Midwest CustomTackle football jig tied on.” He presents a football jig differently than most anglers. Hunter prefers to hop his football jig off the bottom keying on the more aggress bass. He adds a NetBait Paca Chunk to the back of his jigs for his trailer.

While bouncing a jig along the bottom Hunter seldom has any slack in his line. He sets the hook by “aggressively sweeping my rod up and back to about the 11 o’clock position.  I never exceed a higher position because I will lose control of the bass once it is hooked”, he says. When fishing heavy cover with jigs he said, “I will set the hook harder in heavy cover because I want to turn the fish towards me and away from the cover to avoid getting it tangled up.”

When fishing crankbaits, Vahey said, “I learned my lesson the hard way fishing crankbaits. The hook-set is dependent on the rod action and a medium-action limber rod is the key. There is not really much to the hook-set on crankbaits, when the rod loads up, simply pull to the side while keeping constant pressure on the fish. I advise everyone never to jerk on the rod to set the hook with these lures. The small hooks will easily pull out of the bass.” He added the limber rod assists in keeping the hooks in the bass when it pulls hard during the fight.

 

When top water fishing, it is best to use a limber rod. The limber rod assists in preventing anglers from pulling the lure away from the bass when setting the hook. Hunter reported, “I wait until I feel the weight of the fish before I set the hook. Top water is visual and many anglers set the hook too soon and miss bass by pulling the lure away from them before they have tried to eat it. Also, never jerk on the rod with top water lures that have treble hooks. A number four treble hook may look like it will hook anything, but they are really only three small hooks and can easily be pulled out of a bass.”

Hunter and Vahey both added this advice, anglers should use monofilament when fishing top water lures. Monofilament line floats and helps keep the lure floating on the surface. Monofilament also stretches on the hook-set and can be advantageous to keep the hooks set in the bass’ mouth.

Vahey uses the same hook-set on buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. He said, “I use heavy gear for both with a high-speed reel. Once I feel the bass’ weight on the line, I hit them hard. Monofilament line will help a buzzbait stay on the surface and I always use a trailer hook on both lures”. Many of the bass I catch on these lures are hooked with the trailer hook. Hunter added, “When fishing open water, I will use a long shank treble hook for a trailer hook. Sometimes I cut off the one point that would face down to avoid hang-ups.”

Changing hook-set technique is difficult for many anglers. They have become habit over time and great effort to change these habits is required. Recently, many anglers I know have changed their hook-set style when using Texas and Carolina rigged soft-plastic lures. The change is from the old “cross their eyes” style to a hard, sweeping pull. Most reported the harder hook-set was costing hook ups with bass due to knocking the bass’ mouth open with the lure and not burying the hook point. Regardless of your current style, it pays dividends to experiment with new styles if you are experiencing missed bass when you set the hook.

Locating Bass Fishing Areas

Anglers of all skill levels are constantly in search of productive fishing areas and getting the maximum reward for their efforts. Fishing areas that have the ability to hold bass for extended periods will not hold feeding bass throughout an entire day of fishing. The bass that use the area as their home will only feed at certain times during a day. Successful anglers are able to locate the areas where bass live and determine the times they feed.

The first step in this process is to locate areas where bass reside most of the time. While bass are caught shallow at anytime, they seldom reside in shallow water for an extended period. Therefore, deep-water bass are more predictable when it comes to locating them. Deep water is a relative term and bass holding in deep water are affected by the thermocline when it is present. Lowland lakes deep- water holding areas are much shallower than deep-water hideouts highland lakes.

Locating bass fishing areas is a seasonal approach. During the summer and winter, bass generally live in deeper areas. Spawning bass will hold in shallow water for longer periods to complete the spawning cycle. In the fall, bass will scatter more than other seasons and is the most frustrating season for some anglers. Some will still be holding in deep water while others have already made the move to shallow areas to chase schools shad.

Isolated, submerged cover will concentrate bass better than a lot of scattered cover in the similar areas. They will sometimes use this cover for ambush points to attack prey that venture close to the cover. However, bass will also wonder outside the cover to chase unsuspecting prey. In addition, sometimes bass will use only one part of the cover more than to ambush prey for reasons not evident to anglers. When presenting lures to cover, anglers should do so from all available directions as well as over the top and through the center of the cover.

When locating bass fishing areas, Midwest Fishing Tackle Staff Member, Aaron Hunter reports “Main and secondary points are always my first stop. If I can find cover located on these points I target that cover.” Regardless of the season and water temperatures, Hunter says, “Points always have the ability to hold bass. Points are like highways for bass to travel from deep to shallow water. The seasons do not matter, when bass have deep water close to points that have shallow banks, bass will be close by.”

When choosing lures offer the bass a variety until they indicate what they prefer. Do not limit lure selection due to cover you are fishing. Many anglers use only Texas rigged plastics and jigs for fishing cover. Crankbaits are one example of lures effective for covering a lot of water and are effective when fishing brushy cover. The crankbait bill will somewhat protect the hooks when retreived and are better at getting through cover than many anglers realize.

Deep-diving crankbaits on ten-pound test florocarbon line is an effective technique to find isolated cover on points. The lures will reach depths of 20-feet or more and contact the available cover giving away its location on the bottom. When crankbaits deflect off the cover, they will draw a reaction strike from nearby bass.

Carolina rigged plastics are another way to cover water quickly and locate the available bottom cover. The heavy sinkers allow anglers to distinguish between rock and wood cover. Slowly dragging a Carolina rigged soft plastic will draw strikes from lethargic bass that will not take a fast moving crankbait.

Once productive cover is located jigs and Texas rigged plastics are a great technique to slowly pick apart of piece of cover. The slow moving lures often aggravate bass into striking because they want to chase off or kill the lure.

Because bass are not always feeding, the second key to getting the most from these areas is to be fishing them at the time the bass decide to feed. Many productive areas have been abandoned by anglers because they determined the bass were not present when the bass were not feeding during the time the angler was there. It is best to have located a few potential areas close to each other and rotate between them throughout the day. This increases the chances you will be on at least one of them when the bass decide to feed. Aaron Hunter says, “I rotate between a few spots throughout each day on the water. Bass do not always feed at the same time on each spot and I feel I have more opportunities each day by doing this. Also, I can still get reaction strikes from bass that are not actively feeding.”

To better your chances of catching bass pick a few areas and patiently present lures to all sides and in the middle of the available cover. Rotate between these areas during your fishing time and visit each several times throughout the day.

Simpson County Park bass fishing in St. Louis County

On a recent fishing trip to a local St. Louis County Park lake it was clear that fall fishing has arrived. The bait-fish we cursing the surface and the bass were feeding heavily on them. Top water lures and spinnerbaits were very productive for the schooling bass and a brush jig was effective for the bigger bass holding in the shoreline cover waiting to ambush prey.

During just two hours on the water my partner and I boated approximately two-dozen bass on top water and spinnerbaits and had three nice bass fall victim to a brush jig. The jig bite was slow and our presentation had to be exact.

Floating cover near the spillway of the lake is where the bigger bass were found. The water falling over the spillway produce a slight current and it seemed to concentrate the bait-fish and bass. The smaller bass were following the bait-fish throughout the lake and were eager to smash a Rebel Pop-R. A spinnerbait moving about two feet deep also took several of the smaller bass.

The lake is located Simpson Park in southwest St. Louis County. It is a 72-acre lake with a boat ramp. Gasoline motors are not allowed but bass boats can be used with a trolling motor. The ramp is shallow and launching bigger boats can be difficult and have to be winched back onto the trailer when loading.

This was my first outing on this lake and I have heard complaints from anglers fishing it from shore. However, much of the lake is not easily accessible from the shore. The most productive areas found this day were also not available to shore anglers. St. Louis anglers with a few hours and access to a boat should consider this lake.

Managing Small Waters for Great Fishing

There are countless opportunities throughout North America for anglers to pursue fish in small ponds. Many of these waters are ponds consisting of one acre or less in size. They are located on farms, golf courses and subdivisions that keep the access private, allowing only select individuals to use them. The ponds may have an abundance of fish lurking beneath the surface because of minimal usage. However, the total population of fish is often not as great as it first appears.

Because the ponds hold such aggressive fish the body of water is sometimes over-harvested. A pond of ½ acre of surface water that contains Large Mouth Bass generally only accommodates a small number of harvest-sized bass. An angler who keeps bass on a regular basis can quickly deplete the population and by doing so will allow species such as bluegill to over populate the pond. Without the bass’ presence to control the population of bluegill the pond becomes home to many small, non-harvest sized bluegill. The small bass left behind have to compete with the bluegill for the limited food supply and a popular food source of bluegill is bass eggs. Once this cycle is put into motion it is hard to reverse.

Another detrimental occurrence in small ponds is for the owner to make them easier to fish by removing weed growth along the shoreline. While doing so makes the access to the water much easier, it also eliminates the major source of cover for the fish. Vegetation along the water’s edge produces oxygen for the fish during sunlight hours and allows cover for small fish to hide until they can reach adult size. If chemicals are used to kill off the vegetation, the dying growth consumes oxygen that the fish population need for survival. Removal of vegetation can be just as harmful as over-harvesting for the fish population.

Pond owner should consider keeping records of catch and harvest data to better understand what is happening below the surface in their ponds. Good record keeping is key to knowing the growth and harvest situation in any given small body of water. Owners should record the specie and length of each catch and note if it was consumed or returned to the water. Because pond owners do not generally have access to electro-shocking equipment like state agencies use, this is the next best way of knowing what is happening in their pond. Good record keeping means the fish must be measured exactly. Guessing at the length is not good enough to be successful in this approach.

Ponds generally cannot be managed to produce great size and numbers of several species of fish. The owners should make a decision about what specie they want to produce. Good bass fishing ponds will not have great numbers of big bluegill available as the bass eat most of them prior to reaching a few inches long. The ones that do survive to grow large can quickly be removed with one outing if an angler keeps them for the table.

On the other hand, if big bluegills are abundant bass generally will not reach large sizes because the bigger bluegill will compete with them for the limited food source. Both of these scenarios become clear with good record keeping of the catch from ponds.

Fish can grow bigger and more abundant if supplemental feeding is done in a pond. The drawback is if and when the feeding is discontinued. The extra feeding will produce more fish than the carrying capacity of the water and when the feeding is stopped all of the fish will suffer from malnourishment. When considering supplemental feeding a pond owner must remember the feeding will have to continue indefinitely for this approach to have a lasting effect.

Harvesting fish is a good way to keep a pond healthy and productive. The Missouri Department of Conservation has a great resource for pond management available on their website called the Missouri Pond Handbook by Ken Perry. This publication covers everything from the design and building of ponds to maintaining them as a fishing resource.

Missouri Pond Handbook

More articles available at Bass Fishing Midwest

Bass Fishing Tackle available at MidwestFishingTackle.net

Copyright 2009, Marc Rogers, All Rights Reserved

THE Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Guide

Recently I had the pleasure of reading THE Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Guide written by John Neporadny. This book is a very informative guide to catching fish on Lake of the Ozarks and covers several species including bass, crappie, catfish, white bass and spoonbill.

In the book John presents tips and techniques for all of the popular species found in Lake of the Ozarks. The information was gathered from local fishing guides, regional tournament anglers and professional tournament anglers. Also, John possesses extensive knowledge of Lake of the Ozarks due to time spent on the water as a guide and angler.

THE Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Guide is a well-written, easy to read book. Any angler planning to fish at Lake of the Ozarks should read this book. The information provided is a great learning experience for any angler, regardless of their experience on the lake.

John’s book is available from his website at http://jnoutdoors.com and http://midwestfishingtackle.net.

Fishing Vertical Edges Can Be Very Productive



Many anglers pass by some very productive areas in lakes while traveling to their fishing destinations each and every day. Some head off to shallow flats while others prefer long extended points in deeper water. To some extent the type of water available in each lake determines the type of areas fished. In Florida most waters are shallow due to the make up of the surrounding terrain. Lake Okeechobee has common lake level at 14 feet above sea level. However, Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri has a normal summer pool of 915 feet above sea level. Anytime bluff walls are available in a body of water anglers should give serious consideration to fishing them.

Bluff walls have most any type of situations anglers may be looking for when fishing. Bluffs can be fished shallow by targeting the areas where the surface water meets the bluff as well as fished deep by presenting a lure in a vertical presentation. Many submerged points and rock edges (shelves) are also available on bluff walls. Furthermore, they generally are located on an outside river channel swing, which is sometimes an ideal area to catch fish.

Most bluff walls don’t fall off into really deep water immediately. They have a stair step process down to the deepest water. This is where the edges are created and often time hold concentrations of fish. This allows the fish to move in the water column to their preferred depth without having to move long distances. They can move up and down while still having the luxury of maintaining a close distance to cover. Keep in mind that most bluffs also have submerged trees that once grew out of the sides of them before the lake was impounded. These trees are great cover for most any game fish.

A variety of lures can be used while fishing bluff walls. Both crank baits and spinner baits are ideal for retrieving along the face of a bluff while maintaining a preferred depth.
Allowing these lures to deflect off the submerged trees can often trigger reaction strikes from fish as well.

Jigs are also a great lure to use in these areas. Jigs can be cast perpendicular to the water’s edge and worked slowly out into deeper water while allowing the lure to rest on the submerged rock shelves. The most common mistake made when fishing bottom bouncing lures on bluff walls is an angler may take up to much line during the retrieve. With a jig resting on a rock ledge the angler will lift the rod tip and turn the reel handle while the lure is falling. This will bring the lure out into deeper water and often keep it from resting on the next ledge.

To eliminate this problem the angler should allow the lure to fall on a semi-tight line until it makes contact with the next ledge. A semi-tight line is necessary to allow the angler to feel strikes while the lure is falling. Also, it pays to be a line watcher in this situation. Many times a slight twitch in the line will indicate a fish has picked up the lure on the fall.

The draw backs of using any bottom bouncing lure on bluffs is the tendency for them to get hung up on the edges of rocks as well as lodged in the many crevices in the structure. I have found a football type jig head is the least likely to get stuck in these areas. A jig head with a 60-degree bend in the hook eye will also lessen the chance of your line and knot from getting damaged by the rough terrain. My jig of choice for this style of fishing is an All-Terrain Tackle Rock Jig. The All-Terrain Tackle jig also features a waffle type surface on the bottom of the head, which I believe creates better feel of the bottom.

A shaky head jig presentation has become very popular over the last couple of years. I have incorporated this presentation into bluff fishing as well. These types of jig head used in combination with a small worm or crawdad lure are excellent choices for bluff fishing. A spinning outfit is best used in this situation because it allows anglers to opt for lighter line and the bail of the reel can be easily opened to allow a lure to free fall along the bluff. Keep in mind that a shaky head presentation is really just a different form of fishing a more traditional jig.

My favorite shaky head is the Gambler Giggy Head with a Gambler Giggy Stick or Crawdaddy attached. The Gambler Giggy Head is designed so the head of the lure is pushed onto a barb, which is molded, into the head and then the hook is inserted into the bait. This design allows the lure to easily come free from the jig head when a fish strikes and keeps the lure from balling up on the hook point. This jig head has helped me to catch more fish where other jig heads would have had the hook point covered with the lure due to it sliding down the hook.

There are countless ways to present lures on bluff walls. Use your favorites and don’t be afraid to experiment with others. Bluffs can be fished on the water’s surface down to the dark depths. Just remember these area hold almost all of the type of cover and structure anglers like to fish but concentrate them into much smaller areas.
Copyright 2008, Marc Rogers

Carolina Rig

Carolina Rigs Are Not Just For Lizards




When the term “Carolina Rig” is said most anglers think of a soft plastic lizard on 3 – 4 foot leader behind a ½ to ¾ ounce sinker. The leader is usually 8 – 12 pound test line while the main line is 14 – 20 pound test. This presentation has been very effective for catching bass for many years but the Carolina rig doesn’t have to be limited to lizards.

The popular Senko style baits as well as tubes, worms, grubs, crawdads and flukes are very effective when used with the Carolina rig. Generally the presentation is the same with these lures as it is with the lizard. However, the Carolina rig gives these baits a different look than their regular presentations.

The Senko style baits on a Carolina rig allows the angler the dead-stick presentation in the deep water of extended points and submerged humps. A lift and drop presentation with the heavy sinker causes the bait to rise from the bottom quickly and slowly fall similar to a dead shad. Rig it on a light wire hook wacky style for a dead-shad look.

Tube baits are generally fished on a jig head for open water or Texas rig for flipping to heavy cover. Anglers should not pass on tube baits for the Carolina rig. I have had great results fishing 3 – 4 inch tubes on a Carolina rig on long points and flats. A light wire hook inserted in the head of the tube and brought back outside like a Texas rig has proven the most effective for this presentation. When fishing clear bottoms with mostly rocks I leave the hook point against the side of the tube but do not insert it back into the bait. If cover requires, I rig it weedless by skin hooking the bait just under the outside of the tube. For added action from a tube place a foam ear-plug (or small piece) inside the tube to add flotation to the bait. A tube rigged this way will move erratically when retrieved with a lift and drop motion. However, make sure the foam material doesn’t interfere with the hook finding its mark when a fish bites.

Many anglers think plastic worms are for Texas rig presentations. However, a small shaky style worm (the ones with a flat side create more darting action) on a Carolina rig is ideal for sluggish bass. This worm can be used with the lift and drop presentation as well as a slow-dragging motion for quick side-to-side action with this worm.

Grubs are also a great choice for using with the Carolina rig. A 3 – 5 inch grub is a great way to imitate a swimming shad. Again, a light hook and light leader will allow the bait to look more realistic to the bass. When using a grub I have found a lift and drop presentation has proven the most effective.

The fluke (soft plastic jerk bait) is very effective for imitating shad just below the surface. This same lure can be used on a Carolina rig and create the same action well below the surface. It should be rigged the same as traditional methods for sub-surface use but on a 3 – 4 foot leader for increased action in deep water.

The soft plastic crawdad is traditionally used as a flipping lure on a Texas rig. When swimming to escape from a predator the crawdad with jump off the bottom and swim a short distance with the claws up in the defensive position. The Carolina rig creates this exact action with the crawdad when used with the lift and drop presentation. Most strikes occur on the fall as soon as the sinker makes contact with the bottom.

If your choice is generally a lizard you should not forget about the floating lizard made by Gene Larew Lures. This special formula of soft plastic will float a light wire hook on an 8 - pound test leader well off the bottom. This particular lure is great where submerged weeds are present. You can adjust your leader length to keep the bait just above the top of the weeds.

I have even experimented with using floating jerk baits like the original floating Rapala minnows on a Carolina rig with some success. Once, I located spotted bass holding just above the bottom on an extended main lake point holding close to large boulders. The fish were too deep for a crank-bait to reach and I was having no luck on any lures that would reach the depth. This method is difficult to cast and can be dangerous if care isn’t used. This particular situation called for a quick dragging presentation but was effective in catching fish from the school in about 45 feet of water.

There are many advantages to using the Carolina rig but the best one is that an angler can cover a lot of water more quickly with soft plastic baits and greater depths than other methods. This isn’t to say the Carolina rig is the best soft plastic presentation, but when fish are scattered on long points and flats and are biting on soft plastics there isn’t a better way to cover the large areas quickly and thoroughly. However, don’t be afraid to experiment with the Carolina rig.

Copyright 2008, Marc Rogers; Midwest Fishing Tackle
www.midwestfishingtackle.net