Optimizing Hook Set

[dryflyguy]

Ran into a frustrating problem while fishing for Walleye this past Sunday where we were able to set the hook on a bite only to lose the fish about halfway to the boat. We probably landed about 1/3 of the fish we hooked, a number of which were right at the surface

Initially, we thought it may have been the short shank on the jigs we were using, so we all switched to a longer shank but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

I always pinch my barbs for ease of release, so I switched to one with the barb still intact, again didn't seem to make too much of a difference.

My question to you members is, do you have any tricks or tips as far as ensuring your hook set is true and you get a greater than 50% landing rate?

[EZM]

Not sure if the answer is the golden bullet but I'd say sticky sharp hooks and setting the hook much harder than you think you need to sometimes works for me when I'm having one of those days.

I also make sure my rod tip is pointed down to the waters surface so I can give it a fast and hard yank with enough of a sweep to capture any slack that might be there.

I also increased my sticking rates when I went to braid (which also gives a bit more sensitivity and less stretch too).

[dryflyguy]

That's interesting that you brought up braided line, I was actually considering switching to that over mono, I used to use it all the time on my ice fishing rods, but have not in over 10 years

I think I'll give that a try on my next outing

Thanks

[npauls]

Feed them some line when you feel the bite on those types of days like you would with a lindy rig.
Also go with the lightest jig possible.

I run braided line to a tiny barrel swivel and then a fluorocarbon leader. Usually about 6-8lbs leader.

[ROA]

Use a Stinger hook positioned as far rear ward as possible. Solves the problem most of the time but can result in a few less bites if they are picky.

[Tfng]

Not all jigs are created equal. Are the hooks flexible or pretty sturdy? I prefer jigs with sturdy hooks, I think they hook up better.

I try to wait to set the hook until I can confirm some weight. Tap, tap, ease it up and feel for weight continue lifting into a solid hook set if he's there.

I don't personally like dealing with stingers.

[Pikebreath]

Have you ascertained the issue was hook penetration on the hook set?

Large gap hooks can quickly wear a large hole in the fish's mouth,,, ,, and as a general rule barbless penetrates better than barbed, so barbless can make a even larger hole ,,, likewise longer shanks hooks fall out easier than shorter shanked hooks due to more leverage from the longer shank wearing a larger hole.

Weighted jig hooks will drop quickly when slack is introduced to the line which means they can easily drop out of the fish's mouth if the hook hole in the mouth is large enough.

[dryflyguy]

Those are all good points to consider Pikebreath

I did notice that most of the successful hook-ups were firmly in the roof of the mouth, but can't tell for certain that the issue was at the hook set or as you pointed out, perhaps by too much line slack or the hook simply coming out due to the hook hole size growing during the fight

None of the fish were deeply hooked, almost always right at the lip, which also makes me think we could've let them take the bait for an extra second or two before setting it

I'll be paying closer attention next outing when using the short or long shank hooks, to see which I'm having less success with

[huntsfurfish]

Hooks can never be to sharp.

Keep fish below surface until ready to net. Sweep net under fish just as it gets to surface. Many if not most fish are lost at the surface.

Also, if you are not hooking up delay your set slightly. May only take a 1 1000, or 2 1000.

Stingers are an option, but I rarely use them now.

And as Nate said, use the lightest jig weight you can and still have a feel for it.

[Ken07AOVette]

the last time I went walleye fishing I caught a very nice one, followed by a half dozen more, Kenh and RKZSN from this site can verify my method. Believe it or not, I hand lined every single one from the boat. My reel had way too stiff a line so I tried 'ice-fishing' from the boat with nothing more than a spool of 8lb test mono. Best I have ever done walleye fishing. Give it a try!
Kenh almost fell out of the boat laughing when I was catching them, then told me he was using a $800 rod and reel while I was hand bombing. :)

[RavYak]

Lots of variables most of which have already been mentioned but some very obvious points stood out to me.

Since you are using mono you need a stronger hook set to account for line stretch especially if fishing in deeper water. You should be able to tell if your hook sets are satisfactory by seeing how the hooks are penetrating the walleyes lip. Are they piercing through the lip or just getting hooked on the soft inside part of their mouth?

Since you are losing a number of your fish at the surface your number one issue is that you are fighting the fish at the surface. Once a fish breaks the surface(especially a walleye who don't like being at the surface) they start going nuts with head shakes etc and that is when it is by far the easiest for them to get off since their head shakes create slack line and throw the hook. Instead of horsing the fish up to the surface right away bring them up part way then let them swim in circles playing themselves out a bit putting just enough pressure to keep your line tight and make them work a bit. This also gives you time to get the net ready and soon as you start pulling them up you should be in the proper position to net the fish as he is approaching the surface instead of having him flopping around while fumbling for the net.

Even if you do everything perfectly there are days where the fish are just biting funny and barely getting hooked. If this is only happening every once in a blue moon I wouldn't worry about it too much but if you are losing half your fish every time you go out something is definitely wrong. You should probably be able to land closer to 80% of the fish you hook(keyword hook not that bite).

Another reason that some people lose fish part way through the battle is having their drag too tight. Especially if you are getting mediocre hook sets(either because not setting it well or just the way the fish is biting) then too tight of a drag will rip the hook out of the fishes mouth when they do a head shake or hard pull. This can also amplified by using too stiff of a rod and also by using no stretch line like braid.

I use braid all the time and I prefer using longer softer rods because of it. The trickier part about using a longer softer rod especially for jigging is that it has to be a sensitive rod to pick up the little bites which means you need to pay more for higher modulus graphite and you also need to give stronger or should I say more obvious hook sets in order to account for the softness in the rod. It takes a bit more skill to get the hook set with this type of rod but once you get hooked up you will lose less fish. Same idea as when you are fly fishing for trout.

[Sask Bearman]

Not sure if the answer is the golden bullet but I'd say sticky sharp hooks and setting the hook much harder than you think you need to sometimes works for me when I'm having one of those days.

I also make sure my rod tip is pointed down to the waters surface so I can give it a fast and hard yank with enough of a sweep to capture any slack that might be there.

I also increased my sticking rates when I went to braid (which also gives a bit more sensitivity and less stretch too).

Agree with everything. I like to use a quick "snap" to set sometimes if the fish are lightly mouthing the bait.

[Who Da Fisherman]

I try to wait to set the hook until I can confirm some weight. Tap, tap, ease it up and feel for weight continue lifting into a solid hook set if he's .

X2
Tap tap, drop down a foot, wait to two sometimes three on a slow day, snug up line to see if it is still there, if so 2-3 foot even set. Rod tip up and no slack at any time, kept a good drag on but not too tight. Most fish right on the snout. Fish on ::sHa_shakeshout:
Always keep a hook sharpener as you need it to pass quick through the top which is boney, The others on your boat laugh for a bit but soon realize the benefit and are asking to borrow yours.
WDF

[huntsfurfish]

Another issue could be to soft of rod while using mono can make setting the hook more difficult.

[bobalong]

Were you jigging, lindy rigging, or pulling bouncers?

If jigging I rarely give a hard set, it takes very little pressure for a sharp hook to penetrate. What I do when jigging is just gently lift the rod tip keeping steady pressure. This has increased my hooking percentage substantially.

If Lindy rigging try switching to a phelps floater, I have found walleye can inhale these much easier than just a straight hook.

If pulling bouncers try dropping your rod back as soon as you feel weight then slowly and steadily move the rod ahead, gives the walleye more slack line to inhale rig, and eliminates pulling the hook out by setting way to hard.

I like using superlines and have not used mono for about 8 years now.

[dryflyguy]

Thanks for all the feedback, it's much appreciated

It's been years since I've focused on walleye, so perhaps just getting the feel back for the fish and learning the curve again

bobalong, we were primarily jigging, but one of our group would cast about 10-15 yards and bounce it back with moderate success

RavYak, I think I will play with the drag next time out, I usually have it on the tighter end of the spectrum so that could have been playing a factor here

Hoping to get back out at least one more time before heading out on vacation, if so, Ill be giving some of these tips a try!

[RavYak]

RavYak, I think I will play with the drag next time out, I usually have it on the tighter end of the spectrum so that could have been playing a factor here

I set my drag just tight enough to get a decent hook set but loose enough the average fish I am catching can pull some drag when they try to run. Fish naturally try to swim away after getting hooked but if your drag is too tight then they can't pull drag and they will do more head shakes and try to roll etc again leading to more lost fish. Walleye usually aren't that bad but you will especially notice this with pike and trout(this is what usually causes pike to roll and trout to flop around on the surface).

I do this by first setting my drag based on experience(pulling line) but then as I catch fish I adjust my drag as necessary. If I notice my drag is slipping on hook set I tighten it up. If I notice tiny fish are taking forever to reel in again I tighten drag up. If I feel the fish aren't able to pull line and are doing head shakes etc instead I loosen it off a bit. Eventually you find the sweet spot.

If I hook into a big fish that I really don't want to lose and I am in a spot where I don't have to worry about snags etc I loosen my drag off after I have started fighting the fish. This makes it even easier for them to pull line and tire themselves out without risking losing them due to head shakes etc.

[Fishwhere]

I think RavYak has it pretty much on the money...

I love braid, although if i knew i was going to jig i would either use a flouro or if i decided i wanted the braid i would think about transitioning to flouro at the end for the last few feed if you trust your braid to mono know tying skills. If you were fishing anything near the 30 foot mark would probably make the decision to be closer to the braid type of decision.

And next the drag. I have some odd days here and there where for whatever reason the fish sometimes have a tendancy to throw hooks more often. First thing i experiment with is drag tension.

Hook sets - well its the best part in my opinion, so needless to say they are gonna get hit pretty hard either way... haha

Good luck man!

[Lowrance Fishburn]

Could have to do with your rod as well. what type are you using? When setting the hook in deeper water if you have a light rod with limited backbone and lots of flex, the rod will give too much as you hook-set and not be able to drive that hook deep enough. I encountered this problem while jigging for lakers years ago and switched to a rod with a bit more pop and boom, problem solved.