Hi again guys.
I went fishing today for about 30 minutes and caught two bass and some sunfish, super productive. However, 2 of the 4 bass I got hooked up on I reeled up to the bank, the hook seemed pretty secure. When I get them close, I reach in front of the rod to grab the line and lift them onto the bank or my hand so I can lip them.
Where I fish thereâs like a 1-2 foot sheer drop to the water and the area is hard to stand on because itâs rocky. I donât bring a net down because I have limited time and donât want to police a bunch of gear – itâs about 1/8 mile walk each way.
Any way today I was fishing under a slip bobber with live red worms on a #1 or #2 bait holder hook (kinda small). I know the hook was in ok shape after I lost each of them. One of them would have been close to my 2.5-3 lb PB. The other was probably 1.5-2lbs. The fish I successfully landed were considerably smaller. Both popped off in the same way as soon as 80% of their body was out of the water.
Are these tiny hooks just cutting through their lips? Or am I doing something wrong? The line is tight pretty much the whole time.
Let me know any tips youâve got to share!
Posted by SableGlaive
2 Comments
Bass are great, especially on braid, at flipping up and off hooks. I have lost several bass after giving them even a little slack. Mono stretch helps keep the hook gently stuck through the lip as they thrash
If you’re ripping lips when they start to come out of the water, that makes me think you’re not getting around the jaw bone, which could mean your hooks are too small or you’re setting the hook too early.
Also you are holding that bass like 45 degrees from vertical and you can break their jaw (death sentence) if you hold them more than 10 degrees or so. There’s a chart showing exactly what angles are okay, but in general try to keep them vertical.