TackleTour

Do you guys set as soon as you feel anything or do you wait ?

Whenever I feel a bite, I usually give it a 3, 2, 1, set count down. It gives the fish a second to really get the bait in their mouth.

Does anyone notice a difference between lmb and smb senko bites? With lmb I usually pause then set, but in the river when I'm going for smb lately they tap and don't hang on to it. I think I have set immediately. Anyone else think there is a difference?

I have only fished for SMB with senko's and I notice that I need to wait until they're done tapping/nibbling at it before I can set the hook. Sometimes it's just one or two taps, other times it can be as many as five.

If its a hard thump, then I give it one second. If it is small taps, I wait for about 2-3 seconds until I can feel thumps or see the line swim off a few feet.

The reason I ask is because I was watching the documentary "bigmouth forever" and it was really education to see how largemouth just suck the lure in and even more interesting was how fast they spit it out too without the angler even knowing. I've never seen a smallmouth feed, but I'd imagine it would be similar. If they just suck it in, don't you think setting the hook as soon as you feel a tap should up the landing percentage?

I set as soon as I notice something, be it a tap, line movement, etc. I find if I wait on the hookset I usually end up with a gullet hooked fish.

The second I´m able to notice anything different I set the hook. If I feel a bump, a tap, mushy, lack of "presence", different fall rate, anything odd I set the hook, hooksets are for free.

Teal101 wrote:I set as soon as I notice something, be it a tap, line movement, etc. I find if I wait on the hookset I usually end up with a gullet hooked fish.

He is correct don't give the bass time to swallow the senko or you just may kill the fish
just wait 1 second reel down set the hook in a sweeping motion and step back if you can.

Pegasus wrote:

Teal101 wrote:I set as soon as I notice something, be it a tap, line movement, etc. I find if I wait on the hookset I usually end up with a gullet hooked fish.

He is correct don't give the bass time to swallow the senko or you just may kill the fish
just wait 1 second reel down set the hook in a sweeping motion and step back if you can.

Does the size of the Senko affect the gullet hook ratio?

DaveJ

IlliniDawg01 wrote:

Pegasus wrote:

Teal101 wrote:I set as soon as I notice something, be it a tap, line movement, etc. I find if I wait on the hookset I usually end up with a gullet hooked fish.

He is correct don't give the bass time to swallow the senko or you just may kill the fish
just wait 1 second reel down set the hook in a sweeping motion and step back if you can.

Does the size of the Senko affect the gullet hook ratio?

DaveJ

I fish the 4" and 5" and do not think so. I have noticed though that T-rigged Senkos tend to get gullet hooked more than wacky rigged. I think it has to do with the large round short shank bend in the wacky style hooks. To be honest I have yet to have a gullet hooked fish on a wacky rig, but I fish heavy cover weightless t-rigged 90% of the time. March-July I didnt fish much else but a Senko this year. Very productive.

One thing a like about senkos is that they're very forgiving on the rod set compared to other plastics same with flukes.

I usually give it a countdown and lean back into the hookset to make sure the bass has it fully in the mouth

Got to give them the ol 1, 2 then set the hook. Got to have it in their mouth before you bury a hook in their mouth.

I don't think theres a set rule here, I've waited the ol 1-2, and they spit it before I could hook them, and I've not waited and pull it right out. Usually if I miss on a quick hook set, I'll wait on the next one or vice versa, I find it depends on the mood the fish are in.