sat. i lost at least 4 nice fish by either not setting the hook or by pulling it right out of its mouth. what am i doing wrong? by the way i was using a jig.

be sure you have the drag set right.

I like to fish my braid with a little more slack than I would mono. I feel everything still, but have time to react or just react slower.

i tried to do a sweeping hook set and a straight up set. i would get 1 out 5 in the boat. each fish would pull line so i would think the drag was ok.

you should get 8 or 9 out of 10 in the boat with a jig. It could be timing on the hook set. I would just set the hook strait up on slack line. Hopefully you are using pretty heavy equipment and a good rod with sharp hooks but if you are using ultra lite, I cant help you.

no sweep. set it hard straight up. amsot like popping the line. that quick pop will set the hook thru the bone.

Because of the "no stretch" of braided lines, if you set the hook too hard it will actually tear a large hole and give the hook an easy exit path. Many of the Elite anglers have actually gone to a less stiff rod for use with braid or even flourocarbon for this very reason. Good back bone but with a medium tip allows you to set the hook hard without over powering and you still have enough back bone to get them out of the thick stuff. I switched over last year and have seen an obviuos difference on my hook to land ratio. The next time you watch Bassmasters or FLW on tv, pay attention to the amount of bow in the rods after the hook up.

Same hooksets as with Mono, just not as hard. You jerk real hard like mono and you may break a rod or tear the lure out of the fishes mouth. Also like others said a softer rod is better. You can also put a mono leader on the braid to help absorb some shock.

what he said.

All very true. When you set the hook don't tear into them like you would with fluorocarbon. If you do it will tear a hole in their jaw, and if you have a weight on, your line will gain a little slack and you will lose a lot more that way. From experience I have learned just a good hard pull on the rod will do the trick. Make sure you have tension at all times.

thanks guys. if the wind lays down sat. iwill give it another try. again thanks for the info.

Exactly like SR says! Actually, all hook sets should be a quick snap instead of a pull. Sweeping is for finesse, crankbaits and crappie.

Good info cast&blast.

I've fished Jigs on braid since the mid 80's when braid was white and flat/ hollow 80# or 120# test. I went thru about 10 rods early in my Jig fishing Daze learning to use braid. The early graphite rods just weren't made for the shock of a rock the boat hookset when using braid. There is nothing quite like the sound of a graphite rod exploding into several pieces. Then comes the fun of landing a fish over 5# with half a rod or less.

Here's what I have learned from over 20 years fishing with super lines.

The lighter tip helps the learning curve but a Sharp Wrist Set with braid is all you need with any M/H to Heavy action rod. As soon as the line comes tight the hook is moving.. if it's sharp it will stick the fish 99% of the time.

Like others have said it's easy to over power the hookset and tear a hole if the jig is not dead center of their mouth. You will get a feel for it the longer you use braid.. just dont give up too soon. I seldom fish a jig other than finesse jigs on anything but braid.

Other reasons for Poor Hook-ups With Jigs are caused by Impropper Rigging of the Trailer.

If you put Too Much Bulk on the Hook Bend there is less Hook Gap to stick the fish's Jaw. When you are using a Craw Worm or thick Creature bait as a trailer... make sure to run the hook shank thru the top half of the bait. Also trim about an inch off the worm part of the craw to reduce the lenght so it's harder for a fish to hit the bait without getting the hook.

If you use a Craw Chunk trailer (Pork or Plastic).. This simple rigging adjustment will make a big difference in the bite to hook-up ratio.

Take a small section of worm and run it up the shank to keep the Chunk from turning back over the hook point. The worm section should stop at the lower quarter of the hook bend... trim it flat to the shank of the hook. This will pin the trailer and keep it straight behind the jig. You can cut a Hawg or Salt Craw off and use the worm Tail to make the small section on the shank then use the Body and Claw part as the Craw Chunk.

If you need some of the best Jig fishing instruction on the planet hook up with Roy Greer at Lake Fork.

Good Luck and Tite Jig Lines Yall!

Bazz

all the above is good info. If i could add one thing. When i fish jigs i almost always have on braid, 7 to 7 1/2 MH pole. where my pole rests in my arm with my rod tip at a 90 degree angle to a little higher than 45, usually. When i get the hit i will snap my forearm against my chest, no big swing!! Just a very hard sharp quick set with very little sweep. It seems i very rarely miss my jig fish and if i do its usually a result of not paying attention or my trailer is too bulky. Several times ive missed a fish, then either modified my trialer or took it off, threw back in the same spot and got a good hookup.

Ok two things;
I take an exacto knife and fillet my bulky trailers and usually trim them to half thier normal girth, on the part of the trailer i thread on the hook. This also gives them more action. On chunks i typically push the hook through closer to the edge than in the middle, keeping it out of the hook and giving it more action.

My wife doesnt understand why i spend money on plastics and then cut them in pieces in the garage. tryed explaining, but its no use.