its cheaper than a $300 rod and reel.lol

That could be argued but for now I will agree.

my point exactly

you don't need expenisive stuff but I would recommend using expensive line. I would recommend using Seaguar it is expensive but its awesome it will make a huge difference

i fish 90% of the time wacky rigging senkos and the bites are very soft so I use Berkley� Trilene� TransOptic� Monofilament Line helps for line watching, my rods are st. croix either mojo bass or one legend bass.
Like other said if I feel anything different I set the hook and more times than not there is a fish on. My mistake is ofter they take the bait and swim off and run towards me and I have to play catch up or lose the fish.

You miss 100% of the hook sets you dont take!!!! Think about it! Fish or not, in a tourney you jerk at anything that resembles a bite. Ive set the hook on stumps, logs, brush, rocks, pads, reeds, just about anything you can think of. It dont hurt my ego if its not a fish. But it will help my ego if its a 10 lber. that i thought was a stump!!

thanks guys.. this will help

Ask Billy CLine what he'd do - he's a pro.

-Alton

one little tap was all they gave me today on oak ck. only missed two, boated 16, two were over 5. 15lb P line flouroclear never broke coming thru some brush

Fish dont have hands! If you feel it, it is in his mouth, and you need to sit on him!

i did the wene in dougt set the hook and i landed a six pounder this weekend

Dont be worried about your boater getting mad at you for hanging up so much..if he is a good guy he will go an retrieve your lure everytime unless your in a stump field and he has a 2011 ranger. Im not saying set the hook in every log you roll over on, but im saying dont be scared about catching a stick fish(they are fun to catch bc they never throw the hook). The more you fish your soft plastics and jigs the better you will get in detecting bites.GOOD LUCK !

You really do need to be sure your fishing with someone who is easy going. My friend and I make it a point to not get worked up about retrieving a snagged lure. Fishing is suppose to be fun, theres no point in going out with someone who will hassle you. Where we fish theres logs + lilly pads all wrapped up, I've set the hook into that stuff just as much as I've set into a fish.

If you are fishing a bait like a worm, jig, creature, etc., that is on the bottom, remember to keep your rod tip high around 11 o'clock. Instead of pointing the rod tip towards the water. (Not saying this is what you are doing, but I see it a lot.) This will allow you to feel the bite better. Learn to watch your line, sometimes you will see the bite and not feel it. It is a great way to catch fish and once you get the hang of it you will have a blast.
Good Luck.

I remember a man told me long ago( Fish do not have hands) so if it feels like a bite he used his mouth, set the hook.