Basically a complete newbie to angling, im having trouble hooking fish. Ive used both j and circle hooks.

Ive heard that circle hooks are safer for fish and are easier to use because they are self hooking, but im finding the second claim to not be the case for me. I still cant get any fish to stay on the bait long enough for them to be hooked. A few seconds after the cast, i already feel fish tugging and testing my lures but erverytime i jerk to set the hook, i never get them.

I know that people say not to jerk to set circle hooks. I tried the recommended method of just cranking, and even tried yanking the rod to set them. I cant set any hooks to save my life..

The reason why i can catch only bluegill is because they seem to be setting the hooks on themselves when they take my mini bait, but even then..

Please help, hooking fish is the primary event of fishing and i cant even do that.

Thanks guys

Where are you located?

The southern houston area. Do fish in my location have anything to do with my ability (or lack of) to set hooks?

Lol

Not at all...was going to offer some hands on experience. It is much easier when someone can see what you are doing and you can maybe see how others do it. Good luck with your request.

Well on a general note is there anything you can do to help me in my current predicament? I seriously cant set the hook and its kinda depressing to always feel fish testing my lures out and me always missing them.

trex8692,

Without much to go on (you need to let us know what type of lures/bait your using, cause that makes a difference on how to best set the hook), I would tell you that when you feel a tug on your line quickly drop the tip of your rod to allow a slight amount of slack in your line and then quickly snap the rod tip up and hold the tension while reeling down. NEVER from that moment allow slack in your line.

The technique I just described is like a reverse whip snap which proved to me at a BASS University course by a pro on how much more effective snaping you line is instead of a hard pull.

Try it, and also you-tube hook set.

good luck,
bd

Most commonly when im fishing anywhere i use a regular jighead with a grub, 2-3 inches, on.

Ive now began to try using circle hooks as ive heard that they are self-hooking. They still arent hooking themselves for me. I also use grubs and live minnows on those.

Just today i tried using a texas rig, complete with 1/16 bullet and 4.5 inch black worm. I got ALOT of hits with this, but i lost every single one bc idk when to set and how to tell the difference between snags and fishstrikes.

Do i let the fish run with the bait (by opening bail) a little before i pull? How do i know WHEN to set? I feel small tugs very frequently and long tugs on occaision. I think the small tugs are the fish "chking" the plastic lures.

More than likely you are trying to set the hook on bluegill. You first need to distinguish the difference in what the bite of different species of fish feel like. You need to change your presentation and/or lure if bluegill is not the species you are targeting. I suspect not considering the baits of choice. It is hot and most bass have moved on to deeper structure but not all. They still have to move up to feed. I would try a shallow to medium diving crankbait in some variation of a shad color, a chatterbait, and a jig to avoid the pesky bluegill bites. Depending on what time of day you are fishing a topwater comes into play in the early morning and late evening. A popper type or prop type topwater works best right now.

I dont mind catching bluegill as long as theyre big. In my pond, most of the bluegill that i can see have gotten pretty big. The smaller bass have moved to the shallows and once in awhile i see a fat bass jump in the middle of the pond.

Wen i cast it doenst go too far into the middle so im not expecting to catch gigantic bass.

I dont have any cranks/spinners/poppers atm. Im only limited to plastic worms, grubs, and squid. From what i have been reading, continuing to use a weedless texas rig on medium worms is a good idea right? Ive gotten a bunch of hits, i just dont know when to set the hook and im slow at it right now. Ive lost alot of opportunities today.

First thing I'd suggest is getting a hook sharpener of some sort - pocket stone, diamond rod, there's all kinds that work fine, and sharpening your hooks until they have a needle sharp point that will not slide across your finger nail, but dig in with the slightest of pressure. You'd expect new hooks to be sharp out of the box, but that is not always the case. Some are terribly dull even when brand spanking new. One tiny bump into a rock or even sometimes a log or limb can turn a needle sharp point into a dull or bent no sticking non-point that can cause you to miss 75% of the hits you might otherwise stick good and get to reel in.

Where I fish a lot, I throw 1/32 oz. roadrunners. It is very common for lots of little nips, pecks, and bumps as I'm reeling in and if I jerk on every one of those, I'll never hook anything.
I have to be patient, and wait for a good strong tug to tell me one has it in his mouth instead of just bumping at it before I try to set the hook. With really sharp hooks, it doesn't take one of those double handed, cross their eyes and try to pull their head off type of hook sets on most fish. If you set too hard on some fish - especially if they're short striking at the bait, you can jerk it right on out of their mouths, or rip it out even if they are hooked. Bassdreamers method is great and works well - just don't feel like after that quick snap he describes, that you have to keep pulling at a rate and distance that would jerk a 5 lb bass plumb out of the water. You just have to get the hook stuck in past the barb and then keep a tight line on them. Lots of beginners pull too slow when setting hooks. Quick Snap is good key words to remember.

When I'm getting a lot of those little bumps and pecks, often times times varying my retrieve - letting the bait slow down, or stop, and then giving a couple of faster twitches or pulls will get them to quit pecking at it and take it into their mouth. To tell the difference between a bite and just bumping over a rock when worm fishing, drop your rod tip just a little to give slack and watch your line to see if it starts to move before trying to set the hook. A rock or log bump won't move your line when you give a little slack. Learning the difference between rock bumps and fish bites mostly only comes with experience but it doesn't take long once you actually hook a few bass.

This time of year, in shallower water, 2'-8' deep small sunfish can give you fits. Bit off tails from your worms and grubs are a sure indicator if this is going on.

I hope someone who lives near you can meet you at the water and you can probably have this all sorted out in 10 minutes or less.
Good luck and try to keep patient with it. Fish, much like computers and women don't respond well to loss of patience or harsh behavior.

The main thing im confused on is the actual part of WHEN i am supposed to set the hook. I feel alot of bumps and tugs and i have a good feeling theyre fish because weeds dont tug. Do i quicksnap the rod then?

Or am i only supposed to quicksnap when i see the line BEING PULLED AWAY from me?

Also, what is your pov on circle hooks? Are they easier for beginners lilke me to hook fish, or are they mainly a waste of time?

When you get hit...kill the bait, drop your rod tip, and watch the line. If it starts to move then reel up the slack and set the hook. You may be allowing the fish to feel you putting tension on the line causing them to spit it out. Anything unnatural and they will not commit.

Killing the bait means to let it drop right? When you tell me to reel up and then set the hook, am i supposed to do this in 1 fluid motion, or am i supposed to as fast as i can reel, THEN snap? Ive never done anytign that fast before in fishing.

Ok so to summarize what i have learned in this thread:

1. Dont be jumpy, not ever bump is a fishbite
2. Allow a lil slack in the line
3. Hard bumps and pulls mean i should reel and snap.

It is very important that you use the correct hooks.

For bluegill use a long shank cricket hook in size 8. The long shank will let you remove the hook without killing the fish.
View them here.

For all panfish, including crappie and white bass use a gold Aberdeen hook. Be sure to get gold to prevent rust.

For soft plastics use an offset worm hook.

Deep six the circle hooks. They will cause you nothing but grief. When you have learned to set the hook properly you will not injure many fish.

Hang in there. A lot of us have been at this for 60 years or more and we are still learning the fine points.

im too lazy to read all that stuff up there... but maybe the fish are to small? try smaller hooks. and is that dosent work then just use a desent sized hook. mostly just thaink about it.. use your head and get creative. oh and by the way eagle claw hooks are the way to go...

ohh one more thing let the fish take off with the hook for about a second and if they are still there set that hook like theres no tomorrow!!!

hope i could help.