Striking ?

[Conger]

This might sound like a very silly question but here it goes, when i am fishing for bass and see a strike once it developes I generally lift into to it gently and start reeling, am I running the risk of losing fish, should I be forcefully striking into the bite, having a bad run of luck at the moment and just trying to pick through technique to see if I am going skeways somewhere along the line
Regards

[donal domeney]

First question, are you spinning, plugging or ground fishing with or without a grip lead

[Conger]

Hi Donal

I am ground fishing with grippers.

[donal domeney]

My two cents worth.

On beaches bass patrol along the beach in the table of water behind the surf hoping to pick up anything the surf will stir up off the bottom.
If this is right them they are moving with a bit of speed and will just grab the bait and keep moving hence the reason why most bass are hooked in the jaw.

So check that the hook is not hidden in the bait. Bass have a good big mouth so a size 2/0 would not be a bad call.

Match anglers need not reply to this

[Chris T]

I find they usually hook themselves.... I just lift into them. You do miss the odd one but that's fishing!!

[samo]

strike and set the hook mate ive had a few fish throw the hook just as your about to land them so its important to set the hook.

[southaussie]

And make sure your hooks are sharp, sorry if i'm stating the obvious

[roger de dodger]

no justin your not i often hear lads saying they are missing alot of fish ,i take one look at their rig and normally cant hold in the laughter ,their are sharp hooks that will only last one session and some that need changing after a few casts and some will last weeks if it will slide off your nail its not sharp ,bass have very hard mouths in some places and very soft in others alot of good fish are lost due to being hooked in the soft part of the scissors maybe the only part of the mouth a blunt hook will penatrate????????????????

i would strike most fish but not enough to pull their heads off with braid you only need a gentle tug where as with mono you must allow for the stretch in the line so a larger more dramatic strike is needed

[sparkey+1]

I know it may sound stupid but if the hooks are blunt not all of us carry a flat file with us to sharped them, so is there any other way to sharpen them when on the beach..... An oil stone

[davequirke@hotmail.com]

oil stone or better still a new hook

[blowin]

You can buy a little widget for the job . I think it is called a hook sharpener ! A short tube with slightly abrasive surface inside . Good for keeping a point on a decent hook but not worth the hassle if the tip is noticeably bent . Good luck

[Conger]

Lads thanks for the replies, have gone through the rig wallet and checked all hooks and all is ok on that front, my fear is to strike to firmly on the bass and pull the bait from the fish, when conger fishing i would give a good solid strike to set but after a lean spell on the bass front i think i am doubting everything i am doing thanks for all the advice roll on the next session, going back to the topic of hooks i was in woodies recently and thought i was seeing double when i came across a stand of fishing gear, they had hooks at a very good price so i said how bad i'll try these and see how they work out, on the first rig i was tying i snapped 2 hooks will keep to the usual hooks