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| Hey guys. i am a teenager who loves to musky fish. I mainly like throwing topwaters but when i get a fish to hit, i think i am so shoked and suprised i forget to set the hook. I just start to reel really fast. Any tips on how to train myself to set the hook? I know it sounds stupid but i do. It might be because i fish a lake with not many muskies and i havent caught one yet. Thanks for any help. |
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Posts: 209
| Throw scum frogs for bass on occasion. You'll have A LOT more strikes if you can find fish, which will give you more chances to practice getting used to having a topwater strike.
And always keep your rod tip pointed at the bait until a strike. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | When fishing top waters... WAITE... until you feel the weight of the fish and than set the hooks by sweeping the rod across your chest,.... and hang on...... keep the rod tip low and you should be good to go.
Oh,.. It's hard to train or pratice this shnit................ Time on the water, my friend, Time on the water.
Jerome |
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | 2nd what Top said, he is right on the money...bill |
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Posts: 2280
Location: Chisholm, MN | I've never done this but I got some advice one time about hooksets. This guy told me to stick the hooks into a balsam tree (soft bark) and set the hook into it. If you are not burying the hooks past the barb, then you aren't setting it hard enough. Kinda weird but it could help you get a feel for it |
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| MuskieMark01 - 2/17/2012 7:25 PM
Throw scum frogs for bass on occasion. You'll have A LOT more strikes if you can find fish, which will give you more chances to practice getting used to having a topwater strike.
And always keep your rod tip pointed at the bait until a strike.
I agree with this, and what got me over setting too early on topwater for bass which carries over to muskies. I used buzzbaits though as when you messed up, in my case too early, you got to listen to that thing whizz past your head. You actually have a pretty decent case in that you are not setting early. Now you just need to concentrate on when you feel that fish to lay into it. |
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Posts: 2280
Location: Chisholm, MN | Actually I had the same problem with bucktails. I lost a few monster fish one day and learned pretty quick after that. I think about that day every day  |
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Posts: 999
| Just drop your rod and keep cranking! The fish will set itself and you wont be pulling that topwater away! |
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Posts: 32801
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Keep moving the lure exactly as you were until you feel the fish. Then set the hook. You will be amazed at the number of times the lure will come through a strike generated explosion untouched...and get smashed again. |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | I just keep on reeling...with a very slight hook set...I just like to start cranking once I feel the fish.
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Posts: 1284
Location: WI | I think with topwater it's better to have a slow reaction than with other types of baits. I do what the other guys said above, just keep reeling and then maintain pressure once they're on. |
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Posts: 8723
| I'm good for setting the hook the second a fish blows up on the lure. It's a great way to miss a lot of fish. I know better, but I do it anyway. "Wait until you feel the weight of the fish." That's great advice, but it's easier said than done. |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Actually what you are doing now, is closer to what you should be doing than what many beginer and seasoned topwater anglers alike, have a tendancy to do, in reaction hooksetting upon seeing/hearing the explosion. Just as mentioned, maintaining the same cadence until you feel it, then doing your intense power speed up/keeping the line tight will get the job done. To really emphasize how delayed the sound--strike can be, is to fish with topwater at night. As steve mentions, there are times you will hear an explosion on multiple casts to a fish, or multiple times during the same cast, before you actually feel it. That said, the best strikes often make little disturbance at all. Good luck holmes! |
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Posts: 559
| Blindfold and ear plugs |
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Posts: 297
Location: Not where I want to be! | Through my years of experiance fishing topwaters there is one thing that I feel is really important. You must concentrate(no day dreaming) and be in sync with what your lure is doing. With the exception of WTD baits, topwaters will always be sending feedback to you as to the action of that bait while retrieving. Get to know what your lure feels like when it is working properly. If anything feels different as you're reeling, one of two things have happened. Either you picked up a weed or leaf, or a muskie has your lure. This is especially important in the dark or in big waves. Good luck! |
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Posts: 97
Location: Milwaukee, WI | sworrall - 2/17/2012 9:35 PM
Keep moving the lure exactly as you were until you feel the fish. Then set the hook. You will be amazed at the number of times the lure will come through a strike generated explosion untouched...and get smashed again.
+1 to this. Very good advice. |
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Posts: 1284
Location: WI | wavridr - 2/18/2012 8:35 AM
Through my years of experiance fishing topwaters there is one thing that I feel is really important. You must concentrate(no day dreaming) ....p>
I don't know, I caught my biggest topwater musky (47") while I was not paying attention. The only downside to not is that you miss seeing the strike, but the hook ups while not paying attention are usually better. |
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Posts: 909
| Topwaters and Gliders are better off fished with a blindfold on! LOL! Close your eyes and wait till you feel the weight!
Brian  |
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Posts: 608
Location: S.W. WI | I'm with Jkahler on this.
After noticing most of Buchers' Topraider fish over the years on his show, almost always hit when he looks away, I try not to watch. Try.... sure is fun to watch though.
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Posts: 209
| JKahler - 2/18/2012 12:08 PM
wavridr - 2/18/2012 8:35 AM
Through my years of experiance fishing topwaters there is one thing that I feel is really important. You must concentrate(no day dreaming) ....p>
I don't know, I caught my biggest topwater musky (47" ) while I was not paying attention. The only downside to not is that you miss seeing the strike, but the hook ups while not paying attention are usually better.
I wasn't paying attention once fishing a whopper plopper and I got a really quiet "slurper" that just bolted with the bait after it hit... Rod fell right out of my hands.... Picked it up out of the water and still had her pinned. Turned into a 46 incher the hard way  |
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Posts: 608
Location: S.W. WI | see Mark..... It works!!
Ha Ha
Edited by Rudedog 2/18/2012 3:37 PM
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Posts: 2361
| You guys can do what you want, but you better watch that bait. There are a certain amount of fish that will come up and quietly get the bait without any commotion, and when you see/hear the commotion, it is the fish thrashing and spitting the bait.
And, the fish that quietly come up and grab the bait, aren't the little ones. |
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Posts: 559
| firstsixfeet - 2/18/2012 7:25 PM
You guys can do what you want, but you better watch that bait. There are a certain amount of fish that will come up and quietly get the bait without any commotion, and when you see/hear the commotion, it is the fish thrashing and spitting the bait.
And, the fish that quietly come up and grab the bait, aren't the little ones.
NO weight no Fish Blindfold and ear plugs
If you feel the fish slam that bugger hard |
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Posts: 1284
Location: WI | I had a 30 incher sip a topwater off the surface like a trout. Small fish will hit like that too. Of course the biggest fish I've lost hit like that and I screwed up while fighting it (drag too tight). It's good to pay attention and you should, but if you're having trouble getting fish pinned on top, or pulling lures away from fish, then maybe try looking around once in a while. |
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Posts: 32801
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I'm with FSF on this one. Pay attention unless your reflexes suck. Learn not to react when the water erupts, makes a little bluegill sound, or does nothing at all, and to set the hook only when you feel the fish. Since most anglers only put out about a pound and a half at the hookset, just pinning the fish enough so it hooks itself isn't a horrible methodology, but I SET the hook. Pulling on the line won't do it unless the fish is moving fast away from you. The rod blank stores the energy you need, use it and cross that stupid fish's eyes. |
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Posts: 97
Location: Milwaukee, WI | I have far more success when I am watching my lure and paying attention.
When I see a fish take the lure I try to set the hook to the side and away from whatever direction its head was turning.
Operative word there is "TRY". I've pulled a few out of their mouths, still. |
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Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | Critical factors of surface bait fishing are twofold from my experience. The one has been covered, namely don't set the hook till you feel the fish or see the lure disappear. Two, sharp hooks always! For some reason they seem to get dull faster on surface lures. Might be my imagination but I seem to be resharping hooks a lot on surface lures. If your hooks are very very sharp the fish has a harder time getting rid of the lure before you can really slam the hooks home. |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | One thing of note while topwater fishing, is the time period once battle ensues. This is a very critical time and when many lose fish. While there are varying degrees of belief regarding hooksets while topwater fishing, the first 3-6 seconds after the fish is 'on', is very critical. Setting the hook with force is great(I do it and caution beginers to be cognicant of the following set of events), but you had better get/keep that line tight for the ensuing surface shaking can often take place. Sometimes it is only a few shakes, while other times the fish will thrash for a number of seconds. This isn't the time to be reeling in slack, or watching what is happening. Reel. Keep the line tight. Even if the hook hasn't yet found its home into soft tissue, you will not lose it most of the time, if you can keep it tight until the fish decides to go down. |
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Posts: 54
| You want to see it but you don't want to see it!! I keep looking around and look away and watch something else. Like everybody else you have to feel it and have sharp hooks. |
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Posts: 1462
Location: Davenport, IA | It definitely takes some time to get down. I think Steve gave the best advice on here about keeping the lure moving until you feel the fish. MuskieMark's advice about fishing a frog really ties into this. With a frog you will have fish nip at the bait multiple times before it eats it sometimes. Its a great way to learn and extremely fun. |
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