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Posts: 612
| A while back I asked what was the most fun way to catch one. I personally liked when they hit shortly after the cast, since this usually produced the longest and best fights (in my experience). However many of my fellow fisherman thought boatside strikes were their favorites.
Well today it happened again I missed another solid fish that hit maybe 4' from the boat. I would say that my % of landing a fish goes down when they hit 5' or closer to the boat. When they hit farther out landing % goes up. How about you? BTW sharp hooks are not the issue. |
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Posts: 20178
Location: oswego, il | Hits closer to the boat can be more bonsai sometimes. Get it before it gets to that structure element. Angles are different as is leverage. It gives more reasons for a fish to become unbuttoned. |
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Posts: 1080
Location: Aurora | Assuming yer setting the hook, try power reeling instead, like they do on the TV shows.
I don't recommend running around the boat like they do but it does work better imo, specially with topwater strikes.
Hooks set during the fight, not on the hookset.
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Posts: 1937
Location: Black Creek, WI | I agree with Todd. Line angles close to the boat are not your friend. If you set the hooks with your rod tip high when a strike occurs near the boat... you are asking for trouble. Angles are much more forgiving when fish is further from the boat. Key point is... you want a line angle that will put pressure on the hook GAP.... or parallel to the hook shank. |
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Posts: 51
| Greetings,
My fishing mentor told me many years ago the following about boat-side strikes: "it's a crap-shoot at best". I would have to say that he was right based on my experience. The previous posts on this thread offer some good insights into what is going and how to remedy it.
I will add one other point that has upped my odds in a boat-side situation. I do my very best to take the fight to the fish, rather than having the fish bring the fight to me. On many of my boat-side strikes, I often find a brief moment when the fish is facing directly towards me, with its tail directly away from me. This position is often accompanied by wild shakes of the head from side to side. This move by the fish is akin to the fish taking the fight to me. It usually doesn't take many head shakes for the fish to throw the lure.
Assuming the fish stays hooked during the head shakes, the fish typically dive and make a few power runs. I am normally relieved when I get to this point as I figure the odds of landing the fish are now swinging in my favor. However, there is no guarantee!
I mentioned taking the fight to the fish. By this I mean I want to prevent the fish from ever looking at me and shaking its head to throw the lure. As soon as I see this situation developing, I try to sweep my fishing rod to the side so as to knock the fish over on its side. Doing so generally invites a power run, which as I commented above, generally signals to me that the odds of landing the fish are improving.
Good fishing and tight lines!! |
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Posts: 983
| BornToFish1 - 8/8/2017 8:04 AM
Greetings,
My fishing mentor told me many years ago the following about boat-side strikes: "it's a crap-shoot at best". I would have to say that he was right based on my experience. The previous posts on this thread offer some good insights into what is going and how to remedy it.
I will add one other point that has upped my odds in a boat-side situation. I do my very best to take the fight to the fish, rather than having the fish bring the fight to me. On many of my boat-side strikes, I often find a brief moment when the fish is facing directly towards me, with its tail directly away from me. This position is often accompanied by wild shakes of the head from side to side. This move by the fish is akin to the fish taking the fight to me. It usually doesn't take many head shakes for the fish to throw the lure.
Assuming the fish stays hooked during the head shakes, the fish typically dive and make a few power runs. I am normally relieved when I get to this point as I figure the odds of landing the fish are now swinging in my favor. However, there is no guarantee!
I mentioned taking the fight to the fish. By this I mean I want to prevent the fish from ever looking at me and shaking its head to throw the lure. As soon as I see this situation developing, I try to sweep my fishing rod to the side so as to knock the fish over on its side. Doing so generally invites a power run, which as I commented above, generally signals to me that the odds of landing the fish are improving.
Good fishing and tight lines!!
That is great info and great discription of what you are talking about makes great since....thanks |
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Posts: 983
| Sidejack - 8/7/2017 9:18 PM
Assuming yer setting the hook, try power reeling instead, like they do on the TV shows.
I don't recommend running around the boat like they do but it does work better imo, specially with topwater strikes.
Hooks set during the fight, not on the hookset.
HE is on to something here imo...I lost lots of fish due to bad advice from someone telling me to Set Hook hard on hit and then set it again real quick very bad idea.....Lost numerous fish trying to do this...HE is Right I hit them hard on the Bite BUt Im setting hook hard and Power reeling at same time then just keep as much pressure as you can and keep reeling like hell to you get to the Net |
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Posts: 770
| Some good points here, joe bucher preeches setting the hook to the side in his seminars |
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Posts: 8716
| Sometimes they hit on the outside and go back from whence they came. Easy to keep pressure on them that way.
Sometimes they eat right at your feet when the rod is buried and decide to go under the boat. Then it's just a tug-o-war.
It's happened enough times where I often wonder if they prefer right turns.
I try to avoid that by speeding up my figure 8 along the boat. Gets the lure out of there and into a place where I have some leverage and somewhere to go with the rod.
2. I lose a lot fewer fish since I stopped cranking my drag down all the way. No more bent hooks, either. Funny how that works.
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Posts: 612
| BornToFish1 - 8/8/2017 9:04 AM
Greetings,
My fishing mentor told me many years ago the following about boat-side strikes: "it's a crap-shoot at best". I would have to say that he was right based on my experience. The previous posts on this thread offer some good insights into what is going and how to remedy it.
I will add one other point that has upped my odds in a boat-side situation. I do my very best to take the fight to the fish, rather than having the fish bring the fight to me. On many of my boat-side strikes, I often find a brief moment when the fish is facing directly towards me, with its tail directly away from me. This position is often accompanied by wild shakes of the head from side to side. This move by the fish is akin to the fish taking the fight to me. It usually doesn't take many head shakes for the fish to throw the lure.
Assuming the fish stays hooked during the head shakes, the fish typically dive and make a few power runs. I am normally relieved when I get to this point as I figure the odds of landing the fish are now swinging in my favor. However, there is no guarantee!
I mentioned taking the fight to the fish. By this I mean I want to prevent the fish from ever looking at me and shaking its head to throw the lure. As soon as I see this situation developing, I try to sweep my fishing rod to the side so as to knock the fish over on its side. Doing so generally invites a power run, which as I commented above, generally signals to me that the odds of landing the fish are improving.
Good fishing and tight lines!!
Thanks I've never heard it summed up so accurately before. Yes often those head shakes so throw loose the lure (that's exactly what happens yesterday. As mentioned a fish on the run is much less apt to shake loose the bait. Also as Todd (and yourself) mentioned they often hit the bait at non-optimal angles preventing a solid hook set into those bony mouths. I t all happens so quick with these boatside hits. I hope I can remember to turn the rod sideways against the fish, thus allowing your line to run a bit more and in-line with the fishes body (makes sense).
Edited by NPike 8/8/2017 12:40 PM
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Posts: 119
| Good info here ... Rubber makes it even worse at boatside as well. No matter what lure I'm throwing I'm going to try to reverse the hooks back into the fish if at all possible but as we all know: musky fishing > best laid plans |
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Posts: 90
| Free spool. If I get a hit any where close to the boat, free spooling and using my thumb as the drag puts fish in the bag. I don't want a battle on a short leash at the surface. If they hit in the 8, I free spool, let the dive and get away from the boat a bit.
I am never a proponent of horsing a fish. If a fish is lightly hooked you are likely to lose it trying to horse it. If your nice and easy, steady with pressure your odds go way up |
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Location: oswego, il | Lunger50 - 8/18/2017 2:40 PM
Free spool. If I get a hit any where close to the boat, free spooling and using my thumb as the drag puts fish in the bag. I don't want a battle on a short leash at the surface. If they hit in the 8, I free spool, let the dive and get away from the boat a bit.
I am never a proponent of horsing a fish. If a fish is lightly hooked you are likely to lose it trying to horse it. If your nice and easy, steady with pressure your odds go way up
This! |
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Posts: 617
Location: Clintonville, WI | The boat-side action is definitely more fun for me, no matter what the bait or situation. I'm including figure 8 fish caught, figure 8 fish lost/unsuccessful, out of nowhere explosions that don't get hooked up / those that do, suckers just under the surface, etc. What a rush! Figure 8 fish are my favorite and I've had good results over the past three seasons converting figure 8 fish into photo'd fish, but........
In terms of success rates on the whole, I'd generally rather have a fish hit further out. Too many things working against you in boat-side situations. I'm sure data would support this. I'd sacrifice the "cool" factor for overall success %.
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