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Posts: 897
| I was on a lake this weekend where the only thing that was moving fish was a Funky Chicken (or whatever that lure is called) spinnerbait. Burning it was the only way to get fish to look at it. Saturday I lost 3 fish, yesterday I lost 1. Two of the fish on Saturday hit about 15 feet from the boat, the other was a ways out. Last night the fish was probably 40 feet out from the boat. The fish just were not staying hooked. Does anybody modify their spinner baits to help with hookups? Do spinnerbaits commonly have bad hooking percentages? Do you play the fish any differently on a spinner bait than other lures?
I caught a 51 last Wednesday and have lost 8 fish since, 4 that I thought were hooked solidly...karma?!? Talk about frustrating. Three were on a glider, so I'm not too worried about that, but the spinnerbait issues were getting annoying.
Thanks,
Chris
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Posts: 431
| Does the funky chicken have a trailer hook? If not get a BIG trailer hook. | |
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Posts: 580
| In my experience, spinnerbaits have a very good hooking percentage, and most fish end up in the net. I used to be paranoid about the single hooks, versus trebles, but with time I actually think the single hooks work better than trebles. They seem to penetrate more easily and fish have a tougher time getting leverage...the multiple hooks of a treble can actually be counter-productive at times as fish can clamp down on the non-embedded hooks to help the embedded ones wiggle free....
Hate to say it, but I think we over-analyze things too much. I've had some very bad streaks from time to time, losing a dozen fish in a row at one point last year, and then I've had streaks where I boat every fish that hits. I will say that fish will get "beak hooked" on spinnerbaits perhaps with a greater propensity than other baits. It is tough for hooks to fully penetrate the boniest parts of the fish's mouth, and with a single hook, you've got fewer chances to find the softer spots.
About all you can do is ensure sharp hooks, have a quick hookset (more important to be quick, rather than strong, imo), and then keep a tight line, with the rod-tip low to try and keep the fish from jumping....have your partner do the cross sign and then get the net out promptly....
Congrats on the 51! Maybe the musky gods are making you pay it back a bit?!  | |
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Posts: 897
| I absolutely agree that we over-analyze things, but I couldn't believe the run of luck I was having. I think you're right about the beak hooking, especially since I was burning it. I watched three of the fish eat and none of those did more than nip the back of the lure. I was just happy none of the fish were big. I sharpen hooks before I put lures on, so I doubt that was the issue. I even went as far as to add a treble hook onto the trailer hook, so there were three hooks. I'm sure my hookset wasn't as quick this weekend because I was using off-handed equipment...both of my reels broke, more karma? | |
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| At least your bad luck comes after a 51". | |
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Posts: 897
| Exactly | |
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Posts: 897
| By the way, Matt, any chance your firm wants to open up a branch office in Duluth? There are some fantastic lakes in this area and I'll be looking come September:)
Chris | |
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Posts: 580
| LOL...Sorry Chris, probably not going to happen anytime soon! Are you sitting for the bar in Sept? | |
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Posts: 897
| Nah, I took it last July in Minnesota. Passed and took a job as a judicial law clerk up in Duluth. I told the judge I'd give her a year, that's up in November, so I'll start looking sometime in August or September. I'd like to stay in this area, but we'll see. | |
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Hooking issues