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Posts: 42
| Alright, I just had my first figure eight strike today. That was nuts !
Looked like a nice sized NJ fish in the 40" - 42" range... followed up boat side... I had less than 2' of line out.... without hesitation I started an "8" and she immediately T-boned the crank bait and dove under the boat.... rod bent and feeling her weight, I pulled back but lost her.....
What is the proper playing/hooking of a fish that strikes boat side...?
Should I have free spooled and let her run..?
Help, I would have loved to have the one !
Edited by BassMiesterNJ 3/29/2008 1:54 PM
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Posts: 1636
| On the Musky Hunter, Jim shows how he likes to set the hook (usually towards the fish) and drag it around the front of the boat. This keeps tension on the line and decreses the fishes chance of getting free. Thats a good technique, but I try not to do that. You may be able to drag a fish wherever you want, but doing that also increases the chance of the fish wrapping itself around the trolling motor. I usually just set the hook straight up when using a bucktail. If I'm using a crankbait I try and set the hook towards the fish. Sometimes, you just dont have time to think. After she hits and the fish is hooked, while in freespool i use my thumb to keep tension and let out line when needed. I try to let the fish do what it wants while having some kind of control. I have lost very few doing this and have caught around 40 fish on the 8. Goodluck and good job getting that girl to go on the 8!
Edited by Reelwise 3/29/2008 2:30 PM
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Posts: 331
Location: Stevens Point, Wisconsin | I think everyone on this site lost several fish and will lose several more fish to boat side strikes. Two things that work best for me are to free spool after the hook set and always keep leading the fish with your rod.
Many guys actually free spool as they enter into the figure 8, I feel more comfortable doing an 8 with the spool engaged. Either way I think it’s a personal preference deal. I personally feel that I have more control over the fish by free spooling verses letting the drag play the fish. This is especially true with boat side hits that are usually snout hooked or roof of the mouth hooked fish. I feel I can fight a poorly hooked fish better by thumbing out line as the pressure on the rod increases from the fish.
Second tip is to always keep leading the fish around the boat. Many fish are lost during the boat side suspended animation headshake where the fish is stationary but thrashing violently. If the fish’s forward momentum is slowing as it begins it’s headshake, pull the fish forward and walk the fish around the boat if necessary to keep constant pressure. This helps prevent the fish from gaining leverage on the bait and using the weight of the bait to throw the hooks.
Last thing to say it that they are muskies and getting off at boat side is what they do!
Ed
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Posts: 2024
| Hate to say it, but the best way to learn how to handle fish boatside is through trial and error. From the description of your experience it doesn't sound like you could have done much.
THAT SAID, I don't like going into things without knowing a little something before hand, so it's good you've asked and haven't simply written off what happened. Obviously, never set away from the fish. That's absolutely key. Depending on where the fish eats the bait you're going to do different things. For instance, if the fish eats at your feet the best hookset would probably be straight up, but if the fish eats on the turn away from try to set back into the fish. Keep constant tension once the fish is hooked. Lots of people advocate using your drag system and lots of people advocate using your thumb/free spool. Personally, I feel more COMFORTABLE freespooling. Do what feels most comfortable and what you have confidence in.
Hope this gives you a start. Don't get too frustrated as within those milliseconds that a fish hits and runs, there's ultimately (IMO) not much you can do. Oh, and SHARP HOOKS ARE IMPERATIVE!!!!
Edited by esox50 3/29/2008 2:34 PM
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Posts: 313
Location: On your favorite spot | Congrats on your breakthrough - it doesn't get any better. Ideally you try to set back toward the tail, but as was suggested earlier, lifting straight up can do it too. Alot depends on angles and stuff you can't control.
Thinking about your situation, the fish hit a crank, hooks are on the bottom of the bait, and dove under the boat. Impossible angle, nothing you can do. Once she opened up and started thrashing I'm sure it popped right out.
I'm a big fan of free spool after I get a good hookset at boatside. I know you run the risk of not being able to get the button pushed with a fish is thrashing but I always feel like getting good hooks into them is the most important factor, and on the wide spool reels we're using now I don't trust my thumb to hold strong enough to bury the hooks.
Best strategy on the 8 is to always be ready and expect the bite. You'll find your comfort zone. You'll get better at it each time and will probably recognize some tendencies in the fish as to how they act and when they might bite for your lake, I know on my lake fish usually one of three things, and you can usually tell the ones that are going to eat. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do, but there is no better show anywhere on earth than a big hot fish at boatside.
Edited by Marc J 3/29/2008 3:28 PM
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Posts: 42
| You all make some great points and yes it's part of a learning process for sure.
The good news is, I'm having some success locating fish on my home lake and that ain't a bad thing !
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Posts: 1310
Location: Washington, PA | Everybody looses fish. I like to freespool going into the 8 then thumb it. But basically just figure out what is comfortable for you.
Edited by tomyv 3/31/2008 7:58 AM
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | easy it this one way and only this one way .look at the fish and SET BACK INTO THE FISH... if she is going down and away set stright up and if she is going away set back into her the other way so you are ramming those hooks home....bill |
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Posts: 313
Location: On your favorite spot | nice thing about musky success and the figure 8 - the more it happens, the more it'll happen. you're learning and getting better even if you don't realize it, COMFORT is a word that keeps showing up here and it makes a difference in your fishing, along with confidence
Edited by Marc J 3/29/2008 9:00 PM
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Posts: 2089
| I had a client set straight up last season and when I looked back, he was staring face to face with a wild 43" er. The fish was literally at eye level! I always teach to set back into the fish and DOWN. I don't want that fish/head coming out of the water. Bad things can happen. Trial and error and experience are the best teachers. Boatside stuff........just one more thing that sets muskies apart. Steve |
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Posts: 75
| I read on a couple sights that a good way to set the hook is by pulling the rod stright backe into your armpit but it is still complying with setting the hook twoards the tail idea this is a good site to read on. <http://www.muskiecentral.com/smith/jsmith1.shtml> |
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Posts: 3910
| I'm not anti-freespool, many folks who are "better sticks" and lots more experienced than me are great at it and it works for them. But I don't do the automatic freespool thing like so many above. My rationale is that I should be able to depend on my drag system to work correctly; tight enough to ensure a good hookset and loose enough to allow the fish to pull some line out. Oh, I set the hook up and away from the fish.
I guess I should mention that I only use Abu 4000, 5000 and 6000 series reels and I always replace the original drag washers with a set of much higher quality Smoooothies drag washers. I keep the drag super loose when not fishing and then reset the drag tension every time I hit the water. I never allow lubricant or water to get to the drag washers.
Figure 8 fish are a blast, especially at night when you can't see the follow. |
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Posts: 897
| Yep, have to agree with Mr. Jonesi on this one. Lost two nice fish last year because I set the hook "up" and brought the fish's head out of the water where they proceeded to go nuts and shake the hook. Set towards the tail if possible and do everything you can to keep that fish under the water.
There is nothing worse than losing fish...you'll learn quickly.
-Chris |
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| I am definately for free spooling.
Early on I hooked a fish at night on a figure 8, I did not have it free spooled and the fish went nuts, when I went to free spool while the fish was thrashing and doubling my rod over, I could not free the spool because of the tension on the line.
I did manage to get the fish because it was not a very big one, but a bigger fish would have likely tore the hooks free. |
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Posts: 311
| Haha Steve, I will never forget that night!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Posts: 697
Location: Minnetonka | Good stuff from all... I like the common points... and Steve's emphasis on DOWN. Learning curves on boatside strikes are SWEET. My natural reaction is to pull straight up, but consistent failure has definitely helped me to understand that this method simply does not hook fish, and has left me borderline suicidal at the end of long days on Pond. I eventually trained my brain to keep the rod tip in the water on a boatside strike and it started paying off. I've seen quite a few caught while setting in the direction of the fish, as well as setting back into them... as long as the rod was low, she was hooked. Learning curve progress: My last boatside fish of the year, in November, had the 7/0 in her tongue. |
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