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Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> Figure 8 hooksets
 
Message Subject: Figure 8 hooksets
jaycbs74
Posted 2/17/2009 5:28 PM (#361176)
Subject: Figure 8 hooksets





Posts: 136


Location: Chicago
Just looking for advice or your standard practices. Keep my hooks sharp and for the most part fish have hooked themselves and with a quick net job fish in the boat. There have been occassions where I have the rod load up and then set the hooks towards the opposite of what ever direction the fish is moving in on. Only this summer I did it twice and lost both fish. Do a lot of you guys give a hookset on figure eight fish?
muskynorth
Posted 2/17/2009 7:23 PM (#361191 - in reply to #361176)
Subject: Re: Figure 8 hooksets




Posts: 61


Location: Sioux Lookout On Canada
It depends on the situation.

1) can you see the fish? Set the hooks into it by swinging or pumping the rod away from its mouth towards the direction of its tail... that ensures the hooks going into the fish instead of pulling the lure out of its mouth. If you cannot see the fish... hold on and pray.
2) can you feel the weight? The times that I have felt the weight is because the fish has pulled the line tight and basically set the hook itself. I still set the hook once really hard for insurance.

Good question and good luck.

Neil Michelin
Canadian Heartland Fishing
Lac Seul Fish Fry Co.
Host of Cry of the Loon Fishing Adventures on APTN

I ask myself those two questions... it usually happens so fast that I just pray that a hook sticks well.
Steve Van Lieshout
Posted 2/17/2009 7:30 PM (#361193 - in reply to #361176)
Subject: Re: Figure 8 hooksets




Posts: 1916


Location: Greenfield, WI
I set the hook with my reel in free spool mode and my thumb on the spool. Once the hook is set, I let the fish take some line and get out away from the boat 10' to 15'3 7/64" while the net is made ready. Keeping a short line and keeping the fish at boatside makes for great TV, but will result in lost fish.
Cowboyhannah
Posted 2/17/2009 11:18 PM (#361248 - in reply to #361176)
Subject: Re: Figure 8 hooksets





Posts: 1460


Location: Kronenwetter, WI
General rule is set back if you can, being in freespool will prevent losses, and cross your toes b/c your fingers are busy....every situation is different and alot depends on how well the fish ate the bait...
Flambeauski
Posted 2/18/2009 8:19 AM (#361280 - in reply to #361176)
Subject: Re: Figure 8 hooksets




Posts: 4343


Location: Smith Creek
Free spool is ideal, but like Steve said, thumb it when you set the hook THEN engage the reel. If you engage the reel while setting the hook you may need to buy a new reel, or it won't engage at all and you'll have a massive backlash.
esoxaddict
Posted 2/18/2009 10:15 AM (#361310 - in reply to #361176)
Subject: Re: Figure 8 hooksets





Posts: 8823


It's easy to tell someone to "set the hook away from the fish"... That's what I try to do, but every fish is different. In real life there's not much time to think "hey, the fish is going that way, I'll set the hook over here"... I've caught most of my fish on figure 8's the last few years, so I must be doing something right. Set the hook? YES. One thing I try to NEVER do is set the hook straight up. You've got your rod tip in the air, the fish comes straight up, and you've got nowhere to go, you can't pull their head under the water if they start to thrash, and you've got 8 feet of line to reel up to catch up to them. I don't freespool during the 8, because to me that's one more thing that can go wrong. I prefer to back the drag off a bit from the "cranked down all the way" position, so the fish can take some line. That's what the drag is for after all, and you can always thumb the spool to slow it down, freespool after you set the hook, or tighten the drag if necessary.

Everybody does things a little differently, because that's what they are comfortable with. I guess the only real advice would be "do whatever you have to to not lose contact with that fish." The one's I've lost on the 8 were all when I didn't have control, wasn't prepared, slack line, etc. As long as you're ready, all you have to do is react to the fish. Let it run if it needs to, keep its head down if it comes up, don't horse it, but don't let it do whatever it wants either.
big gun
Posted 2/18/2009 12:02 PM (#361328 - in reply to #361176)
Subject: Re: Figure 8 hooksets




Posts: 462


Location: Madison Wi. Chain
One of the biggest factors that I have discovered lately that has helped me with figure 8 hooksets, is to wait till you can feel the weight of the fish on the end of your lure and rod and not what you are seeing. Your eyes can decieve you when things are happening underwater or on the surface. Good luck, your inquiry alone will make you better. BG
release
Posted 2/19/2009 3:14 PM (#361608 - in reply to #361176)
Subject: RE: Figure 8 hooksets


I have to disagree with the advice to wait until you feel the weight of the fish before setting the hook on the 8. One of the most amazing thing about these fish is that so often they will close their mouth on a lure in the 8, you only have about 8 to 10 inches of nonstetch line out and you do not feel them. If you see the lure disappear and you do not set the hook they almost always let it go. Much higher percentage of hookset if you watch closely and set when you lose sight of the hook. Just the opposite from topwater fishing. IMHO
HBmusky
Posted 2/19/2009 11:29 PM (#361716 - in reply to #361176)
Subject: Re: Figure 8 hooksets




Posts: 36


Location: Pittsburgh PA
I have to agree theres differnt situations ,I agree though with backing the drag just a little, I have ofenset the hook on a visible bases.I set away and try to keep the tip down sometimes even submerging it after the hook set to keep the angle
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