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| What are your hook up rates with a Top Raider? Mine are just awful, last night I had a blow up and missed him, tonight started out good with a 36 pike eating it right away, then I had four muskies blow up on it and missed them, then I finally hooked a 40 incher right before dark. Is there any tricks for a better hook up rate? Or do I just deal with it? |
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Posts: 66
| wait until you feel the weight of the fish, than set the hook. if you havent been doing this your hookup percentage should improve right away. |
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Posts: 582
| make sure you have heat shrink around the tail hook so it sticks straight out. I do this with alot of my top water baits. Seems to catch the ones that just nip the back. |
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Posts: 944
| Take the hooks that come with it off, put on 2 number 7 trebles sharpen the hell out of them. I did this will all mine, your hook ups will be a ton better.
Good Luck,
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com |
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | If they are "blowing up on it' it's entirely possible they are missing the bait, not you missing them. Sometimes I'm amazed they don't starve to death with their hit and miss rate. |
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| The first 4 were like a shark attack.. full on body out of the water. The last one was in the waves so I didn't even know he hit it until I felt him. |
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Posts: 999
| Dont set the hook on them!!! Just bury your rod when you feel them and keep cranking, they'll pin themselves. |
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Posts: 774
Location: South East Wisconsin | What Craig said. Ever watch Dick Pearson fish topwater? That's how I roll. You can also change the hooks to Eagle Claw 374 5/0. |
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| Esox-Hunter - 8/23/2012 12:11 PM
What Craig said. Ever watch Dick Pearson fish topwater? That's how I roll. You can also change the hooks to Eagle Claw 374 5/0.
The 374s will cost you fish, not help.. 774s rock..
No need for hook tips to be pointed in like the 374s..
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Jeff Hanson - 8/23/2012 8:50 AM
Take the hooks that come with it off, put on 2 number 7 trebles sharpen the hell out of them. I did this will all mine, your hook ups will be a ton better.
Good Luck,
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com
What Jff said for two reasons
1) The bigger gaps hooks more, no need to say more
2) the heavier hooks make the bait ride lower in the water giving a different sound than the 5/0s and they are less likely to blow it out of the water. |
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Posts: 24
| I think that that's the nature of surface baits.
Twinkle-Toes is right about waiting to feel it before you set the hook. |
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Posts: 151
Location: IL | Just keep reeling.. . |
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Posts: 288
Location: Montreal, Que. Canada | When you put the 7/0's on them do you bother to shrink rap the back hook? |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | DH.Pare - 8/23/2012 3:23 PM
When you put the 7/0's on them do you bother to shrink rap the back hook?
I know Jeff doesn't but I do to keep the tail hook from grabbing the rotating tail. Remember two points down and one up when installing rear hooks. |
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Posts: 774
Location: South East Wisconsin | Yes 774s are great hooks as well. |
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Posts: 288
Location: Montreal, Que. Canada | How do you shrink rap them with out burning the plastic at the back of the bait? |
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Posts: 944
| I use electrical tape put on very tight. I end up cutting so many hooks shrinkwrapping is a pain in the ass and takes to much time.
Good Luck,
jeff hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | DH.Pare - 8/23/2012 6:51 PM
How do you shrink rap them with out burning the plastic at the back of the bait?
I use a long barrel lighter and you don't need to get that close to the tail to get the shrink wrap to shrink.
I wish I had the problem Jeff has. The guy is a maniac when it comes to muskie fishing and I hold him in high regards as a angler. If any of you are planning on fishing the Madison Chain a day on the water with Jeff will pay big dividends. |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | The topraider has been one of my best hooking lures on small and big fish for 12-13 years. I wouldn't unilaterally put 7/0's on mine. It's a very small lure, and when eaten, fish get a mouthful. If you really feel your lack of production is hook size based, upsize the front hook to the 5/0 774(more than enough hook for that lure). Again, we sometimes change the front or both hooks to the 5/0 774, but depending on how the individual rides, often do not. Two points down on the front hook too, for me. Alot of topraiders run quite low in the water by nature, and adding hooks that are too heavy can make the lure track beneath the surface longer than you may want it to on a long cast in any chop. Holding the rod up to keep the lure up only decreases your hooksetting angle in those crucial first few cranks as a result. Conversely, one that rides high and seems to posess less plop than you desire, could benefit from the bigger hooks.
Likely it could very well be a streak, and I'd slow it down if anything, and just wait for the 'feel' or until you actually see it 'clamped' for the hookset. Often times blowups are just that. The ones that eat, often do so with little warning/disturbance.
Good luck!! |
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| muskie! nut - 8/23/2012 1:12 PM Jeff Hanson - 8/23/2012 8:50 AM
Take the hooks that come with it off, put on 2 number 7 trebles sharpen the hell out of them. I did this will all mine, your hook ups will be a ton better.
Good Luck,
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com What Jff said for two reasons 1 ) The bigger gaps hooks more, no need to say more 2 ) the heavier hooks make the bait ride lower in the water giving a different sound than the 5/0s and they are less likely to blow it out of the water.
never a difference of something like a weight of 2 gram will prevent a lure to pop out of the water,hey you have a fish behind the lure that can reach a average of 20 to 25 pound and you really think a lil weight like that will change something?
imho it make no sense.......... |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | muskysuperpro - 8/23/2012 10:57 PM
never a difference of something like a weight of 2 gram will prevent a lure to pop out of the water,hey you have a fish behind the lure that can reach a average of 20 to 25 pound and you really think a lil weight like that will change something? imho it make no sense..........
Very good, Mr Pro, folks we have someone paying attention in physic class. But let's get all the variables out there. When a bait is lower in the water, it also has to move more water to get "blown out" of the way and this is called drag. That drag also will work against getting moved out of the way off a charging fish. So its not just the weight alone working to aid in not getting blown out. |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | muskysuperpro - 8/23/2012 10:57 PM
muskie! nut - 8/23/2012 1:12 PM Jeff Hanson - 8/23/2012 8:50 AM
Take the hooks that come with it off, put on 2 number 7 trebles sharpen the hell out of them. I did this will all mine, your hook ups will be a ton better.
Good Luck,
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com What Jff said for two reasons 1 ) The bigger gaps hooks more, no need to say more 2 ) the heavier hooks make the bait ride lower in the water giving a different sound than the 5/0s and they are less likely to blow it out of the water. never a difference of something like a weight of 2 gram will prevent a lure to pop out of the water,hey you have a fish behind the lure that can reach a average of 20 to 25 pound and you really think a lil weight like that will change something? imho it make no sense..........
Adding weight to a bait to make it sit lower in the water will probably help more the bigger the fish is... The bigger the fish, the more water it will displace as it approaches the lure, and the more water there is to push the water away from the fish's mouth.
In regards to your first question: I don't actually own a Topraider (I think this could be a musky fishin sin), but use tail rotating topwaters a fair amount. The biggest thing for hooking a fish, and especially a topwater fish is to feel the weight of the fish before setting the hook. Hard to do, but it's the way to go. With a hard plastic bait and sharp hooks, a monster hookset isn't required. Feel the fish, reel hard and put a good bend in the rod and the fish should be pinned.
The fish most likely to hook up are the ones that suck the bait in making hardly any disturbance on the surface. The least likely are the ones that rocket out of the water and make all kinds of commotion.
Tucker |
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Posts: 968
Location: N.FIB | doesn`t bucher take the front hook off because he says the back hook always gets the fish,maybe upsize the back hook and take the front off |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | CASTING55 - 8/26/2012 7:52 AM
doesn`t bucher take the front hook off because he says the back hook always gets the fish,maybe upsize the back hook and take the front off
I have in slop areas and have fish up but have not hit as they took off when seeing the boat. A 7/0 on the back will be better for uphooks in this case as well. |
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| Twinkle-Toes - 8/22/2012 11:13 PM
wait until you feel the weight of the fish, than set the hook. if you havent been doing this your hookup percentage should improve right away.
I second this! While it would take alot of the fun out of it, if you were to cast then not even watch your lure you would likly have a much higher hookup percentage because the natural tendancy is to set the hook to fast. Weight till you feel the fish, they usually hook themselves on topwater. |
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