HOOKSETS 101
by Rex Chambers

Just about every single angler does it. They certainly don't mean to do it, but it happens to every one at some time in their fishing lifetime. You can keep it in the back of your mind, remind yourself not to do it, practice against doing it time and time again, and it will still happen eventually. Make all the adjustments in the world to insure that it won't happen to you, and guess what? It'll happen. What I'm talking about is breaking off on the hookset. Getting that bite you've been waiting on for hours, and then, when it happens, rearing back and, SNAP! There goes your fish, your lure and your blood pressure.

I don't care who you are, or what adjustments you make, a hookset is going to ruin a fishing trip for you some time or another. Sometimes it may not even be directly your fault. Maybe your line was over a limb or sunken metal. Maybe there was a nick in the line a couple feet up from your knot from an earlier hang up. Or maybe, just maybe, you made a bonehead move and set the hook too hard. Either way, there are different approaches to take to ensure that it happens to you less times than everybody else on the water.

First, take some things into consideration. During the hookset there is force applied to the line, the lure, the rod and the fish. If your rod doesn't absorb this force your line is expected to. The stretch in the line is critical in line breakage. It has to stretch, but also has to have enough force to drive the hook home. The movement of the fish also plays a part. If the fish doesn't move on the hookset due to size, location or current, force is almost doubled. If any of these things doesn't happen, your odds of landing that fish after the hookset isn't very good at all.

I've fished with anglers that absolutely look like their having a conniption fit during a hookset. They get that same look as a world class weight lifter going for the record. Picture this. Everything's quiet, not a ripple on the water. Then, there's the bite. Reel down slowly, give it a look and then the most gosh awful, wind whipping, sound barrier breaking sound you've ever heard that scares birds, cattle, women and children as the rod rips through the air. Then, just at the end of the monster hookset, you hear that heart breaking little "snap". You guessed it, another victim of break off during the hookset.

News flash. Jaw breaking hooksets are not necessary. With today's rods, line and hooks, a simple sweep of the rod is usually all that is needed for a good dependable hookset. Let your equipment set up be your guide for amount of pressure needed during a hookset. Best rule of thumb is the lighter the line, the easier the sweep of the rod. Now of course, if you're flipping 50 pound braid with an eight foot flipping stick, jerk away. Just don't rip the hook right through the fish's mouth. But, if you're twenty feet deep with a quarter ounce shakey head on 6 pound test, take it easy. It doesn't take the effort that a 300 pound bench press does. An easy, smooth sweep of the rod from one side to the other or from bottom to top is all that is needed. If you've found yourself making a hard hookset with bad results, ease up. Make a mental note of the amount of line you have out. The conditions such as brush, rocks or cover, and adjust accordingly.

Being in a hurry and not thinking things through will get your hookset in trouble from the word go. Sometimes you don't have time to think in close quarters, but about half way through the hookset you'll sometimes realize what you're doing and grimace, realizing what's about to happen. I've broken off during a hookset. You've probably did it, and your fishing partner's probably has done it more times that you'd like to remember. Just remember to keep it simple, keep is slow and easy, and maybe you'll keep that lunker on the other end of the line after each and every hookset of your fishing future.

Rex Chambers site Smithlakebass.com. is dedicated to bass fishing at it's finest. Read articles and fishing tips from some of the best outdoors writers in the nation. Tournament journals, techniques, tournament results, how-to's, bass photos, inside stories on tournament trails and much, much more.