Set the HOOK!!!!!!!
By
Xavier Tiberghien
(A former South African Protea angler,
TV show host, International Tournament Angler & Photo
journalist,
over 25 years experience in the fastest growing
angling sport in the world)
The dumbest and simplest comment yet experienced anglers still
mess this up....
You got up early, you’ve had three cups of HOT steaming
Java, you packed the tackle, polished and set the tackle for
your trip to the next honey hole....bought the latest lures
and read up on all the techniques. You have psyched yourself
out...told your family and friends you have it all waxed and
gonna smoke the fishing this weekend, you get to the spot,
you cast....you feel the bite while talking to your buddy or
watching the birds fly over your head......and then BAM....it
all comes out %$#!&*” fish snapped line, got tangled
, lost my favourite new lure, lost the rod!!!!!” and
then the whole experience is a disaster.......why????
If most anglers concentrated and spent more time paying attention
like a tennis pro or golf professional at the finer details
and set the hook properly on each technique then 90% of your
aggravation would go away.
Whether you have 1 bite or 100 bites...the reality is simple
, you have given yourself a chance to get that fish and you
mess it up with a lame pathetic hook set that could cost you
the tournament, biggest bass or simply the most awesome day
on the water with someone special.
Remember each bite could be the “ONE”!!!!!.....remember
to wind up the slack get yourself in position quickly you do
not have much time, and then a solid firm hook set while keeping
the line tight is the start to a fight that will either cause
a wave of emotional euphoria or disappointment.
If you have a great solid hook set without throwing yourself off your
feet, you are sure to be reaping the rewards.....most lost fish are due to
bad tackle and poor hook sets.....but a good hook set on poor tackle will always
put the odds in your favour......as most pro’s attest to, control what
you can control and a solid hook set is within that control. Whether it’s
a slow moving plastic worm at 30’ deep or a fast moving crankbait
or buzzbait or a bait that has been meticulously placed inside thick heavy
structure you will be sure to have a positive outcome with hitting that fish
hard on the hook set and turning the fish in your direction.
Once that is done make sure to have your drag set correctly
and play the fish out ....horsing a fish in towards you at
100MPH is gonna result in a fish lost in most cases...as long
as the line is tight and the fish has a clear area to move
around without getting tangled up and snapping you off you
can get the fish landed, unhooked , photographed and released!
Some hook sets require a sweeping motion to the left or right,
and some hook sets require a hook set from almost parallel
to the water pointing towards the fish to at least 12 o’clock.
Remember to keep the line tight by cranking / winding your
reel and removing any slack once the fish starts swimming to
you and play the fish out.
I just watched the effects of a slack hook set this past weekend
at a private lake in NE South Carolina and the frustrations
that go with it.....and most of the time it results in the
slack line and not keeping constant contact with the lure...by
the time you pick it up the fish is already spitting the lure
out....make sure you keep constant contact and match your tackle
accordingly.
Simple as it sounds this is the critical aspect of getting
the fish fight started and the smiling or sad result at the
end.....as long as you have the hook set mastered the odds
increase in your favour getting the fish landed...
BASS WISHES
Xavier Tiberghien
Founder / Producer
NFA Media
aka “Mad Dawg”
nfamedia@gmail.com
