Post by mirvc17 on Apr 27, 2015 12:27:28 GMT -6
I have some questions on hook sets. I may wind up answering my own questions but here it goes anyway...
My fast few trips to the Blue River (OK) may have got me into a little bit of a habbit--setting the hook a little off (sometimes far off) to the side rather than straight up. The reason for this (if you've ever fished the Blue) is because of the trees right at your back in many places. If you miss a hook set, it's bye-bye to your leader/flies and you'll either spend 10 minutes trying to untangle it or lose it altogether. Or you'll catch trees with your rod tip which could result in a broken rod. The side set can prevent the above from happening and sometimes you can stop the rod tip motion and the leader falls back or skips on the water. I had no problems with stocked fish there and this method.
Now, I know that a (trout) set is a swift lifting of the rod tip to take the slack up and set the hook. It shouldn't be too violent as to pull the hook out, or pull the hook out from the fish's mouth before it's had time to close it (in the case of a dry fly). I've also heard from experts that a side set versus a straight up lift shouldn't affect a hook set that much because you are talking about the rod tip say, 7 or 8 ft off the ground versus 10 or more. Clearly, the further away the fish is, the flatter this angle is going to be...
Anyway enough rambling. After my trip I thought about maybe why I lost so many sets. The big fish I caught was a relatively smooth hook set in the vertical with a soft take from the fish 60 degs downstream of me. Do you find that smoother (but quick), vertical hook sets work the best in these situations at the LMF or other rivers?
I have also used a combination of strip set and trout set to take the slack quicker, with my rod finger tip over the line to lock it in place once the set happens. Sometimes you burn your finger if you're too aggressive.
My fast few trips to the Blue River (OK) may have got me into a little bit of a habbit--setting the hook a little off (sometimes far off) to the side rather than straight up. The reason for this (if you've ever fished the Blue) is because of the trees right at your back in many places. If you miss a hook set, it's bye-bye to your leader/flies and you'll either spend 10 minutes trying to untangle it or lose it altogether. Or you'll catch trees with your rod tip which could result in a broken rod. The side set can prevent the above from happening and sometimes you can stop the rod tip motion and the leader falls back or skips on the water. I had no problems with stocked fish there and this method.
Now, I know that a (trout) set is a swift lifting of the rod tip to take the slack up and set the hook. It shouldn't be too violent as to pull the hook out, or pull the hook out from the fish's mouth before it's had time to close it (in the case of a dry fly). I've also heard from experts that a side set versus a straight up lift shouldn't affect a hook set that much because you are talking about the rod tip say, 7 or 8 ft off the ground versus 10 or more. Clearly, the further away the fish is, the flatter this angle is going to be...
Anyway enough rambling. After my trip I thought about maybe why I lost so many sets. The big fish I caught was a relatively smooth hook set in the vertical with a soft take from the fish 60 degs downstream of me. Do you find that smoother (but quick), vertical hook sets work the best in these situations at the LMF or other rivers?
I have also used a combination of strip set and trout set to take the slack quicker, with my rod finger tip over the line to lock it in place once the set happens. Sometimes you burn your finger if you're too aggressive.