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weiliwen
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:49 am • # 1 |
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Joined: 11/04/13 Posts: 91 Location: Lincolnshire, IL, North of Chicago
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I've been very frustrated lately on my little pond north of Chicago. It's only about an acre in a park and gets swimmers on one end. The swimmers are no issue at all; I catch lots of bluegill, and about a bass per day. It's the bass that are my problem - Most of the bass I hook come unpinned before I catch them. I keep the hooks sharp, but a friend suggested that my problem is that my fly rod, made from a 6-ft, 2-wt American Tackle Matrix blank, doesn't have the backbone to set the hook in the bass's mouth. There's no way around it, the fly rod has little backbone, more suited to trout that turn and self-set the hook.
I'd like some advice about how to overcome this, up to and including suggestions of faster action/better backbone 2-weight rods, if that's not an oxymoron. I like the rod length, easier to get around low-hanging trees and high grass/shrubbery, but might be able to go to 6'6". Thanks!
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Gimper
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:10 am • # 2 |
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Jr. Member |
Joined: 06/27/12 Posts: 55 Location: Northern, WI
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Lighter wire hooks might help. Stripping line while setting the hook usually helps. Are your hooks sticky sharp, easily sticking to your finger nail after you sharpen them? If not, try touching them up a bit more.
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Cliff Hilbert
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:08 pm • # 3 |
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Joined: 12/27/10 Posts: 2253 Location: Plano, TX
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Gimper is correct, strip-setting the hook when the bass hits the fly is the way to get hookups. Your friend is correct that your rod doesn't have the backbone to set the hook in a basses' mouth trying to use only the rod itself.
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pearow
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 7:40 pm • # 4 |
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Joined: 11/18/08 Posts: 1359
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I've never set a hook to my knowledge; the fish sets the hook; I just lift the rod with tension on the line; I lose a few but its ok; I get over it pretty quick, unless it was a big un-p-
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weiliwen
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:35 pm • # 5 |
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Jr. Member |
Joined: 11/04/13 Posts: 91 Location: Lincolnshire, IL, North of Chicago
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Thanks, Guys. Yes, I had a big one, perhaps the biggest in this little pond, get away the other day, and I gnashed my teeth and beat my breast in frustration. But, you can't win 'em all. It's a "catch and release" pond, so I'll get another chance at the leviathan later on
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armyflyfisher
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:17 am • # 6 |
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Joined: 11/20/08 Posts: 594
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I'm with Gene.....I've never intentionally set the hook on a bass. A quick lift of the rod and line tension is all I use.
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Cliff Hilbert
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 6:47 am • # 7 |
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Joined: 12/27/10 Posts: 2253 Location: Plano, TX
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Hmmm, maybe that's why I catch more than you, huh, Gene? When using heavier rods like my St. Croix 9', 7-wt I don't need to strip set except when I'm using soft plastics, that's because I'm using bigger hooks. I don't intentionally fish for bass with my 3-wt, but I do catch one every now including and then (including a 6.5# one) while I'm fishing for bream or crappie. I don't strip set the hook then because I'm using a #10 or smaller hook, which are pretty sharp and small to begin with, and I don't know it's a bass that I'm hooking anyway. It is usually something smaller, like a bream.
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weiliwen
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 10:42 am • # 8 |
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Jr. Member |
Joined: 11/04/13 Posts: 91 Location: Lincolnshire, IL, North of Chicago
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On the pond I fish, usually using a small popper (but just casting it out there and letting it sit seems to work better than putting action on it), I can usually see the fish rising to it, and in fact usually cast to fish I see. So, if I see a bass cruising by, for sure I'm going to cast to it, and often they'll grab the popper. Frankly, I don't see the guys using legitimate bass gear - spinnerbait, rubber worms, etc., doing all that well for bass there. I think that stuff is too jarring for the pond, although I may be wrong.
Anyway, I am going to try strip-setting to see if it improves my fish-to-hand ratio.
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pearow
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 3:24 pm • # 9 |
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Hero Member |
Joined: 11/18/08 Posts: 1359
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to strip set you have to have all the slack out of your line(which I never do)So, if you strip set with slack it ain't gonna work. However, if you lift the rod and pull the line at the same time, the odds are youre gonna hook the fish. I've seen Cliff fish; watch him catch fish and he may strip set, but he does it with a raised rod; because, like me, he generally has a lot of line slack-p-
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wheezeburnt
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 4:55 pm • # 10 |
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Joined: 12/29/12 Posts: 1835 Location: Rusagonis, New Brunswick, Canada
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That's the problem, isn't it? Generally, with uL gear, you're likely targeting something else. When I flyfish for bass (usually a 5 wt), I keep the rod low and pointed at the fly, and try to strip set. But often, while fishing for other stuff, a bass will hit, and like Pearow and Cliff, I've got piles of slack in the line, and the rod is pointing skyward. but I don't tend to lose the smallies that often; part of the trick is that, when they go aerial , you need to lower the rod (bow to the fish). A habit I (slowly and sloppily) developed from atlantic salmon fishing. but it aint foolproof. I find that, regardless of technique, a certain number of big smallies just get away. brent
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Tailingloop
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 8:09 pm • # 11 |
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Joined: 02/08/10 Posts: 1651
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I strip and lift the rod tip at the same time //when I get a take//.........but alas, there are always a few that are able to throw it somehow......the ( " BIG-ONE " ) always gets away......otherwise we wouldn't have great stories to tell......... ..............Don in SC
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Cliff Hilbert
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 9:07 pm • # 12 |
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Hero Member |
Joined: 12/27/10 Posts: 2253 Location: Plano, TX
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Gene, I had to learn to stripset the hook once you got me hooked on using soft plastics on my fly rods. It's ALL YOUR FAULT!!!! Actually, I don't stripset when using 3-wt rods because then I'm fishing for bream and strip setting is not necessary.
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linecaster
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:44 am • # 13 |
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Hero Member |
Joined: 07/10/09 Posts: 1555 Location: Plano Texas
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Mostly strip set and lift at the same time, soft plastics have not worked for me yet, but don't try that often with them, my bass have come while fishing for brim and mostly caught on brim flies.
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pearow
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:02 pm • # 14 |
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Joined: 11/18/08 Posts: 1359
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me too linecaster; I brim fish and catch a few bass along. It is surprising how many big bass you can catch on tiny flies; they will just suck it in and it generally gets caught in their gillrakers. Most of the larger bass I've caught ul fishing have come while fishing bream beds. I read Charlie Brewer's book, "SLIDER FISHIN'" which changed my prospective on how to fish the plastics. His "do-nothing" style can easily be adapted to fly fishing. Its a great little book if you can find it. Cheap too!-p-
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CBarclay
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:12 pm • # 15 |
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Administrator |
Joined: 06/25/09 Posts: 3259 Location: Winston-Salem, NC
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What -p- & linecaster said. Most of my bass catching is by accident on a 3wt. Occasionally I go back to my bait casting days and try to make a hard set but usually it's just a strip and lift.
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The Gill Guy
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:35 pm • # 16 |
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Full Member |
Joined: 05/19/14 Posts: 244 Location: Delaware
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Not sure...I'm new to flyfishing, but I think some of it has to do with hook type or design. I was fishing the gills last night and had tied some small wooly worms with blue ice chenille on size 14 long shanked light wire hooks. The hooks have a straight eye and I had a hard time setting the hook. I had a lot of bites and only hooked four gills. My other hooks have the eyes turned up or down and I haven't had as much problems setting the hook on fish.
Just my thoughts and enjoy,
The Gill Guy
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Mass Trout
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 10:54 pm • # 17 |
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Newbie |
Joined: 05/17/14 Posts: 22 Location: New England
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Strip when you raise the tip and be careful about slack in the line. Like some of you, I don't target bass with my ultralight rods but it can be fun when it happens. Here's a surprise when I was fishing for blue gills in the middle of a hot summer day with my daughter. Chernobyl ant on 4 or 5X with my Orvis Superfine 1wt.
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pearow
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 11:07 am • # 18 |
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Joined: 11/18/08 Posts: 1359
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flyrod
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 12:32 pm • # 19 |
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Full Member |
Joined: 12/24/11 Posts: 207 Location: Shenandoah Valley
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I know you had a blast with that bass on a 1 wt CONGRATS Dennis
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Cliff Hilbert
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2014 3:25 pm • # 20 |
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Joined: 12/27/10 Posts: 2253 Location: Plano, TX
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