It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:26 pm

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




  Page 1 of 1   [ 10 posts ] New Topic Add Reply
Author Message
PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:12 am • # 1 
User avatar
Hero Member

Joined: 06/13/16
Posts: 936
Location: Southwest Florida
Ladies and gentlemen, pay close attention for I am about to share with you something I learned today that might save you some frustration, embarrassment, aggravation, humiliation, etc etc etc...

When you cast to a fish, watch the fish take the fly, and fail to hookup five times in a row, there may be a problem with your tackle.

Let me illustrate.
Image

If you look closely, you will notice the lack of a hook point on this fly. You need that. It is integral in the act of angling. I mean, there is a cult of anglers who fish with hookless flies, but that's another conversation all together.

You need a hook with a point, if you want to land a fish.

Bluegill,
Image

Gar,
Image
Image

And bass
Image
Image

typically require a pointy hook in order to take out of focus, overly saturated digital photographs to be displayed on various forms of social media.

To simplify it... If you break the hook trying to free said hook from a snag, make sure you dispose of it when you return. Otherwise, you too shall be wondering "what the hell?!" when that fish finally spooks after the fifth whiff.


You're welcome.


Top
  
PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:55 am • # 2 
User avatar
Full Member

Joined: 07/20/18
Posts: 244
I've had that happen twice this spring already. Once chasing reds with heavy gear, and the second time throwing small EP Minnows to crappie on my 3wt. The latter was exponentially more frustrating as I never get on a good crappie bite.

Good lesson. And one I need to pay more attention to.

Also, love the gar. Wish I could land them more consistently.

Chris


Top
  
PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:13 am • # 3 
User avatar
Hero Member

Joined: 06/13/16
Posts: 936
Location: Southwest Florida
I haven't crunched the numbers yet, but I'm pretty sure I have a 10% success rate. I considered rope flies, but I'm not convinced that I won't damage fish trying to free them.


Top
  
PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:04 pm • # 4 
User avatar
Full Member

Joined: 07/20/18
Posts: 244
strummer wrote:
I haven't crunched the numbers yet, but I'm pretty sure I have a 10% success rate. I considered rope flies, but I'm not convinced that I won't damage fish trying to free them.


That feels about 10x my success rate. Had one put on quite a show (momentarily a few weeks ago while carp fishing). Nice 3' long fish that was kind enough to snap at the little Clouser Swimming Nymph I swam past him while carp fishing. Only take of the day.

And, yes, I've avoided rope flies for the same reason.

Chris


Top
  
PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 5:49 pm • # 5 
User avatar
Full Member

Joined: 07/20/19
Posts: 138
Location: North Central Indiana
Been there on the broken hook thing. It's WTF...WTF...WTF...oh. :-[

Rope flies only kinda worked for me and it's tough to get all the fibers out of a gar's mouth. Toothbrush actually works, but it's the shake-offs that had me wondering how many stray fibers the fish swam off with and if they impede feeding in any way.

I stay with little hooks and strategic placement of hooks.


Top
  
PostPosted: Tue Apr 20, 2021 7:58 pm • # 6 
User avatar
Full Member

Joined: 07/20/18
Posts: 244
Wanted to resurrect the brief gar discussion that arose in this thread a week or so ago.

If I spot gar while fishing bass or carp, I usually swap to some sort of flashy streamer in hopes of drawing a strike. On my last carp outing, however, a larger spotted gar surprised me when it actually snapped at my size 8 Clouser's Swimming Nymph as I stripped it past its face.

Back at the same location today, I decided to stick with the swimming nymph when I started seeing gar. Sure enough, almost every single gar snapped at the fly as I stripped it past. I ended up landing two (up to 30-32") and missing the hook set on at least three others. I was of course fishing heavier tackle today for the carp, but this nymph should be perfect for targeting gar on UL gear should anyone get the urge.

Chris


Top
  
PostPosted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:06 pm • # 7 
User avatar
Full Member

Joined: 07/20/19
Posts: 138
Location: North Central Indiana
Chris_in_Louisiana wrote:
I ended up landing two (up to 30-32") and missing the hook set on at least three others.
Chris


Pretty good hook-up ratio for gar fishing, really. I think smaller offerings which have a very directed strike target tend to hook more gar, especially longnose. Long minnow patterns get a lot of "stun nips" and broadside swipes, but the actual gar jaws never grab the hook itself. Color me impressed that you can get any dubbed fly to slide far enough in those teeth to get a point in. It's a grippy maw once a fly gets snagged in gar teeth.

The concept of a small spoonfly is one idea I intend to try this year, biggest draw is smoothness and the ability to orient properly for hook-up once in the jaws. Shortnose aren't too bad here, but with Longnose any fly clamped in the jaws flattens sideways and simply slides right out.

The opposing planes of a flat, spoon shank relative the bend of the hook seems like it would place the point in optimal position to dig in. Think "small treble hook effect" but with only one actual hook in the fly. I hate small trebles and won't use them on fish, yet will admit this is why they are so **** effective for hooking longnose. There's always a point in optimal position to dig in on the hookset. They can't rotate flat and slide through like a single.

Their's is a hard mouth to figure a fly strategy on, it's unlike any other fish I pursue.


Top
  
PostPosted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:15 pm • # 8 
User avatar
Full Member

Joined: 07/20/18
Posts: 244
knotjoe wrote:
Color me impressed that you can get any dubbed fly to slide far enough in those teeth to get a point in.


As much as anything, I think angle of attack played a big role in my success. As my primary target were carp, I spent the majority of the day attempting to cast the fly just beyond my target, and then slowly strip the fly back across the fish's line of sight.

I followed the same approach with the gar, and believe that position of the fly when the gar first observes it played a significant role in the successful hookups. In one case, the gar was facing me. I cast past the fish and stripped the fly back parallel to its body. The fly was immediately in front of its eye (near the rear of its mouth) when it noticed it, so the fly was beyond the bony teeth and near the fleshy part of the mouth when the strike occurred.

The other (the 32" fish) was a bit odd. Its head was buried in vegetation along the shoreline when I spotted it, and I could not entice a strike. I unintentionally ended up startling it and, as it swam away, I placed a cast in front of it. The cast was off the mark unfortunately, and, for whatever reason, I chose to let the nymph settle to the substrate. To my surprise the gar began to descend as it approached my fly, tilted sideways, and momentarily opened its jaws. I quickly raised my rod tip and sure enough the fly was again buried in the fleshy, rear corner of its mouth.

By contrast the three others all snapped as the fly passed further out along their snouts. In each instance, the bony mouth rejected my hook and the fish swam off.

I need to experiment a bit next time I'm out there, but I think if I can place my casts in a position where the fly is near the rear of the gar's mouth when it first spots the fly, I should be able to continue to increase my hook set ratio. Any cast that places the fly in a position to be observed before the fly nears this fleshy corner of the mouth is essentially a wasted cast.

Chris


Top
  
PostPosted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:00 pm • # 9 
User avatar
Full Member

Joined: 07/20/19
Posts: 138
Location: North Central Indiana
Chris_in_Louisiana wrote:
The fly was immediately in front of its eye (near the rear of its mouth) when it noticed it, so the fly was beyond the bony teeth and near the fleshy part of the mouth when the strike occurred.
Chris


That's a typical bait hit! If you can get it on an artificial, you got 'em hung. Only issue when it happens is during the fight and the toothy snout rakes the tippet on head shakes and thrashes.
Happens wherever you hook them to some extent, just more pronounced nearer the corner of the mouth.

Strange to witness this the first time you see it with gar, isn't it? It's like I didn't know you could do that! :eek They just angle their head a bit and suck it right in the corner of the mouth.


Top
  
PostPosted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 7:54 pm • # 10 
User avatar
Hero Member

Joined: 01/26/09
Posts: 617
Location: Oklahoma
Obviously a defect in the hook. It should be simple to make a hook that will not break off on rocks or other snags. Of course, once you add the feathers, fur, foam, and thread to the hook it may weigh a couple of pounds, but at least the hook shouldn't break. Will probably also cause a mild change in your casting, especially with an UL rod.

Larry


Top
  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  

  Page 1 of 1   [ 10 posts ] New Topic Add Reply

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  


- OurBoard Support -