Do NOT Set the Hook!

[Stan Wright]

How we fish the Senko... (and some other lures)

Next time your on the lake.... Did you ever notice the shad swimming along the surface leaving a "V" wake? That's the way we've been fishing the Senkos for peacock bass.

Raise the rod tip and reel just fast enough to leave a "V" wake. Slow and steady. When the fish follows, DO NOT STOP... just keep reeling. When the fish strikes, DO NOT SET THE HOOK... JUST KEEP REELING.

It's hard to wait till you "feel the fish" before setting the hook. Trust me, peacock bass will set the hook for you if you just keep reeling.

Most largemouth bass anglers "rear-back-and-try-to-cross-their-eyes" when they set the hook. (And miss a lot of peacock bass) Peacock bass travel in packs, if one misses there are usually 2 or 3 more trying to eat your lure.

When you set the hook, you jerk the lure out of the water and take it away from the fish. Now you've missed the striking fish, and also taken the lure away from it's hungry aggressive friends.

Just keep reeling and do not set the hook... you'll catch more peacock bass.

[Float Tube 27]

Thanks for the info!

[Ken]

A recent experience taught me the same too...just with a different fish.

I was fishing for those Talang Queenfish in Langkawi a few days ago. There was a school of about 10-12 fish holding in one area.

Every time I cast to the school, my lure would be smashed immediately but I cannot hook up. I need to reel the lure as fast as I can and give them very quick short twitches as I am reeling. If I slow down the retrieve or stop twitching, the fish would back up and swim back to their holding area.

If I get a hit, get excited and try to set the hook, I would pull the lure out of the fish's mouth. But if I keep the lure moving after missing one hit, another fish would charge in to hit it again.

After missing a dozen hits, I finally figure out that I just need to keep reeling after getting hit and the hooks would just set themselves.

Not that landing the fish was easy though...after you hook up, the fish jumped immediately and I had 3 jumped off before finally back to land one.

Seeing the fish chase and crash lures just below the surface was fun just the same.