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Dock Talk -- Set the Hook or Not

A new bass fishing angler asks the age-old question ... when fishing a plastic worm; should I set the hook immediately when I feel a bump or wait a second before setting the hook?

My learning curve in fishing plastic worms was distinguishing a nibbling bass or was it just a grabby piece of underwater structure.

Fishing cover calls for different reactions: In a moderate to heavy cover deal, which is where Texas rigged plastics do some of their best work, there can be occasions where having a bass take a bait can 'feel' similar to having the bait slightly hung up in cover, especially if there's not that discernible Tap-Tap.

However, our new angler has been able to distinguish between structure and a bass.

“If I feel a bump, or what I detect as a bite, I take the time to calmly reel down and set the hook.” He’s watched fishing shows and the angler takes a second or two before setting the hook. “I’m trying to understand why there is such a long time from detection to hook set. What are the anglers feeling for in that period of time; is there no concern about the bass spitting the bait? This is my second year taking bass fishing seriously, and I am starting to detect bites and catch fish that I realized I missed last year. So, this has me thinking, what am I not doing/feeling for that these pros are?”

Shaw Grigsby, a well-known fishing professional, explains the Three Tap Theory. “The first tap the bass has inhaled your lure. The second tap the bass has expelled your lure. The third tap is me tapping you on the shoulder asking way you didn't set hook!”

Let’s see what some other angler theories are regarding when and when not to set the hook.

“I tend to wait and feel for a second tug or to see if my line moves before setting the hook to make sure they really have it in their mouth. That pause lets me feel the fish out - if I feel one tap the fish could have picked it up and dropped it real quick, in which case I want to be able to impart more action to the bait and try to get them to bite again. If i set the hook after that initial tap but the bait is already out of the fish’s mouth. Then I've lost a fish and likely spooked it from biting again."

The two-or-three seconds rule:

"I think a lot of the missed fish are when they hit the tail of the worm and we feel that and set the hook. Would they have stopped and engulfed the entire worm, who knows?”

That’s too long a wait:

"I'm a firm believer that often times the second thump you feel is the fish spitting it out. If I set the hook and miss, I still work it and often the bass comes and takes it again.”

Costs sometime come into play:

“Setting hooks in brush are not free with a two-dollar tungsten weight, one dollar hook and a fifty cent worm,” adds another angler. “If I am in heavy brush and feel a tap, at times I will weigh the line momentarily too see if there is something there, but if I’m playing tug of war with underwater brush limb. They will usually hit again if not spooked. A more sensitive, rod can make a world of difference in having a better idea of what you're feeling.”

What about if you feel the strike and the fish swims away.

“It probably isn't going directly away from you, but the fish is probably putting a bend in the line that you have to overcome to get a hookset. I'll usually just lower my rod and try to get the slack out, then set it. But on a C-rig, you yank the line through the sinker. So there's some weight for you to set the hook against.”

Like every other phase of bass fishing, there's really no fixed answer regarding ideal hook-set timing. When I feel a bump, I raise my rod tip to see if something pulls back. It takes me about one full-second to prepare for a hookset. How long do you wait to set the hook; please share your comments.

Tell us what you think!

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Toledo Bend Lake

Fishing Report from TPWD (Jun. 9)

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 76 degrees; 0.58 feet high. Largemouth bass are good in clearer water skirting vegetation and mid-depth brush around 14 feet on Carolina rigs, deeper larger crankbait, and jigs. Striped bass are slow moving fishing mid lake and deeper than any other time of year. White bass are fair in deep brush, especially around islands of vegetation using Alabama rigs. Crappie are good preferring jigs over minnows in shallower over brush and using docks. Channel and blue catfish are fair on stinkbait.

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