I’ve been throwing some slim swims and trout tricks for trout and I am getting a ton of hits but missing most of them. I am using really light and soft micro-light combo and line. Do you think the ones I am missing are mostly dinks or I am fishing to fast or just not getting enough force on the hook set. I’m missing hits from a single small knock to several small knocks and a tug, a big thump, and the pull of a fish on when I don’t feel the hit. I’m not sure because I did get in the zone and caught like 4 in 7 cast. Most of the fish I caught were from 11 to 16 but I did have on a big one. I think when I missed a ton of the hits on the zman the fish may have been smaller. That day they were feeding on glass minnows so I threw the slim swim and the next day in a different creek I threw the tt because of heavy weight and wind, but there were a lot of mullet jumping everywhere. I’m thinking I got to much give between the line and rod any opinions appreciated. I think I’m gonna buy a better micro light combo with a little more rigidness.
Youre deffinatly not missing little fish. You’re setting the hook hard, right? Set it hard as soon as you feel anything…even if you set the hook on bottom debris, just set it. I also slowly reel the line after I move the lure just to take up slack from the tide movement…try to stay tight as you can. Not sure how you’re fishing he lure but if you are doing the hops then the trout take it on the fall which is hard to feel. They have already had it in time it mouth by the time you actually feel it. That’s why you have to set the hook before you think you got a hit (lol).
If you are free lining during the winter, just stay tight to the lure (be able to feel it’s weight w/out moving it) and if you feel anything just set the hook!
You may already be doing this, but check your hook point often to be sure it’s sticky sharp. There’s many things that can dull a hook quickly. I learned this the hard way, as points on even the best brands of hooks can get dulled, bent over and sometimes broken. With a light setup, you need a sticky sharp hook. If it’s not sharp, change it to one that is!
They are not dull for sure but after reading over these post and putting some thought to it I’m thinking Epres might be on to something, I think I might be a little slow on the hook set. I think the stretchy line and soft rod are throwing me off because I usually fish the most sensitive set ups and this rod has little feel but is fun because you actual have to use skill to land a 16 inch trout. You can literally stretch this line like 4 inches on a 1ft long piece of string.
Braid, braid, braided line!
All this info is right on point (see what I did there LOL) but I have also noticed the little slight taps from bait stealers on my artificials as well, and they are still very prevalent, especially when its got a good coat of procure on it. Like Epres suggested, you really can’t go wrong with some decent braid, you can almost feel the fish breathe…
Fishing Nerd
“you win some, you lose some…but nothing beats getting some!”
Leave the PC right now and go buy some braid!
Trout and reds bite differently (my opinion)
Trout will breathe it in and spit it out in a fraction of a second. I believe there is a timing aspect with trout. You can be too soon or too late. There is a sweet spot somewhere in between. Hard to describe but you just have to gain experience I think.
Reds you need to give them a second to eat. I will often miss one when I am expecting a red in a certain spot and I get a trout bite, and visa versa.
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.ralphphillipsinshore.com
Keep your rod tip pointed at the bait to help with feel and timing. Be trigger happy on each cast and you will get a feel for the bite.
Mark Ingle
NauticStar 1810 Merc 90
Learn how to fish with the tip of your index finger on the line as the bait falls!
I’ll try that raddaddy.