Striking a fish

[breambuster7]

hey guys i have a bit of a problem
when a bream hits my plastic on the drop and i see the line twitch i strike and i almost never hook the fish. i try different methods like waiting longer and varying strike force but i still cant get them, can any body give me any suggestions on what to do?

ive been missing a few of late aswell, have to be super quick i have found or they spit it

its harder to do at night hahaha :P

[Superduperman]

It could be the Jig heads, Is the hook point exposed enough or is the bulk of the plastic leaving only a small gape? Old jig heads are never as sharp either, so maybe buy some new ones if thee're seen better days.

I've been using Gamakatsu Jig heads lately, which I've never really used before, and I've been hooking up much more often - They're my go-to Jig head now. Also, I tend not to strike very hard, it's more of a lifting of the rod tip then once the slack is gone giving a short fast wind

[Malcolm]

I buy the Gamakatsu 90 degree aberdeen hooks and mould my own jig heads at a fraction of the cost, I calculated it once and I think it was between 9cents and 20 cents per jig head depending on hook size and weight of head (and whether hooks are bought in small or large quantity)... I haven't brought any Jig heads for almost 5 months and am running super sharp Gammi's that stay sharp after a snag and a few fish (and dont bur on the tip).

Best thing is, if you run out of Jig head's pull up a chair and spend a couple of minutes making some more before going fishing.

I agree with superduperman, go the gammi's!!

Cheers,

Mark

[Brad Y]

You need to work on your reflexes. When you feel the "DOONK" you should be striking at "DOO" This is the moment the fish has the plastic in its mouth. A split second longer it will decide its not edible and spit it out quicker than when it went in. Sometimes they will comeback for a second shot, but it seems more often they dont.

A stiffer rod when fishing plastics helps in setting the hook better, as do sharp jigheads. Owner or gamakatsu hooks are the only real option IMO, others are behind in sharpness, especially from the box. Match the hook size up to the plastic. As a general rule I will use a size 4 hook with a 2" grub, size 2 or 1 on a longer plastic like a jerkbait or bassminnow.

[breambasher]

Try to make sure your rod tip is a bit higher when the plastic is dropping just to slightly reduce the amount of slack line between the rod tip and water which you will be able to see the hts better and will be in contact more with the lure so your strike will be that bit more quicker, and what everyone else said make sure your using decent jigheads and a stiffer rod does help quite alot!

[Superduperman]

Originally Posted by Brad Y

A split second longer it will decide its not edible

Unless it's Gulp!

[NathanJohns]

dylan
its because when the fish are schooling up like they are starting to do now alot of the time the dont eat your plastics properly
even if the fish has ur plastic just slowely move ur rod up untill u can feel the pressure from the fish,if the fish spits it it or a mate will eat ur plastic again because you have not given an aggressive strike.
if the fish hangs on to the plastic it usually is hooked therfore only give it a little strike, light wire TT jigheads are very sharp and do not need much to penetrate a fishes mouth.

[breambuster7]

Thx Nathan Ill Probs Still Miss Em Lol

[breambuster7]

Thx For He Help With That Guys

[Fisherman#1]

Here are a few points from me:
1-Try to strike by imparting some sort of action on the lure as in your retrieve. If the fish has dropped it, the action won't let the fish suss out the lure and if your hooks are sharp enough then even a soft strike should penetrate.

2-I usually like to strike when the line comes taught, i.e. the fish has pulled up all the line. If you see the line just twitch, I usually leave it as it may be the fish just nudging or mouthing the lure. If the line comes taught the fish will always have the lure in it's mouth when you strike. However I said lure, not hook.

If your hooks are sharp, it doesn't take much to ensure penetration. I like to replace my jigheads after a few fish. I don't think constantly sharpening it will get it back to its former glory. It may be a bit exxy but if it ensures I don't miss out on big fish then I'll do it. However they do find use by being re-sharpened and used for fish with softer mouths (i.e. salmon, trevs etc.) Re-sharpened hooks are sharp, but not as sharp as they are out of the packet. It's the out of packet sharpness that's needed for bream.

[PatrickC]

im only new to bream fishing myself and using soft plastics

but i have found that its when you flick the plastic up again thats what hooks it,

a slight lift rather than jerk has always been more effective for me

cheers

[yellow door 1]

owners

I used to read magazine articles written by sponsored anglers and think that I would use the same hook they did, if I wasnt paying for them.

I have the unfortunate situation of fishing for a few other species of fish apart from Bream. Other fish teach you bad habits when it comes to hook sharpness

I used to think Breamers were fools for taking so much care with the sharpness of their hooks. Spending over $2 on a single jig head was ridiculous

Trout mouth - Reddy Mouths and Natives mouth are all easier to stick hooks in than a bream.

There are bugger all sweet spots on a breams mouth. They have a magnificent pair of rubbery lips. But if you take them out of the equation - you need a fine point with excellent penetration.

If you think your jigheads might be sharp enough - they arent

If you know your jigheads are sharp enough - they are

[gtxrally]

Originally Posted by Malcolm

I buy the Gamakatsu 90 degree aberdeen hooks and mould my own jig heads at a fraction of the cost, I calculated it once and I think it was between 9cents and 20 cents per jig head depending on hook size and weight of head (and whether hooks are bought in small or large quantity)... I haven't brought any Jig heads for almost 5 months and am running super sharp Gammi's that stay sharp after a snag and a few fish (and dont bur on the tip).

Best thing is, if you run out of Jig head's pull up a chair and spend a couple of minutes making some more before going fishing.

I agree with superduperman, go the gammi's!!

Cheers,

Mark

Hey Mark, do you have any pics of your home made jigs??
Dale.

[Fisherman#1]

Originally Posted by yellow door 1

owners

I used to read magazine articles written by sponsored anglers and think that I would use the same hook they did, if I wasnt paying for them.

I have the unfortunate situation of fishing for a few other species of fish apart from Bream. Other fish teach you bad habits when it comes to hook sharpness

I used to think Breamers were fools for taking so much care with the sharpness of their hooks. Spending over $2 on a single jig head was ridiculous

Trout mouth - Reddy Mouths and Natives mouth are all easier to stick hooks in than a bream.

There are bugger all sweet spots on a breams mouth. They have a magnificent pair of rubbery lips. But if you take them out of the equation - you need a fine point with excellent penetration.

If you think your jigheads might be sharp enough - they arent

If you know your jigheads are sharp enough - they are

Reason why I like Nitro jigheads. Although the TT's are pretty good too.