Remembrances of things past....

Bought a ton o` braid....when fishing with swimmers from Redfins to customs at night I discovered that I was foul hooking many bass.

Switched to reels with mono from 14 to 25 lb test and hardly any foul hooked.


With the immediate response/ no stretch of most braids I think the bass often do a bump of the lure of some sort and were hooking themselves in doing so. With mono having some play I think they could bump then pickup without getting foul hooked. VMCs or other sharp hooks were part of the factor but not determining.

Any thoughts?

LONNNNG leader eliminates the prob. You do have different action from the braid though.

Where did you foul hook the fish? Is it possible that you originally hooked the fish in the mouth (say, with the middle treble hook), then she subsequently hooked herself with the back treble hook during the struggle, but was able to spit the middle hook. It appears that you foul hooked the fish, but this wasn’t initially the case.

I’ve never been a believer that bass tail-whack a plug or an eel. I have no support other than it doesn’t make too much sense. Bass are opportunistic feeders, I think if they make the commitment to strike a plug or an eel; they are 100% determined to swallow that offering immediately.

Maybe someone could answer why the stretching capability of mono v braid makes any difference… doesn’t the bow in the line and action on the rod tip more than compensate for any difference in stretching???

no.....



many bass will bump first

I think what Roseneath say makes sense. With braided line there's no stretch as with Mono. Therefore with the fish constantly shaking her head causing her to knock the hook out and rehooking herself. Mono has stretch therefore making it more difficult for the fish to shake the hook off than with Braid. Kind of like how there's a better percentage to jar a sinker snag out with braid than with Mono.

The times I have experienced this, more than once, there was quite a number of bass competing for the lure. With the hooks I use it is highly unlikely they were hooked in the mouth first. Gill plates, head shots, between the eyes, back near head and mid ship.

When reeling I got a stuttered hooked effect.... meaning it felt like I almost hooked the fish multiple times while reeling in but it was pulling free....and I felt other bumps on the line as well...Night fishing.... I went back to my vehicle this one time and switched reels to one with mono and did not have the same experience.