[Patrick]

That guy is flirting with disaster. Stripers can be very strong and one cold wet day, he is going to get a big suprise. I have seen even small stripers pull rods over the side. Of course he can feel the fish hit but sometimes, you can get lost in things around you.(namely cute women)<img src="/Images/TooHappy.gif"><!--e13-->

I have two methods that seem to work well.
My first one is I leave the drag loose to the point where I can pull line out freely. Then I just set it in the spike. When a fish takes it, I cup the spool, set the hook and use my hand as a temporary drag. Then I put the rod under my arm and as I control the leverage and the drag tension with my hand(my right hand in my case) I tighten down my reel drag with my left hand. Then I resume the battle as normal. I've been fishing with the same reels for years and I basically know how much I need to tighten to get the tension I want.

The second method is to leave the reel with the bail open and the drag set up how I want it. Let the fish peel off some line, snap the bail down, cup the spool and set the hook. Then go on with the fight.
Of course you could get a baitrunner but that isn't practical for me. One more thing to break.
Are your hooks sharp? I try to sharpen mine to a triangular point. I find this hooks the fish the bestway as for resharpening. Of course hook companys like Gamagatsu chemically sharpen the hooks much better. Maybe you are hooking too soon or at the wrong moment. I like to feel the fish moving off with my bait before I hook. That way, I know my hook is going towards the side of the mouth or the back of it and not out the mouth.