Three strikes...I'm out.

[JFigliuolo]

okay, Iv'e had three chances at a big fish. Each time I'm beaten.

First time, fish gets off storm shad. okay, maybe hooked lightly.
second time, fish mangles split ring on bomber middle hook. (?)
third time, Fish sounds, I get a plug full of weeds, no fish... ARGGGHHHH!!!!

any advice?

[Saltheart]

Try again!!

[Pete_G]

You're probably doing all the right things, except for not changing out your split rings.

Landing big fish reliably is hard! This year has been a reminder of that for me as well...

[JohnR]

Are you fishing braid? Might be too hard a hookset / drag. Fishing with braid will bend hooks and break hardware as there is no strech to cushion the shock like with mono....

[Nebe]

What is the problem?? These are 3 different symptoms of failure. If you had one of those symptoms happen repetitvely, then you would have a big probem.
Bad things happen now and then. learn from them, and you will be the better fisherman. Yoru still in the game...... lookd to me like you have one
strike -(splitrings) and 2 fouls

besides the splitrings, whos to say what you did was wrong???

[JFigliuolo]

maybe it's just the breaks... using braid, drag not set too tight... maybe smart fish.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Look at the bright spot....You're finding fish....Thats half the battle

[bart]

i feel your pain. had a fish inhale my plug last night and then rip off 40 yards of braid. i felt the first set of trebles pull free and knew i was in trouble. 10 seconds later the line went slack. that was the only hit i had all night. damn crushed barbs

[bassmaster]

on the bombers , swap out the hooks to vmc size 1
you can use 2 or 3 if You like and also 2 1/0 vmc's
m&d's sells triple splits and u can swap out to those also

not saying ya do ,but never touch the drag and maybe Ya got a tad bit more pressure, You can get away with it if you know how to pay lind drop rod for the runs/ pulls
also when a fish bust on top give the fish line( drop rod while maintainin pressure or You will rip the hooks out
If You fish wood like dannys pikes on top, let the bass pull the rod down in other words let the fish dig in and turn this i see is a big problen with alot of people missin fish

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by bassmaster

on the bombers , swap out the hooks to vmc size 1
you can use 2 or 3 if You like and also 2 1/0 vmc's
m&d's sells triple splits and u can swap out to those also

...

Huh? I'm not getting this. What size VMC's on the bombers? 1,2,3? 2 1/0?

I'm confused.

[Nebe]

Bassmaster confuses lots of people

i think he means size one hooks and you can use one or two, meaning you could remove the belly hook and just leave a front hook and a tail hook.

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by Nebe

Bassmaster confuses lots of people

i think he means size one hooks and you can use one or two, meaning you could remove the belly hook and just leave a front hook and a tail hook.

1 or 1/0 seem small on a long A magnum. I think they match up pretty well w/Mustad 2/0 or 3/0 I forget which.

Why downsize the hooks w/VMC's?

[RIROCKHOUND]

I use 3/0 VMC 4x's on magnum bombers, the 1/0 vs 1 is the smaller ones, use 1 1/0 VMC instead of 2 size 2 hooks on the belly,..

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by JFigliuolo

1 or 1/0 seem small on a long A magnum. I think they match up pretty well w/Mustad 2/0 or 3/0 I forget which.

Why downsize the hooks w/VMC's?

hey i was only translating...

i never pay attention to the hook size #'s.. i go by eye.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Nebe

i never pay attention to the hook size #'s.. i go by eye.

Eben's right. A 1/0 Owner Stinger ST-41 hook is way bigger than a VMC 4X 1/0 (its actually bigger than a 2/0 VMC) -- the VMC 6X hooks are a little bigger than the 4X but weigh alot more -- etc., etc. And that all changes by how large the split ring is.

There's no universal size chart -- go by eye & weight...

[bassmaster]

Originally Posted by JFigliuolo

maybe it's just the breaks... using braid, drag not set too tight... maybe smart fish.

you never said magnums so i thought the regular long a

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by bassmaster

you never said magnums so i thought the regular long a

Yeah, your right. I am going to change out all my magnums to 3/0 VMC's and my darters to 4/0 VMC's they currently have 3/0 Mustads and I've been missing allot of fish.

[Pete_G]

Speaking of hooks, there's sharp, and then there's "sticky" sharp.

For example, if you don't sharpen VMC's when they come out of the box, many times they aren't sharp. Certainly the same goes for Mustads.

Get a good hook hone and keep it handy. I have one I keep on me when I'm on the water and one that stays near my plugs at home. Bigger fish have really tough mouths.

Owners and most Gamas come out perfectly sharp, but it's tough to put a point back on them after something happens to them.

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

Speaking of hooks, there's sharp, and then there's "sticky" sharp.

How do you tell a hook is "stickey sharp" I try to hang it on my finger nail. Is that sharp enough?

[steelhead]

Sticky sharp is good. I began changing out all my plug's hooks to 4X VMC's three weeks ago after having three plugs with straightend hooks come reeling in in an hour and a half! Had been using 3x... Definately go to the 3x split rings. Don't ask.... :-( Then there's always those dang knots!!!! Big Bass change your perspective on your equipment pretty quickly! It's such a helpless feeling to feel one get down in the rubble and rub/torque you off!

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by JFigliuolo

How do you tell a hook is "stickey sharp" I try to hang it on my finger nail. Is that sharp enough?

Digging into your fingernail is good, or if it instantly grabs skin when you lightly pull it across your palm. You can sometimes tell a point isn't sharp by running your finger with the hook point. You can literally feel that the point is rounded or has a bump on it that should be filed down. Some VMC's come out of the box with a point that is literally rounded over and pointing 90 degrees from where it should be.

I don't have time right now but I'll try and find a good "how to sharpen hooks" link if I get a chance. There's definitely a right way and a wrong way.

[JFigliuolo]

http://www.luhrjensen.com/techreport...Sharpening.pdf

[LeCounts1099]

Once again Pete G. is right on Point-- (pun intended!)-- sharp is all relative... and a very temporary stage for any hook anyway! It's all about field touch- ups, frequently!! (Only if you're serious about sticking big Bass!) A simple small- sized file (my pref.) sits front & center in my wader inside pouch at all times, at easy reach in any conditions! You'd be surprised at what even a schoolie or two will do to a "perfect" hook point! I ALWAYS check-- after every fish or three if lazy, depending!

But really: if you want sharp & strong plug hooks (& what Cow- Hunter doesn't??) ... Forget Mustads, & 99% of factory plug hooks! (& split rings!) Don't like to make France any more $ myself... but VMC (esp. 6X, 4X otherwise) is the way to go!! (unless you can afford/ justify the superb-- but $1.50 per!!-- Gama or Owner 4X Trebles!). I've done the field- testing ahead of most (2+ yrs. now), & trust me: Mustads are less sharp (no matter what is done to them), lose their edge/ point quicker, and are WAY weaker & more inconsistent, than are VMC 4X and 6X! Had bent & open trebles on plugs of all sizes frequently when a Mustad guy... not one yet w/ VMC! (couple of slight/ partail bends at most-- no failures!)

Don't check & sharpen plug hooks after every fish or two? Then simply don't lament lost cow hook- ups or losses! They're tough enough to stick using plugs/ trebles, to begin with! (Much different chore, than with an Eel & a single Gama.!)