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Ahhh – the age old problem when hooking the big one. Lot’s of personal experience with this scenario on both the winning and losing end. One thing I’ve noticed that really increased my odds of landing big fish in the stones was using heavy tackle. With tackle there is a fine line between controlling the bass and the bass having their way with you. When I first started surfcasting some 35 years ago I used a 9 foot medium action rod and Penn 704 with 15-20 pound mono. My hook-up and land ratio with that outfit had me crying more often than not. The bass would go where they wanted and my plug was just along for the ride until the bass found bottom where they would straighten my trebles and/or I would break off.
I finally began to beef up my gear to 10-11 foot medium heavy sticks with 20 pound mono and my hook-up/land ratio went way up. Now when I hook-up I’m in control with MOST of my bass. I fish a very tight drag and the stretch of mono gives me a level of insurance. With the heavier gear you also have a good shot at pulling them out of the rocks should they bury themselves in it. Generally if I can still feel movement when a bass is buried I can horse them out. If you don’t feel movement they’re probably long gone and you’ll be lucky to get your plug back with some corn on the cob holder trebles. Treble hooks are your enemy in the rocks, exposed trebles during a hook-up with a big bass are a snag waiting to happen. Using a presentation with a strong single hook will also increase your odds at landing a monster. As bad as rockweed can be during a hook-up consider that without it you would constantly be cut off by rocks. Rockweed protects your line. Beef up your gear – not very sporting with small fish but if you want to land your share of big bass it’s the way to go.
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Threaded Mode