After a horrible start to the winter season I have finally began to hook a few fish. Unfortunatly I am experiencing extreme frustration because I cannot seem to keep the hook into these fish. I am fishing spoons with a 2/0 siwash hook and the fish I am hooking are hitting the spoon just as it completes its swing into the soft water near shore. I am setting the hook as hard as I can, yet the fish are spitting the hook as they explode on the surface immediatly after the hookset. My hooks are sharpened regularly and I am ready for the strike, yet I am still missing these fish!! Any suggetions?..... Should I be waiting til the fish turns before setting the hook?... Or am I just suffering through a bad luck streak? Anyone else have this problem? Any advice will be appreciated, as my confidence level has gone way down.

B-Mac,
What's up, long time no hear from. Yeah I've been there with the old spoon frustration blues myself. Are you swinging them things on the old local river, if so let me know so we can meet up and fish.I'll be down there probably around 10 or 11 this morning before the game. Now this is easier said then done but works awesome, at the end of your swing when you feel the strike lower the rod as low as you can and slowly pull your rod tip across the bank side your standing on. If you can control the urge of just setting the hook hard and do this I think you might be in business. E-mail me. Jeff

I seriously believe that many times when I miss a fish, even on very hard takes, I set the hook too soon. When dry flyfishing and the takes are visible, it is very easy to set the hook on the boil, rather than waiting for the fish to actually take the fly. It can be very difficult to wait that extra second but it almost always ends up with a dancing rod. I think the same can be said when spoon fishing. You mentioned that you were ready. However, if you have a quick reaction, I can totally see you pulling the spoon away from the fish before he turns on it. Just my opinion. Also my experience when using barbless hooks with heavy bodies, (spoons, jigs) there is a much greater chance of the fish, especially steelhead since they are so acrobatic, to throw the hook. The heavy body of the lure tends to pull the hook out, especially with the hook planted in the snout without a barb.

DaveD

[This message has been edited by DaveD (edited 01-28-2001).]

B Mac,

Two thoughts on this. First, it's hard to get a good set on any fish straight downstream if it is just stopping the lure, as steelhead are prone to do, instead of chasing and striking, as silvers often do. I've had the same experience with flies. I get them under this circumstance most often by delaying the strike, and actually extend my rod arm toward the fish to create a smidgen of slack, hoping the fish turns or drops back into its lie, and then come back on it hard. The second thought is that this wasn't quite as much a problem back in the fiberglass rod days, since even the butt sections were so much softer than almost any graphite rod today. The rod is so quick, you have to give the fish time to turn or drop to avoid pulling the hook away from the fish.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Jeff,...Yes I'm on the local river, I'll send you an email to see about getting together for a trip,.... by the way I finally got one yesterday, little native around five pounds...Brian

LIGHTEN UP ON THE DRAG JUST A TOUCH AND LET YOUR ROD TIP GO DOWN BEFORE YOU SET THE HOOK. IT GIVES YOU THAT EXTRA SECOND OR TWO BEFORE YOU LAY YOUR THUMB ON THE REEL AND STICK IT TO UM. I HAVE LANDED 13 IN A ROW USING SPOONS BUT I DO USE A FIBERGLASS ROD AND MAYBE I AM A LITTLE SLOW ON THE DRAW. WHO KNOWS. I HAVE LOST 11 IN A ROW ON CORKIES TOO??? AT LEAST YOU ARE GETTING IT IN FRONT OF THEIR FACE. KEEP AT IT, YOU WILL GET THE RANGE...JEFF, I WILL CALL YOU ALSO...DENNIS