Today's tip is one that is designed to increased your
percentage of bass landed after the hook set. If you are a tournament angler
or trophy bass hunter this tip is important because landed bass or missed
bass can make the difference between a tournament win or trophy catch of a
lifetime.
Wherever you live more than likely, you have been taught
to keep the rod down especially for anglers that predominantly fish for
smallmouth bass to keep them from jumping. Unfortunately, what has been
passed down from generation to generation has been inaccurate with no
ability to prove that it works. Like most of my tips I will emphasize the
understanding of physics and the use of our senses to help determine the
correct choice for the best outcome.
From my observations of clients there is a strong belief
that keeping the rod tip down can prevent a bass from jumping, but the
reality is nothing can keep a bass from coming to the surface. Bass use the
path of least resistance to determine what response is best once they have
been hooked so you don't have to have a physics degree to know that if we
are pulling down, the easiest path for them is up. This is true whether you
are in deep water or shallow water but shallow water fish have less of a
choice so they are more inclined to seek the surface. Smallmouth bass are
nomadic type bass that leads to them being a stronger fish with more
endurance than a largemouth meaning surface jumping to attempt to shake a
hook is always a possibility.
So, if pulling down isn't the best option, what is? First,
lets start at the hook set and what you can do immediately after. Once you
set the hook the most important thing you can do is hold there for a second
and feel what direction the fish is headed, the size of the fish and
consider any obstacles that might be in the way. I would call this assessing
the situation and it allows time to slow things down and make correct
decisions and adjustments to what the bass is doing. The other benefit to
taking that second is calming yourself down and in turn not begin to reel
too fast or horse the fish into the boat. I can't begin to tell you how many
clients I have shown that when you stop yanking the fish to the boat they
actually calm down and will swim towards the boat rather than fight for
their lives. It's why clients sometimes call me the "Fish Whisperer".
How I found out that a fish will follow like a dog on a
leash was while I was fishing a lake here at home in about 16 feet of water.
I had pulled up some line during a cast and felt it would be a good idea to
get it out of the lake. As I pulled on the line I felt a slight tug and new
there was a fish on. As I slowly pulled up the line I could see it was a big
bass. It swam almost all the way to the surface only trying to swim away at
the last minute as I began to lip it. From that moment on I knew bringing
fish to the boat became more of a process of staying in the moment and not
getting carried away.
Now, as I said earlier bass will attempt to surface
regardless of what angle you pull. The benefit of keeping the rod up is
having the ability to see the line and as it begins to go horizontal, you
can bring the rod down and pull the fish back into the water forcing it to
swim. Then bring the rod tip back up to once again have visibility on the
line. This is the action/response that should happen between the angler and
fish once hooked. The fish will make a choice and it is up to us to respond
accordingly. Just remember there is always more than one option to the
action.
One last thought. It is always good to consider what we
lose by keeping the rod tip down and what is gained from keeping it up. The
first thing we lose when holding the rod tip down is our ability to see the
line and one of our senses, vision. If you are setting the hook upward, by
going down with the rod, you immediately take away line sight. Being able to
see the line tells us what direction the fish is going and allows the opportunity to make adjustments to what they are doing.
Getting a bass to bite your lure in my opinion is the
hardest part of catching them. After learning that once on the hook my
response and actions to what the fish is doing will be the ultimate factor
in whether or not I end up holding them has meant more catching and less
fishing. Give it a try and hopefully you will too.
Thanks for reading,
Steve Boyd
Owner - Florida Bass Adventures Guide Service
http://www.floridabassadventures.com
http://www.orlandobassguide.com
https://www.orlandobassfishing.net
http://www.laketohoguide.com
