Author Topic: Hook Setting, How High?  (Read 6407 times)

Offline slipperybob

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 6,551
  • LX5 or die...maybe extra battery.
Hook Setting, How High?
« on: Dec 03, 2017, 07:49 AM »
General tip for all, including reminding myself.

It's amazing that some people still have the tendency to hook set while ice fishing like as if they would be fishing open water with a full length fishing pole of 6' or 7'.  The chance of breaking an ice fishing pole or let alone hitting the wall or ceiling of your ice shack is very likely when it's raised to nearly 90 degrees straight up.  As much as I enjoy watching videos of ice fishing trips, I see a lot of heavy flex loaded fishing poles.  The pole positioning is often angled at more than 45 degrees upwards.

It's not often do I hear or see on the internet about someone breaking an ice fishing pole and blaming it on warranty issues as a defect.  How the stories often go is that it was fishing fine, just fine after hooking several fishes but the rod broke.  Yes it is possible to break a rod.  I even had my Shakespeare Ugly Stick ice fishing rod tip broke at about 2 inches down while allowing my 3 yr old to play with it.  I never once thought it was possible but yes it was.  The bonding resin at that point actually failed.

I personally don't raise the angle of my rod that high.  If it was pivoted upwards, it would be to around 30 degrees angled up mostly.  My hook setting is more about lifting the rod, the entire rod upwards rather than pivoting it at an angle.  Most people would do the same, but that habit from open water fishing to pivot your rod and hold it high still comes around every now and then.  Yes, even I am guilty of that.

How I attempt to change.  For spinning reels, that trigger finger or pencil grip hand holding position helps to prevent high sticking the rod.  I will say that fishing fighting in this held position is most awkward for me.  My reel is generally brought up to shoulder level, while my cranking hand is right about at chin level or off to the side at cheek level.  I have never found myself attempting to high stick the rod at all.  The other method is I've gone to a baitcasting reel set up.  I generally palm the reel as my grip position.  When hooked with fish, it's brought up to about heart level.  I have never found myself high sticking my baitcasting set up. 

Hope this helps preventing a broken ice rod mishap.
For more information read my MN nice journal

Offline HWeber

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,276
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #1 on: Dec 03, 2017, 09:44 AM »
I wish more people would realize this. High sticking, light rod with stupid pound test line. letting your rods bang around in your sled, the ice fishing equivalent of a bass flip, ect. These things will eventually break your rod no matter what brand it is. Don't go on facebook slamming a brand because you are misusing their product. Rant over lol

Offline redneckdan

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 261
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #2 on: Dec 04, 2017, 07:35 AM »
For dead sticking I prefer a modified HT ice blues rod. Sensitive tip with lots of bend but to set the hook I need to wail it pretty good, even with super lines. With a modern graphite, little wrist pop is all it takes.

Offline ice dawg

  • Iceshanty Militia
  • Team IceShantyholic
  • *
  • Posts: 8,160
  • Tawny-"Ice Pooch"
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #3 on: Dec 04, 2017, 08:03 AM »
I usually lift my rod and start reeling. Sharpening my hooks makes a big difference.
It seems to go from zero to hero all some have to do is lie.

Offline Swift

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 2,728
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #4 on: Dec 04, 2017, 09:49 AM »
A very sharp hook, pinched barb, a slightly opened gap regardless of line weight with an adequate diameter low/non stretch line with a little wrist flick and they're hooked. Pound test and species pursued doesn't matter much, we're pulling fish, more or less, straight up the gear does it for us if we give it half a chance.

gman51

  • Guest
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #5 on: Dec 04, 2017, 09:50 AM »
i agree swift I'm always giving the hooks a quick touch up with the stone. having the fine stone accessible on a neck lanyard along with my line cutters is a no-brainer. if its there you will use it. cutter saves on the teeth also.  no need to reach for the stars and drive the hooks home as hard with those sticky sharpe hooks.  ;)

Offline hnd

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,806
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #6 on: Dec 05, 2017, 09:59 AM »
most guys are fishing with slow action rods meaning the entire rod bends in a half circle which requires not just a raise but a flick of their wrists back. 

Offline Lobes

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 3,681
  • Just Fishin'
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #7 on: Dec 05, 2017, 01:04 PM »
I usually lift my rod and start reeling. Sharpening my hooks makes a big difference.

X2 -

Sharp hooks plus low stretch line for me. It doesn't take much to get that hook set.

                                           :tipup:
Lobes

Mecosta County / Lakeview, Michigan

Offline RyanW

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,223
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #8 on: Dec 05, 2017, 05:28 PM »
I usually lift my rod and start reeling. Sharpening my hooks makes a big difference.

Same here. Maybe a flick of the wrist if I’m feeling froggy.
“When the fish are biting, it really doesn’t matter what you’re using. When the fish aren’t biting, it really doesn’t matter what you’re using” - Uncle Dave

Offline Ice Scratcher

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 3,120
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #9 on: Dec 05, 2017, 05:37 PM »
I could learn from some of you lol..

My hook set varies in strength based on what I will call my "missed mood" if I am missing them I step it up some..

This is what happens when you have a mad northbound set, on an even madder southbound gator...



That pole lasted me 20 years, so it didn't owe me anything...

<°)))>{

Offline eyeflyer

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 418
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #10 on: Jan 07, 2019, 12:01 AM »
X2 -

Sharp hooks plus low stretch line for me. It doesn't take much to get that hook set.

                                           :tipup:
Lobes

Sharp hooks and low stretch are a great start. Many species of fish will "take" a lure differently, if you have a camera you will have observed this. Up here walleye and perch will swim up to your bait, flare their gills and suck in the bait, if you have not allowed enough slack in your line for the hook to go into their mouths you will have a short hit. Depending on the bite perch will sometimes suck a bait in and out very quickly for this you need a quick hook set. A quick set does not mean a violent long hook set, many times with (no stretch line) all you need is a few inches or a foot lift to set the hook. I have seen trout swim up to a bait and slowly sip it in and also come flying through and grab in on the way through never slowing down at all. Each day can be a bit different, camera really helps with these. 

Some fish like whitefish have a soft mouth,  if you do not just use a slow lift with steady pressure and instead choose a quick jerk up on the rod, you will probably rip the hook out. Pike will swim through your bait a lot of the time, just a slow lift is all that is required as the speed the pike is traveling will set the hook for you, lakers are almost the same. There are exceptions for all species but the techniques I have listed seem to have worked the best for me. We don't have bass, or crappies, or gills up here so not sure what techniques work best for them.

Offline Unclegillhunter

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 2,014
  • Ice So Nice
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #11 on: Jan 07, 2019, 03:36 PM »
Good thread I see a lot of videos where the fisher uses both arms and brings the rod way up over their heads. Feel just a quick snap of the wrist and start reeling works pretty good
Keep it safe! JDL

Offline fishEH

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 221
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #12 on: Feb 02, 2019, 08:56 PM »
The smaller the fish, the higher the hookset!!!  ;D

Offline RyanW

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,223
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #13 on: Feb 03, 2019, 03:41 AM »
I totally agree with the super high over embellished hook sets. Just relax man lol. Having said that, if one is fishing structure (especially branches) a high hook set pulls the fish out of that structure quickly so they don’t retreat back inside and cause issues. However, more often than not, it’s just theatrics.
“When the fish are biting, it really doesn’t matter what you’re using. When the fish aren’t biting, it really doesn’t matter what you’re using” - Uncle Dave

Offline Iceassin

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 6,035
  • The secret to fishing...fish where the fish are.
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #14 on: Feb 03, 2019, 05:09 AM »
Same here. Maybe a flick of the wrist if I’m feeling froggy.

Yup...with sharp hooks this is all that's required...for pannies anyway. Pike on tip ups...I usually pull slowly on the line until I feel that the fish has it well in mouth then WHAM!!!  ;D
"Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice."
 


Offline Kevin23

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,241
Re: Hook Setting, How High?
« Reply #15 on: Feb 05, 2019, 02:23 PM »
The "best" is just lift straight up and keep lifting until you can engage the reel, I've seen too many people set the hook then pause for a split second before getting the other hand to the reel and the fish gets off.. ill explain why in a second. If you have the right rod, a reel with a drag, the right type of hooks/jig, and common sense, you can set the hook like I do.. which is a hard and sustained lift. My hooksets are often pure instinct and reaction from open water fishing, I dont think about it at all. Fish hits, bang I got him. The only time I think I ever actually think about a hookset would be dead stick or tipups.

If you watch with a camera, unless you KVD bass fishing hookset a fish, you aren't setting the hook in say a bluegill until its turned its head and is pulling away from you. When you lift up, you are just moving the fish up.. when he realizes he doesn't want to go up (usually about a foot) he will point his head back down and that is when the hook penetrates. They have strong mouths and are clamped down on that jig/bait too hard, unless you KVD hook set him.. he's not hooked when you set it, he's hooked when you are still setting the hook or reeling and he decides to pull back. I had that problem a lot with HT ice blues.. I like them because they are cheap, but the lack of backbone caused me to lose fish in that first 1-2 seconds of the fight... hook never stuck him. If you are the type to do the quick hard wrist action hookset, you need that super soft rod or you'll rip the hook out of the fish (especially crappies with small tungsten jigs). I guess what I'm saying is every rod takes a different hookset... some that high hookset you are saying not to do.
EYECONICFISHING

 



Iceshanty | MyFishFinder | MyHuntingForum
Contact | Disclaimer | Privacypolicy | Sponsor
© 1996- Iceshanty.com
All Rights Reserved.