Ever have this happen and what did you do to catch 'em?

[OUTHNTN]

Went fishing yesterday and had out the usual.  A few tipups and I was jigging in the shack.  About 45 minutes to dark, I had a walleye hit my jig when I laid it down to get a drink.  Grabbed the pole only to lose it just below the ice.  I was jigging 3" live minnows on a teardrop size #6 glow hook with the minnow hooked in the tail. I re-baited and noticed on the Showdown activity right on the bottom at 14'.  I dropped down and at 12' a walleye came up and softly hit the jig.  I set the hook, fought the fish only to once again lose it just below the ice  This went on for the next 45 minutes or so.  A few times I opened the bail and let the fish run and then set the hook after I felt for sure that they had swallowed the minnow.  Occasionally, the fish would spit the hook within seconds and other times I'd get them to just below the ice when they spit the hook.  I switched to a rod with a bit more backbone in it to get a firmer hookset to no avail.  On 1 of the fish that made it to the hole, the minnow was completely in it's mouth with just a bit of tail showing so they should have been hooked, thus the reason for switching to a firmer rod.  I tried hooking the minnow behind the dorsal fin and in the mouth to still not get 1 out the hole!  I even tried a small spoon colored the same with a treble hook and yeah, you guessed it, still couldn't seem to hook 'em.  Some I fought for 30 seconds or more to try and wear 'em out, but didn't seem to matter.  They spit the hook at will!!  Don't get me wrong as it was a lot of fun, but very frustrating too.  I believe I had 6 of them just below the ice and probably 10 others that spit the hook rather quickly.  At first I thought it was the same walleye doing the thieving, but they were different sized fish that made it to the hole.  I'd say 1-3# fish with what felt like a heavyweight picking it up once but spitting the hook quickly.  I should say these may have been sauger as they inhabit the lake also, but I don't know if they school like walleye or not.  By the time the bite tapered off, I felt like I'd went a few rounds with a prizefighter!  I tried everything I could think of short of stinger hooks (which I didn't have with me anyway) but maybe I'm missing something.  Any ideas?
On the plus side I did manage to get a 3# sauger & a 2.5# 'eye on tipups and numerous trout to 3# jigging and deadsticking plus a small ling, but those walleye/sauger on the jigging rod sure managed to get under my collar  Good Fishin' (and hopefully catchin')- OH

Here's a few from earlier in the day

[Bullelk34]

How sharp are your hooks? Are they big enough?  Nice sauger btw- very fat!

[Firetrap]

I've had sauger do that to me in open water and they do school up. They also seem to not bite as aggressive as walleye. It may be harder to finesse them through an ice hole. I slowly move the rod tip back toward the line and open my bail then wait a few seconds, then close bail and just tug, do not set the hook like your on bass masters. Then when you feel the fish fighting and on your hook, pop your wrist to set and you'll feel the hook set if you have a really sensitive rod. Stinger hooks work really well for sauger when minnow jigging for them.

 I use an ultra fast jigging rod so I can feel every bump and nibble. Through the ice you may only be able to open your bail and let them gobble the bait. The key is to reset the hook when you start fighting them, just a wrist pop but harder than the first hook set.

An ultra fast rod is stiffer and just bends and the tip end a third of the way down in case you didn't know.

Hope this helps

[Rio252]

Funny.....but I wish that would happen to me

[fishawn]

I had that happen quite a few times at Peck, even when I let them soak over night and really swallow them I would lost one or two. I switched from a single hook behind the dorsel fin to a trebble hook and never had the problem again. Granted this system doesn't use a jig, but hasn't failed me lately.

[doublehaul]

Treble hooks on the spoon or single hooks? Might wan't to try using spoons in a few different sizes in glow tipped with a small live minnow head. When the fish inhales the spoon there should be 2 trebles completely exposed. Or you could try jigging shad raps tipped with a small minnow head.  Not very scientific, but it works for me.

[Soulfly]

sounds like you need to set the hook harder. if there spitting them out, their not hooked  i always carry a sharpener for hooks 2 

[chuckster26]

check it out!

http://www.thefishelevator.com/

[YETI_MILK]

sounds like you need to set the hook harder. if there spitting them out, their not hooked  i always carry a sharpener for hooks 2 

ya if you set it the hooks go in ther lips good tip soulfy

[OUTHNTN]

I don't think setting the hooks harder was the case as I tried that. Firetrap - I will try your suggestions if it happens again about setting the hook a second time.  Never even thought of that.  As for treble hooks or single hooks, it didn't seem to matter as I tried both and even in different sizes.  I kind of thought using the spoon might trigger a more aggressive strike since they weren't being shy about hitting the jig, they were just subtlely grabbing it.  On the Showdown, the jig/spoon and fish merged into one big mark for about 3 or 4 seconds before you'd feel the tap. I think they were studying it and then just opened their mouth to inhale it very delicately.  A slight jiggle seemed to trigger the strike.  I wish I'd have remembered the underwater camera!!!  DH - I unfortunately put all the jigging raps and some small stinger hooks in another rod case and left them at home.  Believe me, they're going next time!!!  All I had for trebles were #4's, except for the small spoons had #6 and #8's.  I should have tied up a stinger with a treble from a small spoon, but the bite tapered off by the time I thought of it since I knew I didn't have 'em.  On the positive side, I think I fed about 20 or so fish with 3 dozen minnows!  I'm just fattening them up for this summer   Thanx for all the suggestions and keep 'em coming if you think of something.  Good Fishin' - OH

[Firetrap]

Yeah I figured out the sauger bite the hard way in the fall of 2009 at Yellowtail. They can be really tricky. We got into a stack of them jigging minnows and my fishin buddy had for in the boat while I kept missing or losing fish until I figured out to spoon feed them, get them on, then pop the hook as I was bringing them in. It was a banner day and we caught 67 sauger, 2 crappie 6 cat fish and 1 small mouth. We even stayed overnight it was such good fishing and anyone who fishes Yellowtail knows when that lake does that, it's crazy.

[jiggin365]

Did you ever try to downsize ur bait?  Instead of a full minnow, drop down to just a minnow head or tail? and cover the hook completely.  Sounds like they may have just been lippin one part of the full minnow.

[YETI_MILK]

set the hook if you dont set it they can spit it out if you set it they can get hooked the idea is to get the hook into meet passed the barb and then they wont get off verry easy

[bighof]

put on a stinger hook in the tail of the minnow... will do all but eliminate this problem

[YETI_MILK]

put on a stinger hook in the tail of the minnow... will do all but eliminate this problem

wats a stinger hook is it like a circle hook 

[Firetrap]

yeti milk, knock it off.

[bowhtr]

wats a stinger hook is it like a circle hook 

one of those black and yellow hooks with a sharp pointed end!

[bighof]

it is a small treble hook with 2-3" of line with a clip at the end to hook to the eye of the jig.  you end up with 2 hooks in the minnow or leave the stinger hanging.

[Firetrap]

knock what off i asked a question was all iits allwater off a duxcks back to me i have had to deel with peeple putting mer down m,y hole life bcause of my disbilities os im used to it this beerd didnt get gray overnight

lol

yeah ok

[YETI_MILK]

yeah ok

[YETI_MILK]

it is a small treble hook with 2-3" of line with a clip at the end to hook to the eye of the jig.  you end up with 2 hooks in the minnow or leave the stinger hanging.

thanx bighof i undersrtand now 

[missoulafish]

Borrow an underwater camera if you can? Firetrap... You need to chill dude.

[Firetrap]

thanxks fer sharin ana gud job ah modder8in

[missoulafish]

And more examples why there  are less people using this site every day. Thanks for your helpful insight Trap.

[Firetrap]

Ok. I was just making an example post of how Yeti-Milk posts. Look up his posts and where they are and you decide.
I guess it doesn't really matter, I just get sick of seeing the useless drivel. If he wants to troll every thread and spew illegible jibber-ish and everyone likes it, then wonderful.

As far as people leaving this site, take a look at the thermometer and the date. Spring is coming for most and ice fishing is going toward the back of most people's minds.

Have a nice day and good fishing to you.

[YETI_MILK]

and a nice day and a good fishing to you sir 

[iceholer]

not me. this is the best time for ice fishing for me. never in the back off my mind. let him ask questions no one knows it all .this is a good place to learn more. especially people with disability i say help them out even more so

[OUTHNTN]

Just thought I'd do a follow up post as I seemed to have discovered the reason behind the lousy hook rate.  Went to another spot this past weekend for perch and thought I'd try the exact same setup and see what happened.  Well, as I was tying on the same jig from before, the jig slipped out of my hand and hooked into the fibers of my glove.  As I was trying to remove it from the glove I noticed the hook seemed 'soft'.  Upon further inspection, I discovered it would actually bend completely open with only minimal pressure!  So it seems that when I would set the hook, it was only bending and then springing back into shape!!  I had several of these jigs and it was the only one that had a weak spine.  Who'd a thunk it!  As for switching to the spoon with the small treble I don't know, but it seems by then they'd got smart and were just stealing the bait!  Who knows for sure, but now I'm going to pay closer attention to my tackle! - OH

[Firetrap]

Hope you get it figured out and good luck.