Losing Fish on 3mm Tungsten

[hawg]

Ok, now I get your drift. 

[hnd]

now we have the information we need.  the 3mm have a shorter point to bend than a 4mm hook typically.  that means that any slack, and there is just that much less play in keeping that fish buttoned.   when that distance is larger, the hook will be buried more essentially so a little play, you have a better chance at losing fish. 

This was an issue that would happen to me occasionally.  what got me realizing it was filming myself and watching.  when i lost fish it was because i was sitting in a shack minding the roof and would lower the rod without even thinking about it so i didn't hit the rod on the shack roof, boom lost fish.  It was crazy rewatching the film.   

i happens sometimes in the boat open water fishing, the fish is at the top you are now no longer doing hwat you were doing (reeling in the fish) and its very easy to lighten up the tension and pop its gone.   Braid IMO really exacerbates the issue IMO. 

[jimhaney08]

Interesting!  Maybe I'm loosening up, but I didn't think that was the issue.  I'll try to keep this mind.

[jimhaney08]

Use your scoop to help land them.

Crappie have thin skin at their mouth. Unless you can hook them in the lip or roof of the mouth, it is easy for them to knock the hook out of the now oblong hole near their lips at the ice hole.

Also, the more out of the water they are, the heavier they become on the hook as they lose buoyancy making is it easier to rip out the hook.

I think this is my issue.  Tiny hooks, less line out, more chance for things to go wrong.  I think I'll #1 look for 3mm that have the larger hook size and #2 try to hand and/or scoop land some of these larger than average fish while using smaller jigs.

[RyanW]

This thread is why I love using target specific setups especially tungsten and noodle rods. There are so many subtle things to learn that can actually make you a better angler.

I use an 8” hole and when I lose a fish it’s usually right at the hole. After a few fish you can judge the depth of everything decently enough to know when the bottom of the ice is coming and with smaller tungsten, I have to anticipate the ice and then try to slow my roll down as to not over eagerly pop the hook out. Once the fish is coming up the hole, I’ll lift my rod in my right hand to give me some slack and then I grab the line with my left hand close to the fish and just lift it out. That way, there is no unwarranted stress on the rod tip creating tension against the pinned jig. This is even more important to me when I hook a crappie. There mouths are either the toughest or the most fragile. For me it’s usually the latter. Another thing to consider is to keep the “fight” smooth and consistent. Don’t go yanking on anything to quickly or roughly. Make deliberate actions. Sticking the hook is only 1/3 of the battle. The fight is the next 1/3 and the actually retrieve is the last 1/3. If your goal is to learn how effectively use your gear to its fullest potential, each 1/3 has its own unique problems and solutions.

What I’m getting at here is all of this subtle “see the jig be the jig” rhetoric really shines when your #2 line and 3mm tungsten hooks into a truly trophy specimen. If you condition yourself to “see the jig be the jig”, once you know you hooked into a big one after catching nothing but dinks all day, you’ll be able to better understand how to orchestrate the fight in tandem with whatever you just hooked. You’ll be able to control yourself better so you don’t get too excited, make a mistake, and lose the fish.

[hnd]

Interesting!  Maybe I'm loosening up, but I didn't think that was the issue.  I'll try to keep this mind.

i would of never thought it too.   but the tape didn't lie.  i'm distracted by seeing the fish, or soemtimes it seems the fish shoots up the hole, giving me a little slack.

in the boat you don't think you do it either, but you start concentrating on seeing the fish and not reeling it in and then pop, its gone.