Trouble setting the hook..

[DoubleB]

My brother-in-law and I have been making trips to a local pond in the evenings. and using topwater Frogs. I'm getting plenty of strikes but losing the fish easily. I'm using 12 lbs test mono line and a 6.5 medium action rod. I'm waiting a few seconds and winding the slack out before setting the hook, but it just isn't working. Any ideas on what might be the issue. It's probably user error but I just can't get it right... Help guys...

 

[Fat Albert]

<font color="#ff0066">Wait till you feel weight on the end of the line then set hook hard...that will give the fish time to get all of it in the mouth....If you set the hook on the explosion you will miss 90 per cent of the time.  FA

</font>

 

[DoubleB]

Should I be attempting to wind the slack out, or am I chancing pulling the bait out of the fishes mouth? I mean, after the explosion, do I just wait til I feel the fish?

 

[J-Dub]

Is when the line is still a long ways away from you? If so you may want to try using braided line. The stretch in mono may be what is causing some of the trouble. You can always splice some mono or flourocarbon onto the braid in different applications too. Just a thought.

 

[BackOnTheWater]

And when he says "hard", he means HARD! Give it all you 've got, using your body not your arms. Yank it THROUGH his head!

And like FA also said, let the fish take up most, if not all, of the slack. Reeling in the slack could be enough to take the bait out of the mouth just enough to prevent a good hook set.

It could also be that you are using a brand of frog with hooks too small or without a wide enough gap. Try widening the gap on the hooks or a different frog.

 

[Pointer 78]

Are you using a topwater frog like a Stanley Ribbit, Zoom Horny Toad, or Sizmic Frog or are you using a type of frog with the 2 hooks on top like the Spro frog or Robby's Perfect Frog? If you're using the type that gurgles across the surface, braid is not necessary but at least 15# mono and a heavier rod is. At least a medium heavy. If it's a frog that you fish on top of grass, like the Spro Frog, braid is a better option. Again with at least a medium heavy rod. The hooks on the Spro type frog are a heavier gauge and you need a lot of power to drive it into a fishes jaw. When I fish Guntersville in the Summer and Fall, I use a 7 1/2 ft rod as heavy as a pool cue with 60# braid. When you see the blowup, count 1001, 1002 slowly, and set the rod hard enough to cross their eyes.

 

[Guest]

IMO, your rod tip should be pointed at the frog and close to parrallel to the surface. Another suggestion if you are setting too early, is to look away from the frog, by doing so it will slow down your reflexes just enough to give the bass time to swallow the frog. If you are having to reel in slack before setting the hook, IMO, you have too much slack, keep your line taut.

 

[DoubleB]

It's the Spro typ Frog.I think I might get a heavier action Rod and try the tips I've got here to see what works.. Thanks for the help so far...

 

[Fishin Fool]

I agree about using the braid and longer heaver rod. I like the braid because of lack of stretch and the longer rod with good backbone to give me leverage. But to my way of thinking you should never have enough slack in the line when you are top water fishing that you have to reel it in a good ways to take the slack out. I am always ready for a strike and never have a lot of slack line out. If you can remember to let about a second elapse between the blowup and the hookset any slack will be gone most of the time from the fish taking the lure. Bass blowing up on a topwater bait will scare the crap out of you, but you have to ALWAYS expect it to happen, on EVERY cast, no matter how slow the bite is. Getting bored and letting your concentration drift is a sure way to miss them too.

 

[craazyboutbass]

If you want to land most fish with the frog, or horny toad, heres what I do...

If you can tell whether it's a small fish or a large fish, you should do okay if you follow...

Smaller fish: should give them a bit of time after they strike maybe 7-10 seconds with the bait, just to make sure they have it. Then feel for the fish on the line if he's still on there, Yank it hard, not softly, or else the hook won't come through.

Bigger fish: After they stike the toad, you should be careful about giving to much time, or they will swallow the lure fast! I will give the fish 5 seconds MAX... Then make sure the fish still has the lure, last but not least, YANK IT HARD!!!

I hope it helps, because these tips are pretty much for horny toads (what I use)!
You should try them... (use the watermelon red color)

 

[Liveliner]

If you are using those hollow soft plastic frogs with the twin hooks that lay flat on the frogs back, then that is your problem. The hard legs will cause you to miss fish. Use the rat style if you are going to use that type bait. I use a frog that is a hard foam that has one big hook with a weed guard. It has a much better hook up percentage.

Try a Culpret jerk worm rigged with a big hook with the point in the grove. I personall prefer the jerk worm over the frog, fished the same way. Feel the fish first then a solid hook-set.

 

[fishing fire]

Well let me tell you what i do I just got a new frog that berkely has produced and it has a big treble hook I can say that i havn't had a problem with a hook set yet all you got to do is time the hookset after the explosion. Once he's on he's not getting off with that treble.