Fish getting unbuttoned

[fishingprodigy]

Hey guys, I was fishing a local lake today and I landed a 2 lb 14 oz largemouth and a 7 inch largemouth. I was using crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and suspending jerkbaits. I landed 2 fish, but I lost 4. I lost 1 huge pickeral, 2 bass (prob 1.5-2 pounds) and 1 fish that was unknown (prob 2 pounds).

Now I only own 1 rod, and my set up is a 6'6" g-loomis glx medium heavy rod, fast action with a shimano antares dc baitcasting reel loaded with 40 pound samurai braid with 6 feet of 12 lb yo-zuri hybrid line for a leader combined with an alberto knot.

I lost the bass using a shallow crankbait, I lost the pickeral on a spinnerbait, and I lost the unknown fish on a suspending jerkbait. At first I had my drag pretty tight, but after I lost the bass I loosened it to prevent pulling the hooks outta the fishes mouths. Then the pickeral bit, and I think I didn't get a strong enough hookset because the drag was too loose and the pickeral got unbuttoned after 3-5 seconds.

Is there anyway I can fix this problem without changing my braid or my rod, I like using braid because I only have to change the leader every week or so and the spool every year (saves money).

[carolina-rig-01]

Usually when I hear of someone losing fish on crankbaits it's because their rod is suited for crankbaits, however it sounds like your rod might not be ideal for crankbaits but still should be ok for fishing them. One thing that kinda stands out is the braided line. I wonder if the lack of stretch with the braid is causing you to rip the hooks out of the mouth of the fish. What crankbait were you using? If your using a crankbait that has small hooks that might be part of the issue because they will pull out easier. Also if the color of the bait wasn't quite ideal the fish might not have been eating the bait really well and as a result might not have been getting hooked deep inside their mouth.

[fishingprodigy]

I was using a KVD squarebill cb, the hooks on it are pretty big. It was cloudy and raining today and the water had 2 ft of visibility so I was using a chartuese with black back on the cb. There are plenty of bluegill so I thought that color would be fine. Also, I don't have the option of changing to another color because I only own 2 shallow running crankbaits, and both of them are chart.

In regards to the pickeral coming off, is it because it's difficult to get a good hookset on one since theyre so bony in the mouths?

[kennethdaysale]

What c-rig said and I would of course advise you to make sure you have sharpened your hooks as sharp as humanly possible. Rarely are factory hooks truelly as sharp as they should be, especially after banging around in your tacklebox, into structure and catching a few fish.....resharpen often....a razor sharp hook can compensate for lots of other weaknesses.

[fishingprodigy]

My hooks are pretty sharp I think, how sharp do really need to be when I'm fishing exposed trebles on braided line though? I feel like even if they were slightly dull they would still be able to penetrate the fishes mouth.

[MississippiBoy]

Lightly, with almost no pressure, drag a hook point across your thumbnail. If it doesn't leave a scratch or dig in, its not sharp enough.

[Tavery5]

I think what you have here is a perfect argument for why many people choose to use different rods for different applications.
Let's think about it, your GLX 783 is 6'6" MH F action rod, your fishing it with braided line and a leader. When I hear this it does not sound like the optimal choice for crankbaits and jerkbaits with small treble hooks, will it work, yes, but you are going to miss some fish on it.
Spinnerbaits in my mind can be thrown on just about any rod out there, as long as you know what the limitations of your equipment are. If you are throwing spinnerbaits a short distance to cover or under docks the 6'6" is a good choice, but if you are long casting it, it may not have enough rod length to pick up the slack and drive a big single hook through a gill plate.

You hear people say all the time, " I just fish for fun, I don't mind missing a few fish." To me this is a perfect example of having some excellent equipment but trying to use it to do too many things well. You are going to miss some fish.

[bassboogieman]

A MH/f rod, combined with braid is not what I'd consider a proper combination for fishing cranks or jerkbaits. I would think a change would be required to improve your possibilities of landing fish. A softer rod, if you want to stick with braid, or mono if you want to keep the rod. You need some flexibility (either in the rod blank or line stretch) with treble hook baits and the combination of a stiff rod that flexes quickly in the upper 1/4 of the blank with braid puts a lot of pressure on the hooks and likely the reason your fish are getting off. I would not use that combination either for spinnerbaits, but they would perform better than the treble hook baits. IMO, the set up you have is best suited for fishing plastics or jigs.

[fishingprodigy]

Thanks for your responses, yeah my set-up is definitely not ideal for those applications, although I haven't had too much of a problem in the past with fish getting off, I'm going to experiment first with my drag and how I play my fish before I switch up my gear. If I keep missing a lot of fish, I'll probably switch out the braid for pure 12lb yo zuri hybrid.

[Tavery5]

There are so many variables when it comes to fishing that it is any ones guess as to why the fish came off today. Tomorrow you will probably slay them.

[fishingprodigy]

Haha I'm sure I would be slaying them if I didn't have classes all day. The conditions today were so ideal though, it was cloudy and 42 degrees from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm when I fished. There was a light drizzle that was periodic in the early afternoon then from 2 to 4 there was heavy rain. That rain really turned those fish on though, I could see 16-18 inch rainbow trout jumping right out of the water and huge carp swimming feet from where I was standing. I tried to catch a few of those trout on topwaters but didn't have any takers haha.

[Dogmatic]

Damn, am I going to have to get a Jersey fishing license now?!

[joedog]

All the advice given is really good info.
I'm a sharp hook finatic. I carry the hook sharpeniing rods on water and can't tell how many at home. Powered on down. I may sharpen numerous times on water. Ya I know..NUTS!

I'm probabiy mistaken but sounds like the hook set maybe a challenge but I'm thinking your setting..thier just spitting. 'unbuttoned'
So if this is the case tweaking of the drag may and probably will help but you may want to analyze your retrieve. Is there way too much tension or not enough tension on retrieve. Are you allowing slack on retrieve...ever?
I admire your attitude, sometimes we just have to make do with whats at hand and tweak it.

[BigBassin144]

That setup really isn't ideal or throwing cranks. I'd look into getting a crankbait specific setup.

Also, when you're reeling in fish, don't give them any slack. That's usually when fish throw a bait. That's where a softer action CB rod helps.

BB

[Bassboss]

Braid, stiff rods, and treble baits never work very well together. They don't have much sock absorption, so the hook tend to tear into the fishes mouth rather then "bury" into the fishes mouth.

[basstech]

I have the same rod but pretty much stricktly use it for T-rigged plastics. It is not a good rod for the applications you are using it for. I'm not surprised at all you've lost twice as many fish as you landed, espeacially using braid. If you don't want to get a second rod, then I would suggest going to a 10lb or 12 lb. mono line, something with a lot of stretch, like Stren. That may help a little. Otherwise your going to keep pulling hooks out of the fishes mouth (you still will but not as much maybe).
For shallow diving cranks and Rogues or the small x-raps and husky jerks, I would recomend a med. pwr. moderate action rod. (still with 10lb. or 12lb. test but not with so much stretch as mono has).

[IowaBasser]

Before every 13th cast, do you employ a ritual Fish-Dance to pay homage to Babe Winkleman? I use the traditional Vanilla-Ice dance technique... some would argue that the MC Hammer version is better; you might have to experiment and see what works best for you depending on the water temperature, season, water clarity, etc.

I know, I know... some people on this forum will say there is no proof that a Fish Dance will keep fish from coming unbuttoned, but I say it can't hurt! I also chant while dancing:

Fishy, fishy in the brook,
Won't you bite my little hook?

If my lure you ignore
I'll curse the name of Charlie Moore!

Now bite my hook you stinkin' fish
just one good keeper that's my wish.

[jig fisherman]

Could have just been that the fish weren't eating the lure fully because of color or some other factor like speed.

[MIbasser]

I'm going with, it just happens!!! You will miss a fish that you thought you had hooked with every point. Heck, most of us on here (and I've seen it first hand) a fish pick up a t-rig worm, fight all the way to the boat and come off.... and you still have the tip buried in the plastic (even after a hook set). Yes, the rod might not be the best for all applications, but you will have a fish come off. It just happens.

[fishingprodigy]

The fish were getting off after I fought them for 4-8 seconds, so I think the braid/rod combo was too stiff. Since my favorite techniques involve treble hook baits and spinnerbaits, I decided to strip off my braid and go with 12 lb yo zuri hybrid. I left my reel backed with about 60 yards of mono so I'll save some money that way. I'll be fishing monday morning at the same lake and hopefully I'll have a better landing percentage. Maybe I'll even catch a new personal best, there's a retired man who fishes there everyday who showed me 20 pictures of bass over 5 lbs he caught from the lake, the biggest he's caught was 8 pounds, 4 oz.

Interestingly, I practiced my pitching in the apartment with the yo-zuri, and it was much much smoother than the braid.I also got an extra 10 feet on my furthest pitches with the zo-zuri. I haven't fished with a non-braid line for over 5 months, I wonder how it's going to be on monday.

[IowaBasser]

Remember the chant and good luck!

[Rebbasser]

Good advice. I'll echo about sharpening the hooks. I always fish with a Nite-Ize pouch which I keep my tools in. A hook sharpener is mandatory for any fisherman IMO.

Sharpen any hooks that will not dig into your thumbnail with just a little pressure. That said I more often change out the stock hooks. For example, as good as they are at catching fish a Rat-L-Trap has stock hooks about as sharp as a Q-tip. These hooks I do not try to sharpen-I change them out.

You might consider getting a second rod/reel combo for treble hook baits. I only throw treble hook baits on a M action rod with one exception: On those big bruisers like a DD-22 or a Strike King Series 5 I use a MH action rod. I also use a reel with a low gear ratio of 4.7:1. The lower gear ratio has more winching power and really cuts down on fatigue.

I would also go to using mono but a mono leader will act as a shock absorber.

[Lvitch]

Lack of drag. Gotta ease up on em a bit or you just tear their mouth up and loose em.

[MallenManson]

Originally Posted by IowaBasser

Before every 13th cast, do you employ a ritual Fish-Dance to pay homage to Babe Winkleman? I use the traditional Vanilla-Ice dance technique... some would argue that the MC Hammer version is better; you might have to experiment and see what works best for you depending on the water temperature, season, water clarity, etc.

I know, I know... some people on this forum will say there is no proof that a Fish Dance will keep fish from coming unbuttoned, but I say it can't hurt! I also chant while dancing:

Fishy, fishy in the brook,
Won't you bite my little hook?

If my lure you ignore
I'll curse the name of Charlie Moore!

Now bite my hook you stinkin' fish
just one good keeper that's my wish.

I might have to try that. Could be tough on the kayak though.....

[boloson]

your leader is stretching perhaps??? or just an off day???