Topwater Hooksets + Knots

[jooleyen]

Hi all. I have been wondering when to set the hook on a topwater. Is it actually ONE second after? Should you set it when you feel the pull instead?

Are there some occasions when you can't tie a palomar knot and have to tie a different knot? For example, someone is using 20 pound test line with a 3/0 gamakatsu hook. I realized the eyes on the hooks are small.

Thanks-

[lizardsrule]

You can almost always tie a p-knot, unless it's like 30lb or higher mono LOL. As for hooksets, well it depends on what topwater you are fishing. Frogs, you need to wait until you feel the fish, spooks, set it right away as soon as they take it, or they'll spit it out quickly. Buzzbaits I usually just set it as like a spinnerbait, which is on the retrieve rotfl. Different baits are different.

Lizards

[Fish On]

I find the hardest bait for me on topwater hooksets is frogs. I always set to early so I had a bad ratio of hookups but I still landed about 30 on the frog.

[jooleyen]

Thanks lizards. I'll keep that in mind.

[Jolly]

For most hard topwaters I wait until I feel the pull before I set the hook. Most all topwaters you won't have much slack so, once the splash hits, it won't be but about a second before you feel the pull. But like lizards said, if you wait too long they will spit it out because it isn't natural in their mouth.

Jolly

[keithdog]

With hard body surface baits I just reel in the slack fast, hesitate about one second and set the hook and it always works fine for me. But with frogs, I reel in the slack and wait till I feel the bass pulling and then cross his eyes. Not setting the hook to soon on a surface bait hit is probably the hardest thing in bass fishing I think, lol. The adrenalin really gets flowing when that surface strike occours!!!

[Rebbasser]

Jools-unless you are using real heavy line-say 20 to 25 lb-and a perch hook you shouldn't have any trouble with a palomar knot.

Regarding a hookset on a topwater-wait until you feel the fish. Otherwise you stand a good chance of pulling the bait away from the fish and missing it. And believe me, that is much easier said than done .

[adamgambill]

Im with reb. All I use is a palomar. As far as topwater fishing goes the best advice I ever got was to cast out and do your normal walk the dog retrieve or whatever is necessary for said lure, but do not look at the lure. keep your eyes off of the lure and work strictly on feel. In other words you dont react when your plug gets "blown up ". Wait until you feel pressure so you dont rip the lips off. I have doubled my catch rate with topwaters by just finding something else to focus on than my lure. Believe it or not you also improve your rythm, because you are not as likely to overcorrect making your movements look mechanical. If you have to pull some weeds or moss off-big deal, you are presenting the lure more naturally and that leads to bites.

[islandflyfisher]

I use two knots... the clinch knot and the loop knot. I use the clinch not for crankbaits, worms,... and the loop for most topwaters, jigs, and flies.

I try to wait untill I feel them. The percentage of hookup to catches on topwater are usually much lower than that of other lures.