Detecting bites
Hello,
I would like to know, How do I know that Hooked a bass, given that bass slurp the bait up rather than just nibble and bite like other species. Would the bite feel like a sharp tug, or a small bite?
Some bass will still feel like "nibbles". I fish for spotted bass a lot with finesse baits, and I believe sometimes they peck at the tail before committing. Sometimes I'd swear I have a bluegill pecking at the tail, then the rod loads up. With reaction baits (crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, etc...baits you move quickly) there's usually little question that you got a strike. In short, the slower the technique, the more you'll have to be in tune with how the bait should feel before being confident it's a bite. Baits like jigs and soft plastics can be difficult because often the bait just feels "heavy", which is also how it feels when you're on a stump or between rocks, etc. I've set the hook on a lot of stumps. Occasionally you will get the "thump" bite, but I wouldn't use that as a standard for detecting bites. Feel for something "different" and like a lot of people say, "hooksets are free".
For those softer bites using jigs and plastics watch the line where it meets the water.on the initial fall you can see the line stop as it hits the bottom. Many times you can see the line twitch on a soft bite without feeling anything, set the hook as soon as you see it.
If your flipping or pitching, Many times bass will hit your bait on the initial drop, if you see your line stop before you think it got to the bottom set the hook.
Learn to concentrate on every cast, if your heads not in the game you will miss out on your bites.
Good luck !
Basskid77, Bites come in all forms with bass depending on the conditions and mood of the fish. Sometimes they feel like sunnies and sometimes they feel like freight trains. Here is how I handle things. When I'm using lures with exposed hooks I set the hook immediately on the strike. When I'm using lures like worms and jigs, I tend to hesitate a second or two to give the fish time to suck the lure in before I set the hook. Some strikes are so subtle that an angler can't even feel it. This usually happens with soft plastic lures like a shakey head or senko. This is best described as a wet sponge feel on the line. The only way I can tell there is a fish on is that the line is swimming sideways when I try to move the lure. You'll learn to recognize this one after a few bites like this. Reel the slack in and set the hook.
