Hi AMFisHERS ! I have been meaning to write about this topic as most people kind of don’t know what to do when it comes to power and setting the hook.
I have watched many fishing shows over the years, read “many” magazines as well and in the end I do disagree with certain things others have said about setting the hook.
I will say I have yanked the hook out of the mouths of more fish my over torqueing my hook set and from then on I thought to myself why the hell am I setting the hook so damn hard.
Well the answer was simple that is what so many pro fisherman had said over the years, now granted they are pros but also fish for a living meaning they truly try to ram that hook right into the fish in fear they will lose it if they don’t.
If you take a close look at the mouth of a fish you will notice that most of the front area punctures easily and tends to tear easily as well, big problem if you set the hook too hard, a big hole around the hook means a fish can potentially escape.
Second problem with an extremely hard hook set is that we can’t really see what the fish is doing below the water, it could be chewing on the bait feeling it out, it could be gasping trying o spit the bait out and a massive hook set at the wrong time will pull the bait right out.
I have told many people the average person can generate a lot of torque on a fishing rod that is designed to feed off out power and generate even more power, so a good hook set is important BUT there is not need to pull back like you are like you are trying to lift a car off the ground. I honestly think that will do more harm then good to that entire situation.
On hard strikes from a fish I make sure I give the rod a few taps towards me, that ensures I put the hook in a good secure way. On a light bite I suggest you do the same thing, the fish may not be hooked well yet so a few good strength taps towards you on the underside of the rod will do the trick.
In heavy cover around sunken trees, thick weeds that sort of stuff sure you can use some good power but no need to crank on that rod with 1000%, remember it’s just a fish we are setting the hook into not a concrete wall!
Hope this post was helpful, chat soon everyone…
The AMFisH guy…