Missed Opportunities

[dblevens]

Friend and I took his two boys fishing today. We caught enough to keep them happy, but I noticed we were missing alot of fish that we shouldda landed. Not sure what the deal was, cause the fish were hitting hard, and I felt like I was getting a pretty good hook set, but they would fight like crazy for about 2 seconds, and just as you would get them up to the top where you could see em, they'd come off. What do you reckon the deal was, and how do you adjust when this happens.

[Rees Guide]

Hook set and pressure on the fish after the hook set would be my guess, give em slack and they are gone.

[RCC]

Nimrod swears by never letting them fight. When they hit just suck them straight up and into the boat without using a net. Carol and I fished with him friday a week ago and I tried to duplicate as near as I could, and it does work well even on some really decent fish. disclaimer: 8lb test recommended. Use 4lb test at your own risk

[dblevens]

I very seldom get to actually fight a fish, its always straight up and in,some of the little guys go very "straight up", but this was one of them days. Its just frustrating when you aint catching much anyways, and when you do finally get bit, he gets loose.

[NIMROD]

Sometimes I feel they just short strike and some days they inhale a bait. There are those short strike days when a high percentage pull off or even fall off on the swing in but many land in my boat . I feel those that fell off in the boat would have been lost if given a chance.

[warmouth]

Try changing up your hookset and the timing on your strike until something works. First thing I try is letting the fish have it another 1/2 second or more before setting the hook. Then I try a different hookset altogether. Instead of my normal snap of the wrist, I try a long steady pull, not a "bass in brush" yank, but a long steady sweep moving the rod tip 10 feet or so with a constant pressure sweep of the rod. For whatever reason that has worked well for me when crappie are getting off at the surface.

If all else fails I tie on a stinger hook and get nasty with 'em.

[Anchor Man]

That's why it's called fishing and not catching, keep trying, better luck the next trip.

[genec]

Fish bite different many days,i have days when it is best not to set the hook when they hit it,because they are bitting the end of the bait and when i notice that they are hitting that way ,then i let them load the rod before i set the hook,when they are that way many set the hook and just say little ones are hitting at it but in summer and early fall they will do it many days and i caught many big fish that way up to 3 lbs,it is the same as when sometimes longlinning and they just tap at it,if your rod is not too heavy and you don't set the hook most times they will keep tapping till they grab the hook but will most times be barely hook and then a net is needed unless like nimrod does and me too is never slow down and sweep them in the boat, if you stop to lift them then good by fish. Most that i have seen stop to lift fish and that put full weigh of fish whereas the other way the forward motion helps land the fish even many times the bait falls out of his mouth

[Hanr3]

They may not be Crappie that are getting away.
Could be Bass, especially little ones.