Gents,
I'm having difficulty getting fish from the lake into the boat.
Suggestions?
G3PO
www.podunkideas.com <--Click here
------------—————
https://www.crappie-gills-n-more.com/
https://cornfieldfishinggear.com/
------------------------>> Pro Staff Sonar Advisor
I just count them as caught when I see them on the screen and then get a Filet-o-fish at Micky D's on the way home. I slayed them last time out
Set the hook FASTER & harder ... if using jigs. (snap the rod back with a combination of wrist flex & upward arm movement)
Sweep set the hook ... if using live bait/hook/sinker rig. (in one continuous smooth motion, lift the rod upward and use your wrist to pull the rod back towards yourself)
They're basically the same "motions" ... for jigs (casting) and live bait (tightline) ... they're just in the opposite order. With jigs, you snap your wrist back first, then lift your arm to bring the rod back towards you ... with live bait, you lift the rod upwards, then pop the hook in with a wrist snap. The reasoning is (well, MY reasoning is) that your jig is under direct control of your rod & reel, while live bait has a few inches of "play" between the sinker & hook ... so you stick the jig hook into the fish's mouth with the first motion of the rod, which is why you use the wrist snap speed & then take up line slack control with the upward lift of your arm/rod ... but, lift the rod with your arm (1st) to take up the slack between the live bait & sinker, then wrist snap the rod to put the hook into the fish.
When I'm casting jigs ... it don't matter if I'm using a 5' UL & 4lb test line or a 7-8' med power rod & 10lb test braid --- I'm setting the hook with the same speed & power !! (speed is essential because the fish may quickly realize it has tried to eat something that's NOT what it thought it was and will spit it out) When using live bait ... I expect the fish to hold onto the bait a bit longer, as it tries to position the bait in its mouth for easy swallowing, and the fish may not be in a direct line between the rod tip & sinker. I lift 1st, so as to minimize any slack & bring everything into a direct and taught position, then use the wrist snap speed to plant the hook.
Keeping control of the fish, as it comes to the boat, is also a key factor in getting the fish INTO the boat. My drags are set to slip, short of the breaking point of the line ... but, I don't "always" depend on the reel's drag. If the fish tends to pull drag anytime during the "fight" ... I flip the anti-reverse switch off, and control the fish with backwinding of the reel handle (to give line to the fish) while using the rod to keep out any chance of slack. It also helps keep constant & consistent pressure on the hook, so that the hook isn't tearing an exit hole in the fish's mouth.
Crappie tire easily, and pretty quickly, when the angler fights them with consistent pressure (even when the fish is gaining line against the backwinding of the reel) ... and they are then much easier to lift over the side of the boat, and handle. They're also less likely to shy away from a net.
... cp
I spider rig most of the time...
I've decided over time that I loose fewer fish if I get his head moving toward the surface and then keep the upward movement steadily increasing until the fish pops out of the water and the kinetic energy of the upward travel arcs the fish into the boat...
I seem to loose more fish by trying to play him into the net....
I will use a net on a fish larger than about 1.5lb....unless its windy and I've got 3-4 poles down...then they all get "arc"-ed into the boat...
Rickie
www.podunkideas.com <--Click here
------------—————
https://www.crappie-gills-n-more.com/
https://cornfieldfishinggear.com/
------------------------>> Pro Staff Sonar Advisor
you got to be on the water
PROUD MEMBER OF TEAM GEEZER
Crappie.com Pro Staff
Guber Pro Staff
Cane Pole Pro Staff
Haulin Ash Pro Staff