Missing fish?

[CrappiePappy]

IMHO .... you may be having small fish nipping at the bait, they may not all be in a feeding mood, you may be using too short or stiff a rod, or you may be a bit quick/slow on the trigger.

I use 7-10' rods with 1/4 - 1/2oz weights & plain hooks or 1/16oz jigheads ... and I usually have to set the hook AS I AM REMOVING the rod from the holder. I now have some 13-14' rods to try SR'ing with, and I anticipate being able to see the rod bend more (due to the lighter action tips). But, I also tend to think that I'll be setting the hook in the same way as with the shorter rods ... as I am removing them from the holder, and not trying to remove the rod from the holder & THEN setting the hook. The fish are already feeling the resistance from the rod, while they're biting .. so no sense in putting more resistance on them by picking the rod out of the holder before setting the hook. But, even so ... when setting the hook as you remove the rod from the holder ... you will still miss some bites.

And Daddy/Luke ... I'm not saying YOU are removing the rod before setting the hook, and I'm not either ... just a tip to anyone reading this, that might be doing so and missing the fish.

... cp

[kickingback]

I use Mr crappie 6 lb also and I get no stretch. The fish are just finicky.

[Daddy and Luke]

Yeah, I set the hook while I'm getting it out of the holder, too.

I couldn't find sickle hooks at Academy. I guess I'll have to watch the poles like a hawk tomorrow.

[yikess]

Put a plastic bead between the second and third eyelet of your pole. You will hear the bead click against your rod before the pole starts to bend.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[scrat]

Yeah, I set the hook while I'm getting it out of the holder, too.

I couldn't find sickle hooks at Academy. I guess I'll have to watch the poles like a hawk tomorrow.

They are also more on crappie.com that sell crappie tackle here is some that I came across on here:

Simply Crappie...Your one stop source for all your crappie fishing needs!


https://grizzlyjig.com/

[LowePro]

I always use a scent or minnows. Even if fishing a jig I have a minnow on there too. That makes them hold on a tad longer it seems.

[Shad]

Bluegills. Those suckers will eat your minnows in a second and you will think you missed a good crappie even with those little bitty mouths. They were wearing me out last week. I was catching crappie but in between the crappie bites, the piranha bluegills were hitting one rod and then going to the next. I would hang a bluegill every now and then when the hook was just right in their little mouth.

[Cray]

#1 best source and price I have found for Aberdean sickle hooks Matzuo Sickle Aberdeen Hook, Red Chrome - Walmart.com

You can have them shipped to store for free.

#2 check the tail area on the minnow on the next one you miss. See if any scales are missing. Had a lot of that last year, they would just hold on to the minnow and pull rod tip under water and still missed them.

[RWiske]

I've been using a pair of 7ft light action Shakespeare rods for tightlining. Yesterday, I picked up a couple of longer rods (9ft Mr. Crappie Slab Daddy's on sale ), ran home rigged them up, hooked the boat and headed to the lake. The longer, softer rods seemed to give me the extra time (fractions of a second, I'm sure), to recognize the bite and set the hook. I had a blast with these rods yesterday evening and am confident that my ability to hook more of the fish that bit had something to do with the change to the longer rods. They are much more sensiitve than the 7 footers I had been using before.

[CrappiePappy]

I've been using a pair of 7ft light action Shakespeare rods for tightlining. Yesterday, I picked up a couple of longer rods (9ft Mr. Crappie Slab Daddy's on sale ), ran home rigged them up, hooked the boat and headed to the lake. The longer, softer rods seemed to give me the extra time (fractions of a second, I'm sure), to recognize the bite and set the hook. I had a blast with these rods yesterday evening and am confident that my ability to hook more of the fish that bit had something to do with the change to the longer rods. They are much more sensiitve than the 7 footers I had been using before.

I agree, RW .... and that was my main point in referencing my change from 7ft rods to 10ft rods to the 13 & 14ft rods. The extra length & "give", of those more limber rods, seems to allow the fish to pull the rod tips down easier/farther ... not only giving you more time to see the bite & react, but also give the fish more time to commit to grabbing the bait & moving off.

... cp