Hit after hit but no hookup?

[Les Young]

Is it being very small what causes crappie to do this? I had it happen on both plastics & minnows. Any ideas?

[OrangeAgent]

Countless others will tell you otherwise, but this is my experience with round bend hooks, especially when vertical fishing. I switched to 100% sickle hooks and very rarely have one come unpinned unless I am super lazy on my hookset/retrieve. Aside from that, it could be bluegill especially if your baits are coming back without tails. Or it could be a good opportunity to add scent or a nibble to seal the deal.

[woodyard]

I have seen that several times and it is a school of bluegill. Sometimes I switch over to a trout magnet jig and bait and catch them. Also seeing them on livescope it seems a school of crappie will head for the bottom when spooked and a school of bluegill will scatter like a covey of quail then regroup in their water level. May just be my imagination and I can’t prove it.

[NCkenner]

Are you using a split shot above your bait? Crappie will hit the split shot. I saw it several times on live scope yesterday. Since there's no hook on the split shot, no hookups occur....

[Barnacle Bill]

Open the gap on the hook just a little bit. It works.

[BuckeyeCrappie]

[DockShootinJack]

Bluegills can drive a fella nuts trying to get a hook in one

[Grainraiser]

When this happens to me I drop them a trout magnet on a 1/32 jig head but with a size #8 hook. You will quickly find out if it is crappie or bluegills.

[Rojo]

Here Shell Crackers are pecking constantly. Their mouth is so small they can't get the hook unless perfectly bit. I dropped down to round #6 hooks and started catching them.

[Les Young]

Countless others will tell you otherwise, but this is my experience with round bend hooks, especially when vertical fishing. I switched to 100% sickle hooks and very rarely have one come unpinned unless I am super lazy on my hookset/retrieve. Aside from that, it could be bluegill especially if your baits are coming back without tails. Or it could be a good opportunity to add scent or a nibble to seal the deal.

Tried both & use nibbles every time out. Same though not as often without a nibble but with a nibble it gets knocked off soon as it gets bit. That's why i got some of slabeyes scent sticks & tore them in half & used like a nibble because they last & stay on the hook too.