fishing floats and hooking fish.

Hi guys ive been around, just never registered. im a big ice fisherman, when i do most my panfishing. but anyway i have a quetion... i have been using slip floats and reg clip on thill floats, but i have a hard time hooking fish. i miss over 50% of the bites. i dont know if this is due to the fish only taking half the bait or just me. can you guys offer any advice on when to set the hook, or tips on hooking up when using floats? im using either reg longshank hooks or jigs and tube jigs tipped with waxies or maggots. thanks

Couple of things to do.

1) Use a longer pole. This will help keep the line off the water when you set the hook. If you set the hook with a lot of line lying on the water you'll miss a lot of fish. Your not getting a direct hook set , all your doing is pulling line through the water.

2) Let the fish run with the bait a little longer until you feel tension of the line than set the hook. When you see the bite slowly reel all slack out of the line and when the bobber starts to move cross the fishes eyes with a good solid hook set. You'll lose more fish by not setting the hook than by over setting the hook.

3) We all miss fish it's part of the game. I face the same conditions every spring right at ice out. The crappies won't take the bobber under but just grab the bait and swim off. It didn't take long to see what I was doing wrong by waiting to long.

Make sure you have a sensitive bobber, a small bobber(non weighted) riding with only 1/3 of it above water, down size your hooks start with a small hook and if they are always swallowing then go one size bigger, I also use colored line, I line watch more than I bobber watch.

welcome to the site, sounds like good advice to me

See my reply to your thread on the Bream forum.

Welcome from Alabama. DB4D gave you great advice in the break forum. I too use Waggler floats a lot. Anything out of the ordinary such as a rise or side movement then you should set the hook.

thanks so much for the help guys!

i know how light they bite through the ice. with warmer water they should be more agressive. its prob a combo of smaller fish and needing a lighter float.

Thanks for the all the sage advice... I'll be putting this to use this weekend with my bobbers...