[Ray.S]

Hi Guys

I had a very frustrating evening. Conditions were great. I felt confident of fish and yeah.... I had x3 great strikes but didn't get a single one ?

I am just wondering if I am doing something wrong or whether this is just 'fishing' ?

My only concern is that perhaps my hook is not rigged 'properly'........? I tend to fish
Tex-exposed and I am just wondering if this is perhaps why I didn't make good enough contact with the hook to get the buggers?

I fish Tex-exposed because I get fed up of getting snagged in weed, but the down side is that the lack of exposed hook might lead to frustrations like this evening ?

What are your thoughts ??

 

[Ritchie Campion]

mine personally would be, thats fishing lol. I went out today and this evening fished for hours and had bites and NO hook ups. If you start thinking its you, then your gonna drive yourself mad and you will also end up writing off alot of technique that isn't wrong.

 

[bob jameson]

mine personally would be, thats fishing lol. I went out today and this evening fished for hours and had bites and NO hook ups. If you start thinking its you, then your gonna drive yourself mad and you will also end up writing off alot of technique that isn't wrong.

No one should know better with that answer than you Ritchie, remember the conversation saturday morning we had !!! I just hope you took it all in Grasshopper NO pressure just chill ....:rollineyes:

 

[Keith White]

When rigging 'weedless'...

I think personally that offset shank hooks are your worse enemy.
I choose straight shank 90% of the time. However: I have never found a jighead (without modifying the bend) that allows a skinned lure to hook cleanly on the strike.
Quality of lure plays a huge part here. Softer lures collapse and pull through far easier. tri pointed hooks like owner cutting points also help, alot.

Even hooks that aren't skinned run parallel to the back of the lure. You strike along that parallel line and gape is reduced to 0.5mm or so.

Rigging with a pegged texas rig, straight shank makes the hook bend become a keel but, the hook will pull through the lure opening the gape on contact with a fish.

I know it sounds complex but it really isn't.

 

[Ray.S]

Everything that's been said makes sense, and some of it confirms what I was thinking, especially what Keith said. I have fished tex-exposed since last year and sometimes with the hook just skinned and caught plenty of fish. However this time I was using a holo' sandeel which I haven't used an awful lot and it was on this I missed the strikes. I noticed afterwards that the body of these things is much tougher than the sp's I usually use and I reckon it's that that caused the miss. I also usually do use offset hooks but with the softer jellies I haven't found them a problem. I think that with the harder bodied sp's I will use a different hook and rigging in future. God I hate missing fish !

Thanks guys.