Cant get um hooked, any tips?

[Redneck4life]

Everytime i fish with bullies i struggle with gettin the hook in the fish. I use a clicker let them pick up the bait and run with it till they stop and then set the hook. most of the time i just pull the bait out of there mouth? I dont understand? I usually cut the tail off the bullie and break the top horn then hook it near the tail with a big hook, not sure on the size, but its big. what am i doing wrong.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

When you stop the clicker do you reel down slowly until you're pointing your rod aimed just above the water and feel that fish there before hook set?

I don't set it until I can feel that fish there and I'm sure that all slack is reeled in.

[hanson]

You don't have to let them stop running, hit them as soon as you can.

Not every "run" is a fish. Lot of times excess debris on the line will cause a "run".

Not every "run" that is a fish is a flathead. Channels and walleyes will eat bullheads and they are very tough to hook up with.

You really have to feel for the fish, feel for that thump, thump, thump and if its there, set the hook.

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

Hanson you forgot about them bait thieving gar that are tributed to a lot of

" runs "

[Carp-fisher]

Dude they are gar. That drove me nuts last year until I figured that out.

[Redneck4life]

Thanks for the advice you guys! I am new to this site but not new to fishing, I do reel in the slack and make sure i can feel more than just the bait on the other end. And yes there is a lot more then just flatheads trying to eat the bait, turtles can be extremly annoying. when i fish with any other kind of bait like frogs or chubs i almost never miss a fish, so its very frustrating when i cant hook up using bullies.

[skolvikesallday]

Dude they are gar. That drove me nuts last year until I figured that out.

Yup, this drove me NUTS the last 2 nights when I missed 20+ runs. I finally tied on a circle hook and really let the fish take it before reeling it in. Stupid 5 ft gar.

I also got something to the boat that I couldnt identify in the dark even with a spotlight on it. It was dark in color, around 4 feet long, and skinny like a northern, but not as skinny as a gar. I know that a 3-4 ft northern would have put up much more of a fight than this fish did. Eel maybe? Anyone ever caught an eel? Do they put up any fight? because this one really didnt, whatever it was. It came off after surfacing once near the boat. It was 3+ feet long, and definalely was NOT a gar or northern. Really wish I would have landed that one, I would have had the rough fish trifecta for the night: bowfin, gar, and eel.

[DTro]

I've heard of a few freshwater eel caught on the MN, more common on the St Croix. A rare catch though, on any river.

[wooduck26]

Where are you hooking your Bullheads? Behind the dorsal?In the mouth?

[Redneck4life]

I hook them behind the dorsal

[Big Dave2]

You're not using a circle hook are you?

[Redneck4life]

no circle hook

[Dennis Steele]

Take a look at the hook your using. If has an offset (slight bend to the side) make sure that the point of the hook is away from the bait and not pointed into the bait.

You'd be surprised how many people end up hooking a bait so that the hook rotates right into the bait and not into the fish's mouth when you set the hook.

But still....I miss um too!