How do you deal with a hookup in the figure 8

[kingfish689]

I have heard a few ways people deal with hookups in the 8. I know one man if he gets a fallow he will release the spool and thumb it through his 8. Another sets his darg(he says) a little loser then he should just for that reason. And yet others that say keep your drag thight and never get lazy on the stick and hang on. Whats your thoughts on this.

[NETim]

Freespool at the end of every cast and the beginning of the "L" turn/figure "8".

I look like a real pro this way.

[Castinski]

I have had pretty good luck hooking up in this scenerio and keeping them pinned. I crank my drag down tight (likely tighter than I need/should). When the fish eats, I sweep my rod toward the tail. I don't do a complete 180 and hammer it towards the tail, but almost treat it like a continuation of my 8 so that I keep some tension on the line all the way to the hook set (if that makes sense). Then, when the fish is hooked I try to lead it's head where I want it to go. This is usually out from the boat if I can. Typically there is only about 10 seconds of mayhem before you can think about netting her. I don't usually try to give much line or any at all and can have them netted fairly quickly.

[mn_bowhunter]

I do everything the same as castinski except once the fish is hooked I freespool and let the fish get 10-15 feet of line out. If it appears to want to thrash at the surface at all I get the rod in the water. I've had bad luck with fish throwing baits at boatside and even got hooked once. Since I've been giving them line I have had a far better landing percentage then trying to keep them close. I also fish by myself a lot so reaching down to grab the net causes me to raise the rod tip leading to heads out of the water and thrown hooks.

[riverkid21]

I keep my drag as tight as it goes. On my figure 8/oval/L-turn I just watch for the follow and hopefully a fish looks like she is going to eat. Once she eats the bait, I set the hook back into the fish essentially. Somehow I subconsciously remind myself to free-spool at the same time. I let the fish make her big first run and then the fight is on. HANG ON WHEN THEY MAKE THAT FIRST RUN, IT IS A RIDE. 10/10 times they pull drag after the reel is back engaged. I've used this technique with 3 different reels, the toro, calcutta 400, and calcutta 700. I've also used it with many different rods. I have had a high hook-up percentage with boatside hits. Especially recently. I lost a few fish early in my muskie career, probably due to rookie mistakes that just go away with time. This post is really making me want to have a boatside hit in the near future haha.

[MikeEiden]

I do just like the last two posts. Drag cranked because its need for hook ups further out and when I get a fish into the 8 normally things are speeding up and no way of loosening it. I also lead the fishes head kind of to the side and back to keep the hooks pinned. I also keep my rod tip in the water to help reduce jumping/head shakes on the surface. Once the tension is a little under control and head shakes are done then I free spool and let it take some line if the fish is still digging.

It goes so fast and all you can do is your best to keep tension and control the fish as much as possible. No guarantees in this business!

[Esox_Magnum]

Just set the hook, a good smooth drag and a quality rod will take care of the rest. Even with my drag locked my last fig 8 fish took line....42" on a Toro 60 mounted on a 9' H Predator....Fig8 hooksets is where you dont want that rod thats to stiff.....

[fullmetajacket]

Only had one on an 8. I must say i wasnt prepared for it and wasnt paying attention. Only had one hand on the rod when it hit. The drag was set fairly tight and with the fish taking advantage of my laziness, it actually scared me. Water slashed all over me and I think I just jerked hard enough when I flinched that it set it for me. Lesson learned

[50inchpig]

i'm fishing at night 90% of the time, not being able to see the fish means not being able to set the hook in the direction you'd want to, so i do my figure 8s fast and powerful and lose very few fish. i'll keep leading them after the first hit on a locked down drag and then freespool once the initial headshakes are done.

very few fish eat boatside from the behind the bait so a good fast straightaway usually hooks them pretty good in the corner of the mouth. i'm obsessive about sharp hooks too.

[urban cowboy]

IMO, Focus on going into your turn and performing your figure eight, not on what the fish is doing. You can free spool at the same time as long as it doesnt effect your initial turn. If your turn lags or your bait flutters the fish probably won't eat. I like to free spool once the fish eats. With a long rod I dont think it matters which way to do it. A 9 foot rod makes a 45" fish feel like a 30" fish boatside. A shorter rod is a different story.

[50inchpig]

IMO, Focus on going into your turn and performing your figure eight, not on what the fish is doing.

Probably the best figure 8 advice, right there. Just doing that will lead to better figure 8s and better hookups.

[RK]

Hiya -

I freespool as I go into the L-turn. If there's a fish I figure-8, if not, pick the bait out and fire again in one motion, since I don't take my hand off the foregrip or switch hands to cast.

As far as hooksets go, set back against the direction the fish is moving. If the fish hits right on the corner and you can't set back against it because you're stretched out, just drive the rod downward so you're setting the hook down. Setting straight up is usually a good recipe for 10 seconds of white water and no fish...

Once they are hooked, I let them get out away from the boat if they will. Some fish just pop their head out and head shake, in which case I'll try to get their head back in the water by driving the rodtip downward (a challenge if it's a big fish). Some just sit below the surface and shake and won't fight. A lot of those get off. I try to pressure them into moving if I can but easier said than done.

Having the drag locked then counting on being able to hit freespool if a fish takes a power run right on the hookset is a risky deal. I know someone who used to do it that way until he hooked a 40-pounder at boatside and couldn't get the freespool button down because there was too much tension on the spool. The spot where it happened is now known as "Paul's Swimming Pool."

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[MuskieJunkie]

...... The spot where it happened is now known as "Paul's Swimming Pool."

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

Please tell me he went head first into the drink, that would make for a great story...did you guys get the fish?