Hook a Fish?

[amateurfishing]

Got a troller yesterday and used it for fishing this am, sure did find the fish & some were biting, problem is i could not hook anything.!! Was using live minnows with a "hairy" jighead & they hit well, but would be 1 hard bite and I was too slow for hook, only time i caught anything this year was a perch with a bobber & wax worm & watched the fish take the bobber down the hole. All my bites now are quick and short, & im not fast enough. could my hook be too small, been using super small ones, im not good on the fishing lingo yet with sizes & names of lures.

[WalleyeBIZ]

I've been known to bend the hook out a little with a forcepts to widen the gap! So if they are taking the jig all the way but your not hookin em this will help to snag them! Your jig may be to small too! If your bait is obstucting most of the hook you wont be able to set it! Give this a try and post back to let me know if it helps! Good luck!

[Eelpout08]

I have also been having trouble getting consistent hook sets, had 3 up to the bottom of the hole yesterday then they spit it. was using northland eye dropper spoons and fatheads hooked under the dorsal fin, also tryed some jigs with treble hooks and minnows like the forage minnow. so if anyone has any ideas on how i can improve my setup i would also like to know.

[hardcore365]

Sounds lame but sharpen your hooks before you go out. Also make sure your drag isn't set too loose or it wont be able to set the hook in the fishes mouth. Another thing if you have to really rear back when setting the hook it prolly means that your hooks aren't that good. You shouldn't have to set the hook really hard if you have nice sharp hooks using a quick pick up should do the trick if your hooks are good.

[Crm7290]

When i set my drag I set it so that when I pull the rod doubles over but lets some line out. Each rod is different.

Try to sharpen your hooks too that should help. Its also small fish a lot of the times that come in and just peck at your lure.

[soldoncass]

My first impulse is to go SMALLER on the bait.....smaller minnow, or just the head, or a waxworm, or euro larva....I've seen gills and perch just pull on the minnow tail, and they don't get the hook doing that. Give them something they get ALL OF into their mouth. Hook could be too small for the bait you are using, or dull also.

[amateurfishing]

i was using shiner minnow on winter version of lil nipper cause i nail panfish with that is summer, first guess is hook not big enuff cause it barely came out back of minnow head, they are brand new and sharp cause they catch on everything else, coat, fingers, chair, etc. Will also try just the head next time.

[amateurfishing]

Im stupid, what is drag, been tryin to fish with bobbers in hopes of watching it go down the hole, not too good with the "feeling the bite" aspect yet, always have the line a little loose so there is some for the fish to take, is this the wrong concept?

[Esox_Magnum]

Could be using to big of a bobber to, I like to set mine so just the tip is above the water.

[amateurfishing]

thx esox but the bobbers r very small and come in ice fishing kits, half the time they sit submerged already cause of split shot weight.

[Fisherman45]

I have been seeing a very light bite most of the year and have been relying on the spring bobber combined with the flasher more and more as even with the smallest bobber I have been missing a lot of fish. Bobbers have been working at the peak low light periods when they are aggressive and actually pull it under but during off peak times they barley vibrate the bobber. Try to keep the bait a little above the fish and watch the fish close the gap on the flasher it might help a bit.

[Esox_Magnum]

Many fish we have iced this year were caught on the camera, flasher and sping bobberes were about useless then. Bite so light even the spring bobber wouldnt move when they hit.

[Wanderer]

Got a troller yesterday and used it for fishing this am, sure did find the fish & some were biting, problem is i could not hook anything.!! Was using live minnows with a "hairy" jighead & they hit well, but would be 1 hard bite and I was too slow for hook, only time i caught anything this year was a perch with a bobber & wax worm & watched the fish take the bobber down the hole. All my bites now are quick and short, & im not fast enough. could my hook be too small, been using super small ones, im not good on the fishing lingo yet with sizes & names of lures.

Maybe you're too fast?

Judging by your later post you're using a whole, live minnow on a jig that has some hair dressing on it out of a kit. Maybe an "ant" of some kind?

With most panfish jigs from kits that are baited with a whole minnow, you need to let the fish take it for a little while. I usually let the fish pull the bobber down to the bottom of the ice hole before setting the hook. And make sure you have some hook left to stick the fish with after you put the bait on. Upsize if you need to.

[amateurfishing]

All my bites today were one hit wonders, 1 big tug & bait gone lasting bout 1/2 second.

[Crm7290]

Try just the head. It should stay on there and it will make them take the whole hook down

[Esox_Magnum]

3mm fiska and a couple waxies, fiskas have a great hook up ratio.

[Guest]

I am interested in finding out from you how the Troller worked? Did it show separation on the smaller fish? Any problems with it working properly?

[amateurfishing]

IMO it works fantastic, keep in mind i was fishing completely blind b4. It reads depth & fish thru the ice nicely b4 u even start drilling. I stopped 6 places b4 drilling & i got bites within first 1/2 hour so i was reading screen fairly well. 2 small issues that i have are directions i thought we weak, they only tell you how to use the different functions, NOT how to read screen (I am brand new at this), and the cord is a little short (10-12 feet) for my personal taste. I am 6 ft & it is fine when checking things out above the ice but once u have a hole drilled with 3 feet of ice I always have to bend down. I would love to have someone show me how to read screen though i could easily ascertain my bait going down. Considering all, would not hesitate to buy again, at least I am not fishing blind anymore, could also see fish swarm (i think) my minnow as it went down cause screen would light up everywhere as minnow would drop. Just would not bite cause let it hand there for a while. Best part to me was it has a built in heater which u can turn off and on to keep screen warm so digital components on screen do not get delayed to register, plus it was plus it was $170 cheaper than the next model. Just have to learn to use more/better & start catchin fish.

[rodmoen]

Hey amateur go to the showdown HSOforum and watch the videos on there. I think it will help you a ton with what you see on the flasher, not just what the flasher does. Learning to actually "read" a flasher is just as important as actually having one IMO.

[amateurfishing]

thx rodmoen!! did not know that, as I have said, this site rocks and the ppl on it awesome!!

@mnrhino: also if u do suspended water fishing, this may not be that good. The only zoom it has is by depth, not middle water column. It reads to 120 ft but can zoom by 20 ft increments, ex. if u in 38 ft water u can zoom to 40ft and lose other 80 or if u r in 45 feet and want to see bottom then zoom to 60 ft but bottom 15 will be wasted on screen. you CANNOT zoom in to middle of water column, so if u r in 60 ft and want to zoom middle 20-40ft, u cannot do that with this model. Did not matter to me, it is all new and i am still learning a ton & $ were important. If u r into tight suspended zones, i dont think this is the one for u. I just wanted to stop fishing blind.

[Guest]

Not worried about being able to zoom in certain columns just wondering if the troller was good at showing jig versus the fish and if it showed more than one fish at a time or if it was just one big blob (bunch of small fish)coming up for your jig. Deepest I ice fish in is 35ft. Considering troller for 2nd flasher option when I bring a guest and like the portability when drilling lots of holes.

Thanks for the input!!

[amateurfishing]

I ASSUME i was watching my bait a few times as that was the the only thing i saw dropping on the screen, then entire sceen would light up which i assume was fish watching minnow drop. As far as size of fish or closeness to bait, that will be my research project this week reading/interpreting screen better via their HSOforum as rodmoen stated above. There is a sensitivity setting on it that i have to learn to get the most out of yet also. It does sound good for your purposes though. Personally, unless im out fishing every weekend, I cannot see spending $400-500 on any fish finder unless i can use it every weekend summer & winter & it would have gps & just is not realistic for me. Good luck

[amateurfishing]

esox, whats a fiska?

[amateurfishing]

thx, tried that, their videos not seem to work on HSOforum rite now.