Losing fish during fights

[Ed Carlson]

Icehousebob...10-4 on the triple grips.

I use them on most of my ice jigs and cranks, especially the rear treble.

[Tim_Anderson]

As many know, I am a big fan of fireline, and rarely use mono any more. When I do, it just seems too foreign and awkward. And, I'm very satisfied with the amount of fish I hook and catch.

I would trace your problems to a few possible scenarios.

I see people horsing fish too much, and with fireline or braid, this very often results in lost fish. Something has to give, and usually it's the fishes mouth. This problem is compounded if you're fishing current.

Second would be hook set and sharp hooks. It's really easy to use a file and put a quick edge on your hook. I like hard hooksets to drive the hook home.

Third is slack line. If you've got it at any point in your fight, you're going to loose a good share of the fish, no matter what species.

Braided line takes some getting used to. It takes just the right balance of rod, reel, drag, and operator control (hows that for a catch-all) for consistent results. Most of the rods and reels in my boat have 10/4 fireline on them, and literally thousands of walleye and bass in the boat this spring and early summer so far, and only a very small percentage lost. A good share of these are caught by clients who have no experience with fireline. With a little coaching, they do just fine.

In my opinion, the strength and sensitivity of this stuff is well worth any negative stuff you might encounter while you're learning to use it. My advice is to give it some time, and you'll figure it out.

[slipperybob]

The other thing about hook setting depends on the type of hook. Aside from hook sharpness, the type of hook point and the size of the barbs to the gap of the hook to the neck shape and length of the shank will have some effect. The following examples If using small bait hooks like size 6, then obviously a hard hook set will more than likely tear some flesh. If using a big gap 4/0 hook then, it possible to get only point penetration and the hook neck ends up pulling the fish. A quality hook won't leave a big hole as it makes penetration and snugs itself in, a low quality hook sometimes makes a big hole where the barb itself won't stick and hook can fall off.

So rethinking strategies, you have to play the fish like the terminal tackle you're using.

[upnorth]

I would really look hard at you hooks/jigs. Sharpness, size, and gap between shank/head. I have had the same issues ice fishing for Walleyes with really small jigs when they get finicky, set the hook and after a short fight the hook comes out. One those I know I kept the line tight, just plain pulled out. I have had some success with bending the hook to change the gap a little. If I can find them in the size/weight I want I get jigs with the longer hook shank and wider gap.