Jig fishing question

[FallRiverGuy]

What do you jig fishermen think about setting the hook when bobber and jig fishing? I often wonder if the resistance from the bobber going under sets the hook. The reason I ask is last weekend on the Deschutes I hooked a fish and after taking up the slack I set the hook like I do when drift fishing. The result was my fluorocarbon line blowing apart just above my reel. :mad: I had just removed a minor birds nest and guessed that kinked the line and compromised it. Also a neighborhood boy I took fishing caught his first two steelhead last weekend on a jig and he did not "set the hook" but both times the hook was completely through the nose.

To set the hook or not that is the question?

[Osprey]

A lot of time it depends on the angle at which you hook the fish and the amount of slack you have in you're line i.e. if he's above you,across from you,or below you.
I found in most situations that they almost hook them selves,when I have a "float down" I crank up the slack(if any) and Hammer him.
Most of my fish are hooked in the top of the mouth.
The Heavier Jig hooks out there,take a little more effort to get a good hook set ( I don't prefer the heavier Jig hooks)

For Line I prefer something that cast smooth and mends easy,I use Ande,it won't explode off you spinning reel like others.......Os

[First Bite]

Fallguy

I always set the hook straight up...everytime. Even when I'm using light wire smaller jig hooks. More fish have been lost due to a weak hook set then anything else. When steelies come flying out of the water shaking their head, that's usually when you're going to lose them. In fact after the initial run I'll make sure and set the hook a second time to be sure. I rarely lose a fish once I've nailed the hook set but I've lost more fish then I can remember due to a weak hook set. Ditto for everyone I've fished with.

Mark

[FallRiverGuy]

Thanks for the input guys. I really enjoy fishing jigs. I have started to use castable bobbers that can be filled with water and have rubber tubing inside that is used to pinch the line by twisting it for depth adjustment. I like that setup because of the ease of adjusting the depth, they don't slip, and you can cast those things a mile.

Osprey I'll try the Andre. The fluorocarbon is going into the trash and it will not be on my reels again.

[Roeboat]

Gotta go with first cast on this one. Set the hook immediately and don't be afraid to set it again even with the finer wire hooks. I have lost several fish so far this year to less than perfect hooksets. The problem is the fish do not always hit hard and you have to be fast, even with jigs. Luckily you get many strong sets right thru the upper lip, but I've also taken several this year with the jig in the corner of the mouth on those soft hits. Pink has definitely been the hot color so far this year. Actually it is an awesome year so far. Too many rivers, too little time...

[bait boy]

Limpwristed hookset = lost fish
usually in the first 5 seconds you see the fish going nuts underwater and your jig comes flying back at you.