How to detect a bite?

[vmcoop]

Hi I went fishing yesterday and I was drift fishing with a corky and I do not know how to distinguish a bite or the bottom. What is the difference in the feeling? Thank you

[ZaQ]

If someone can explain it and make anyone start hooking every fish, I will be surprised.
It took me many a season to figure that out, one pass through a run I felt something different, the cadence of the tic tic changed. I thought to myself, maybe that was a fish. I recast and felt the same thing in the same spot, I set the hook and never looked back. Once you have felt the lead bounce the bottom 1547 times, you will have a feel for it. When you do, and something just feels different, set the hook. I think it is better to set the hook on a rock, than to not set the hook on a fish.
Good luck, and put in your time, learn what the bottom feels like and set the hook hard when it changes!

[SandyRiverRon]

Hit any tug, hesitation or twitch, better to fire on a rock cod then miss a chrome missile.

[Uglygreen]

Use pencil lead instead of slinkies. Lead goes tap tap tap on the rocks, Fish is tug tug without the tap. With a slinky its harder to tell, everything feels like mush. You get more snags with lead, but you will also hook more fish IMHO.

UG

[David Johnson]

First step is to get the very most sensitive rod you can afford, it makes a world of a difference.

Ever drift along and pick up a peice of lost line or a small tree branch? That light, spongy feel is a lot like a fish a lot of times.

One thing for sure is expect a fish on every cast and when in doubt set that hook, and hard.

[Kentucky Hog Hunter]

That is a great question because it has many answers/opinions.

I like watching my line in addition to what Dave Johnson has suggested.

I will say this. I use a Berkley Buzz Ramsey 8' one piece rod. The blank of the rod is exposed in the handle. It is very sensitive.

A guy told me several years ago when I attended one my first meetings at the NW Steelheaders TV Chapter that you should always set the hook & ask qustions later.

My great friend Hogback taught me how to become very proficient over the last 3 years by teaching me to watch my line and feel the bottom slightly. If you use slinky's or pencil lead, feel the bottom to where your feeling it and seeing your rod tip bumping every rock. Then start to remove the shot from the slinky or cutting the pencil lead down till your just tinking the bottom.

I know its tough to realize this as you read this but once you hook a fish or 2 you will become a very proficient drift fisherman and know what the difference feels like.

Good luck to you and hang in there because it is so much fun setting that hook and feeling that tug...

[ultralight]

The three most important factors, IMHO, are:

1. use a sensitive rod (what David Johnson said).
2. use hollow pencil sinker attached to mono dropper(what UG said).
3. always put some angle between the rod tip and the line. In other words, don't point directly at the terminal gear, while keeping the line tight.

And be on the lookout for any interruption to the tap, tap, tap... and set the hook

And all this will become so much more clearer after hooking a few fish.

[ 12-04-2003, 10:30 PM: Message edited by: ultralight ]

[sliverslinger]

what works for me is to use the smallest slinky possible. go thru the drift and add enough slinky to hit bottom approx 3 times. when you go thru the drift, if your lure stops, nail it. try it and you will see it works. the best drift is the one at the guide shop on the wilson. this is mostly a snag free drift and I will be there tuesday morning, if you want to see how it works, I will show you. look for the camo coat, my name is Dan

[FishinFinatic]

What Dave said,
A higher end rod will do wonders. If you find yourself fishing next to someone, check out what they have and ask if you can give it a drift. Most people would let you. You will be suprised at the differences between rod.
Also adjusting the amount of lead that you are using in a particular run. Keep it on the bottom but you don't have to dredge either.
Also fishing line. larger the diameter the faster it will get swept down and make a bow in the line. For most my steelie fishing 8# UG works good.
And then, Practice, and more practice.

[ampersat]

For me, the one thing that made the most difference is power pro line. I've got a Shimano Convergence rod and I couldn't drift fish to save my life until I spooled my reel with Power Pro. Now I really can tell a tap tap from a tug tug. PPro isn't for everyone and it has it's downsides. I might even take it off after another year of fishing and go back to mono once I have the feel for it down.

Oh yeah, and what everyone else has said. All good advice there.

[rookie]

IMHO most people fish to much weight and this gets them into a guessing game. The one thing I have concluded is to fish just enough weight to feel the bottom once every 10-12 ft and Point the rod at the line and hold your fingers on it. Nothing between you and the feel, it doesn't matter about the quality of the rod this way. Some have called low rodding, but it sure has helped me.

[Fshklr]

Just a recap here,

1. the best sensitive rod you can afford

2. pencil lead for beginners is the way to go. combined with that sensitive rod you will FEEL the bottom and alot more pick-ups and strikes

3. practice, practice, practice

4. learn to read the water. Not all slots hold fish, not every boulder either, and depending on flow or depth it may hold steel, nook, or both on opposing sides

5.PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
tight lines, and go practice

[Thumper]

Or go boondogging, hang on to cheapo rod with both hands, plant feet such that you can't be yanked outa the boat. :smile:

[Hogback]

I have been very fortunate to catch more than my share of Steelhead. A system that has worked for me and everyone I have had the pleasure of sharing it with is very simple and inexpensive. In my opinion you do not need an expensive rod. Use slinkies and remove shot if you are hitting the bottom hard. I think that hitting the bottom just a few times in a drift and watching the line makes it easier to detect bites. As your rig goes down river when it brushes the bottom your line will straighten out and then relax. When you get a bite you will not be anticipating the next hit on the bottom and if your line straightens out quickly a fish has probably got it in it's mouth. I just use corkies and the fish I have caught usually they just stop my rig. After a while you will hook fish and not even know why you set the hook other than something seemed different. Another benefit of this system is you loose less gear, spend less time rerigging, spend more time fishing and catch more fish. Which is a lot more fun and with the price of corkies these days a lot cheaper. Have fun, I hope this helps.
Randy

[SciGuy]

What everyone else said, especially about using pencil lead instead of a slinky. If the "bottom" becomes rubbery all of a sudden its likely a fish (or a stick). Another tip is to fish water that is slightly faster. In this situation the time that it takes for tension to develop between the lead and your lure (in a fishes mouth) is shorter since the line is moving faster through the water. This allows you to feel more bites and I think the hook gets stuck in the mouth sometimes simply from the pull of the mainline...and if none of these ideas work for you: use a float...its hard to miss a bite with a float!!!

[SHOUGALNITE]

I use what you call a drag free drift. I touch the bottom only about maybe 2 times in a drift. That way if any pressure is put on your rod it is either a fish or a LEAf. I use slinky weights. Very light line, will also help. In low water conditions watch your rod tip and line. An old guy told me one time, the bite feels alive. It took me about 2 years of heavy fishing to figure out what that ment. Also if your line stops in the middle of a drift, jerk. I have caught many fish that way.

[Pounddown]

sounds to me like all you guys that dont know the differance should change your method to bobber and jigs and take the drought oh I MEAN doubt out of the game..

[Flatfish]

Find a small river. Really small. 30 feet across. Make sure it is legal to fish there.

Free drift bait all winter( no weight). After 10 fish, you should have the idea.

The reason for the tiny river is you can fish there with no weight. A 20 foot cast is enough. Nothing between you and the fish equals rapid learning curve.

Mark and the dog.

[rola76]

Hey Coop...I'll show you this weekend!! Get ready to fish

[LazerFisher]

Great thread here and lot's of good information. I agree with Dave and KHH. I use a Lamiglass that is so sensitive I really can feel the difference between the bottom and a fish. Rod sensitivity was the biggest difference for me...

[reeldick]

When in doubt, "set the hook." You will be surprised how many times that rock takes off on you for the fight of your life.

[greenbuttskunk]

How to detect a bite?? Look for blood or redness
accompanied by severe pain. :grin:
What can I say, it's friday!
GBS

[Day Late]

For several years now I've used a bobber/drift rig combo. Set the bobber stop for occasional tick of lead on the bottom. You get a straight drift and if there's nobody below you, you can free spool using your thumb for a longer drift. My experience is less hang-ups and gear tying, therefore more time in the water catching fish. Give it a try and see how it works for you. :smile:
Good luck!

Day Late

[ultralight]

Originally posted by greenbuttskunk:
How to detect a bite?? Look for blood or redness

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I know I got bitten when I see teeth marks :grin:

[SciGuy]

One more thing -and I think this is VERY important. Counter-balance your rod. This can be done several ways but the easiest is to take a new plastic rod butt cap (2-4 inches), fill it with lead (I use egg sinkers hammered down into disks) and glue onto your rod butt. This makes the rod tip feel a million times lighter and thus more sensitive. I think counter-balancing massively increase the reaction time between "...hey, that feels a bit different/rubbery/spongey/fishy..." and "...hey, I have a fish on..."

[hustlerrjim]

another trick using this free drift is put a tooth pick in the corky to keep it right near the hook otherwise it will float up the line away from the lure.[yarn will also work]

[salmurai]

Just wait for the second tug. First it stops, then tugs again, without letting up. Jerks are free! Now go catch one.....

[C-lice]

All good advice. IMHO, Kentucky and Hogback were right on re: watching the line. I also agree that a lot of your hooksets will come without you necessarilly knowing why--just that something was different. The more drifts you make, the more you'll start to recognize differences.

One thing that I'd emphasize is to use the best quality, sharpest hooks you can get your hands on. They will hang in a fish's mouth even if you're slow or hesitant with the hookset, and they'll hold the fish more securely once you set the hook.

Another thing is to pay attention to what's happening on the business end of your line. It amazes me how some people will cast just for the sake of casting and BS or daydream the day away while they have the rod in their hand. They miss fish! A lot of bites are negative bites--you realize you're into a fish not so much because of what you DO feel as what you DON'T feel. If a rock that was there on your last several drifts isn't there now, tighten up and set the hook. You'll miss these types of bites in particular if you're not really concentrating.

You'll get better. You'll learn something new with each trip you take. DON'T GIVE UP.

[magic-rod]

I just feels fishy :smile: :smile:

[LongJohn]

Agree with Samurai. If I feel a tug (not a tap) I gently lift my tip up and if it tugs back or feels "spongy" I set the hook. Probably miss a lot of fish but this works for me and I don't snag up too much. A good rod is essential and don't forget to mend your line.

John

[Dave Vedder]

When your float goes under, set the hook.

[trunwfisherman]

Well it isnt as hard as you think. With time you will notice when using pencil lead your bouncing patterns will become more noticable. The most distinguishable hit would be a spongey unsual feeling. Or sometimes your line will stop abrubtly. Also look for your line to go up river. And ive had fish exscpecially steelhead take my corkies right down, and almost jerk the rod out of my hand. It is not as easy at first but given with time you will become more awhare to the noticable strikes. Enjoy!

[fish stalker]

I fished for years trying to figure this out (at least 10! ) Then one day I fished a hole that I knew had fish in it and went with a cluster of fresh eggs and hooked up!! I didn't really know I had a fish vs the bottom until it pulled back but hooking that first fish was definately the catalyst [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img] . I hooked up four more that day and handed two off to my brother so he could land his first steelhead . That year 2001 I caught 9 winter steelhead and filled my first tag ever with 22 total, 2002 43 fish, 2003 54 and waiting for winter chrome . I've taken at least two new fisherman out each year for the last two years and they have all caught fish but have admitted they still can't tell. I think it really takes time and practice. My first dozen fish were on a $25 rod and reel combo so you don't need to cash in the 401K. One of the things that really helped me to start was I fished really clear water with really good glasses and I often would see my offering vanish with no hit, no bump, but I set the hook and FISH ON. I always start first timers with eggs because the fish will hold them longer than corkeys and always use good sharp hooks. Once you've hooked up a few I guarantee you'll be hooked for life.

[MicroFish]

The bell rings. [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

[dampainter]

ok, what are some good rods??? I have a GL2 loomis fast astion med/heavy, would that work?