Basically what I do is take the rod out of the holder(if I even have it there) and wait until you feel them nibbling on a consistant basis. Then once they are there you give a good yank and fish on.

 

I had a difficult time getting the timing thing down too. I still struggle with it, especially in the beginning of the day when I'm excited to catch fish :grin:

If you study your rod you'll start to notice the difference between a tap and a pull. A typical bite is 2-3 taps and then a slower pull. That pull is when you want to set the hook. Make sure your hooks are sharp. Owners with pinched barbs work well for me.

It's definitely a skill, and I have a lot of respect for guys with a 60-70 percent hookup ratio. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing a hookset where the rod bends back and the fish just doesn't move. Good luck and tight lines. :grin: :grin:

 

I have only done sturgeon a couple of times, so take this with a grain of salt. However after whiffing a few, this trick got me stickin' it to 'em. They were only shakers but it was enough to set the gator fever hook in me.

Jedi gator fishing: turn your head, close your eyes if you must, but do not watch your rod tip when you're getting ready to set the hook. If you wait to see it, it's too late. You have to feel it.

The fella who took me out for sturgeon the first time explained that they will pick up and drop the bait many times. With smelt, they will suck out the inards leaving you with a mangled bait, all the while your rod tip will tap tap pause pause pause tap pause... .

If the action is fairly consistent, I'll keep the rod in my hands. Otherwise, I'm tempted to let my mind and eyes wander and after missing yet another fish, I'll wonder to myself how long that fish was there before I noticed the rod going off.

 

I pick the rod up when I see the "tap tap", and trying not to move the line/bait . I wait and feel the bite 3-4 times, and usually after that it's a pretty good honking, then set the hook.
I've missed my share as well. And I have been told that sturgeon will also lay on the bait, when not hungry to "protect it", resulting in what may seem as a bite. I have brought a few shakers up by the belly. :shrug:

 

Do you know the difference between a sturgeon bite and a trashfish bite? It took awhile for me to figure it out when I first started. The smoking gun is an anchovy or smelt with just the belly ripped out when you reel it in. Hard to hookem when they're only interested in the gutz

 

Thanks for the help guys. Salmonator, yes I know the difference between the bites. I know I had a few nibbles from junkfish, and several that I was 95% sure were sturgeon, these bites were pretty convincing. Thanks again, TOC.

 

I think I have it figured out :yay:. You mentioned your biggest fish was only 37" yet you were using 6 to 8/0 hooks. Could it be the fish were too small for that much steel? I fish the river from the estuary to Hood River with nothing bigger than 4/0 and we can hook 30 fish and only miss one or two. Barbless hooks are easy to remove and most are still only hooked in the lip. Just a thought....

 

Salmonator- This was the first thing I considered, on the other hand, a 6/o really isn't that much larger than a smelts head, and we've caught 18 inchers with 8/o hooks before :shrug: I used to use 4/o and 5/o hooks but had to deal with an uncomfortable amount of swallowers, and on seeing what some other do, decided to switch it up. Plus, we caught several fish in the 24"-30" range that seemed to take the hooks fine. If consensus is that the vast majority of fish I'm missing are smaller fish due to the large hooks, I'll stick with the large hooks to minimize mortality. Big bait (and hooks) = big fish?

 

I don't know why so many people just hold the rod instead of taking the risk to spook the fish with rod movement.
I was told that the rod tip pump was the sucking up of the bait and to set the hook on the downstroke. As it was said before, you don't need to watch the tip.

 

We've used 4/0 Owners with the barb pinched down, and I have never had one swallow it.?
Only time I went to a bigger hook is when I used to fish for oversize with shad.

 

Exactamundo! Sorry, had a Fonzie moment :bigshock:

 

I'm no pro, but i'll share what works for me.I avoid rod holders at all cost when sturgeon fishing. I usually lean my rod against the transom and secure the butt to the floor with my foot. This helps in two ways, first they dont feel me pick the rod up, and second I can feel the fist bite with my foot.
As far as setting hook goes. I like commitment. I dont set hook until the fish tries to swim away with my offering. Buddies give me a hard time saying I wait to long, but I like to feed that bait to them. Hope this can help you out....

 

I like 6/0 hooks with barb down but have bait barbs on the shank. I have found that the size of the bite does not always tell the size of the fish. I have had some terrific bites from shakers, and after dozens of shakers one time, I was going to rip on the next tiny tap. It resulted in a measured 10' hog :bigshock: I yank when I feel them take it. Try moving your hook around on the body. This may help. Good fishing. :dance:

 

In this months issue of Salmon Trout and Steelheader there is a great article on how to properly rig smelt as well as when to set the hook. Hope this helps! :cheers:

 

I usually hook 90% of my bites by slowly lifting the rod out of the rod holder and pulling two or three feet of slack off my reel as soon as I start getting bit, I use a sliding rig so this gives the fish a chance to really get ahold of it and wait for the rod to pull down even just a little at this point but always make sure the rod is going down not just bouncing fish-on!!!PEACE

 

sturgeon typically bite at different rates. Sometimes they are very agressive and will stay on the bait and inhale it. If they are only moderatly hungry, or have been fished hard as of late, they will be more pensive with the bite. As a general rule, when I see the rod twitching, I will open the bail and release a few feet and pull the rod from the holder. By the time I've done this it's given the fish a little time to munch away. I engage the reel, take in the slack and point the rod more towards the fish. You should give him a few more tugs, then thumb the spool hard and give it a good sweeping hook-set. If the bite subsides, put it back in the holder and wait for the bite again. Finicky fish will often sense you holding the rod, so return it too it's condition when the fish was biting.
Another thing to remember is if you are getting light, tap tap types of bites, where the rod is twitching, you are likely into some sculpin. This is especially true if you cannot seem to hook the fish during the bite. AT only 2"-6" long, you will almost never hook one. Also note the bait, if it looks like the belly is eaten only, you are into bait robbers (sculpin) I usually move in some cases, or drop back in the hole, or even pull it way from them in some cases to discourage them.
The real key to a good bite and hook up is to pick up the rod without alarming a fish, allow for a few more solid tugs, and a good solid hook set. Especially with mono, in deep water with alot sag or belly in the line, and longer faster hook set is needed.
Still there will be times when the fish are very eager, agressive, and you'll even have pound downs. This can happen in the estuary often.
good luck,
GBS

 

I usually fish the dam and up there there's no mistaking a bite and more often then not I've gotten to my pole while the fish was taking line out.
For the slower water I usually just pick up the rod and wait untill I'm convinced he's there and go for lips. If you miss them (which happens with all fish) just start over.