Fishing World – September 2019

The sight of the strike or feel of
the bite gets the pulse racing and
mind ticking; do you strike or do
you wait a little longer? Do you dip the rod or
engage free spool to feed some more line? So
many thoughts go through an angler’s mind
during those tense moments, from when you
record a strike, to the moment you take action.
What you do in these critical moments is vital
to ensure a positive hook-up. Understanding
what is happening at the other end of your line
and whether the fish are biting actively or are
fickle will help unlock some of the secrets about
best converting a bite into a tight line.

WHAT EXACTLY IS SETTING

THE HOOKS?

The end goal of setting the hooks is to ensure
the hook point on the hooks you are using is
firmly implanted in the fish. A fish can run and

SETTING HOOKS

That moment a fish attacks your bait or lure is one of the

most nerve wracking yet exhilarating moments in fishing.

With Sami Omari

even take drag without being hooked

whatsoever if it stubbornly latches onto any

part of a bait away from the hook point, if it

takes off but is able to quickly regurgitate it

before the angler reacts or if it’s lightly hooked

without the hook having made any firm

penetration. The idea behind setting the hooks

is to drive the hook point beyond the barb,

securely into the fish.

PREPARATION TO OPTIMISE

HOOK SETTING

The key to optimising hook up rates and

ensuring a positive hook set is to use thinnest

and sharpest hooks possible for the fish you are

chasing. A thinner and lighter wire hook will

penetrate a fish easier than a heavier gauge wire.

It also stands to reason that sharp hooks will

penetrate far more readily than blunt hooks.

If using bait, hook points need to be well

exposed to increase your chances of pinning a

fish. If you bury or hide the hook point you will

be relying on the fish biting down on the bait

so hard that it squashes the bait and eventually

find the hook point which decreases the chance

of a favourable hook up. Finally, you should

ensure that your hooks are appropriately sized

to the bait and lures you are fishing so that your

hooks don’t foul and are perfectly matched.

HOW TO SET THE HOOKS

USING CIRCLE HOOKS

Circle hooks are designed with the hook point

turned inwards towards the shank to increase the

chances of mouth hooking a fish. The hook point

being turned in allows a fish to swallow the hook

and as it swims away, the hook is generally able to

slide out of its stomach or throat without hooking

into the fish however their design

results in the hook latching onto the

corner of the jaw. You don’t yank on

the rod or set the hooks in a traditional

sense when using circle hooks; you

simply apply constant pressure and

allow the design of the hook to do its

job and self-hook the fish. Once you

have solid pressure you can increase

your drag and fight the fish as normal.

HOW TO SET HOOKS USING

REGULAR HOOKS

With a regular pattern or j-hook, you generally

want to be sure that that the fish has

swallowed your bait and isn’t tentatively biting

or nudging your bait or lure. Some common

signs that indicate the fish has your bait

include the line moving off as the fish swims

away, feeling a strong tug and constant

pressure on the line or if f loat fishing, ensuring

that your f loat is fully submerged.

Now that the fish has your bait in its mouth,

the next step is to smoothly lower the rod tip

and take up any slack line; as general rule of

THE FISHING SCHOOL

78 fishingworld.com.au | September 2019

LEF T: Nothing beats a solid hook set!

OPPSITE PAGE: Understanding how to set on

different hook t ypes makes all the difference.

“What you do in these critical

moments is vital to ensure a

positive hook set.”