Know Your Lure
Lures come is all sizes and shapes. Some are single hook; some have a treble hook; and, some have multiple treble hooks. Regardless of the hook arrangement, all of them can miss a striking fish. Most of the problem has to do with the angler – not the lure!While treble hooks can usually hook a striking fish better than other lures, they often pull free easier than a single straight hook. Straight hooks will usually hold a hooked fish better, but the lure has to really be in the mouth of a striking fish for a good hook up. Knowing this can help you work your lure and hook your fish with a higher success rate. I’ll show you what I mean.
Straight Retrieve
Some anglers work a lure straight back to them with very little variance in speed or action. This makes for an easy retrieve, but it often results in fewer strikes. Predator fish normally go after a weak or wounded fish more often that a fast healthy fish. It’s a part of that “survival of the fittest”. Lures that come across or through the water straight, fast and perfect look much less like a prey that fish will chase. How many times have you had a fish follow your lure all the way to the boat or shore only to see it turn and head away?However, this type of retrieve normally results in a better hook up if a fish does strike. The reason is that the striking fish can time the attack and judge their angle of attack perfectly.
Erratic Retrieve
Wounded and weak baitfish will not swim straight and fast. They often twirl, move in short jerks, and generally distinguish themselves from the rest of the school. These are the fish that predators seek out and strike. The erratic movement makes it more difficult for a predator to time a strike and judge and angle, sort of saving the baitfish. Unfortunately, an erratic lure retrieve causes the same situation, one that results in missed strikes and hooks that pull.Let the Fish Strike
The solution to this dilemma is to work your lure in a manner that lets the fish strike. Well, duh – what does that mean? It is really pretty simple. Just allow some time for the fish to strike.In my experience, I feel a fish strike while my lure is not moving – at least not by my rod action. I work the lure two or three times and then let it rest. A sinking lure will slowly sink during the rest period. A floating or diving lure will slowly head back to the surface during the rest. This rest period is by far the time I get the most strikes. The fish can time the strike and get the whole lure, not just a piece of it. The “resting” movement mimics a wounded baitfish, and that simply entices the predator even more.
