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09-14-2013, 09:51 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 54
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Setting the hook with small trout
Just went fishing at lower Kananaskis lake, pretty slow until dusk then I saw a few risers and tied on a size 14 humpy. I was getting a strike on it nearly every cast, but only had 4 fish actually get hooked, and only 2 all the way in. They were all tiny cutthroats, maybe 8-10 inches on average. I was using my 5 weight, so it wasn't really much of a fight, and it was tough to keep pressure on the fish. Is it usually harder to set the hook on little fish, or is it something I am maybe doing wrong? I tried a few ways, from setting immediately, to waiting a second then trying, but nothing really worked consistently.
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09-14-2013, 10:01 PM
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 744
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not much you can do with trout that small they have small mouths and hooking them is a challenge. smaller fly could help. The fish might also be false striking the fly meaning they rise to it and at the last second they go back down. It looks like a strike but its not. Its the water cavitating under the fly. sometimes you'll hook a fish that does this usually on the top of the head or outside there mouth
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09-14-2013, 11:15 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 34
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I suggest a smaller hook and light tippet. Size 18 and 6x tippet.
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09-15-2013, 09:56 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Uh, guess? :)
Posts: 26,739
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That's tough. I worry I'll yank the little buggers right out of the water, and I have!
A few weeks ago I was getting all kinds of takes but no hook sets. Was driving me crazy. Then I actually checked my fly... duh. No hook. I must have accidently broken it off when getting it unstuck from a tree in the water. Lesson learned: check hook every time you have to free it. I was fishing for 15 minutes with no hook. LOL
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09-15-2013, 10:36 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: sum beach. somewhere
Posts: 1,801
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I try n not have any slack line and keep the line in my trigger finger and if i have a take i just gently lift the rod up i too have had this issue at the local pond and the trout are tiny
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09-15-2013, 10:47 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: CNP
Posts: 3,752
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Try a strip set rather than lifting the tip of the rod. Could be a chance you are lifting the hook off their bottom"lip". If they are just very small the hook size is just too big for their mouth. ** 8 to 10 inch trout are much bigger than what i am describing.
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09-15-2013, 04:16 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Okotokian
That's tough. I worry I'll yank the little buggers right out of the water, and I have!
A few weeks ago I was getting all kinds of takes but no hook sets. Was driving me crazy. Then I actually checked my fly... duh. No hook. I must have accidently broken it off when getting it unstuck from a tree in the water. Lesson learned: check hook every time you have to free it. I was fishing for 15 minutes with no hook. LOL
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This is what I thought was happening, but I checked my fly a few times and it still had a hook.
I did not have any slack line after casting, but I was having a little trouble with the leader, it would curl up instead of going out straight, or curved off to the side most of the time. This is probably a casting issue, but I was trying a few things to fix it without any consistent results.
Thanks for the help everybody
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09-17-2013, 10:44 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Calgary
Posts: 160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Okotokian
That's tough. I worry I'll yank the little buggers right out of the water, and I have!
A few weeks ago I was getting all kinds of takes but no hook sets. Was driving me crazy. Then I actually checked my fly... duh. No hook. I must have accidently broken it off when getting it unstuck from a tree in the water. Lesson learned: check hook every time you have to free it. I was fishing for 15 minutes with no hook. LOL
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I had the same thing happen last week. I was streamer fishing and I snagged my fly, got it free, and casted it right away. I had couple of hits after but I figured they were grabbing onto the tail. After 20 minutes I decided to switch flies and there wasn't a hook on it.
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09-17-2013, 12:51 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 490
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chriscosta
I try n not have any slack line and keep the line in my trigger finger and if i have a take i just gently lift the rod up i too have had this issue at the local pond and the trout are tiny
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I just hold the line tight in my stripping hand but like chriscosta said nice and gentle lifting the rod slightly works best for me. Once I started doing this the number of small trout making it to land increased a lot. You're still gonna have a lot more small fish get off though. Just the way it is
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09-17-2013, 12:57 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 490
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[QUOTE=jaymack;2118069]This is what I thought was happening, but I checked my fly a few times and it still had a hook.
I did not have any slack line after casting, but I was having a little trouble with the leader, it would curl up instead of going out straight, or curved off to the side most of the time. This is probably a casting issue, but I was trying a few things to fix it without any consistent results.
Thanks for the help everybody[/QUO
Really long leaders can make it difficult to keep straight. I find a roll cast usually gets everythog laid out far and straight as well. But just takes some playin around and figuring out what works
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09-17-2013, 01:07 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Calgary
Posts: 160
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[QUOTE=lds;2120613]
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaymack
This is what I thought was happening, but I checked my fly a few times and it still had a hook.
I did not have any slack line after casting, but I was having a little trouble with the leader, it would curl up instead of going out straight, or curved off to the side most of the time. This is probably a casting issue, but I was trying a few things to fix it without any consistent results.
Thanks for the help everybody[/QUO
Really long leaders can make it difficult to keep straight. I find a roll cast usually gets everythog laid out far and straight as well. But just takes some playin around and figuring out what works
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What was said here is good advice. I catch a lot of little fish out of the sheep and I find I have really good success with smaller flies and shorter leaders. I find with the smaller fish, they spit it out faster so you have to react really fast so try a fast hook set. I also fish with a 4 wt that has a slow action to it so it makes the hook set more delicate.
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09-17-2013, 04:38 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 54
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[QUOTE=ADIDAFish;2120624]
Quote:
Originally Posted by lds
What was said here is good advice. I catch a lot of little fish out of the sheep and I find I have really good success with smaller flies and shorter leaders. I find with the smaller fish, they spit it out faster so you have to react really fast so try a fast hook set. I also fish with a 4 wt that has a slow action to it so it makes the hook set more delicate.
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When you say shorter leaders, how short are you referring to? I had about the back 6ft or so of what was a 9ft 2x leader, with about 18-24 inches each of 3x then 5x tippet.
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09-18-2013, 10:01 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 490
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[QUOTE=jaymack;2120836]
Quote:
Originally Posted by ADIDAFish
When you say shorter leaders, how short are you referring to? I had about the back 6ft or so of what was a 9ft 2x leader, with about 18-24 inches each of 3x then 5x tippet.
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That seems fine I don't like to go less than 6' of a combined legnth of leader and tippet and no more than 10'. How old is yours. Maybe just replace it.
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09-19-2013, 10:11 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Calgary
Posts: 160
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[QUOTE=jaymack;2120836]
Quote:
Originally Posted by ADIDAFish
When you say shorter leaders, how short are you referring to? I had about the back 6ft or so of what was a 9ft 2x leader, with about 18-24 inches each of 3x then 5x tippet.
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9ft total is shorter. I'd use a 3x or 4x leader with 4x tippet but that's just me. If it is older and a little kinky, it will make it harder to set the hook fast enough.
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