Reply by: panfishin      Posted: 6/26/2012 8:03:18 AM     Points: 1391    

thats a beast spicy!! i just started fly fishing again targeting those little guys and i'm running into similar problems so i'm anxious to hear what the fly guys have to say.

 Reply by: N3Cbasspro413      Posted: 6/26/2012 8:08:11 AM     Points: 0    

thats much bigger then anything i ever caught fly fishing. i fly fished maybe 15 mins my whole life. its just not for me.

 Reply by: Crewser      Posted: 6/26/2012 8:15:55 AM     Points: 135    

MONSTER! Hahaha well that hook set on the bluegill would have been perfect for bass but with bluegills, just strip the line and raise the rod tip at the same time and that is a perfect hook set every time. Lon Hagler is a great place for bluegills, bass, some crappie, and trout. For lots of big gills and some bass, try the Big Thompson Ponds. Good luck!

 Reply by: Flyrodn      Posted: 6/26/2012 8:38:40 AM     Points: 47320    

Most folks tend to set the hook on visual cues when fishing dry flies or surface lures. That's a mistake. If you set the hook when you see surface action you will often pull the fly away from the fish. If you wait until you see the line move (or feel the strike) you will hook up far more frequently. Most times when a fish hits at a fly and you don't get it because you didn't strike, the fish didn't actually take the fly and you wouldn't have gotten the fish anyway.

So the key is counterintuitive, Don't set the hook until you see the line move or feel the fish.

 Reply by: Dangly      Posted: 6/26/2012 9:00:57 AM     Points: 14    

I agree with Flyrod'n (surprise surprise) another tip- after seeing the line move, set the hook with 80% stripping and 20% lifting the rod. This does two things- if you miss the set your not taking the fly completely out of the strike zone, and if you do hook up your not puting the stress on your tippett of trying to lift the fish from the water- something you'll regret when you hook your first 3lb LMB. have fun man.

 Reply by: spicyhombre      Posted: 6/26/2012 9:10:41 AM     Points: 133    

Thanks guys for the advice. That makes sense. I also caught a 8" crappie yesterday. I didn't know it was there so I set the hook as I started slowly lifting the rod before starting backstroke to re-cast. It hooked perfectly with this light action and didn't rip lip even with its paper mouth. I'll slow down.

Thanks.

 Reply by: ŠTÎMŸ      Posted: 6/26/2012 10:16:49 AM     Points: 110    

If your buying flies I have noticed the gap between the hook and body on most store bought flies is shallow. I as of late I have been bending my hooks off set to the left with a pair of needle nose. This little bend seems to be stinging lips and increasing hook ups. Good luck.

 Reply by: spicyhombre      Posted: 6/26/2012 12:27:51 PM     Points: 133    

I'll try bending the hook. Thanks for the tip. I went out this morning and did have better luck with slow rod lift to set.