| There
are few things in fishing as exciting as sweeping your rod up and back
and feeling the firm resistance that signals a solid hookset. But
setting the hook is more complex than it looks. The most common mistake is “swinging” too quickly. Let’s put aside here the question of how long to wait for a fish to eat a bait and assume that the fish in question already has the bait or lure — and thus the hook — in its mouth. There’s probably at least a few feet of slack in your line, so if you swing now, some or all of your motion will go toward collecting excess line. Even if the line is straight, monofilament stretches up to 25 or 30 percent, so you’ll still be wasting energy. Anglers who swing too soon usually end up with their rods back over their shoulders, cranking frantically to try and tighten the line. Instead, quickly “reel down” until the line comes tight and your rod is pointed at the fish. Then continue reeling hard while making a short, controlled swing. If you start with a tight line, you should never have to swing past the 12 o’clock position. |