Bad habits are hard to break, especially when it comes to fishing. Learning to bass fish, my father taught me to set the hook, hard. “Cross his eyes”, he’d say. This quick hook set method worked well when fishing with a plastic worm. But things were different then. Back then fishing rods typically had softer actions and it did require hard hook sets. Otherwise, the fish would drop the lure prior to the hook being penetrated in it’s mouth.

Todays heavy action rods are specifically designed so quick hook penetration is possible without such a violent hook set. Plus, today’s super lines (like Berkley’s Fireline have virtually no stretch and hook penetration is immediate.

Last week I fished topwater lures all day long catching bass. My partner had just as many strikes as I had yet he boated far few fish. The reason was his bad habit of setting the hook.

Fishing along steep bluffs we had located an area where good sized bass seemed to be bunched up. The fish would take a sub-surface lure but the would hit a topwater bait more viciously.

When having a choice, I would rather catch a fish on a topwater anyway. Seeing the lure working along the surface, anticipating a strike at any second causes the angler to be extremely focused. So much so that when the strike occurs it startles them. Next, the anglers natural reaction is to set the hook, but don’t.

Problems occur during the hook set that are often times over looked by the angler. First, fish will many times completely miss the lure. A hook set will move the lure out of the strike zone and away from the aggressive fish. Merely tighten your line to see if the fish is hooked. If so, simply reel it in. If not, manipulate the lure trying not to move it too far. If the fish doesn’t hit it again, quickly speed up your retrieve for a short distance then stop it.

The lure will appear to be trying to escape from the fish and then relax. A lot of times, that’s when it’ll get hammered. But don’t set the hook.

Here’s a couple of suggestions if you have a problem pulling the lure away from the fish too soon. Use a lighter action rod. The soft tip will keep the lure stationary slightly longer. Next, try closing your eyes. This way you won’t react to the strike as rapidly.

My partner had a hard time even though he said he was following my advice. I knew he was not closing his eyes because his hook sets were too quick. The sun was setting and the fish were really biting. But he continued missing fish. “Let’s go, I’ve had enough. Bad habits are tough to break”, he said. I told him we would fish until dark then get off the water. Once darkness swallowed us up he started boating fish on the topwater. He could no longer see the strike and his catch ratio went up instantly.