Increasing Hook Up Rates Using Sp's

[Bream Mad]

Raiders,

I am relatively new to fishing with SP's and one thing that pisses me off is how few hits are actually converted into solid hookups. Sure I guess when using say a 3"bass minnow, some fish particually bream will just nip at the tail. What is the best way of increasing this ratio, do you let the fish run or get straight into him the moment you feel a touch. I currently use #4 hooks for bream, is this too small?

cheers

BM

[Guest BBM Rick]

BM,

Personally, I prefer to match the jighead weight to the conditions rather than just stick with one particular size hook. My advise is try a number of different combos of jigheads, right up to a number 1 size hook and see how you go. Bream are fairly aggressive feeders and tend to grab a fair bit of the plastic, if you are experiencing a lot of "Tail nips", I think it may be chopper tailor. Try changing plastic colour when this happens. When I feel the bite, I strike fairly quickly when breaming. I hope this helps.

Rick.

[mottyman]

Hi BreamMad,

I use the Squidgy Ball Head Jigs with a #4 hook - no dramas so far.

When I feel a hit I tend not to strike too hard and try to rip the fishes head off I kind of just lift the rod tip to "meet the fish".

If you feel a hit and don't get a hookup, stop the plastic dead, let it sit for while. If nothing, give it a couple of "flicks" without trying to move it too far away from the spot you felt the tap.

Quite often bream will take the plastic after the first "hit", "nudge", "bump", "tap" if you let it sit.

In my experience this is especially true with Gulp Sandworms. If you feel a touch, stop the retrieve and often the bream will pick the plastic up off the bottom.

Of course it can all depend on the day, water clarity etc etc. Some days the fish can be really timid and hookups can be hard to come by, on other days, they'll hit really hard and scoff it down.

Hope that helps you out mate.

Cheers

[Jewhunter]

Some good advice there Motty.

It's funny how when you use a particular outfit you get used to it's feel. After a while you just seem to know when to strike & your hookup rate increases dramatically.

I remember when I first started using S.P's & I was fishing at Clarrie Hall dam for bass. The first session I got 1 hookup every 5 hits. The next day when I got used to the way they hit I had 14 hookups out of 14 hits & ended up with 30 bass in 5 hrs with very few missed.

Time on the water is the key. Practice & more practise will see your hookup rate improve mate. Just keep at it.

Cheers,

[crystalliser]

BM,

Personally, I prefer to match the jighead weight to the conditions rather than just stick with one particular size hook. My advise is try a number of different combos of jigheads, right up to a number 1 size hook and see how you go. Bream are fairly aggressive feeders and tend to grab a fair bit of the plastic, if you are experiencing a lot of "Tail nips", I think it may be chopper tailor. Try changing plastic colour when this happens. When I feel the bite, I strike fairly quickly when breaming. I hope this helps.

Rick.

I find that chopper tailors like plastics that are "silver-ish" in colour or plastics that are too "glittery". My 2cents.

ron

[Flattieman]

Some fantastic pieces of advice there - I particularly believe in David's "I kind of just lift the rod tip to 'meet the fish'" and Rick's "I prefer to match the jighead weight to the conditions rather than just stick with one particular size hook." Both pearlers. It's important to match your jighead to the depth of water and then your plastic to the jighead AND CONDITIONS. After some trial and error, you'll notice patterns emerging - exploit the patterns and you'll come out on top. I also completely agree with not wrenching the plastic out of the mouth of a fish - I do the same as Mottyman and just strike firmly but not too quickly. Hope this helps.

Flattieman.

[kbark]

sharp hooks are also helpful...i prefer gamakatsu

[Bream Mad]

Thanks Raiders,

You guys are always full of great advice

Cheers

BM

[Richie]

I've found I get more hookups on the shorter jig heads, like the gamakatsu's.

I have found that bream go for the head more than the body. After a few misses, if I swapped to a shorter shanked jig, it improved the situation.

[hawkeye]

I usually use either a 1 or 1/0 with a 3 ' bass minnow 1/16 head or lighter if i can and find the most important thing to remember is SLOW When i first started sp ing i found the slower i went the more bream i caught and less bycatch even now i have to remind myself to slow it down

Hawkeye