Hook keeps popping out - switch to braid?

steelhead1 said:

That is a good point,braid in the river does suck.But you should never lose ANY braid,unless there is a knot or nick up on the line,braid should break at the terminal knot,or at the leader (use leader that is rated lighter). I havnt lost a fish or a bobber or any braided line since I started using it. I never really understand why I always see 30 yds of line hanging out of trees:think:.

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Yea. it is a super strong alternative to mono...but i havent had much success with braid. I swear you have to fish just a little bit different...i think its because i lose sensitivity in the line. I might be over thinking it tho. haha.
later guys,
Dale

salmon_slayer87 said:

How are you losing the fish? What i mean is...is the fish jumping when it spits the hook? or just in the water fightin hard?
I have been actively fishing for steels for the last 6 to 7 years. I have watched and learned from my cousins whom grew up on the willamette.
They catch a ton of fish...but for everyone they land, they lose 3 to 5. What i have learned watching them...sometimes you win...sometimes you lose. Another thing i have picked up from them, water levels. sounds stupid but if your use to fighting them in shallow(er) water...fighting them in higher water can be completely different/ harder.

The hardest thing to learn is hooking the fish...so you are already on the right track.
just keep after them man, never stop casting. Once you figure out what works best for you...everything will fall into place.
good luck.
keep the line tight,
Dale

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Surprisingly, no acrobatics, they are just diving deep and fighting hard. The pig this morning was a tank and was playing me more than me playing him/her. By your statistics, I'm probably doing average Caught 1 lost 3. I guess I'm used to landing more fish and can't help but try to figure out how I can increase my odds.

Kevinb5688 said:

Im not saying to over think it, but if your like me, when your not fishing your thinking about fishing and how you can improve.
If your drag is to loose and you set your hook, it isn't going to get in there hard jaw far enough. If its to tight and they bolt, snapped line. Why not make sure its perfect?

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Yup, when I'm not on the water, I'm thinking about tactics, techniques, where to go, all the above, striving to become better. I can over analyze at times. Reminds me of trying to develop and dial in a golf swing (which I have yet to do - rather be fishing).

steelhead1 said:

Nobody has mentioned hook size. Too small and you often dont get a nice deep hook set,too big and you have to set harder to get good penetration.Experience and good advice will help you figure out what works best for you. When fishing gear I run Gami. oct. size 6thru2 depending on technique and water conditions.Your biggest advantage, imo, is a SHARP hook. If I feel like I didn't get a good solid hookset,I will often give a good "double set" for good penetration,however, if you only had the fish be a little tag of flesh,this may be your undoing.I will always take the risk and hit it hard. Good luck,and remember, when the going gets tough,only the P*ssies go home

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I've been using size 1 Owner SSW hooks and some size 2 (running eggs or plastic worm on them). I've contemplated giving it a second hook set because the bite is so settle and usually feels like a rock bump or snag and I'm oftern gun shy of setting the hook too hard when running bait because if it's not a fish, very likely I'll be rebaiting and burning up the bait too quickly (or ducking the incoming weight and hook). As mad as I get and telling myself f*** this, the end result is a relentless drive to succeed and get back at it until I do. My name is Alex and I'm a fishing addict.

jawjacker said:

Don't over think it or you will just wind up screwing your self. All ya got to do is go out there with a positive attitude and you will be just fine. Heck you already got one this season that's better then a few guys I know. You will get um next time I promise ya.

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Agreed, keeping the positive attitude is a must and take my licks in stride.

Sinkline said:

I wouldn't worry about it. If your hooks are sharp, then sometimes you just go through periods where ya can't keep a fish "pinned"! The next time ya go out you won't lose a fish. It just works that way sometimes???

Basic rule of fighting fish, Only gain line when the fish is turned sideways and resting, but give him his head and let him run when he turns away.

EDIT: One other thing, make sure you are using a high rod and letting the rod work. It's very easy to let the rod drop down some and lose it's effectiveness.


Randy

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I like your perspective Randy. So many things running through my head when I have a fish on and it's easy to second guess myself after the fact.

salmon_slayer87 said:

Oh and as for the line change...I wouldnt change to braid. The biggest reason i dont like it....if you break off your setup...you have braided line down in your fishing hole. That is never a good obstacle to try and miss. if anything...switch to a heavier mono mainline/leader.
just my 2 cents

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I don't disagree but I have to admit that I snag up on other people's mono 90% of the time rather than braid yet I see a ton of people fishing braid. But snagging braid does suck big time.

Wilsonriverfisher said:

Yeah you should at least buy some braided and try it out. I use braid to flip spinners and I wont go back now...

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I think may try it just to see for myself since my current line is getting low on the spool and is nearing the time to change out anyway.

I noticed less lost fish when I started fishing with a 8-17# rod vs.8-12# rod I think the rod is a little stiffer at the tip and allows fo better hook set. I had a day on the Clack where I lost 9 fish in a row and the was using owner needle point hooks. It seemed like they were not hardened enough and tip of hook would bend over. Not to say they are bad hooks but just my experience with them. I have used other owner hooks on spinners and plugs and they have worked fine. I had picked up rapala hooks by vmc at eagle bargain store in Sandy and have had very good results with these hooks in 1/0 size but I'm not sure if they still make these. And have also had good luck with size 1 gamakatsu octopus hooks.

Well, I switched out my line and decided to try Berkley's Fire Line Fused (20lb). Went and hit the water with Steelhead Slayer and his buddy on Sunday. Fishing was really slow, nothing for me (although SS got one and his buddy lost one after I left). Met up with the guys this afternoon and I had a fish on (I gave it a couple extra good hook sets). Water was clear so I did get a good look at the fish. Probably a good 8lbr. Anyway, fought it for a bit and it decided to go airborne. On the second launch, it spit the hook. I've come to the conclusion that this is what steelheading is all about. After losing fish #4 in a row, I wasn't too upset. I figure that I'll get my fish eventually. Just enjoying the ride for now.

I do like the Fire Line so far, casts really nice and has good sensitivity. Picked up some Gamakatsu hooks to see if I like them any better than owner. That is my next step in tuning my setup.

BTW, the fish took corkie and yarn (Steelhead Stalker yarn). Used pink colors and I had a little sand shrimp gel.

Hooking steelhead is in itself an acomplishment,you are well on your way. It is natural to be frustrated losing fish after fish,but any steel fisherman that claims it has never happened to them,doesn't catch a lot of fish anyway,or is lying to you....When I have one of those trying stretches and lose more than a few in a row,I go heavy (er) on the gear and put the hurt to that next fish,drag him up before he even knows whats going on....

steelhead1 said:

When I have one of those trying stretches and lose more than a few in a row,I go heavy (er) on the gear and put the hurt to that next fish,drag him up before he even knows whats going on....

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Funny you mention that. I was thinking about tying up some leaders using the Gama hooks and going with 15lb leader instead of 10lb. I use Izorline for leader and in my experience, find it to have low visibility so I think I might get away with 15lb. I'll probably give it a go. All bets are off now!

alm21 said:

Funny you mention that. I was thinking about tying up some leaders using the Gama hooks and going with 15lb leader instead of 10lb. I use Izorline for leader and in my experience, find it to have low visibility so I think I might get away with 15lb. I'll probably give it a go. All bets are off now!

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I limited out last summer on steels...I hooked 10 or so...but my point is that i was using 15lb main and 15lb leader...those fish didn't have a chance...but like a said earlier in this thread...if you break off in your fishing hole...you'll have one more obsticle to miss. good luck buddy.

One of the best steelhead fishermen I know of was on a 12 fish losing streak just last week, and out of the roughly 65-75 fish his group has hooked in the last 2 weeks they have landed mabe 30.. and these are every day professional steelhead fishermen in the top 20% of the field- Me, I land every single fish I hook on days I don't take a camera, 1 out of 3 or 4on days That the camera is there.. moral of the story even pro's sometimes suck and never take a camera-

salmon_slayer87 said:

I limited out last summer on steels...I hooked 10 or so...but my point is that i was using 15lb main and 15lb leader...those fish didn't have a chance...but like a said earlier in this thread...if you break off in your fishing hole...you'll have one more obsticle to miss. good luck buddy.

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Well I tied up some leaders using 12lb leader but I'm going to shelve them until we get a bit more water.

halibuthitman said:

One of the best steelhead fishermen I know of was on a 12 fish losing streak just last week, and out of the roughly 65-75 fish his group has hooked in the last 2 weeks they have landed mabe 30.. and these are every day professional steelhead fishermen in the top 20% of the field- Me, I land every single fish I hook on days I don't take a camera, 1 out of 3 or 4on days That the camera is there.. moral of the story even pro's sometimes suck and never take a camera-

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12 in a row! God, please don't let that happen to me! ray: That probably makes me proportionately on track since I've caught 1 and lost 4 in a row so far.

you dont need braid for steelhead unless you are bobber and jig fishing, but even then you really only need it if you are casting a long distance to keep the belly out of your line in oreder to get a decent hook set, where with mono its almost impossible.

salmon_slayer87 said:

Yea. it is a super strong alternative to mono...but i havent had much success with braid. I swear you have to fish just a little bit different...i think its because i lose sensitivity in the line. I might be over thinking it tho. haha.
later guys,
Dale

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on top of that i hardly ever use any heavier than 8lb mono for steelhead of all seasons. if i need heavier i never go over 10 lb, you need to keep in mind with clear water like in most places i fish steelies are really line shy.

thanks for mentioning me in your post cousin, its so nice of you to talk so highly of me! but remember i been out of the steelie game for a few years now, so when i get back you may jusy whoop my ass!!!