Trout Magnet Hook Up Problems
I have been using the trout magnets casting for bluegills and I am getting lots of hits, but have been having trouble hooking up. Is this common? Are there any tips to increase the catch rate?
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What color head are you using? Is it the gold, black, or chart. one? Sometimes the gold one does not get as good of hook set due to the process that makes it gold. I prefer the black one. I have never had a hookup problem to speak of. There are some days that the fish are not as aggressive and it seems as if they "short" strike it. When Alpha sees this post he can add more insight as he is the go to guy on TM and bluegill.
Roy |
I think they are chrome or silver colored. It could be short strikes. I am casting and reeling. Not using floats. Mostly casting to shallow rocky areas and kind of letting it fall to me a little and then reeling very slow.
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I think generally it's short strikes... One thing I do is add a little piece of crappie nibble to help with hook ups... Maybe more of a confidence thing
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I suspect it is short strikes...or very small Gills. I would try the panfish jig head...the shank is longer and I like it better when fishing for Gills.
Regards |
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Regards |
x2 on what Alpha said, those hooks are VERY brittle!!
I actually like to close mine just a tad to keep the snags down, and I have broken several, so be careful when bending them :) Having said that, I don't think closing the hook has hurt my hookups, I just try to let them take it and I don't really set the hook, I just slowly move it to the side as I feel the hit. I miss a few doing this, but not too many when I'm in decent sized fish. This is panfish and bass, not trout. |
I cut the first two section off of T M body to shorten it up and they get more hook then.
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Regards |
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Ahh haaaa... The master gives us a one of his secrets. I will give that a try, I have started drifting the TM below the float for trout lately after twitching for years and am slowly converting over. Thanks for the tip Ed. Andy |
i had an alpha moment the other day, caught about 40 gills in an hour or two, the small fish would nip and tug and sometimes get hooked the big bull gills would pull that cork outa site in a heartbeat!!!!!
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I wasn't implying that the hooks aren't good, I hope I didn't come off that way. They just tend to break when you bend them, but that's my fault :) |
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I tend to catch most of all my fish in the top of the mouth with the trout magnets and crappie magnets. I have broke a few hooks tugging on them while trying to get them out of the mouth of a fish but I have also caught multiple fish over 5 pounds on them also. Lost a nice largemouth today on a trout magnet, should have set the hook harder :)
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One other thing I do since the T M jig catches most fish in upper lip where there is a bone it goes through,is that I get barbless black jigs from T M and on the chartreuse I remove the barb. That way the jig just slides right out and I am back to trying for another trout.
Plus the trout will thank you.;) |
I just mash the barb on mine. I think it helps a lot on the release and I don't lose a lot of fish because of it, you just need to keep the tension on them.
It's easier on the fish and you get your bait back out there faster b/w fish, win win :) |
I really like my barbless TM hooks. Except after the fourth or fifth fish that jumps or shakes it then I don't. I just wanna hold you fish! LoL
Does make release and next catch faster in a flurry of activity though. |
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