Baits and Presentation

[DanCcooke]

Hi,

I am getting tired of blanking, My casting is better than it was. I fish in areas that i know people are catching fish in. I am using baits that others are catching with. I am using rigs that have had sucess with others. I leads me to believe either i am the Prince of Darkness or my hooking of the bait is pants in size style and quantity.

What are the chances of people taking some pictures of thier hooks baited up so I can create a webpage of this kind of information for others to use also. unless this is a big secret and thats why i can't find any.

Let me know

Dan

[lewis888]

Hi,

I am getting tired of blanking, My casting is better than it was. I fish in areas that i know people are catching fish in. I am using baits that others are catching with. I am using rigs that have had sucess with others. I leads me to believe either i am the Prince of Darkness or my hooking of the bait is pants in size style and quantity.

What are the chances of people taking some pictures of thier hooks baited up so I can create a webpage of this kind of information for others to use also. unless this is a big secret and thats why i can't find any.

Let me know

Dan

No big secret mate, everyone will have their own ways of presenting different baits. Just make sure the hook point is well exposed. As for pics, I'll gladly get a few pictures the next time I'm out, unfortunately it will be at least the 17th or 18th of March before I'm out again due to exams

[Pelamid]

First - your catch ratio of 0 fish to 3 trips is not so unusual. Most areas seem to have had a poor season so persevere.
If I have a lengthy period when I do not even get bites then I have to wonder about where I am fishing and what fish there might actually be there.
But if I have missed bites then the usual fault is the hook point covered in bait or too big a hook for the fish available.
An easy way of covering both those problems is to use a fixed pennel hook rig - but with slightly smaller hooks than I would normally use. In my case perhaps 1/0.
This way you can fish a biggish bait that will give a chance of hooking whiting/dabs etc and still present an offering that will interest a big cod or bass.

With a single hook keep the hook point clear using bait elastic or with tough baits a couple of half hitches in the trace to keep the bait stretched above hook.

Other usual tip is to use a cocktail bait with something tough on the bend of the hook - usually a small squid leg works. Something white there also offers a 'striking point' for small fish.

So many 'power' casters end up with shredded bait - they just don't know it.
Seen plenty of '200yd' casters fishless. Fun watching them though.

[dabcatcher]

first thing i,d need to know is.... are you actually getting bites and missing them?

if you are, then its obviously your bait presentation or rig thats at fault.

if your not even getting bites then theres a good chance the fish wern,t even there.

i obviously dont know what hooks, rigs or bait your using but these need to be matched to the species that are there.

dont use hooks that are too big for the fish your targeting. in theory a big fish will take a small hook but its a lot harder for a small fish to take a big hook.

i know it does happen but it wont increase your catch rate.

only fill the hook and dont put a bait on thats too big for the hook and masking the point. try to keep your baits once on the hook tidy with very little hanging off.

if your using worms for dabs and whiting and they are not hooked properly with loops or tails hanging. the fish will use these to suck and pull the worm from the hook without getting hooked.

if your tipping the hook. remember its a tip bait, not to be bigger than the main bait and should not mask the point.

[DanCcooke]

Cheer peeps this is the sort of information i was looking for. The 3 and 0 is for this year alone must have blanked almost consistently for about 5 months now. Other than a couple of small Makeral spinning last summer. Not actually had many bites but the weather has made bite detection almost impossible at times.
Will try again tomorrow assuming the weather isn't too bad and i get a few hours sleep when I first get at about 0630hrs.
I'm not about to give up just any tips will help, when i get my first fish of the season i will be a happy man.

[hibbdogg]

As dabcatcher says mate thats real good advice if im out and strugleing to catch i scale right down size 1 hooks i also find if using lug worm hook it from the rear (tail first)it seems to cause less mess and has better presentation for me