# "Hit and spit"???



## joecc (Jan 31, 2007)

I have 20 years experience fishing for steel. I've tried some plugging recently. Have had pretty good success on Huron....but I've lost more fish than I'm comfortable with. 

Veteran pluggers...why am I losing fish? I have good quality and sharpened hooks. Is it plug size? I've read the the biggest mistake pluggers make is setting the hook too soon? single hooks? Any thoughts...?? 


Maybe just some bad luck?


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## MDNRFD (Nov 18, 2008)

It's just bad luck, when your throwing plugs you really don't have to set the hook per say. The fish hitting the plug and your initial reaction to start reeling and adjusting your drag properly along with the initial strike by the fish generally set the hook. 

There are a ton of variables as to why they come off but I think bad luck just plays a huge factor in this. What you can try is maybe throwing some stingers on the plug instead of trebles but I myself find that the trebles do the job. Almost every fish I catch on a plug there are atleast 2 hooks of the treble lodged in the mouth of the fish. 

There is also the argument that the fish did not hit your plug as to eat it but out of the fact that it crossed paths with it and struck out of aggresion. 

Normally the fish I land on plugs has 2 outcomes when I get it to shore, either they nailed the plug and the sucker is lodged deep in its mouth or a simple twist of the plug is all it takes and if the fish decided to turn over in the water is maybe all that it would have taken to throw the plug. 

Just keep doing what your doing it happens to the best of us.


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## josh617 (Dec 6, 2004)

hey, u may want to swap the stock hooks out for some premium trebles, like gamakatsu, owner stingers or mustad ultra-points.


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## MDNRFD (Nov 18, 2008)

I've tried this before and have found no real benefit, it may help if your fish comes within your first 20 casts but all hooks get dull and it is essential to check your gear after a day of fishing. I'm not gonna say josh is wrong because he is right so to speak but now that I do not practice this I do see no less fish then with the standard hooks as long as I am on top of bent hooks. 

Now the one thing I have not tried is off set trebles.


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## Downriver Steel (Sep 15, 2005)

You may want to also look at the line that you are using. A very high stretch line can cause you problems too. With a stiffer line they will pretty much hook themselves. A softer line forces you to set the hook and essentially bury it in there. If you dont the hook wont set very deep.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

joecc said:


> I have 20 years experience fishing for steel. I've tried some plugging recently. Have had pretty good success on Huron....but I've lost more fish than I'm comfortable with.
> 
> Veteran pluggers...why am I losing fish? I have good quality and sharpened hooks. Is it plug size? I've read the the biggest mistake pluggers make is setting the hook too soon? single hooks? Any thoughts...??
> 
> ...


 Just bad luck.After i hook into one myself.I lay into it big time to make sure the hook is set well.But last yr i had a steel with a whole J-9 in its mouth.I fought it for 10 mins.It was air born at least 4 times 5 feet from my boat.I seen the whole lure in it mouth.I thought to myself this fish is owened.20 or 30 sec later it came out.I could not belive it.Its how it goes i guess.And i have lost fish by them breaking my trebles.Clean breaks.But over all after catching one knowing it on. Give it a good crack to set the hook.But be ready.Alot of the times they dont like that much :lol:.Make sure your drag is set for a run,Mich


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## joecc (Jan 31, 2007)

"You may want to also look at the line that you are using. A very high stretch line can cause you problems too. With a stiffer line they will pretty much hook themselves. A softer line forces you to set the hook and essentially bury it in there. If you dont the hook wont set very deep"

Interesting point. Thanks for the input guys.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

I doubt it's a "lure/hook" issue. More than likely you're into small fish.


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## Clinch (Nov 30, 2008)

Small fish, good point. I have hooked and lost alot of small 2-4lbers. More than I have been used to. I will say putting a single hook on the back of your plug is supposed to get you a better, deeper hookset. I havent tried it but I could see why there might be an advantage to it.


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## Steelplugger (Mar 8, 2006)

I run single trebles off of my willys worms and just switched last year to single Gamakatsu hooks on all of my wiggle warts... it seems to work, I can only remember 1 fish getting off a wiggle wart since I switched... and I never seem to get hit n spits on that setup, just solid hookups... Shoeman is right though, there seems to be many smaller fish in the river this year...


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## Clinch (Nov 30, 2008)

One good thing is, small fish turn into big fish. Hopefully next year these 2-3lbers will be 5-6lbers. And my guess is that alot of them are going to have little scars around their gums from all the hit n spits.


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## Stryker (Sep 30, 2008)

Steelplugger said:


> I run single trebles off of my willys worms and just switched last year to single Gamakatsu hooks on all of my wiggle warts...


What size - 1/0?


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## MDNRFD (Nov 18, 2008)

lol,

So many possibilities could be causing this, The number is to big to count. Look guys it happens, it happens with bass, bluegills what ever you are fishing for it happens. 

The best thing to do is just keep doing what your doing. Sometimes I always (Especially bass fishin) ask myself, "Geez, maybe I'm throwing something to big?" But the fact is that fish are not gonna change in a week what they decide to eat. If they hit Hot N Tots one week their not gonna say no to them next. It's all about the circumstance which makes the mighty steel one of the most sought after fish because it maybe awhile before you catch one but when you do ,you almost go home with a sensation of good sex just occured. 

My main point is don't read into this issue to deep. There are obvious factors like don;t have size 4 trebles on your plug. 

One thing I have not tried but I am very interested in , is online you can supposedly get Offset treble hooks , personaly when it comes to steel I think this might solve that problem we have.


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## stew105 (Oct 5, 2006)

From my experience I tend to believe that the smaller fish come into the system earlier then many of the larger fish. This is not to say that you won't get large fish early. I think that the larger fish wait for the colder conditions to settle in before they move in...This is my thought anyways. Most of the larger fish I hook aren't until mid-late Nov through the rest of the season...just my 2 cents.

Stew


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

stew105 said:


> From my experience I tend to believe that the smaller fish come into the system earlier then many of the larger fish. This is not to say that you won't get large fish early. I think that the larger fish wait for the colder conditions to settle in before they move in...This is my thought anyways. Most of the larger fish I hook aren't until mid-late Nov through the rest of the season...just my 2 cents.
> 
> Stew


How dam cold do they want it ?,Mich


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## MDNRFD (Nov 18, 2008)

I think alot of it has to do with water level. When we had that all day rain a month ago on Saturday the level of the river came up atleast 12 inches if not more. Well we had the biggest push of fish come up big and small. I saw some big steelies taken 9+ lbs and got one myself. Even in between the big ones were small ones. Now that we have had no river affecting precip for awhile (Actually since then) I've noticed the trickle down effect. 

Catch a nice one, Catch an alright one, Catch a small one , Catch a dink. 

We need some substantial water. The river is cold enough as it is lol


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

MDNRFD said:


> I think alot of it has to do with water level. When we had that all day rain a month ago on Saturday the level of the river came up atleast 12 inches if not more. Well we had the biggest push of fish come up big and small. I saw some big steelies taken 9+ lbs and got one myself. Even in between the big ones were small ones. Now that we have had no river affecting precip for awhile (Actually since then) I've noticed the trickle down effect.
> 
> Catch a nice one, Catch an alright one, Catch a small one , Catch a dink.
> 
> We need some substantial water. The river is cold enough as it is lol


 Yep,Water droped last night too.Not much but an inch or 2.I was hopeing for that snow to hit us.Mich


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

Last weekend I floated the same section of river both days. A certain bush pretty much gives up a steelhead every trip. First day ran the plug under the bush,, rod down but no fish. Second day ran the plug under the bush, rod down, no fish. Checked the plug, ran it under the bush again, rod down, no fish. Getting a little tick off now and thinking little fish, ran it under that stupid bush again. Rod down and finally after three weenie hits, an eleven pound buck was netted, largest fish of three days fishing. Keep doing what you are doing, Somedays the fish just don't want to commit as hard as another day. Comes with plug fishing.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

With the forecasted cold we're more than likely stuck with the few fish that are left in the system. You need water to bring new fish, especially in rivers with a shallow mouth. Once it ices up, that's it until a major thaw/rain event

Snow won't cut it, it's not enough until it thaws and even then much of it ends up in the ground. With a 10-1 moisture ratio it would take 3' of it...lol No thanks :lol:

Time to hit the Joe for anything consistant

Hi Kirk!


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

Shoeman said:


> With the forecasted cold we're more than likely stuck with the few fish that are left in the system. You need water to bring new fish, especially in rivers with a shallow mouth. Once it ices up, that's it until a major thaw/rain event
> 
> Snow won't cut it, it's not enough until it thaws and even then much of it ends up in the ground. With a 10-1 moisture ratio it would take 3' of it...lol No thanks :lol:
> 
> ...


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