SNAP SETTING THE HOOK ON A SLACK LINE

[Phil]

I was watching a old Woo Daves DVD the other day and he was talking that you should snap set the hook on a slack line, just like pulling someone out of the hole in his truck or car. Leave slack and snap set the hook or pull cable/chain...............Well, I have tried this in my past days and for : one........broke a chain, broke a axle, and have broke the line on a fish hook set....so consequently, I for one, tighten up first.....Does anyone have any pro or cons to doing this type of hook set ??

Jigs

[brambo0311]

Try that with braid. You will only do it once. It will snap everytime.

[Ringer]

I did it in the old days until I figured out it will break any line you have with a decent fish on the other end. Braid pops like a zit and so does flouro.

[Dewayne]

I will do it when flipping in heavy cover with 50-65# braid or with a frog. You have to go down one rod stiffness from what you would normally use. For most techniques I opt for a pressure then load hook set.

[Terry Smith]

You shouldn't have any problems with Mono. Try different knots and different pound test with the Florocarbon . Braid well go to the heaviest your comfy with and JERK the fish inside out

Good luck

[brambo0311]

I hate to admit this in here but I trout and mackinaw fish allot. I run 150# power pro braid on my downriggers. If there is so much as a inch of slack when you put the 2lb weight on the downrigger in the water, it will snap everytime. And there goes your weight to the bottom. In my experience braid does not absorb shock at all, and if a bass has rubbed a little nick with his teeth in the line and you snap set, it will snap off before you even feel if it was a good fish or not. If you top shot your braid with mono, I think it helps but will break with a snap set. Putting impact on anything like you stated is hard on your line, hooks and everything. One of the ways I fish a jig there is a slight bow in my line and I watch for it to jump. Then I lift for weight and pop it. But it isnt really a snap on slack line, and I use flouro for jig fishing so it absorbs better.

[Hipster]

Sorry Folks Slam them HARD Always !!!!

I use P-Line Flouroclear and P-line Floro and rip the freaking lips on every bite.

Most folks that fish with me cannot believe the hookset on 6 lb P-Line and a darterhead!!!! But I am gonna stick that Fish!!

[BassManDan]

Stick'em fast, stick'em hard....stick'em a few times!!

Line shouldn't snap on the hookset, period!
Meaning, you equipment should be matched and adjusted for real life fishing. For me, I see the rod as the primary functionary for setting the hook, you should be able to put as strongly as you can without fear of line break. Think about it, most of us use little fairy wand spinning rods for dartheads, dropshot etc, and those light rods facilitate the sure hooksets due to the quick tip action, but also serve as a shock abosorber for the light hooks and line. Same idea with the crankbaits, a slow rod absorbs the shock.
There is never a time where you need all 65 lbs of that braid to make the hook go thru the mouth of a bass. Really, do you need to move that fish 4 feet closer on the hookset?! I don't know what PSI it takes to penetrate fishy flesh, but when all that pressure is against a teeny weeny, super, mega sharp hookpoint, its gonna stick the fish. Thats why we can put the hook point from in the deep roof of the fish's mouth and bring the point out between the eyes!

Anyway back to the original question. If you are exerting enough force to snap your line, then either you need a slower action rod or loosen your drag a little. I know it is general belief that you don't wanna hear the drag slip while your setting the hook, and its just plain cool to smack it to a fish and let him know who's boss! but you should not be worrying about you line snapping when ya do it.

And just for example, Larry Nixon and his "whoop-snap" hooksets. Setting on slack line, and then more of a pressure set once he reeled back down...it looked pretty crazy, but it seemed to work!

Anyway, just my 2,
BassManDan

[Johnny C]

Setting a hook on slack line is a bad idea. I fisehd a draw in the Delta years ago and my draw kept breaking off on the set, He was going crazy saying how bad his line was. I started watching him and he was setting with slack. After I explained to him to reel down on them the problem was gone.

[Tobe]

I think it's a great idea to snap set on slack line and encourage all other tournament anglers to do it.

[Tobe]

I think it's a great idea to snap set on slack line and encourage all other tournament anglers to do it.