How Do You Prevent Jumping Bass?

[aaronis]

Hi all, long time no see, hope everyone is swell. 

How do you deal with jumping bass?  Specifically as it relates to top water.  For me I try to keep line tight and rod tip down but sometimes it is very difficult to prevent a bass jump.  While I love the sight of it, I would say they spit the hook about 50% of the time. 

I'm curious what suggestions do y'all have to prevent bass jumping?

Thanks.

[WTodd]

Short answer is you really can't completely BUT sticking your rod tip in the water as low as you can can minimize it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Capt. BassinLou]

Short answer is you really can't completely BUT sticking your rod tip in the water as low as you can can minimize it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pretty much what Walt just said. Stick your rod as far down into the water.

[DocIrv]

Just enjoy the acrobatic show while it lasts and if you are fortunate you will get to land that fish. Tip down is what I was told.

[aaronis]

That's what I thought.  Sounds like there's not much else you can do.

[analfisherman]

TIP DOWN can help......except if your shorebusting or fishing heavy pads an/or vegetation and keeping the Bass on TOP of it all is desired.............

so someone one tell me what and how they deal with this.

Just lost one two days ago....it was BIG because I saw IT.
It jumped four times and it was a LM....they jump too. 

Out of 'instinct' I stuck the rod tip dowm in water (shore wasn't flat) and the thing quit JUMPING......CAUSE IT BURIED ITSELF SO DEEP IN WEEDS, it couldn't! 

So I've learned to keep line TIGHT as you can and keep CONSTANT pressure applied.
The Bass often will 'swim itself through the clumps and the bring it to the top 'IF POSSIBLE' and often you can drag the weeds and Bass back to shore....the weeds weigh it down and prevents the jumping to stop.

DOWNFALL.......often the Bass can get enough leverage or slack between weeds and lure and allowing it to spit hook.

This happened this time and the worst part is......ther is so much 'weed weight' you don't know it spit till you weed through the WEEDS that invaribally come back to you.

So ideas about this, welcome......actually WANTED! 

[zippyduck]

Switch out the hooks. I like triple grips for all my hard baits. Other than that is to use the right rod. I really like the new graphite/glass rods for treble hook baits

[Pferox]

Sorry Anal, you already know what to do so this is just a repeat.

I don't remember catching many jumping bass, but have caught a bunch of jumping saltwater fish, I would assume the mechanics are the same.

I always kept the pressure on .... keeping a bow in the rod is always helpful, it will act as a shock absorber keeping the line tight when there is any difference in movement.  It also helps you feel what the fish is doing, most of the time.

I can usually feel when a fish is making a run to the top and have made it an instinctive thing to drop the rod tip and reel like heck when the fish makes its jump.  Fish are going to unbutton, it is a fact of life, as long as you tried, you can go back and try again.

[cport]

I haven't crank fished that much, so I don't have a lot of experience with bass throwing a treble. Most of my hook tosses have come on spinnerbaits. I guess they use the hairpin for leverage. All the other hook throws I can attribute to a poor hookset. I have never lost a fish by hook-throw that I thought was hooked well (with the exception of the spinnerbaits), and I judge this by how solid the hookset feels the moment I do it.

[SteveTX]

I'm pitching most of the time so unless its 4lbs or more it only jumps once, usually the hook set, and lands in the boat in some cases. 

In pads I don't even like casting very long distances if they are very thick at all. At long distances getting a decent fish up on top is very hard and most likely wont get you anything but frustrated. One that jumps is almost a blessing.

Same when fishing heavy vegetation you almost have to pull the fish up immediately or they will bury their head. Sometimes you get it and sometimes ya don't.

Cranks present a different issue as you are casting extremely long casts most of the time in mostly open water. Not a great thing when they want to jump and you have 30+ yards of line between you and the fish. In the end as has been said, hold tip down and keep line tight.

[analfisherman]

cport, Wiz, Zip, THANKS.

I am a hook funatic, between switching out and sharpening after every outting, I'm pretty confident on the hooks.
I even have some 'rotating Trebs.' on some cranks. 

If the original hooks are not sticky from out of the box, I even trade them out before they see water.
(something about dull hooks on new baits that just seems to knock my confidence down on re-sharpening them....ANAL thing I guess?)

Now, I don't have any graphit/Glass rods because I never liked STRAIGHT glass.....so it just really hasn't ever crossed the 'Monkey's' hit list at my house.

I really don't loose many and many are DEFINITLY ANGLER ERROR!!!!!!!
I'm not a crank and get them fast to the boat type (since stopping Tournament fishing) and I DEFINITLY can and DO at times play the fish longer than your average angler.
I got A LOT of money invested in my rods and many many customs in the group.......and I LOVE TO FEEL THE BATTLE AND THE RUNS......now I also am a 'LONG CASTER' to the FAULT.

If my target is close, when shorebusting I will move farther away........simple again, I LOVE the fight and the longer the battle the HAPPIER the angler. (well the dumba$$ angler in this scenario)

But in VEG. I do REEL IN FAST to keep the fish on top.....and trust me I frog wading often and long casting and bringing the fish back to you when your already at water level......means bring back a 3lb. fish with 10lbs. of grass/veg.
I even have spinning gear that brings in 37+ IPT.
And in Veg. I REEL FAST.
Open water cranking, maybe I would be more open to Glass/Graphite but not at that point 'YET'. 
WI., RARELY are you fishing waters that have zero veg./grass at some point of retrieve.....ya we got some deep lakes but those are the WALLEYE GURU'sS territory and they are 'TROLLING FUNATICS'.....so you got boaters going by you pretty often with 6+ rods trolling with Planner Boards as far as ten-fifteen feet from each side of boat AND a couple of straight lines from the rear going back as far as 40-50'.

AGAIN, thanks for the ideas Pro Staff!

[LgMouthGambler]

I usually just yell "GET BACK IN THE WATER!!!" , and they just go back in.

[coldfront]

I usually just yell "GET BACK IN THE WATER!!!" , and they just go back in.

here I was thining:  if I don't hook them, they don't jump.

[SFL BassHunter]

Switch out the hooks. I like triple grips for all my hard baits. Other than that is to use the right rod. I really like the new graphite/glass rods for treble hook baits

^^^^^

KVD Triple Grip hooks are the deal. Making a hook change can make a huge difference. There are certain lures I won't touch the hooks because they come with excellent ones. Certain lures I always replace them before the lure touches water. Spooks for example. I've lost fish on them, and I've bent hooks on the stock hooks. Now I replace them no matter what with KVD Triple Grips.

Keep the rod tip low, even when bank fishing, keep it as low as possible.

My other technique is similar to LMG's except I yell before they jump. "Don't do it, DON'T YOU DARE DO IT!" Works most of the time.

[Hoop Goobner]

My rod tip is always pointing the opposite way of the way the bass is pulling.  If it's trying to surface, my rod counters that by having the tip below the surface.  If the fish is diving for weeds, my rod is up, if it's going right I'm going left, etc. 

[cport]

My rod tip is always pointing the opposite way of the way the bass is pulling.  If it's trying to surface, my rod counters that by having the tip below the surface.  If the fish is diving for weeds, my rod is up, if it's going right I'm going left, etc. 

Good point, I always end up making quite a few rod direction changes during a fight.

[coldfront]

Good point, I always end up making quite a few rod direction changes during a fight.

and don't forget to run around the boat a few times!   

[cport]

and don't forget to run around the boat a few times!   

Not so much a boat, but up and down the bank I did do a face plant into a tree while running to get a better angle on a fish  PS I did catch the fish, and a bloody lip

[SFL BassHunter]

Not so much a boat, but up and down the bank I did do a face plant into a tree while running to get a better angle on a fish  PS I did catch the fish, and a bloody lip

Well, well, well, who's the expert tree catcher now? Hmmmmmm??? lol 
At least I only catch trees with my lures, not my face.   

[cport]

Well, well, well, who's the expert tree catcher now? Hmmmmmm??? lol 
At least I only catch trees with my lures, not my face.   

The difference is, I learned from my mistake, never happened since...whats yer excuse

[SFL BassHunter]

The difference is, I learned from my mistake, never happened since...whats yer excuse

Good point. 

[SteveTX]

That does make me laugh when I watch some of the over the top stuff some do when they get a fish on their line. Its like how much extra crap can you do besides putting the fish in the boat. Its like well the fish must be at the perfect rod angle, to the angle of the boat, in relation to the angle of the sun, and seemingly 10 other facets must all be aligned properly before just getting the fish.

Its even more irritating watching one crank the hell of one to the boat then make the last 2ft into a 10 minute ordeal. I get it if you see its a barely hooked fish but every time the camera goes on ain't a barely hooked fish.   

PS Guys watch out for them trees. They seem to like you two. 

[Oldfart9999]

I usually just yell "GET BACK IN THE WATER!!!" , and they just go back in.

The fish whisperer!!!
Keep a tight line and hope it's not a smallie, them suckers can breakout of a supermax!!!
Rodney

[analfisherman]

I usually just yell "GET BACK IN THE WATER!!!" , and they just go back in.

here I was thining:  if I don't hook them, they don't jump.

Well, well Prostaff..........I NOW HAVE TO RETHINK EVERYTHING!!!! 

Really good stuff my friends BUT.......the two that seem easiest to ''adopt' to my style of fishing......IS DEFINITLY ONE OF THE ABOVE TWO!

But I'm struggling which one to try first....??

So the safest bet is to simply start YELLING when the lure hits water.............."DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT STRIKING THAT LURE!!!!!!!!" 

I think I can do this.....ya right, next you'll be saying you'll learn to tie your own shoes......"HEY, IF I TOLD YOU ONCE I"VE TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES"......"keep your thoughts silent when I'm communicating with actual people!".......ya, like that will happen....I'm the only one that really understands you when you talk....."SHUT UP or I promise I'm going to start doubling the MEDS. again.....and you know how you hate that!" 

MED TIME...

[zippyduck]