Big bass that jump

[Mirdar]

So I'm loving this year's fall bite. Was out all day got 70ish bass 3-4 3 lbers and non stop action all day all depths. Now I lost 2 big fish guessing a 4 and a 5lber. Both due to a jump and headshake dislodging lure.. so disheartening lol . I did awesome today but wish I landed the "potential" 5 as I hadn't got one this year. What is the ideal technique to stop the jump. I ussualy go rod tip low and to side but didn't work today. I never had anyone teach me bass fishing I've learnt everything from YouTube and trial and error but that dam jump kills me

[jay_7680]

Hi sounds like you did things right . sometimes theres not much you can do to stop them. This year I found that I had my drag set to tight and was straightening my fitness hooks slowly. Good to hear you had a good fishing trip.

[Mirdar]

Yea was using finesse had 8lb Floro leader so was low drag she pulled alot of drag . I ussualy have drag set that a 3+ will pull line and the big one was tearing the drag up. But yea 2nd jump got me lol. My heart was pounding lol love it.

[nbender81]

Sounds like fun. I don't have great luck in the fall, but am trying some new things and that includes spybaiting. I was having the same problem, instant the fish breaks water, it's gone. Was happening on over 50% of my hookups. I lost nothing big, but it was concerning to me, since if I get something decent on....

It's funny too, I love using the PopMax and it has only slightly larger trebles than the Realis 80 spybait and I have no issues with lost fish on the jump. Hooked into a nice 4lb SMB yesterday with it and he was just hanging on by one hook of the rear treble!

[Seguin Fisher]

One thing you could maybe try if your using finesse applications, is perhaps a slightly softer action rod. I have a 7’6” medium/light rod that I use for drop shot mainly, and I hardly ever lose bass that jump compared to when I was using a slightly stiffer 7’ rod. You don’t need much pressure to sink those tiny hooks in, and a softer tip, for me at least, keeps some tension on the fish so it can’t work the hook loose when it jumps. I’ve caught easily 500 smallmouth this year on it, many over 4lbs, and probably haven’t had 1/2 dozen jump off.

[TheBassfish3r]

One big mistake people make when a fish jumps is just putting there rod tip low to the water and watching it jump. If you watch any of the pros when bass fishing, you will, most of the time, see the bass head get pulled towards them as they jump. not only do they lower there rod tip, but they also keep tension and pull as they jump to keep the tension at all times. Without tension, it will cause (most times) a lost fish. Hopefully this helps when you get a chance at another good fish. I've lost a lot of good fish for this exact reason. I learned it most of all when I was drop shotting for smallmouth and also while fishing glidebaits for largemouth. If you don't keep the tension, the weight will help them toss the bait.

This post has been edited by TheBassfish3r on Sep 27, 2020 - 10:24 am

[Goshawk]

There's not much more that you can do to keep bass from dislodging a hook during a jump. Except for really cold water, smallmouth jump much more frequently than largemouth, except in really shallow water. When the hook is set on a smallie, their immediate response is to head for the surface. All you can do, as stated, is keep as much tension on them as you can.
I've lost some really good smallies on a jump. After the initial disappointment, I think about what just happened and 9 times out of 10 it was a lack of tension that definitely helped the fish escape.
The only other thing that comes to mind is to make sure your hooks are extremely sharp. Bouncing hooks off of wood and rocks will dull the points like crazy. They are really sharp coming out of the box, but after use (and hook-ups) they will lose some of that sharpness. Take the time to touch them up with a file occasionally.

[crappeeeman]

So not too many people may agree with me, but this works for me. My drag is always more towards the loose side when a fish jumps I pull back a bit. I can hear my drag so there is still tension on the line. I hold my rod up when the fish is in the air, when he splashes down I pull until I hear my drag again with my rod down. Then my rod goes back up and continue until the fish makes its next move. If you only lost a couple out of all those fish you caught, what ever you are doing is working. Good job. Also I think it is great when small mouth and monster crappie jump. I fish in the dark mostly adds to the challenge.

[sabby]

The heavier the lure the more likely a fish can throw it.