Tap! Tap! Ugh!

There have been a few times when working a bait very very slowly across the
bottom I have gotten a very quick tap tap. Then nothing. I was using a
heavy fast rod in most of these cases. Usually with braid or flourocarbon.
Sensitivity is definitely not the issue. I am sure a fish picked up the
bait and then immediately spit it out. Those were the two taps I felt.
Basically in the same breath. What do you do? Leave it sit dead stick and
hope they will pick it up again? Keep moving the bait very very slowly?
Reel it in and cast back trying to cross the exact same spot again? Try a
different bait in the same place?

I know the ideal thing to have done was be more aware and hook the fish on
the first tap, but my reflexes just don't seem to be up to it. A couple
days those have been the only bites I have gotten. I'ld sure like to figure
out how to optimize my hook ups on fish that hit like that. When those are
the only bites I am getting the tend to be few and far between so it really
hurts to miss one.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

Could those taps be from small fish? Bluegills,very small bass and the
sort? I have had those bites as well and in most cases I've found it
to be small fish. Just my 2 cents?

Heavy





Bob La Londe wrote:
There have been a few times when working a bait very very slowly
across the
bottom I have gotten a very quick tap tap. Then nothing. I was
using a
heavy fast rod in most of these cases. Usually with braid or
flourocarbon.
Sensitivity is definitely not the issue. I am sure a fish picked up
the
bait and then immediately spit it out. Those were the two taps I
felt.
Basically in the same breath. What do you do? Leave it sit dead
stick and
hope they will pick it up again? Keep moving the bait very very
slowly?
Reel it in and cast back trying to cross the exact same spot again?
Try a
different bait in the same place?

I know the ideal thing to have done was be more aware and hook the
fish on
the first tap, but my reflexes just don't seem to be up to it. A
couple
days those have been the only bites I have gotten. I'ld sure like to
figure
out how to optimize my hook ups on fish that hit like that. When
those are
the only bites I am getting the tend to be few and far between so it
really
hurts to miss one.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

Heavy wrote:
Could those taps be from small fish? Bluegills,very small bass and the
sort? I have had those bites as well and in most cases I've found it
to be small fish. Just my 2 cents?

Heavy





Bob La Londe wrote:

There have been a few times when working a bait very very slowly

across the

bottom I have gotten a very quick tap tap. Then nothing. I was

using a

heavy fast rod in most of these cases. Usually with braid or

flourocarbon.

Sensitivity is definitely not the issue. I am sure a fish picked up

the

bait and then immediately spit it out. Those were the two taps I

felt.

Basically in the same breath. What do you do? Leave it sit dead

stick and

hope they will pick it up again? Keep moving the bait very very

slowly?

Reel it in and cast back trying to cross the exact same spot again?

Try a

different bait in the same place?

I know the ideal thing to have done was be more aware and hook the

fish on

the first tap, but my reflexes just don't seem to be up to it. A

couple

days those have been the only bites I have gotten. I'ld sure like to

figure

out how to optimize my hook ups on fish that hit like that. When

those are

the only bites I am getting the tend to be few and far between so it

really

hurts to miss one.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com


Kev,

That is the same question i was going to ask. I have swung and missed
big time when I was getting short taps, but I have also gave a half ass
attempt at a hookset only to come up and have a 3 or 4 pound fish be there.
I have witnessed bass first hand sit and tap at a bait, as well as
sunfish. The taps are hard to tell apart, so when all else fails set
the hook. You really don't have another choice. You could drop a
smaller bait maybe fitting the mood of the fish, or maybe switch colors,
maybe add some scent.

Chris

I thought about smaller fish like sunfish or bluegill, but usually they will
hit a bait three or four times. Also, this was worked very slowly across
the bottom not falling.

This is the exact same feel as when a bass sucks your bait up and spits it
out of a bed. I have had the same feel when sight fishing and I could tell
what was hitting. I know its a subtle difference, but I am pretty sure it
was a bass. It had that kind of feel.



"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
.. .
Heavy wrote:
Could those taps be from small fish? Bluegills,very small bass and the
sort? I have had those bites as well and in most cases I've found it
to be small fish. Just my 2 cents?

Heavy





Bob La Londe wrote:

There have been a few times when working a bait very very slowly

across the

bottom I have gotten a very quick tap tap. Then nothing. I was

using a

heavy fast rod in most of these cases. Usually with braid or

flourocarbon.

Sensitivity is definitely not the issue. I am sure a fish picked up

the

bait and then immediately spit it out. Those were the two taps I

felt.

Basically in the same breath. What do you do? Leave it sit dead

stick and

hope they will pick it up again? Keep moving the bait very very

slowly?

Reel it in and cast back trying to cross the exact same spot again?

Try a

different bait in the same place?

I know the ideal thing to have done was be more aware and hook the

fish on

the first tap, but my reflexes just don't seem to be up to it. A

couple

days those have been the only bites I have gotten. I'ld sure like to

figure

out how to optimize my hook ups on fish that hit like that. When

those are

the only bites I am getting the tend to be few and far between so it

really

hurts to miss one.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com


Kev,

That is the same question i was going to ask. I have swung and missed
big time when I was getting short taps, but I have also gave a half ass
attempt at a hookset only to come up and have a 3 or 4 pound fish be
there.
I have witnessed bass first hand sit and tap at a bait, as well as
sunfish. The taps are hard to tell apart, so when all else fails set
the hook. You really don't have another choice. You could drop a
smaller bait maybe fitting the mood of the fish, or maybe switch colors,
maybe add some scent.

Chris

Bob La Londe wrote:
I thought about smaller fish like sunfish or bluegill, but usually they will
hit a bait three or four times. Also, this was worked very slowly across
the bottom not falling.

This is the exact same feel as when a bass sucks your bait up and spits it
out of a bed. I have had the same feel when sight fishing and I could tell
what was hitting. I know its a subtle difference, but I am pretty sure it
was a bass. It had that kind of feel.



"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
.. .

Heavy wrote:

Could those taps be from small fish? Bluegills,very small bass and the
sort? I have had those bites as well and in most cases I've found it
to be small fish. Just my 2 cents?

Heavy





Bob La Londe wrote:


There have been a few times when working a bait very very slowly

across the


bottom I have gotten a very quick tap tap. Then nothing. I was

using a


heavy fast rod in most of these cases. Usually with braid or

flourocarbon.


Sensitivity is definitely not the issue. I am sure a fish picked up

the


bait and then immediately spit it out. Those were the two taps I

felt.


Basically in the same breath. What do you do? Leave it sit dead

stick and


hope they will pick it up again? Keep moving the bait very very

slowly?


Reel it in and cast back trying to cross the exact same spot again?

Try a


different bait in the same place?

I know the ideal thing to have done was be more aware and hook the

fish on


the first tap, but my reflexes just don't seem to be up to it. A

couple


days those have been the only bites I have gotten. I'ld sure like to

figure


out how to optimize my hook ups on fish that hit like that. When

those are


the only bites I am getting the tend to be few and far between so it

really


hurts to miss one.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com


Kev,

That is the same question i was going to ask. I have swung and missed
big time when I was getting short taps, but I have also gave a half ass
attempt at a hookset only to come up and have a 3 or 4 pound fish be

there.

I have witnessed bass first hand sit and tap at a bait, as well as
sunfish. The taps are hard to tell apart, so when all else fails set
the hook. You really don't have another choice. You could drop a
smaller bait maybe fitting the mood of the fish, or maybe switch colors,
maybe add some scent.

Chris



Bob, all you can really do is then pack the bait full of some kind of
scent , just to make him hold a little longer. One thing I do for
steelhead is pack a tube with yarn or a piece of sponge and load that up
with a bait oils. It seems to release a little slower, but constant.
Or I would go to a smaller bait, and as soon as you feel it (as I am
sure you already do) hit em.

I guess that is all you can really do, maybe push the hook all the way
through the bait, maybe switch to a jig/worm combo (if cover allows an
exposed hook).

Good luck,

Chris

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
There have been a few times when working a bait very very slowly across
the
bottom I have gotten a very quick tap tap. Then nothing. I was using a
heavy fast rod in most of these cases. Usually with braid or
flourocarbon.
Sensitivity is definitely not the issue. I am sure a fish picked up the
bait and then immediately spit it out. Those were the two taps I felt.
Basically in the same breath. What do you do? Leave it sit dead stick
and
hope they will pick it up again? Keep moving the bait very very slowly?
Reel it in and cast back trying to cross the exact same spot again? Try a
different bait in the same place?

I know the ideal thing to have done was be more aware and hook the fish on
the first tap, but my reflexes just don't seem to be up to it. A couple
days those have been the only bites I have gotten. I'ld sure like to
figure
out how to optimize my hook ups on fish that hit like that. When those
are
the only bites I am getting the tend to be few and far between so it
really
hurts to miss one.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com



I clearly recall a Club T on a small local river when the bite was just like
this. If you swung on the first sensation, you had a bass 50% of the time.
If you waited...maybe 10%. I'd rather have a pressure bite...

I'd try a soft plastic bait like a 4" lizard (or perhaps tube in
chartreuse or watermelon (unweighted) & work it slowly along he bottom.
When the tap-tap occurs wait a few seconds & then twitch it a few times.
If this can't convince the reluctant biter nothing can, perhaps with the
exception of an almost dead minnow or worm. Good luck, Carl

When they get picky like that on me, I usually try a crankbait. At
least they can't spit those out.

"irbfishin" wrote in message
ups.com...
When they get picky like that on me, I usually try a crankbait. At
least they can't spit those out.


Don't bet on that. Have you ever seen the video "Bigmouth?" I believe that
it had Homer Circle (a pretty fair bass angler) as the "on-screen talent"
and was filmed/produced by Jim Lau (?).

It showed on several occasions where a big bass absolutely engulfed a
crankbait and spit it back out and Homer never felt the strike.

I've had muskies hit a crankbait armed with three razor sharp 5/0 treble
hooks so hard that they just about took the rod out of my hands. Rear back
on the rod and there's nothing there.

Don't say they CAN'T spit out a crankbait, because I'd be willing to bet
that it happens more often than you'd like to imagine.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

I'ld have to agree. At the county fair a couple years ago a pro let one of
the kids in the audience come up and cast a big ol' white crank bait in the
tank. Four or five fish hit that sucker before the kid finally hooked one.


"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"irbfishin" wrote in message
ups.com...
When they get picky like that on me, I usually try a crankbait. At
least they can't spit those out.


Don't bet on that. Have you ever seen the video "Bigmouth?" I believe
that
it had Homer Circle (a pretty fair bass angler) as the "on-screen talent"
and was filmed/produced by Jim Lau (?).

It showed on several occasions where a big bass absolutely engulfed a
crankbait and spit it back out and Homer never felt the strike.

I've had muskies hit a crankbait armed with three razor sharp 5/0 treble
hooks so hard that they just about took the rod out of my hands. Rear
back
on the rod and there's nothing there.

Don't say they CAN'T spit out a crankbait, because I'd be willing to bet
that it happens more often than you'd like to imagine.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com