Mono+Kayak+Long Cast+Single Hook Bait=?

[1984isNOW]

What are your thoughts on mono with single hook baits from a kayak? 

 

I lost a few good size bass with awkward hook sets from awkward angles on the kayak. 12# Big Game on a 7'3 MHF rod, with a spinnerbait. 

 

Idk if it was the distance and the mono, or just generally the awkward angle or maybe I didn't reel down first. 

 

I expect that 12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid will be a little more firm on the hook set, but maybe I just need to remember to reel down first? 

 

Thoughts? Tips? 

[Choporoz]

The single biggest thing I changed when using t-rig from a kayak was going almost exclusively with light wire hooks, specifically, Owner Twistlock Light

[king fisher]

 Before I cast I make sure I have my Hobie kayak pedals in reverse.  As soon as I set the hook I start to back up.  I have lost some very big bass because I either couldn't keep the line tight after hook set, or a big bass pulls me forward and is able to wrap the line on some kind of snag.  I use mono and make long casts all of the time, but I do take a second or two to prepare for a strike before making a cast. It was hard to get used to , but is second nature now.

[Functional]

I rarely use anything but regular/light wire hooks like @Choporoz. With a drag set right I'm not bending out a hook before snapping my line. Exception is using braid in some nasty thick stemmed weeds.

 

Either way you should be setting the hook properly by reeling down and a firm sweep with a bit of follow through. Dont just stop pulling once you feel your rod bend up a little, keep a good sweep going past that point.

 

Never had a problem with mono, hybrid, floro from a kayak doing all the above. 

[1984isNOW]

Thanks for the feedback yall, I'll add that I was standing both times. 

 

I think standing also made me let up on the hook set a little early so I wouldn't tip, which I definitely almost did a couple times. Wind blew me sideways and I was looking for cover/beds. 

 

@Choporoz @Functional what is your whole set up using light wire hooks?

 

Why not use braid with heavier hooks? 

[LrgmouthShad]

What is your drag set to? What do you mean by awkward hookset? Describe what happened 

[Choporoz]

Light wire penetrates farther with less force

[Bankc]

I wouldn't worry about it.  Now, I have had issues with that in the past.  Some where caused by me just not being ready to give a good hookset.  And some were due to the rod being too wimpy to get a good hookset.  But none were due to the kayak.  I once had a really wimpy M/M rod that I was trying to use for deep diving crankbaits with mono, and I had problems setting the hook with treble hooks on long casts on that setup.  I switched it out to braid, and that fixed it.  Later, I swapped out the rod to a stouter MH/M and switched back to mono, and that also fixed it. 

 

While a kayak is light and can get pulled around by a big bass, you still have an awful lot of inertia to overcome on the hookset before the kayak starts to slip in the water.  A hookset is quick and doesn't really allow enough time for the kayak to overcome it's inertia to weaken the hookset. 

 

If you're having issues, then the most likely problem is either too stretchy of line, too wimpy of a rod, or too thick or too dull of a hook.  But the role of the kayak in this should be a non-factor.  Definitely with mono, you need to really drive that hook hard to get it to overcome the stretch of the line on a long cast.  For a long time, I used braid with about a 10' mono leader for spinnerbaits for this reason, before just deciding to go with straight braid.  I could have made it work with the setup I had, but I'm pretty bad about not getting good hooksets, so I decided it was easier to stack the deck in my favor with my gear selection than focus on my technique.  Probably not the best choice, but it worked. 

[LrgmouthShad]

14 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Light wire penetrates farther with less force

They flex easier though. Not a fan, most of the time. It’s good they work for you though. I ain’t trying to change your mind

[FryDog62]

On techniques with a single hook and long casts (Carolina Rig, Swing Heads, Texas Rigs, Scat baits) I have switched to braid + leader now that I am a kayaker. You need that extra leverage when you hook one far out. You can’t take that longer step backwards many times in a kayak and lay the wood to them like you should with fluoro/mono. They'd eventually jump and spit the hook too many times. 
 

Previously, in my bass boat, those were all fluorocarbon techniques, a few times Yo-Zuri Hybrid. 

[Functional]

1 hour ago, 1984isNOW said:

@Choporoz @Functional what is your whole set up using light wire hooks?

 

Why not use braid with heavier hooks? 

I only have braid on a heavy/fast frog rod (also used for fishing in thick stemmed weeds) and a 7' mh/f swimjig rod. I do fish braid on all spinning rods with a leader though. All my other casting rods have Yo-Zuri hybrid, or mono otherwise. Most are a medium or medium heavy in Fast or extra fast with the exception of one cranking rod. I watch line diameter rather than # test and all are .011 to .015" depending on application. That will range from like 8lb to 17lb test pending brand. 

 

I dont like connecting knots if I can avoid it and I feel hybrid/floro/mono get me better sensitivity at slack line than braid does. Plenty on here who do straight braid or braid/leader though with great success, just personal preference.

 

 

[Choporoz]

40 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

They flex easier though. Not a fan, most of the time. It’s good they work for you though. I ain’t trying to change your mind

Interesting.   I don't know that I have ever considered hook flex.  Certainly, a thinner wire should have 'flexier' characteristics than thicker hooks, but I am not sure where that negatively affects me.  Maybe a point hitting roof of a bass' mouth could flex instead of piercing, ...idk...

   When I speak of light wire hooks, I am almost always referring to Owner Twistlock Light.  I have never straightened one on a fish, and if they flex in negative way, I'm not aware yet.  Something for me to consider, I guess

[bulldog1935]

The people I know who make single-hook baits for long-cast fishing recommend fishing braid for no stretch - nothing stretches more than mono.  

[waymont]

8 hours ago, 1984isNOW said:

Thanks for the feedback yall

Switch to braid to a leader. I never have the problems you describe when fishing from a kayak. It’s way better for hooksets, and landing fish.

[MiceNReets]

21 hours ago, 1984isNOW said:

What are your thoughts on mono with single hook baits from a kayak? 

 

I lost a few good size bass with awkward hook sets from awkward angles on the kayak. 12# Big Game on a 7'3 MHF rod, with a spinnerbait. 

 

Idk if it was the distance and the mono, or just generally the awkward angle or maybe I didn't reel down first. 

 

I expect that 12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid will be a little more firm on the hook set, but maybe I just need to remember to reel down first? 

 

Thoughts? Tips? 

I think you’d have a different experience with the 12# Yozuri hybrid.    Went out a few days ago and stuck every bass on the lipless crank with 12 YZH.  Last night I felt my spool was a little low so I changed out to 12# sunline machine gun cast and went out today.   Same reel and same rod and same bait just mono on this time as line and I stuck 50% of the hits.    I feel like the mono had a little too much give to get those hooks in.   I know you were using single hook and I’m using trebles but I feel the line made all the differences in my hook up ratio.

[BrianMDTX]

I don’t have a yak, but I fish from an inflatable (always sitting) that’s about as low in the water as a fishing kayak. I use braid-to-leader on all my spinning rigs, but all my baitcasters (except my 100% braid frog rig) are 100% mono. I don’t feel that I have much of an issue with hooksets on single-hook baits, of which most are Gamakatsu 4/0 or 5/0 EWG’s or (lately) jigs. I make sure I reel in slack quickly and snap the rod tip vs. pulling it up. My reels are 8.1:1 so I can eliminate slack quickly when fishing Texas rigs or jigs. I’ve been using Sunline Shooter Defier mono as of late. Smaller diameter than Big Game for the same lb. line. I couldn’t tell you if it stretches less, but it is good mono. 

[JackstrawIII]

If I was going to be chucking spinnerbaits long distances from a kayak, I’d be using braid 100% of the time. 

[FishTank]

On long casts I like either braid to leader spinning or fluorocarbon on casting.  

 

On a side note, this time of year, at least for me, I tend to get a lot of short strikes on spinnerbaits. It's like the fish only want to hit the blades. I tend to use a spinnerbait only when I want to cover a lot of water and as a sort of search tool for fish. If they hit it, they will hit anything. 

 

I am not a fan of mono on a kayak (except for maybe crankbaits), especially Big Game (like I have said in the past, good line until it's not). The longer you cast with it the more you need a good strong hook set and you usually can't get that sitting down in a kayak or standing up for that matter.  I like to use BFS gear in a kayak. It's a blast. I use 5lb FC and have caught some big ones on it. 

[1984isNOW]

I responded specifically to a few people, but then it got deleted. Didn't save, so here's the gist

 

Drag set to not slip, awkward standing and hook setting over the short side of yak along the width.

 

On 6/18/2024 at 9:31 AM, Bankc said:

kayak in this should be a non-factor

I hear you to a degree, depends on the kayak, a beefier one sure. But my man, you just described how the kayak played such an impactful role you had to change your set up multiple times, and I've definitely tugged the kayak in the direction of the hook set on the hook set.

 

What braid are you using for your spinnerbaits?

On 6/18/2024 at 9:54 AM, Functional said:

Yo-Zuri hybrid

What strengths for what techniques?

 

[WRB]

Get yourself a diamond hook hone and sharpen the spinner bait hook.

Don’t rely on the rod for a hook set use your reel at 25-30 IPT to get the initial hook point to penetrate the basses mouth then sweep the rod back and keep reeling to control the bass.

Tom

[1984isNOW]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

k h

Any particular brand or style I be should looking for?

[WRB]

16 minutes ago, 1984isNOW said:

Any particular brand or style I be should looking for?

Dr Slick Hook file 4” or EXE -Lap diamond hook file.

Tom

[new2BC4bass]

On 6/18/2024 at 4:51 PM, bulldog1935 said:

The people I know who make single-hook baits for long-cast fishing recommend fishing braid for no stretch - nothing stretches more than mono.  

Some fluorocarbons stretch more than some monofilaments.

[CDMTJager]

On 6/17/2024 at 8:45 PM, king fisher said:

 Before I cast I make sure I have my Hobie kayak pedals in reverse.  As soon as I set the hook I start to back up.  I have lost some very big bass because I either couldn't keep the line tight after hook set, or a big bass pulls me forward and is able to wrap the line on some kind of snag.  I use mono and make long casts all of the time, but I do take a second or two to prepare for a strike before making a cast. It was hard to get used to , but is second nature now.

Not trying to hijack this thread whatsoever, but I picked up a 12' Sundolphin arm paddle kayak at a great price for purely fishing smaller lakes near my home and have watched OVER 100 kayak fishing 101 videos on everything pertaining to both kayaks and fishing from them and no body touched on backing up instantly after a hook set I mean not even hinting as much. 

I will have to research this more thoroughly as I can see this being essentially impossible to do in a arm paddle kayak.  

[bulldog1935]

@new2BC4bass maybe not worth changing context (Braid was the context).  

The worst I've ever seen was Berkley Spiderwire Copolymer - it extrudes to smaller diameter, just like this borrowed illustration from a technical journal article.  

Imagine 10' of line turning into 20'

This day, my daughter caught 3 big sheepshead, which stretched her line, dug into the bottom of the spool, locked up her reel (Penn 4200SS), and ended our day - it's OK, we had a good morning and took home a meal of schoolie specs - I didn't want to mess with the sheepshead, but it was a hoot for her to catch them.   Sheepshead on the flats turn into UPS trucks trying to get back to deep water.  

 

Boy did this thread get weird.