The strike – hook the fish right

The moment the fish takes is decided in fractions of a second, and that is when the strike has to sit. A well-timed and reasonably firm strike gets the hook point in properly, while a late, too hard or missing strike is one of the most common reasons for a lost fish. Luckily it is a skill you can improve quickly.

What the strike does

The strike is the movement you make to set the hook when you feel or see a take, most often a firm lift or pull with the rod. The point is to overcome the resistance of the hook point so it goes through the fish’s jaw and finds a hold behind the barb. Without a strike the hook only rests loosely in the corner of the mouth, and the fish easily shakes it free at the first jerk or jump. A good strike turns a take into a firmly hooked fish.

Adapt the force

Rainbow trout is often fished with a thin leader and small, sharp hooks, and then you do not need a brutal strike. A soft but quick and firm lift is enough to set the hook. A strike that is too hard can instead tear the hook out of the soft mouth or snap the leader, especially when the fish is close and you have little line out as a spring. The heavier the tackle and the larger the hooks, the more force the strike can take, but for put and take control comes before strength.

Timing on different methods

How you feel the take differs between the methods. In spinning the take often comes as a clear twitch or a stop in the lure, and you answer with a direct lift. In bait fishing with PowerBait you see it on the line or the rod tip, and there it often pays to wait a little until the fish has taken properly before you lift. In fly fishing, especially under an indicator, you make a calm but firm lift when the indicator stops or is pulled under. Read more under indicator fishing.

Common mistakes

Three things sink most people. Slack line, because then the fish has time to shake free before the strike arrives — always keep contact with bait or fly. A dull hook, because a blunt point slides off instead of going in — sharpen or change hooks regularly. And wrong timing, most often too late. If you are unsure, practise answering at once on the slightest movement, and feel how much force the leader can take. Once the fish is well hooked, playing takes over, and that the knot holds is just as important, see fishing knots.