Hook Sets Are Free

Forty-some years ago I had the pleasure to watch a documentary film created by legendary underwater videographer Glen Lau on the life cycle of the largemouth bass ... "Bigmouth". 

Though there were many informative clips throughout the film, one of the most memorable was watching another legend in the outdoor sports world, Homer Circle work his double treble hook crankbait by some logs holding huge bass and entice a strike...

Enticing a strike from a huge bass was cool but what happened next became etched in my mind since I first witnessed it as shown in this short video excerpt...

It never ceases to amaze me that a bass could inhale, reject a bait with treble hooks and not get impaled much less the angler not having a clue that it happened.

I was reminded of this clip after reflecting on last evening's catch-less sunset bank trip. 

While working a chatterbait around several remnant patches of submerged vegetation, there were a few instances when the thumping of the blade stopped and I lost the feel of the bait all together. 

Was this just a time when the blade locked and the movement of the bait just stopped or was there a green, finned creature down there deciding the bait wasn't on there menu for the evening?

I'll never really know since I wasn't smart enough to set the #%@* hook!

Remember when something feels off during a retrieve...

Hook sets are free!

Unless of course the interuption is actually the bait slightly contacting some wood and you bury the hooks into it but that's what lure retrievers are for right? 😁