HOOKSET 101
By Joe Bucher

One thing you’ll find in common with most of the best big gamefish anglers in our sport today is they generally all have a great hookset. What’s the opening shot on most TV show intro’s? What’s the feature shot in most fishing related commercials? What’s the visual image that really captures the true excitement of a big fish battle? It’s a power hookset, of course.

Body Posture

The actual mechanics of a good hookset start with correct body posture and rod positioning. Poor body posture alone negates the potential of any decent hookset. It always amazes me when I observe an inexperienced angler retrieving his lure with both his rod and body positioned 90 degrees from the lure. It’s almost impossible to generate any degree of hookset speed or power from this exaggerated bad angle since both your body and rod are completely out of position. I have always failed to understand why some anglers stand like this to begin with since there is no advantage that I know of in doing so.

Always try to face your lure as you retrieve it, whenever possible. Not only does this posture provide you with better vision and awareness of your lure, and the targets you are trying to hit, but it also puts you in the optimum body position for power hookset “swing”. The “swing” or rotation is absolutely essential in order to generate a true power hookset. Without it, you will only be able to access the speed and power of your arms not to mention, you will not be able to pick up nearly as much line.

Proper leg stance and feet positioning are also a key factor. You have to stagger your leg/feet positions in order to generate the swing properly. Simply put, if you are right handed, or at least cast and retrieve in a right handed fashion, you need to position your right foot further back than your left; and vice versa. This is critical because you actually pivot off your back foot when making this all important hookset swing. The hookset swing is nothing more than rotating your entire body and the rod to the right in one quick powerful motion. If both feet are positioned equally apart and parallel to your upper body, you can not perform this swing without a major back step beforehand. The staggered foot positioning also provides you with more stability.

If any of you have ever had any training in martial arts or boxing, you will surely understand this even better. However, those who have played football, basketball and baseball have been taught similar lessons in how a proper stance provides you with both stability and leverage. Look at a boxer’s typical stance. He’s always facing his opponent, but his leg stance always puts one foot behind the other. Defensively, this staggered leg stance provides stability and mobility. Offensively, the staggered leg stance enables the fighter to generate tremendous leverage and power on a punch. The combination is lethal.

Body Swing

I was very fortunate to be able to fish extensively for many big salt water gamefish at an early age with my grandfather. When I was barely a teenager, Grandpa Bucher took me on all of his fishing trips to SW Florida where we tangled with snook, cobia, drum, king mackerel, barracuda, redfish, grouper, amberjack, and even sharks. Most of these fish were at least as big as most of the muskies we catch up here, and many were actually bigger and much more powerful. Looking back, the lessons I learned from all those charter captains have served me well in the muskie arena.

One of the things I was taught early on was the secret of the body “swing” in terms of generating pure hook set power. During those first early saltwater excursions, I was a “lightweight” in both experience and actual body size. Weighing less than 140 pounds at that age, didn’t provide me with the ballast needed to go toe-to-toe with these big critters of the sea. So, I had to compensate with good form right out of the blocks. These experiences did teach me the value of utilizing good form and body weight for both the hookset and battle. But, body “swing” was key to the hookset; especially when dealing with monofilament lines and excessive line stretch. The body swing also kept me from being jerked out of the boat by the really big ones – like sharks.

Another underrated/overlooked hooksetting fundamental is rod angle and motion initiated on the hookset. Most anglers mistakenly set the hook straight up against their chest often on the same side as their rod hand. While this type of hookset might be fine for many bass and panfish applications, it simply doesn’t “cut the mustard” with muskies. Yet many muskie hunters strictly employ this kind of hookset. It’s a good bet that these same anglers loose a much larger percentage of fish. You simply can’t pick up enough line nor generate enough power on a hookset like this to effectively deal with a muskie strike at any distance from the boat.

Always drive the rod towards your opposite shoulder (from the one holding your rod) during the actual hookset motion. In other words, the rod would essentially cross in front of your face during the hookset process. This automatically creates some body rotation increasing your overall hookset power. It also generates a lot more leverage as your body rotates to the right and begins to push against that back foot. A hookset performed in this manner produces so much more power than a straight up hookset, and immediately puts you in a far stronger battle position.

A musky that strikes your lure at the end of a long cast immediately demands the utmost from both your tackle and your technique. This is when you need that low stretch line more than at any other moment. This is also when you need extra sharp hooks. An extra long rod length helps to sweep up slack line. Combine this with a full body rotation hookset and you’ve generated an incredible amount of speed, power, and inertia. However, you can even take this one more step. I like to call it a “back step”.

The Back Step

After performing a proper hookset rotation, add an additional step or two backwards in order to pick up even more line and add additional power and momentum into the whole hookset process. If a muskie hits and then swims toward you, this little additional back step maneuver might spell the difference between a hooked or lost fish. Essentially, what I am implying here is to employ that full body hookset rotation plus a back step or two immediately afterwards.

The goal here is to generate tremendous hook set power and momentum quickly and efficiently with no slack. This all becomes necessary on strike that occurs at the end of a long cast, or if a fish runs towards you. It also neutralizes the effects of a fast drifting boat towards a fish upon the strike. Some anglers make the mistake here of “double setting” from a stationary location.  I am never a fan of “double setting” no matter what the circumstances since this creates a momentary gap after the first hookset, while the next one is being generated. The gap occurs when you drop your rod tip to pick up line and engage the next hookset. That slight gap opens the door for the fish to throw the hook. Generally, you will lose more fish by “double setting”.

Instead of “double setting”, set once correctly using the proper form I just outlined, and then step back a few feet to generate the additional power needed or to close the distance quickly on a fish heading at you. This step back trick or “stepping into the hookset” is one thing I learned from the salt water guides years ago. You will be surprised at how much more power you can generate with that extra step or two backwards. I can guarantee you that you will generate a lot more power this way than by double setting the hook from a fixed position.

A simple test in your own backyard will convince you of this more than anything else. Simply tie your line to a small tree, push the free spool on your reel and walk back a long cast length. Now engage your reel, face the tree, and set the hook straight up. You’ll make that tree bend a bit, but that’s as far as you will go, even if you reel down a few turns and “double set”, you’re not going to move the tree any further.  Now repeat the test using the method I suggested. This little backyard test will convince you forever. The difference in hook set power is astounding.

Boatside Battle Tactics

Short range, boatside hooksets are an entirely different ball game, and they require a completely opposite approach. In this case, you don’t need incredible power and line pick up. What you do need is control. A straight up hookset, again, serves no purpose here and encourages fish jumping and surface thrashing both of which promotes higher losses. The body rotation hookset is still the better way to go with one wrinkle.

Instead of an upward rotation on your rod tip, a better approach here is to rotate the rod tip downwards as well as sideways. This forces the fish’s head down instead of up reducing head shake and surface thrashing. Stepping back in addition to this motion will force the fish in a directional path instead of allowing it to stay in place and head thrash. You will find that this approaches sets the hook superbly and keeps them hooked on a short line battle. This is also where a long rod of 7 feet or more is a huge ally. Simply utilize the bend of the rod to battle the fish on the short line and maintain a solid consistent pressure.

It almost goes without saying that stiffer action rods of longer length generate more power. Whenever possible use a longer rod in order to maximize your hookset efficiency. The new 8 foot rod craze has merit. These extra long rods set the hook better, fight fish better and figure 8 better.  High speed reels pick up more line quicker – making it easier to set the hooks at longer distances and stay with a fast running musky. A low stretch super braid definitely responds much faster and stronger at the business end. Sharpened hooks help to set the hook from the moment a fish engages. All of these things are vitally important, but many of them you already know. It’s the actual physical mechanics of setting the hook that is the most underrated part of this whole thing.

A Setting Summary

Summarily, sheer body size has very little to do with your ability to set the hook with power and speed. It’s all predicated on technique. Correct body poster – facing the lure – including the staggered leg stance is the first step. As soon as a fish strikes, rotate your body while simultaneously driving your rod towards your opposite shoulder. This is the power hook set “swing” I spoke of earlier. Finally, never double set a hook. Instead, step into that hook set by backing up to create even more power and line pick up. Once you master this method, you are sure to see an immediate improvement in your hooking percentages as well as your overall power. Speaking of power, don’t be surprised if you start experiencing hook bend-out on smaller lures with short range strikes. Especially when utilizing any of the new super braids and a longer rod with a heavy power action rating. You will quickly develop a power hookset worthy of even the biggest saltwater fish. And, if it can drive the hooks into a 200 pound grouper, it goes without saying that it will do the job on any muskie that swims!

DRAG SETTING 101
By Joe Bucher

No drag system out there today on any reel whether it’s baitcasting, spinning or any other style of big game reel can efficiently react to all the variables that present themselves on any given fishing outing. The perfect drag simply does not exist. Reel manufacturers do a great job overall of providing a very durable little machine that we call “the baitcasting reel”. For the price, they cast, retrieve and function with amazing durability. Yet, drag systems on even the best baitcasters have a long way to go before they could ever be considered perfect.

Some of this has to do with pure economics. In order to make a reel affordable to the angler masses, only so much technology can be built inside these line winching machines. Most of the improvements and true innovations that have found their way to the commercial side of today’s baitcasting reels have come in the way of improved castability, superior gear strength, smoother retrieves, and lighter overall weight. Drag systems, as a whole, have changed very little in the last 30 years. A drag system that would truly revolutionize the reel industry is one that would automatically adjust to various conditions. Imagine the cost increases at the retail level for such a product. And then, even if it was created, would anglers actually buy it?

Usually, we set a drag at a fixed position and hope it functions correctly when that big fish finally strikes. Most of the time, a drag is an after thought. In fact, during any typical hour of fishing, the drag is rarely called upon to work. The angler is simply casting and retrieving. We do a lot more casting and retrieving, than we do “catching”. So, we don’t call upon our drags very often. When we do, we hope they work.

CASTING VS. TROLLING

It is much harder to set a drag properly for casting versus trolling. This is mainly because trolling provides a fixed distance from lure to rod tip enabling you to set the drag properly for that amount of line out. As you will see as we move along in this discussion, the length of line out or distance between rod tip and lure is the key factor in the overall drag setting. What makes the casting game more complicated on the drag setting side has to do with this ever changing length of line. This ever changing length of line (distance between lure and rod tip) has a direct bearing on how a drag should be set, and the effectiveness of the drag itself.

Try to visualize what I am talking about here – When you cast and retrieve a lure, the distance between rod tip and lure changes continually. This produces the problem that no one reel made today can accommodate – a variable setting on the drag system according to the amount of line you have out, or the distance from rod tip to lure. In other words, the correct drag setting is directly proportional to the amount of line between you and the fish. In the perfect world, the drag would continually adjust itself as you retrieve your lure.

When your lure first hits the water at the end of a long cast, the ideal drag setting should be lock-tight. Any fish that strikes your lure from long distance must be met with a rock solid hookset that sweeps all the slack out of the line and drives the hooks home. Drag slippage of any kind in this case will surely negate a good hookset and decrease your chances of landing the fish. Lures with large hooks and a bulky hard body profile compound the problem even more since a musky’s jaw will clamp down so hard on it. Imagine the bite force that is generated against the body of the lure by the musky’s jaws initially. Trying to move a big hard bait in a big musky’s mouth while it has its jaws clamped down is almost fruitless at long range. Add large diameter hooks to this equation and the job becomes even harder. If the fish is moving at you, the task is complicated even more. Now, add drag slippage to this equation and you’ve spelled l o s t m u s k y.

A low-stretch line coupled with a long rod helps along with sharp hooks. So is a good hookset; something that only a few anglers have truly mastered. Initiating a strategic rotation of the body sideways while simultaneously stepping back is the key way to generate the power needed to achieve an explosive and decisive hookset 60, 70, 80 feet or more from the boat. But remember, drag slippage negates even the best hooksets. That’s why I am a big fan of a heavy set drag. You simply must have it for strikes from any distance with the size of the lures we use.

Now, of course this whole tight drag philosophy starts to work against you as the lure nears the boat throughout the retrieve. With each yard of line retrieved inward, the perfect drag would be loosening to accommodate the changing line length and potential impact of a strike at that given range. Remember, this range is always changing as your retrieve. It’s never fixed.

By the mid way point in your retrieve, a drag setting of “medium tight” would be more appropriate. In this instance, a power hookset initiated the way I described it earlier would result in a very slight drag slippage. I’m not talking about much slippage here; just an ever so slight slippage at the end of the hookset under solid pressure from both the weight of the fish against the momentum of your rod bend and body movement. In fact, unless the fish was sizable, over 42 inches or so, no slippage would occur. It would take a big fish with both power and weight to generate this drag slippage, but the drag would slip only under a lot of pressure. This would still insure an absolute solid hookset, yet release any excessive energy created by the shorter line distance. A superbly hooked fish should be the result.

Finally, once that lure gets inside the last ten feet or so, a completely different drag setting would be ideal. No longer do you have all these negative factors that demand the tight drag. You don’t have a lot of line between your rod tip and the fish now. No longer do you have any line stretch insurance. The margin of error for over pressure goes way up. Once that lure reaches the rod tip and you’re into your boatside figure eight, you are at the “red line” mark. Now, it is theoretically possible to put way too much pressure on a big fish with a drag set too tight. The drag on the ultimate fantasy baitcaster would now have loosened quite a bit from its original lock-tight setting at the beginning of the cast. At this point, it should be ready to spill line quickly and steadily if and when an explosive boatside bruiser strikes.

A COMPLICATED SITUATION MADE SIMPLE

Tough scenario hey? While at first it might seem like it, there’s actually a very simple solution to this whole drag setting problem. There’s an overlooked element in this whole drag setting scenario that most anglers don’t even considered, and it actually neutralizes many of the tight drag negatives. Thankfully, this simple solution doesn’t require any special after market purchases or any customizing of any kind. In fact, the true answer to most of your drag setting problems is so simple, you’re probably not going to believe it when I reveal it. The answer to many of your drag setting problems is your rod choice. That’s right, it’s all in the rod. A longer rod, 7 ½ feet or more, compensates or acts as a slipping drag on short range, tight quarter battles with big fish. Simply put, once you start utilizing a longer medium/heavy power 7 ½ to 8 foot rod, the problems of drag setting suddenly become easy.

Think of a long rod as your insurance policy in the musky world. When properly utilized in a battle scenario, the long rod does most of the drag’s job. As an extreme example, consider that this is how a fly fisherman are is able to effectively battle huge saltwater fish on light tackle without line breakage. It’s the long rod bend absorbing all the power and explosiveness of the fish. In addition, if any drag adjustments need to be made, the deeply bent rod provides the angler with additional time needed to adjust the drag accordingly. In essence, the long rod is the answer to many of your drag problems.

SUMMARY

I’m willing to bet that a lot more muskies are lost to drags set too loosely, than drag’s set too tight. Most musky anglers are overly concerned with line breakage and terminal tackle failure. This results in a drag set emotionally rather than practically. Thinner gauge lines and lighter tackle can further promote this tentative attitude on drag settings. In this case, the angler is also simply relying on the drag too much to counter the power and explosiveness of the fish.

Set the drag with a positive aggressive attitude. Don’t worry about breaking the line. Instead, concentrate on setting the hooks. While a drag set too tight might put too much pressure on a short line musky battle, a loosely set drag will not put enough pressure on a fish hooked at the end of a long cast. Also remember this – you can always back off a bit on a tight drag after a solid hookset, and you’ll still likely have the fish hooked and on its way to the landing net. However, it is a not as easy to do the opposite. A weakly set drag destroys all of your power and momentum, reduces your chances of driving a hook in solidly from any range outside of ten feet. A much higher percentage of missed opportunities at big muskies is sure to be the end result.

As you can see, the casting world presents some interesting problems and scenarios that challenge the best baitcasters, as well as the rods, lines, and leaders. However, once you are aware of the simple physics involved during any typical encounter with a musky in a casting situation, overcoming any shortfalls of a reel’s drag system is surely attainable. A quality rod containing a powerful butt section combined with the right amount of flex at the tip end is the answer to many of your potential problems during any battle with a big fish.

So, crank that star drag down semi-tight, just so it will barely slip under a lot of pressure.  Always lean towards a longer rod of 7 feet or more whenever possible. Set the hook with one fluid motion that combines a rotation of your body sideways while your rod tip roars upwards over your opposite shoulder. Never set the hook more than once. Set it once-- hard! Always rotate your body to generate more power. Step backwards if needed to pick up even more line and stay with a fish that is heading at you. Above all, utilize the full length of the rod to compensate for any drag short comings.  Keep that long rod “doubled” in a deep bend with good solid pressure. You’ll be amazed at how well this works for consistent hookups with big muskies. Once a fish gets near boatside, back your star drag off a bit, if you feel compelled to do so. Or simply engage the free spool on your baitcaster and rely on your own thumb pressure to do the job at short range. This combination, working as a unit, allows you to control even the biggest fish and rely on the mechanics of drag very little. You’ll find this system to be the best way to deal with the age old problem of setting the drag for muskies!