Thinking back, I don’t believe I’ve ever had a fish truly hooked, then get off, then come back later and catch it. I’ve had the multiple hits on a single retrieve deal too, or on immediate throw-back casts, but rarely were those fish hooked well enough for alarms to go off in the fish’s head obviously. I don’t know that alarms would ever go off in a fish’s head, but since that happens in a certain Guru’s head quite often, I can only speculate that it must happen to large muskies as well. It is seldom that I ever see previously “lost” fish again on return trips to the spot. Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

Fish that bite, but that don’t actually hit the lure or get the hooks are much more likely to still be caught. A swing and a miss, is what I would consider the hottest of follows. I’d guess that your best chance at catching those fish is in the next few throws back to the spot. Often times, it seems like when a big fish swings and misses, they are so embarrassed that you just never see them again. That most likely goes back to me doing something wrong.

I think one big thing to consider on what to do after an unsuccessful “bite” is to think about the fish’s location prior to your cast. Can you pinpoint where the fish was set up before hand? How much did it move from that spot before the bite? How long was it hooked and therefore pulled from the spot? The size and type of structure that was the spot on the spot makes a difference on whether or not the fish is going to go right back there and set up its ambush point again.

For instance, a big fish in a large weed bed is not near as likely to go right back to the same clump of weeds once it’s been pulled off by a lure. If it is only a couple boulders or a small clump of cabbage on an otherwise scattered or bare shoreline, then you can just about guarantee that fish will go right back to that exact spot, and therefore you may be better off giving it some time to get back there and comfortably set up again, than you are throwing right back and drawing it further away from the set up ambush point.

It is difficult to think that way in the heat of the moment and realize what just happened and what is before you without continuing to flog away at it. That’s why I’m doomed to always be a hack and never a guru, because as great as I can break something down behind a keyboard, I don’t always think the same way when I’m actually chucking baits. Back to the point, I honestly think that unless you get lucky and it hits again immediately you aren’t likely to catch it, or often even see it again later after flogging at a biter immediately without success. Granted, if we are talking about several hours later or at the end of the day, then this negative flogging affect is reduced, but there is also more time for the fish to have found its meal and/or simply moved on.

The encounters like this that I’ve learned the most from, have been those marvelous instances where you happen upon active fish set up in picture perfect spots that you see the fish move from and it is obvious exactly where the fish was sitting. When you can identify that in the moment and give the fish time to get cozy again is your best bet at producing a reaction strike. Then it just comes down to perfect cast placement to make it happen. For times like that, I think that high hooking percentage baits that don’t have a massive amount of splashdown disturbance are key. Don’t cast past the fish to try and bring it by it first if it is set up pointing out towards you. Cast just close enough that it can pounce without having too much time to think about it. And most importantly, don’t f—k up the net job.

Ryan

While I often don't really know what I'm talking about, I do love the discussion.