Seeing a sailfish striking and eating you lure is very exciting. But getting a solid hookup and staying hooked up is often very challenging.
Sailfish often like to strike their prey with their bill instead of biting down on the lure. At this juncture it is pointless to set the hooks but it is something that most anglers do and it is often a natural reaction to strike when we feel the fish had struck the lure.
What happens next is we’ll be yanking the lure away and often out of the water – and the sailfish swims away.
Don’t Strike But Wait For The Pull
The right thing to do when you feel a sailfish hitting your lure is do nothing, at times even lower your rod or loosen the line. Let the sailfish actually eat the lure, turn and swim away.
Only when you feel a strong pull do you actually strike and set the hook, and set the hook hard almost like you’re trying to break the rod! If you don’t, your lure may come off easily from the hard bony bill and mouth of the sailfish. Especially when the jump. And they will jump!
The use of treble hooks on lure often don’t help
One way to get around this is by using a single hooks tied to a length of Kevlar, 2″ to 3″ long. Do this to both the mid section and tail section hook. You may even just use this method on the rear hooks with the middle section with just a single hook attached to the lure through a strong split ring.
Related post: Less is more? Why Single Hooks Are Better Than Trebles
You get better hookups this way and the bonus part is that the single hooks are also a hell lot safer for everyone when releasing the fish. Trust me, it is unnerving removing embedded treble hooks from a big strong trashing fish with a long pointy bill. A mishap can also spell the end of the fishing trip. Now, that is not fun.
Remember The Steps
When you see a sailfish swimming to your lure, continue with what you are doing. If you see the sailfish slashing at the lure with its bill, pause and wait for the sail to bite. They sometime swim away and turn back to pick-up their wounded “prey”. You can also try twitching the lure. The best time to strike is when you see and actually feel a take and the fish is facing away from you.
When you feel weight on your rod and line, make a few more sideway strikes, hang-on and enjoy the ride!
Try it the next time you pop or cast for sailfish.
Great info