Tips for preventing deep hooksets

After catching an old red drum, take time to snap a quick photo, then return the fish to the water for release.

Several keys exist to prevent deep hooksets while fishing for old drum.

“You try to keep your lines tight, even when you use rod-holders, and not let in much slack,” said Adam Jones, an Engelhard-based guide. “That way you can tell right away when a fish picks up the bait and moves off with it in his mouth. You can set the hook before he has a chance to swallow it.”

With a heavy sinker, a circle hook often will hook a drum in the mouth before an angler can grab the rod.

Jones also recommends heavy rods and reels spooled with at least 30-pound line.

“You want to get a drum to the boat as quick as you can, so you need a rod that’s strong enough to do the job,” he said.

Long fights create lactic acid in a drum’s muscle tissues and can cause a fish to die, even after it appears healthy upon release.

“You have to use Lupton rigs as terminal tackle for Pamlico Sound drum, but I always like to use circle hooks, day or night, because you just about never get a deep hookset with a circle hook,” he said.

Jones also said someone must keep an eye on lines all the time.

“You’ve got to watch the lines and rod tips,” he said. “That’s why I like having at least two people, including myself, on the boat when we go drum fishing at night. And I use yellow Sufix line because it shows up better in lights at night.”

After an angler reels a drum to the side of his boat, Jones grabs its tail, then supports its belly while he gently lifts it aboard.

“If I can’t see the hook or I can’t get it out easily, I’ll just cut the line below the weight,” he said. “Don’t use stainless-steel hooks. Other types of hooks left in a drum soon will dissolve in saltwater.”

After taking photographs, he’ll ease the fish over the side, still holding it by its tail, then move it back and forth in a swimming motion. Drum are hardy fish and soon will revive and swim away.

About Craig Holt 1382 Articles
Craig Holt of Snow Camp has been an outdoor writer for almost 40 years, working for several newspapers, then serving as managing editor for North Carolina Sportsman and South Carolina Sportsman before becoming a full-time free-lancer in 2009.

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