Every time I’m fishing I usually catch a big one but right before he gets to shore they jump and I lose it. So when a bass jumps how do you keep from losing it? Jonathan

There are several things you can do to limit the amount of Largemouth Bass that are lost while jumping. Notice that I said “limit the amount”, you will not be able to prevent this from happening altogether. You can try the following however. 1) I like to use hooks with an extra wide gap. I also prefer to use as large a hook as you can get away with. Larger hooks are less likely to be thrown than smaller hooks. Also please make sure your hooks are fully sharpened. Fish are often lost because the hook set is not as perfect due to an unsharpened hook. 2) Try to keep firm steady pressure on the Largemouth bass. This will limit the number of jumps. Every time you allow the bass to jump you give him a chance to throw the hook. By keeping pressure on the fish he will jump far less. If you feel the fish about to jump keep your rod tip low and apply pressure. 3) Once the fish does jump it is best to point the rod tip down until it hits the water and resume the fight. If you follow these three principles you will notice that you will lose fewer fish than previously. Make sure you have a rod that is stout enough to allow you to put the pressure on the fish that you need to have. If you can do this and use the proper hooks that are well sharpened you will have much more success.

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