When it comes to setting the hook on your rattle reels I don’t give them a five-count or even a three-count. When that rattle reel goes I set the hook right away.

If you think about the size minnows we’re using and then about the size fish we’re catching. The majority of the time when the walleyes strike the bait the hook will be somewhere in their mouth.

Even if we are using suckers or shiners I will set my rattle reels right away. If I feel any weight I’ll give it a quick set.

If you were to wait to set it and say give it a 15 count, a lot of times the fish will already have the bait towards the back of their throats. That’s a bad spot for hook sets and it also puts the fish at risk.

Another thing I see anglers to especially when fishing with rattle reels or tip-ups is setting the hook too aggressively.

In my opinion that is one of the worst things, you can do. It just causes you to lose fish.

It really doesn’t take that much force to set the hook into the walleye’s mouth and a lot of times when anglers do that aggressive hook set they are actually pulling the hook out of the walleye’s mouth.