How long to set the hook.

Last time I was at Mille Lacs I saw several peolple letting a walleye take the bait for almost a minute before setting the hook. I usually only give them 5-10 sec at the very most. The way I look at it is 95% of the fish you catch are going back, so why take the chance. If I am hooked deep I always cut the line and get the fish back as quick as possible. What is our opinion? Thanks

Letting them run for up to a minute seems a little long. It depends on the bait you are using. Also the fish will dictate how long you have to give them. Sometimes when using crawlers, I have gone up to a 30 count before setting the hook. The one thing I like to do is use a circle hook. This cuts way down on the deep hooked fish.

I second what Don has to say. Typically… I start at around 7-10 seconds using leeches. The longest I go is 15 seconds, tops. 1 minute is way to long, in my opinion.