swim jig/chatterbait and lip gashes

Hi all-

I am having an issue losing fish with my swim jigs/chatterbaits. Seems the fish that I get in the net have a gash in their mouth ~1/2 inch long where the hook penetrated and the jig just falls out of that hole. I imagine the fish that are getting unbuttoned are on account of the gash, too. Have any of you had such an issue and did you solve the problem???? My set up is a 6’10″graphite quatum kvd rod, baitcaster and 15lb big game mono. I have tried hook setting up, to the side, and not setting the hook at all and still the fish are getting a gash. My drag is set to release line but only after I have a nice bend in the rod. I don’t horse the fish in but just keep a bend in the rod. What do you guys think???? Fiberglass instead of graphite? Smaller wire gauge hook? No drag at all and just use my thumb instead? These are decent sized tournament fish in the 3-8 lb range. I’m in socal and the water is warm here now but only swim jigs and chatterbaits result in a gash no spinnerbaits or swimbait gashes.

Thanks in advance
Brent

Dont set the hook with them, let the fish load the rod then keep pressure until they get to the boat. I use a 7′ M mod for them up to 3/8. For 1/2 I use a MH mod.

Not sure of what could be causing your issue. It sounds like you are setup right. I’d think a smaller gauge hook would make it even worse. A lot of your problems may just be the way the fish are hitting the bait. Fish tend to slash as reaction baits alot and I think of a swim jig as a reaction bait. This type of a hit could well be the cause of your issue. There may not be much you can do to prevent it from happening.

what swim jig are you using? many of the ones in the midwest are a thinner hook than a traditional jig– try some from brovarney (my favorite) or lethal weapon jigs. also these tend to hook them in the roof of the mouth where a traditional jig might rotate and get em in the fleshy part. both are hand tied which imo is a must. lean into them when the road loads. good luck

I switched from 15 lb Big Game to Power Pro this year. I was having similar problems. While I liked the mono, I lost a lot of fish depending upon the jig. Some stuck fine with the mono, others not so much (Brovarney and mono seemed to be a no-no).
I have definitely noticed that I am losing less fish with the braid. Might be worth a try for you.

I would switch to braid. I throw Suffix 832 30#. I do not usually loose fish on a swim jig. The fish will hit it hard and just learn to sweep in the hook set. Brovarney jigs are the bomb! Light wire hook and hand tied. Make in the USA!!!!!