Glass Lord I use them like a regular circle hook and wait for the rod to load or reel down.
That said after a few hours with no bite I tend to pick up the rod a little soon sometimes.
The hybrid hooks seem to me more forgiving if you pick up the rod before the rod is loaded enough.
Not sure if it was just the hooks I got
but I touched up most of those Triple Threat hooks out of the box with a file.
Not a big deal but something you should be aware of.
Some good points there. Tossing bait out on a dull hook means your just out feeding the fish instead of catching fish. Get into a habit of testing your hook point on your thumb nail to see if it is sharp. And if you don't have a decent hook file,,,,,get one.
Second, the most common mistake I see folks do is, whenever they get a little bump, they just have to go over and pick up the rod. Some fish will spook easily so just learn to leave it in the holder until your ready to actually do something. Then, the best thing to do 98% of the time is reel down first.
As you already know I am sure, with Blues, it usually doesn't matter. They hit hard and keep on going. So the question is more often, "can I get the rod out of the holder or not". But Flatheads are more confident that they are in control. They may yank it down or just put a slight bend in the tip. The trick is usually to mimic what the fish does. If he is taking his time, you should be taking your time also. And reeling don is still the best first action.
There is an old man over there named "Dan" that can help you a lot also.
tight lines
