Hook set timing?

[Allen]

Hi all-
I generally fish live minnows for walleye in the spring and fall and was wondering if people had advice for improving hookup percentage. I probably miss 75% of my hook sets, but some days I do much better. I generally don't set the hook at the first sign of a take, but usually wait until the fish has had the bait for a few seconds or until he starts to move off with the bait. Should you set the hook at the first tug, or wait to let the fish take the bait.

Thanks for the help.

allen

[Fin Addict]

Better rods improve hooking percentages. When using a jig, I set the hook hard the instant I feel anything different. for rigging I fish an open bail w/ my finger on the line and drop the line at the first hint of a tap. Let it run to about the count of 10, close the bail, reel up slack til you feel pressure on the rod w/ rod pointed at the fish and set the hook w/ a long smooth sweep. The key is feeling the initial tap and a better rod will give you a huge edge.