How do you get a hookset through a big rubber bait?

A 450 g (1 lb) rubber bait is itself the obstacle: the fish's jaws clamp the soft body, and your hookset must compress all that material before any force reaches the hook points. The system answer is stiffness and sharpness end to end — an extra-heavy rod with real backbone, 80 lb no-stretch braid, a locked-down drag for the set, and needle-sharp hooks, filed or replaced out of the box. Set hard and set repeatedly: the standing advice on big rubber is two or three full-power sweeps while turning the reel handle. If your hooks come back with rubber jammed in the gap, clear it every cast; a fouled hook point cannot penetrate a muskie's jaw.

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