Setting the hook with a nymph?

Hey guys, I'm new to fly fishing and was wondeing if I could tap the collective experience of this board.
 
I read through the "Nymphing Tactics" thread and picked up some great info on setting up the line for a nymph. I put that info to work a couple of times now in the past week with very good results.
 
The problem I've run into has to do with setting the hook. Now that I'm getting it down to them and the fish are hitting it, they seem to spit it out as I try to reel them in.
 
Any tips on getting it set so that they can't spit the mynph out? The set-up I'm using is as follows- Floating line to a 9 ft. leader with about 3 ft. tippet. I've set the split shot about a foot from the nymph, and bio-strike on the leader depends on the depth, usualy about 5 ft. back from the split shot, depending on depth. The rod is a med. action 5wt. Pfleuger Purist.
 
What has been happening is that when I feel the hit, I give a short sharp tug on the line with my line(left) hand to set the hook, and start to reel in. The fish comes up, thrashes a little, then spits the hook and swims back down to his hole.
 
It's kinda frustrating.
 
Any tips?
 

Raise the rod tip, don't try the old bass fishing move of yanking the rod back to you. The simple act of raising the rod tip and removing the slack w/ this motion will set the hook. These hooks are such small fine wires that no jerk is needed to set. Yes you will roll fish over and yes you will loose fish all the time during the fight. You have to remember the way a fish takes a live insect. It will taste and feel the insect at its mouth before it swallows. This is why rarely do you have a fish deeply hooked w/ a nymph, wet or dry. The streamer is different. This is where you're loosing the fish. The hook is just touching the outer mouth area and the amount of hook penetration could be limited. A lot of times someone will ask what hook brand are you using, this will play some part in the sharpness of these same hooks. the better the quality of hook the less likely it is to have a weak point and the better chance of it having a sharp point. If you snag the bottom, check the hook point. Is it still straight and is it still there. You can points broken off and before you know it you've been catching fish w/o a hook bend or point. The only other thing to tell you is don't get frustrated w/ not getting fish to the net. You're doing something right if the fish are taking, the pattern and style of fishing you are doing is hooking fish. Thats 90% of the problem out of the way. The other 10% is a fish in a net. I've been on the river where a couldn't get a fish to the net to save my life. Other days the hook never slips. These are both productive days in their own way w/ different outcomes.