Ever heard of the "mid strolling" and "shadding" techniques ?
Grab a fluke, shaddick, bass assasin shad or GYCB shad shape worm somewhere in the 4-5" size;
for mid strolling use either a shakey head or a EWG weighted hook, rig your bait t exposing the hook, cast and allow to sink for a couple of seconds, shake the bait with your rod tip a couple of times then reel in steadily for 3-5 turns of the reel handle and shake again, when you get a bite wait a few secondes before setting the hook, no need to try to cross their eyes immediately just lift the rod and when you feel the weight of the fish set the hook.
for shadding use a wide gap hook, rig your bait wacky rig about 1/3 of it 's length from the head, cast and allow to sink and twitch your rod tip several times, the bait will dart sideways, flutter around and sink like a dying minnow, then reel in steadily for 3-5 turns of the reel handle ( the bait will swim paralel to you ) and twitch again, when you het a bite set the hook immediately.
Any of those two techniques will catch them when they are crashing on the surface.
Now y 'all reading owe me a six pack of brewskies for the tips.