What am I doing wrong?

[Vorlin]

Plastics, especially worms, are the only things that I can fish with well. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be able to hook a fish in a fish tank!

There's a lot of great advice above but one tiny detail that I haven't seen mentioned is this:

*STEADY UNRELENTING MODERATE TENSION* on your line during the fight. Once the fish is on, don't ever let that line slack for anything!!!!! However, don't make the mistake of keeping too much tension on either. I usually set the drag so that it's light to moderate. This way I'll keep reeling relentlessly, allowing the drag to keep making noise the whole time. I watch the bend in the rod tip and I bring the fish in by steadily moving the tip away from the fish and then reeling down the slack... ALWAYS keeping the tension in the line the same so that the rod tip never begins to straighten at all.

Keeping the tip down is good to help prevent jumping but what really prevents loosing a hook set is never giving the fish enough slack to spit the hook out no matter if he's diving for cover or doing backflips through the air.

Speaking of cover, many older and wiser bass will dive for something to hide behind. They seem to have been hooked before and know to wrap the line up in anything that they can find. I combat this by not allowing them to pull straight against the tension on the line. Keep changing up the angle on them so that they're never able to pull straight against you. Instead, keep dragging them a little sideways from the path that they want to go. This makes it hard for the fish to pull against you and he can't steer to get into cover because you're causing his head to skid to one side.

Lastly, be patient. Simply stay in control of the fight by maintaining tension and never letting him pull straight against you or go where he wants to go. You have all day to bring him in, so take your time. Let him wear himself out.

But the main point is to imagine if you were hooked by your fishing partner and the fool won't stop messing with the line...

"Hey man, STOP PULLING on this thing!!! I can't get it out of my arm if you won't stop pulling on it! I'm going to kick your stupid **** and throw your **** moron (&(&_$# fool of a #$%(#% in the water if you don't STOP digging this hook into my arm!!!!"

Yea, kind of like that. Be the guy who the fish is cursing at... works every time for me. 8-)

EDIT: Re: colors... there are many choices and each area is different. Although it seems that pumpkin and dark watermelon are pretty safe bets anywhere.

Vorlin / Scott

[longhair]

Got one!!  Just wanted to say thanks for the input and help on learning to fish with a plastic worm and figuring out what I was doing wrong.  I took what you guys said and looked at what I was doing and equipment I had, then I made a few changes and adjustments.  I went out and worked on it a few days and BAM! I got one.  They fight a lot different when they hit a worm compared to a spinner I thought.   That or thhe just wanted it.  Thanks for the help again and I am off to go try again tonight.  If I can I will try and upload a pic of the fish as soon as I can.

[RODBENDER]

It is a medium action 6 1/2 foot poll and I have 8lb line on it. i am thinking about goin up to 10 or 12lb. line though.

I like a medium heavy rod up to 7 ft .....

That light line would have to go ...I would probably break it off on the hookset ...