LAST EDITED ON Jul-26-01 AT 03:05 PM (PST)

Hey Phil, one thing you might look at is what lead head you are using. The chrome colored hooks are just terrible. You absolutely have to be using the fischo heads with the black hooks (mustad needlepoints I believe).
I fish my swimbaits with short hops and find that almost all bites come on the drop. Watch your line as you let the bait sink on slack line (I only hop about 1 foot off the bottom so you are just watching it in that short period). If it jumps, set the hook. Or if it hits bottom and the line looks "mushy" set the hook also (those are the bigger fish generally). You'll start to pick up on the difference between the swimbait hitting the bottom vs getting picked up by a fish. It's more of a feel thing than anything else. You'll get the hang of it and start hooking up.
Looking forward to your next report!

-Rob