Crank baits, jerk baits, are famous for losing fish. These baits have this reputation because of treble hooks. First thing you should do is make sure the hooks are attached to the bait with a split ring... If your hooks do not swing freely, they will lodge, and it will become easier for the fish to throw your bait.
Spinner baits can have their problems too. Look at the spinner baits length of the blade arm. On some spinner baits the blade arm is too long. What I mean by too long is that the end of the arm will hit the point of the hook. When the arm is too long, a fish can collapse the wire and cause it to interfere with the hook.
You can correct this by cutting the top arm right behind the loop that holds the blade. After cutting the arm, put a new loop in. You can take the end and overlap the shaft. Cut off the excess after locking the loop into place.
Be sure the hook is sharp. In the molding process the hook can get a little nicked up.
Using a trailer hook when fishing open water or sparse cover will increase your landing ratio as well. The trailer hook should be attached with tubing, insulation off an electrical wire, or even crimped on with a pair of pliers.
When fishing spinner baits, make sure the lure is tuned properly. The blades should be parallel with the hook. If the bait is lying sideways the hook will be laying at the wrong angle.
Jigs and soft plastics have the best hook-to-land ratio, but there are a few things you can do to make it even better. Trimming the weed guard on your jigs will help you hook more fish. Trim them at a 45-degree angle to the point of the hook. The last strand should be even with the tip of the hook when compressed. After trimming the end of the weed guard, trim the front strands down about 1/4 of an inch further, this will stiffen the bristles.
Fishing with plastics is usually all about how you rig them. When using the Texas rig ,pull the hook all the way through the worm. With the hook pulled through the worm, lay the hook flat on top of the bait so everything is flush. With the hook flush and the bait straight, pull forward on the worm and slide it back over the hook point. This will keep the bait weed less and streamlined, plus leave less plastic for the hook to travel through on hook set. Playing a fish is just as critical as the components you are fishing with. Never get your hands above your shoulders. This means on the hook set too. When your hands get above your shoulders, you lose leverage, and that's the main advantage you have over a fish. Keep your rod tip low and at an angle to the fish when using crank baits and spinner baits. Keeping the rod tip low will decrease the likelihood of the fish jumping and throwing your bait. Giving a fish slack is the worst thing you can do with any lure. When flipping and pitching it is important to get a good hook set to move the fish away from the cover as fast as possible. When doing this you still shouldn't get the hands above your shoulders. It is also a bad idea to jerk the fish completely out of the water. This will put slack in the line and the fish has a better chance of throwing your bait. Breaking off a fish is going to happen but it can be avoided. Keep an eye on your line. Make sure there aren't any nicks or rough spots. If you find some, retie. It costs you nothing to retie. Another thing to check is the eyelets on your rod. You can do this by running a cotton swab through the eyelets to make sure there are no rough edges. The next time you're on the water; don't have a fish story about the one that got away. Show them the one that didn't get away.
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