From what I experienced the last 30 years of bass fishing…the fish has engulfed the lure and moving toward you. Crank fast and set the hook hard and whatever you do dont stop reeling till the fish is pulling away from you, then set the hook again. That fish wants whatever it is you have thrown it and has crushed the bait. I call it “purgatory” because its in the basses mouth in “between”….like a void area. What happens is you will set the hook and have the fish on for a while then it just comes undone. Ever experienced that? What has happened is the hooks never got buried in the mouth. The bait will move up to the inside of the basses mouth and just stay there. You know how they can clamp down. Only once his mouth opens does the lure leave. When you have this feeling is when you have to set the hook super hard and dont stop reeling. Just my experience.
