Skinny - 10/19/2015 10:28 AM

I have run into some missed opportunities fishing jerkbaits lately. I don't know if I should chalk it up to bad luck or bad decision making. Anyone have insight to this situation? I had this happen 3 times now. I'm working a phantom and see a fish swiping and missing. As the lure gets closer to the boat I'm trying to get the fish to strike because I hate and have little success with a figure 8 and a jerkbait, so I give the lure a good sized twitch, let it kick out wide, then stall it. Three times now that has worked, I watch the fish open up and vacuum the lure in. The problem is, the fish just sits there. It doesn't swim away and it doesn't put any pressure on my rod. I, for a lack of a better word, panic and set the hook. All 3 times the lure shoots out without hooking up. Is it better to do nothing and let the fish eventually swim away then set the hook or do you set the hook when you see the lure in it's mouth.