When the bass are fickle, one thing that always given me an edge has been spraying water with garlic in it on my hands to get rid of the human scent. Cigarettes, fuel, oil, wife's home cooking... what ever you touched, touches your tackle. It doesn't have to be a strong mix. A small spray bottle kept in a tackle box works great and seconds as a deorderizer for the box. Like most wild creatures, fish can be spooked by human smell/taste. The garlic laced water reduces the human smell when handling your tackle and keeps the fish on longer for a surer hook set.