bumps instead of hits

[dogfish]

That happens to me every once and a while, I usually can catch them by using a floating plug and when I get a bump stop the plug and twitch it a few times let it sit and then retrive it quickly by doing this I can usually hook up.

X2. also upgrade your hooks to a larger size IF the plug permits. And make sure that they are sharp.

[Rip-Plugger]

for those that use barrels to connect the line to the leader those bumps are also very small bass or hickories hitting the barrel.
I have seen it 15 feet in front of me.
seems to help to use the smallest barrel possible.
I use the tiny but,strong tsunamis the type that look like a sleeve with rounded ends.
at times they still hit it but,much less than with a normal sized barrel.
also the gators will hit the barrel too resulting in a cutoff,,have seen that too where the leader is cut 2 inches below the barrel.
even so if you don't use a barrel and connect with a knot they can see that too and will hit that.
it's amazing what a fish can see in the dark.

[Rip-Plugger]

I also will add that sometimes the fish is not hungry and snaps at the offering just to spook it from their feeding window.
I have seen trout and smallmouth do that,,,protecting their feeding zone from outsiders and even smaller fish coming too close which threatens their feed.
I am going by observations and by fish being territorial at times,maybe not all the time but, at "special" times.

[williehookem]

Great advice, thanks. I had similar issues last night