Hook the bait one of three ways: just below the dorsal fin, through both lips, or just under the anal fin. Try each way and report back here which way works best for your bass.
Bill is right and here's a bit more info from my days fishing saltwater with live bait. We'd just use a hook, no weight. Only time we used a weight was to get the bait deeper than you'd ever need to in a pond.
Hooked under dorsal fin - baitfish swim closer to the surface.
Hooked under the anal fin - baitfish swim deeper
Hooked thru the lips - fish swim wherever they want to, you can set the hook quicker because predators eat the fish face first, and there is less chance of pulling the hook out of the baitfish when reeling it in to cast again.
