I am using a small hook (large bluegill size) in which I can jam a larger food pellet. I slip a tiny fly float above the hook and then press it down onto the eye of the hook (If the bait must float on the surface). Toss out some more pellets to start the feeding frenzy. Watch out for the fifteen pound CC...too much for a little rod. Anyway, the bait is grabbed and gone under...but you gotta give it a moment to dislodge the bait and expose the hook. Gotcha!
With respect to lures, I have the same problem with my LMB, each lure works only one time...1/10th acre pond, I imagine every bass in there is watching the one get hooked...collective memory: "well, that's a fake also."
