any secret to hook setup...mist 2 bites...yankt the worm off the hook

Might be little bass, perch, or something else pulling on it.

Not every bite on them will be a 12+ Lunker.

6/0 offset worm hook
Reel up any slack and set the hook hard.

Agree. Doesn't matter what hook, rod, line, etc you are using if they don't eat the hook.

When this is happening to me I will downsize to a power craw or small senko with a 2/0 hook, just to see if it is small fish. On occasion I've found it to be decent fish that just wouldn't eat the entire worm, most of the time its smaller fish.

Caught three fish last Sat on a 16" worm and only one of them was over 16" long!

how far from the tip of the worm do you insert the hook thru the worm ???

Like several have said here, it was most likely small bass grabbing the worm midway before you set the hook. There are a ton of small 6-10" running around that are from this year's spawn that have no problem grabbing that big ole worm as it come by.

I was fishing it on this head.

Blue gill will bite the tails off of big worms. 8 had a couple of tails bit off on Friday. When you lose the entire worm, it may be from the hook not getting through the worm, or the bite being just shy of the hook

Good advice

Gotta let them eat it! First bite is usually half the worm, 2nd bite is them chomping it...

Not to hihack, but caught a bream no bigger than my hand on a 10" power worm with 5/0 hook. He was hooked perfectly in the upper jaw. Still puzzled to this day how that happened

Agree on the downsize if you keep getting short strikes. My favorite presentation has been a t-rig power worm/Ol Monster. Have started throwing a jig or a t-rigged and pegged creature bait when I feel I am getting short strikes and seems to improve the hook up ratio a bit more.