Wrong rod!

I landed 3 other fish but the big one ( 5 to 6 pounder ) came off , was trying to keep him from burying himself in the thick grass . That rod is 7ft 4inches medium heavy fast . Very flimsy in my opinion and that bass manhandled the rod with ease .

You have to let them manhandle you with a jerk bait. I am the worlds worst about trying to horse them in and get them in the boat but you simply can not do that with jerk bait fish. Those hooks are so perfectly chosen for the jerk bait to act correctly in the water that most of them have super thin wires that bend easier than others.

I feel your pain buddy. I've had a few big ones bury up in the grass and get away from me over the years. I've caught fish up to 12 pounds on the edge of hydrilla and there are times when you simply are not in control even when you stick them on a 5/0 heavy hook and 65 braid.

With a smaller bait and #4 or #6 trebles like what you're throwing about all you can do is let the fish bury up in the grass and pray they are still on there when you get to them. If you're fishing off the bank this may not be feasible.

Good luck!

And here I am with absolute zero fish this winter from a jerkbait, and yet I still continue to throw it.lol

$40 Ugly Stick Lite. 7' M action. My favorite rod in my box for small crankbaits, topwaters, and jerkbaits. I can feel the bite on a slack line during pauses and has worked great for me the past 6 or 7 years.

Thank you sir , what line do you recommend ?