Live Bait Setup/ Reel, Drag& Bait Clicker?

I've always had pretty good luck catching hybrids but my luck has gone south lately. Pretty well all of my fishing this time of year is on live bait. I fish mainly spinning reels because they seem to be much easier for my young boys to use and I spend way less time fixing back lashes. I typically set the drag at home, go to the lake, bait the hooks, and set them in the rod holders. Problem is the last few weeks the bite has been very lite. The fish seem to be lightly grabbing the bait and running with it. As soon as they feel the resistance they spit the bait. I have one lever drag reel with a bait clicker that has a strike setting which is basically just enough drag to keep the line from free spooling while drifting. I rigged this rod Saturday and every fish I caught came on that reel. This has me thinking that I need to consider changing out my reels to a different setup.

What setup are you guys using for live bait fishing? How heavy are you setting your drag?

Been using bait clickers for years, love to hear it go off when a big fish takes it! Even better when 3 or 4 rods go off at the same time!

I use a medium/heavy 6.5/7' rod with an Abu 6500C3. Drag is set to where I can pull it out with a bit of effort, but not too tight. When the clicker is use, it does not matter how the drag is set. Only after it's engaged does the drag come into play.

When I get a strike, I take it out of the rod holder, engage the reel and get a feel for the fish. Sometimes there's still a bit of slack in the line, so when I get a good feel for it, I put my thumb on the spool and set the hook. This way, if your drag is set light, you won't just spin off more line. You can then adjust your drag as you fight the fish if needed.

Only issue I see with your young boys using this set up is if they forget to engage the reel and set the hook right away when they pick up the rod. That can make for a tangled mess.

Okuma makes spinning reels with a bait clicker. Try one and see if it is a fit for your kind of fishing.