“Hooks have been new and sharp so I cant see that being the prob and plastics have been mostly zmans.” <<<<<< Thats your problem right there. Zmans have a shocking hookup rate compared to real soft plastics, not sure why.. maybe the springy plastic makes them hold onto the tail or something rather than going for the swallow. If you were to compare something like a Zman 3" Minnow to a Squidgy 75mm slick rig, the slick rig has a far higher hookup rate.