I'm a pretty dedicated spoon fisherman for steelhead. I hook up on a fairly regular basis but unfortunately a lot of the bigger fish are lost. Usually from throwing the hook. I have read here that the land rate on spoons can be lower due to the difficulty of setting that big single hook but I do not have this problem with the average hatchery sized fish.

Any advice for a trout/bass guy that is getting his ass handed to him by 12lb+ slabs out there? After loosing a beast yesterday, I'm desparate! Drag settings? Rod angle? Water to stay clear of?

Thanks,
O