king fisher

If you are using bream for bait the best thing to do to increase the number of hook ups is use a circle hook.  No hook set at all required.  Resist the urge to pull back, let the bass run off with the bait, then slowly reel.   The hook will securely hook the bass in the in the corner of the mouth.  Not only will your bass landed to bite ratio go way up, but you will not gut hook any bass.  Circle hooks and live bait go together like jigs and pig.  

You may have to do some research and you still may not be able to find a definite answer.
 
Many years ago I duck hunted a spot in WA.  There was a bridge over a river running into a small lake.  For years it wasn't a problem because the owner let me hunt there whenever I wanted.  Then he sold the place to a person who would not allow any access for fishing or hunting.  I talked to the local sheriff and asked about putting my duck boat in the water at the bridge and floating down to the lake.  He said as long as I didn't get out of the boat and touch the land I was OK, nobody owns the water.
 
The hunting was fantastic because no one was allowed there, plus the owner lived 300 miles away and was never there.  One day the owner drove across the bridge and saw me hunting.  He drove through the pasture and starting yelling and screaming about how I was going to jail.  I told him I would talk to him on the bridge.  I picked up my decoys rowed to the small river, got out and pulled the boat to the bridge without ever stepping on dry land.   When I got to the bridge he called me every name in the book, and even some that weren't in the book.  I told him to call the Sheriff and I would wait for him to come.  He new the sheriff because of an incident a few years earlier with some kids the owner ran off at gun point who didn't know they couldn't fish there.  The Sheriff hated the man so he told me he wasn't going to call her because the local law was crooked, but he would take down my information and his lawyer would be in touch.  I told him if he wanted his lawyer to talk to me have him come to the bridge the next Saturday because I would be hunting there again.
 
I went hunting there again the next Saturday, and sure enough his lawyer and him showed up right after I got my limit of ducks and geese.  I listened to him yell and scream like a child for a few minuets, then talked to his lawyer for a few more.  His lawyer told me the stream was not navigable, and therefore was not public water.  He also told me they were going to contact the district attorney and have him force the Sheriff to arrest me.  I told both of them both I looked forward to a good fight, so bring it on.
 
Later I called the district attorney who did a little research and basically told me he wasn't sure who was right.  He said the case would have to go to court and could go either way.  He then said he was to busy to deal with such a case, and as long as the local law enforcement didn't want to press charges neither did he.  The Sheriff said there was a possibility of hunter harassment charges against the land owner but best to leave sleeping dogs lie.  Hunting season was almost over so I didn't really care.
 
The next year he had constructed a fence across the stream and put more no trespassing sings up than they have at a nuclear facility.  During the off season I had done more research and was positive I was not trespassing.  I decided to play it safe, and only hunt there in the middle of the week.  I new he worked on the other side of the state, and would only be there on a weekend if ever.  It was easy to unhook a couple wires get my boat under the fence, and put the wire back as it was when I left.  I hunted the whole season without getting caught but was ready to go to court if need be.
 
It ended up I was lucky.  About that same time a couple guys did the same thing on a small lake in the next county over from me.  The lake had a public maintained access, but was surrounded by private land.  The lake was one of the best lakes for duck hunting the whole state, and every duck hunter dreamed of going there.  The same group of hunters had leased this lake for many years, and kept a close eye on the lake during the duck season.  The state planted trout in the lake, and during the spring and summer many people used the public access to go fishing.  The two duck hunters decided if people could fish there, they could hunt there.  They were arrested for trespassing, were going to fight it in court, but decided to plead out after failing to raise money for their defense.  It was determined by the law enforcement in that county, that because they touched the bottom of the lake with their boat and decoy anchors, they had trespassed on the owners land.  The lake was small and I assume the owner of the property paid property taxes on the bottom of the lake.  Many places on ranch land are that way.  You buy a section of land and they don't subtract from property taxes the acreage that a pond covers.  The hunters might have won the case in court but couldn't afford to take it to trial.
 
Twenty years later I went back to my home town and asked a friend if anyone ever had enough nerve to hunt that place.  He said the owner leased the hunting to some people that worked for the game department, and they would have anyone arrested that hunted or fished there regardless if they stepped on the land or not.  I talked to a guy that worked for the game department and he confirmed that as far as the law was concerned the stream was not navigable and therefore not public water.  
 
From my research in WA the law had nothing to do with weather a waterway was navigable, the water belongs to the people of the state period.  Because of my history with this issue I am always reading about similar cases in other states.  In Montana a few years ago, there was a decision that favored the anglers trying to float down a river through public land.  Cases in other states have gone the way of the land owner.  In Alaska not only can you be on the water but as long as you are below the high water mark you are OK. and that goes for both state and federal land.  When I first contacted the District attorney in my home county he told me some day there may be a case that will determine who was right in my dispute, but it could go either way, and until the case law is decided it is best to go along with the local law enforcements interpretation of the law.  Back then I was glad, because the local law enforcement agreed with me, but now they agree with the land owner so I'm not so happy.
 
I would recommend you contact your local law enforcement agency and find out where they stand, before launching your boat.  Most likely they wont care, and in most states the water belongs to the public.  On federal land there are actually listed navigable rivers, and some people think that if your river is not on the list than it is not public.  This is a misconception.  The listings are for regulating shipping, commerce, and licensing requirements.  A small stream on Federal land can be considered navigable as long as it can float a canoe.  This interpretation goes back to colonial times when wealthy land owners tried restrict pioneers access to public land beyond there private in holdings.  While it might not hold up in court.  The original practice of accessing water in the US has deep roots in the history of the US.  All sides in every water access dispute will have valid concerns and every case can go either way.  Most likely the person who can last the longest in the fight will win.
 
Go fish the lake and tell us how you do. 

The first time I used an A rig was in late May with a surface temp. of 78 degrees.  I was fishing a ledge that dropped off from a four foot deep flat to 12 feet, then dropped off again to 22 feet.  I had caught a couple nice bass in the morning on the flat with a square bill.  As the sun came up the bass mover to the first drop.  Deep cranks worked for a couple then the bite stopped.  I switched to a skinny dipper, on a 3/8 oz jig head.  Landed two more in the 6 pound range.
         I had recently bought an A Rig and decided if they like one swimbait, maybe they would like 5.  First cast I nearly got my arm ripped off.  Every bait on the rig got hit.  I landed two 6 pound bass, and had to replace all five Skinny Dippers.  The next cast I landed an 8 pound bass, and had a bigger one, get off while trying to land the double.  Later that summer I had to get my shoulder operated on, and I like to put the blame on the A Rig.  
        I don't fish an A Rig as much as I should because I mostly fish around cover and am scared to snag such an expensive rig and loose it.   Also I hate to cast one, and prefer other lures.
        I have never used an A Rig in colder weather, because where I fish it doesn't get cold, but I assure you they work in the summer here.

Multi piece rods don't fly apart, or break, while landing large hard fighting fish, all over the world, but can't catch bass.  Seems odd to me.

If the baits came from the factory with single hooks then I would fish them that way.  Switching to single hooks on lures designed for trebles can ruin the action, or make them impossible to tune.  I have fished places where single hooks are required and I have to leave many of my favorite cranks at home because they will not work with single hooks.  Many times I prefer single hooks, but only if the lure will run correctly.