BigAngus752

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Don't sweat it for a single second. 100% chance that the jackwagons calling you names aren't spending all of their free time doing charity work. I have had enough contact with you on here to know that you are extremely respectful and courteous both with other people and with nature. I have experienced so much hate on other forums and in social media groups that I severely restrict what and how much I share. I've learned that these days people deal with their own inadequacies by stealing peace and happiness from others. We have an amazing, inimitable community here thanks to @Glenn . This is where I find real people and real community and I have zero questions about your intentions or ethics.

To answer your question; I always pick up or pull out abandoned fishing line. I will sometimes pick up other's trash if the mood strikes me, but I don't pretend to be Mother Teresa because I picked up someone else's littered energy drink can.

Those are some beautiful fish. I feel you with the "color doesn't matter until it does". A few years back everyone I know was struggling to catch fish on a particular lake. One of my friends who lives on the lake called me to tell me that he had found "the deal". It was a red, curly tail worm fished on a T-rig. I started fishing that and started catching. We killed them all summer when the Saturday tournament guys were only bringing in one or two fish per boat. The next summer? The fish wouldn't touch them. I've got a drawer full of them. I've kept them just in case they come back in style. LOL

It sounds like you are doing the right thing.  Throw it, crank it down to the bottom, smack something and freeze.  Then crank again until you smack something.  This helps to prevent hang-ups, but more importantly this pause is when 90% of your bites will happen as @Glenn said.  I think you're saying you are sweeping the rod to run the crank?  I reel it down fast until it hits, pause, reel slowly to keep it bouncing, pause, reel, pause, you get it.  
 
You can run a 25ft crankbait in 6ft of water if you want to.  It's just more pausing and much slower reeling than if you were in 20ft of water.  On one of my home lakes a go-to in the summer with some wind blowing is throwing a 15ft crankbait on rocky points in about 8-9ft of water.  I can really load the boat if the conditions are right.  They always hit it on the pause.  

Definitely not a "hookset" like you're plowing a 4/0 through a piece of plastic.  I sweep my rod nearly parallel to the water to the left or right.  Maybe one or two turns of the handle depending on what direction the fish is already headed.  If it's running at the boat then you've got to work that reel like a mixer in cake batter but otherwise I let them decide where they are going for a few seconds after the sweep and hold and then adjust accordingly.  I use my TM to my advantage also.  
 
If they are heading for the surface I drop the rod tip fast and take a step or two away from the fish.  If it jumps I try to pull it flat so it can't get a good headshake and keep tension to get it back in the water.  I much prefer when they just dig and dig until they're tired.  Sharp hooks are your best friend.  Keep the rod tip bent.  Make sure your drag is adjusted properly.  Don't horse them, it's not a tug-of-war.  If they move, you move with them while you direct them toward your boat or shore.   

Okuma TCS All Purpose is the deal for this.  A more moderate tip that makes it extremely easy to walk lures and works perfectly for treble hooks.  Keeps the fish pinned but good backbone.  Love this rod for Spooks and pencil lures.  During the sales you'll get one for $120 or less.  You won't be throwing a spinnerbait with it.  It's very much a treble rod but it does trebles better than any other rod I've ever used.  

Surprisingly...by people.  Before I saw this video I thought this was the most logical answer, but with modern technology I assumed it was something I had never seen.  As usual, Occam's razor turns out to be the answer.