I spend most of my time in dirty water.  Generally, the only time I see a bass take a lure, it is rocketing towards the boat and scares the crap out of me....missed a monster the other day crashed my jig at the boat...after I was reeling full speed, preparing to make next pitch...I'm still wondering why she didn't just grab that jig off the bottom and save me a couple years on my ticker

But my heart is pumping faster when I watch a bass slap my topwater bait silly as it passes by, then turns to inhale it. Now other times I'm depending on the feel of the rod or watching the rod tip for the slightest nibble. Using a split shot rigged worm they can sneek up on it with no feeling on the rod. Either way when in doubt set the hook.