How are you setting the hook right now? Another guy I know lost a bunch of good bites on the huddleston, and I don't really get why since it's a pretty small bait and it's very soft. I usually set with a sweeping type hookset, so that the rod winds up pointing back just behind me a little bit and out to the side, usually slightly up from parallel to the water. I'd only set straight up and down on a bait where the hook is on top only, like mission fish or big hammer or whatever. Even then it seems like I wind up going somewhat out to the side. If you set totally straight up and down, that's when you can pop their mouth open if you don't hit them hard and fast enough.

The other thing to consider is your rod. If the rod is too soft, it will already be loaded up too much when the fish eats the bait and the initial motion will be for the rod to get pulled down. I lost a lot of fish like that early on using rods that were too soft.