If you are fishing them right, you shouldn't be losing hardly anything. I lost a bait (lure) just the other day and that was the first one in a long time! I did learn that if you use a light line, say like 6 lb test, and a light action rod, like I used to do, you WILL loose larger bass (with your hook and worm!) in the branches and stuff that's underwater. There's nothing worse than hooking into a heavy, strong feeling bass and then having her swim through an underwater branch or root and have your line break. SH@T!
I'm not the best Fairmont bass fisherman, but I do pretty good...not big numbers of fish, but the ones I catch have been decent sized, nothing under 1.5 to 2 pounds. I'll show you how I fish there if I ever run into you.