Halibut: to set the hook or to not set the hook?

#2
While fishing with live bait I let the hali hook itself, I've never had a problem with it. I let the drag loose and toss a shiner in and it does the the trick, While plugging, I let the hali swim with the lure for a bit and then set the hook in a sweeping motion. It takes a lot of practice and experience after losing a lot of fish.