Asking For A Response From Every Member

[JWOA]

 1. Don't get caught in whats suppose to be happening, go with whats happening

 

 

 2. Fish for the moment, stay in the zone

 

 

 3. At the end of the day, remember know matter if your seasoned pro or a rookie. You've learned something that day. Enjoy the fishing trip even though you may have not caught anything 

[mjseverson24]

Here are my top three tips to catch big bass:

 

1) make sure you fish during the prime time for fishing (sunrise and shortly after, and sunset or shortly before).

 

2) have the right tools for the job.( have a properly equipped rod and reel for the technique you are doing).

 

3) fish as often as you can (its a gam of statistics the more you fish the better your chances of getting more big ones).

 

Mitch

[bigbill]

I didn't hunt for bigger bass till my PB went from 6# straight to a 10#er. Seeing this hog in the low light at 5am scared the snots out of me at first. I never seen bass this big. I only seen fish this big in saltwater. She was two feet from shore and I casted parallel to shore at a manmade road that made a drop off at the shore line. I casted my rebel bigclaw crawfish crankbait parallel to the shoreline 2' away from shore. As the crank came towards the channel she came from the drop off and hit it. Before this I had no clue we had bigger bass in ct.

1. Be very stealthy when walking up to your spot on the shoreline. Do not step on rocks or roots near the shore. This send vibrations into the water.

2. Handle your tackle very quietly and put your stuff down softly. I keep everything sorted out in all three tackle boxes. This way I can find everything really easily without making any noise. No noise were like not being there. Again stealth is the key. I use a one cell flash lite in the dark.

3. I get up at 3:30am when the season opens up. I fish the prespawn every morning up to three months or till I get burned out. I find the bigger shy bass are near the shoreline ambushing the baitfish. But if you shine a light at the waters edge in the dark I see fresh water eels at the shoreline. There right at the waters edge.They make an easy meal for old bucket mouth. This could be why a black plastic worm is so successful.

Don't forget to wear your polarized glasses and watch behind your lure for flashes and scan the water for bass that may swim by. I've seen bigger bass than 10# swim past me. There's a fly fishing Bill Dance show that shows the flashes behind the fly. Different camera angle picked it up. They never mentioned it on the show.

When we do it all right we have the knowledge and skills to hook one of these bigger gals. Practice your presentations often. When we hone our skills our success will pick up.

It's stealth when we move, being very quiet when we handle our tackle. I even close the bail on my spinning reel very softly too. Any little noise spooks these bigger gals that are near the shoreline. When they break topwater I cast as far past them as I can. I cast along side the break not on it. Then I work my lure softly near them.

Don't spook them.

I can't put the fish on your hook. I'm no pro but I figured out what's works so far.I don't have all the answers. But my tips will get you closer to your goals. Bigbill

[bigbill]

If I'm seeing and caught one bigger bass here in ct there has to be bigger bass in every state. Stealth is the key. My game plan is to use my hottest fish lures. On a tough day that can change. An Oscar winning presentation is another part of the puzzle for success. We need to stay going too as often as we can. Bill

[wvsmallie]

I can't claim to be knowledgeable about catching big bass, but here are three things that have helped me catch better quality (for me) fish:

 

1)  Get to know better fishermen than you.  Talk to them and, if possible, fish with them.

2)  Pick a few bodies of water known to have big bass and try to develop an exhaustive knowledge of them.  The closer to home the better.

3)  Fish as much as possible.  You can't catch fish, big or otherwise, if you're not fishing.  

[Ratherbfishing]

I have not caught a lot of really big bass so what do I know?  But here is (are?) my two cents:

 

1) Fish deep.  My largest bass was caught while trolling from point a to point be.  I had a lot of line out and the crankbait got as deep as it could go.  It could just be a fluke but I don't think so.

 

2) Go big.  There are always exceptions but generally I don't think big bass waste much energy on small food.

 

3) Look for deep water structure changes and and/or isolated cover on changes in structure.  Besides being where the big fish tend to hang out, they're less likely to have a lot of lures pass nearby.  I'm not really very good at this but I'm getting better.

[quanjig]

1- Pay attention, the fish more often than not will clue you in as to what they want and how they want it. Pay attention to the weather, pay attention to nature (birds feeding, activity along the shorelines etc.) pay attention to your presentation, pay attention to your boat position, pay attention to your graph!

2- Make good decisions

3- Always have fun

[Rudy1922]

1. use Jigs, Spinnerbaits and Spooks

 

2. fish in bad weather (usually means less people fishing)

 

3. the more you fish the more you learn and your chances of catching a big one goes up. 

[michael68w]

1. Slow down!

2. when you find cover don't look at it as one piece. Break it up into angles (like slicing a pie) and hit it from every point you can.

3. It does help to fish an area where big ones are known but certainly is not a requirement.You may be surprised at what lurks in smaller rivers, streams, ponds etc.

[nascar2428]

1. Watch all of Bassresources videos.

2. Gather as much Information on large Bass from this website.

3. Go fishing!!

[Bass Junkie]

1. Fish waters that can and do sustain big fish

 

2. Have confidence in whatever rig you are throwing. That starts at the lure (Size, color, action, terminal tackle, etc.) and continues through the line, rod, and reel. 

 

3. Get the lure in front of the fish. Slowing down is one way to accomplish this, but accurate casts and an accurate working knowledge base of the fish, the fishery, and the habits of both is also as useful. 

[shootermcbob]

As a bank fisherman, my suggestions are going to differ from some

 

1.) Fish stealthy...sneak up on them.   I cast from a distance aways if able, then work closer to the water as I go to avoid scaring shallow fish

 

2.) fish at night....MUCH less pressure

 

3.)try different Lures....IE jointed black jitterbug. Actually had a boater laugh at me for fishing this lure on a Sunday morning at the start of a local tournament. He said NOBODY fishes a jitterbug anymore. I smiled and thought to myself....EXACTLY!

[Tokyo Tony]

Easiest way, although I don't recommend it, is to fish where fishing is not allowed. When I was younger I would night fish reservoirs where it was illegal to fish, and the bass were huge and dumb.

 

On normal lakes though, I'd have to say:

 

1. Fish deep

2. Fish slowly

3. Fish quietly

[Bass Slayer 72]

1. Be methodic

 

2. Work patterens consistantly

 

3. don't get caught up in one depth or type of lur/bait

 

4. Have fun

[TrippyJai]

1) Read.

 

2) Learn.

 

3) Do.

 

It's not like I catch big fish anyways. A 3+ lber here is a great catch up north and the areas I fish with a lot of pressure. My time will come, for now, I'll keep reading, learning and doing.

[RAMBLER]

1. Expect to catch one every time you're on the water.

 

2. Fish where big fish are caught

 

3. Slow down

[WSOzzie]

1. Be aware of environment - above and below the waterline

2. Listen to the elders.......

3. Slow down and enjoy the day

[ProCrafter]

1. Know the water your fishing and its structures.

 

2. Know the fish seasonal movements and routes.

 

3. use selected baits CONFIDENTLY..... Having confidence in what you use and how you present it is a major factor in fishing....if you cannot Visualize how your bait looks in the water and how fish relate to it, you will not do as well as someone who does.

[Brayberry]

1) Slow Down

 

2) Fish Where Other's Don't/Can't

 

3)Improve Casting Accuracy

 

Also know the water your fishing, your main goal may be a 10 lber, but on some waters that's just not possible.  Take pride in a smaller fish but a more rare fish for the water.  For instance, I fish a small like (5 acres) in a very well known area.  This lake is known for small fish, typically around a pound.  The lake record was 4lbs, but even 2 lb fish here are considered rare.  I've personally caught 2 7lb's from this lake, and though the 7's aren't my personal best, I take great pride in knowing I almost doubled the lake record twice.  Just establish thru research what's a big fish for each particular body of water, and try to beat it

[BassAssassin726]

1)Fish where nobody else fishes.

2)Fish big baits.

3)Fish SLOOOOOOW!

[NorcalBassin]

Wow, there are some great responses.

 

1) Be willing to go big all winter long to catch the pig trout chasers

 

2) Be willing to go really small in gin clear/heavily pressured water (I've caught a number of 5 lbs+ on a 1/16 oz jig and a buddy caught a 12 in my boat last year)

 

3) Pay attention to when/where/how you caught your bigger fish. Odds are similar sized fish will be in that area the following year when conditions are comparable.

[A-Jay]

This thread may have started out interesting enough.

 

but after 8 pages, we are reaching the point where

 

"Information is not knowledge"

 

A-Jay

[RoLo]

This thread may have started out interesting enough.

but after 8 pages, we are reaching the point where

"Information is not knowledge"

 

A-Jay

 

Based on consensus, the common denominators were: (drum roll)  SLOW - DEEP - PATIENCE

They are all virtues at the right time and in the right place, but I wouldn't bet-the-ranch on any one of them in isolation.

Naturally, if you're not fishing in the right places you're going to need patience...LOTS of it.

 

Roger

[Catt]

Being able to go during the week

[roadwarrior]

This thread may have started out interesting enough.

 

but after 8 pages, we are reaching the point where

 

"Information is not knowledge"

 

A-Jay

 

You're probably right, but right now we are a little short of the 42,832 I had in mind!