Experience And Dd Bass?

[flyingmonkie]

It took me 20 years to catch my first (and only).  My goal is to get a second in half that time.

 

I took a guy from Nepal (who had never fished) with me one day after work, and he landed a 7lb within 5 minutes.  I never took him again.

 

Logged my 100 th DD bass in 1971. Raised my personal bar to 15 lbs and have over 20 giants since then with 5 over 17 lbs.
Tom

 

Wa-oww... If i'm ever in SoCal, expect a PM from me.

[gobig]

Ive managed 6 since I started specifically targeting bass about 5 years ago. I have been fishing my whole life though.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Awesome!

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I'm offended.

 

LOL, no you're not.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I've fished mostly in NY and CO: state records for both are 11lbs. We aren't shooting for DD bass there.

 

I'll respectfully disagree with you there. Our state record is 11-3 and I'm gunning for 10 every outing.

 

If you don't aim high, you're gonna miss low every time.

[hoosierbass07]

I've fished mostly in NY and CO: state records for both are 11lbs. We aren't shooting for DD bass there.

I don't think a DD bass should be considerd the goal in northern states. Yeah, state records may be over ten pounds in some northern states, but I don't care. The southern/warm states are the ones with the really big bass. The bar needs to be lowered for northern states. It's unfair to the fisherman to put the southern and northern fisherman on the same scale.

[WRB]

I don't think a DD bass should be considerd the goal in northern states. Yeah, state records may be over ten pounds in some northern states, but I don't care. The southern/warm states are the ones with the really big bass. The bar needs to be lowered for northern states. It's unfair to the fisherman to put the southern and northern fisherman on the same scale.

Agree trophy status should be regional like In-Fisherman did with their program.

A Lunker LMB was 7 lbs back in the 70's for B.A.S.S. "Lunker Awards" program.

I have tried for decades to get IGFA to add 2 separate species for Florida strain LMB and Northern strain LMB, 2 different bass and can be field identified with lateral line scale counts, FLMB have 69-73 lateral line scales, 17-18 scale rows below the lateral line. NLMB have 59-68 lateral scales, 15-16 rows below the lateral line.

Tom

[Raul]

.

I have tried for decades to get IGFA to add 2 separate species for Florida strain LMB and Northern strain LMB,

Tom

 

Where do I sign the proposition ? I concur completely.

 

I also wanted to add, you have to go where there are beeg feesh, you have to fish for beeg feesh  as much as you can cuz where I´m at there´s beeg feesh, I´ve caught a "few" , there´s hundreds of persons that fish the same places I fish, many have been fishing for as much as I and none have caught beeg feesh.

[South FLA]

I'm offended.

Hey, its not a problem that you use "love bait" at times. so do I, but it doesn't count, same thing goes with stocked ponds, not as rewarding. Nevertheless, you don't have to twist my arm to get me to go fishing.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Love bait.

Sounds kinky.

:-)

[K_Mac]

I don't think a DD bass should be considerd the goal in northern states. Yeah, state records may be over ten pounds in some northern states, but I don't care. The southern/warm states are the ones with the really big bass. The bar needs to be lowered for northern states. It's unfair to the fisherman to put the southern and northern fisherman on the same scale.

 

The original post was only looking for information concerning the catching of DD bass.Like a hole-in-one for an avid golfer or a three hundred game for an avid bowler, a DD bass represents a significant accomplishment recognized by everyone in the sport. The difference is I may get a hole-in-one on my local 9 hole course or bowl 300 at the local lanes, while very, very few public lakes around here offer the possibility of a 10 pound fish. If you want to hunt "gators" you have to go where they live. You want to hunt Grizzly you have to go the other direction. You want a realistic shot at DD you have to go where they live. Fair really isn't relevant in my opinion. 

 

Eight pounds in my part of the country is a trophy; bigger than that on a public lake around here is a real monster. So for me, that is my yardstick. I can happily live the rest of my life fishing for, and catching nice bass without ever breaking ten pounds. If one does come along y'all will certainly hear about it! 

[DILLY07]

I started bass fishing just for fun when I was youngin like at age 6 or 7 while my grandpa took me out on the lake ( Lake of the Ozarks ) to be exact. Got numerous of bass. 

 

Got somewhat serious in bass fishing at age 16. Wanted to catch a personal record for myself it was 5.5 with a jig.

 

Then got even more serious at age 18, learning all kinds of thing and such.

 

Now Im 23, This was last year. I went out of the river fishing. Went out on backwater, where had a lots of lay downs and plenty of structures. I picked up my Duckett rod flipping stick. ( Before I was prostaffed by Denali ) Anyways, I picked up my Duckett Flippin stick rod with 3/8 ounce Eco Pro Tungsten in junebug color with Missile Baits D-Bomb Sprayed grass. I flipped in this laydown. got 4 pounder. Good fish for here. Kept flipping the same bait, 3's and 4's. I kept looking at the side imaging on my friends boat. I see this amazing timber laydown with long log laying on the bottom. so I'm thinking theres got to be a bass laying there. So, I flipped the D-bomb, let it fall, let some slack. So its at the bottom, 2 twitches. KA BOOM, Hook set so hard on that mother. Fought so hard. Got the 8.2 bass. I was so faithful. Thanked to God. Never give up!

[gripnrip]

I started bass fishing at 14 years old.  I am now 38 and my PB is 7.2   I am patiently waiting for the DD but like it has been stated, I need to probably fish some waters where they are more common. 

[Paul Roberts]

DD bass are indeed special fish and earn the term Trophy (with the capital T) just about anywhere –even in the south. Bass that large occupy a whole different trophic role in a system, eating bass that most anglers would be happy to catch! They also tend to be rare. To catch one you have to be astronomically lucky, wealthy, OR exceptionally knowledgeable and exceptionally dedicated, as well as lucky! However the same can be said for smaller representatives of the species in the north. Which brings us to the other thought stream concerning DD bass:

 

I've fished mostly in NY and CO: state records for both are 11lbs. We aren't shooting for DD bass there.

 

why not?

 

I'll respectfully disagree with you there. Our state record is 11-3 and I'm gunning for 10 every outing.

 

If you don't aim high, you're gonna miss low every time.

 

Guys, I appreciate your enthusiasm. Truly! I can feel it from here! But, the truth of the matter is that DD bass are essentially non-existent in the north. In light of this fact, Bassmaster only recognizing DD’s as open for recognition is a snub to the knowledge and dedication of northern anglers, OR maybe it’s just a vacation travel plug for the south!

 

In the north, there are regions that seem to give up bigger bass than others –in particular the NE states near the coast, and this includes SE NY, MA, and NJ. This band of what I am guessing is a coastal climate influence continues into the mid Atlantic states but this is getting “south” enough that DD’s are not just complete freaks of nature. Looking at catch records in the past, it’s appeared to me that in SE NY you can add about a pound or so to top end fish compared to the rest of the state, or the non-coastal NE, or the rest of the northern US for that matter. The farther north you go the further from DD they get. Of course, this all may just be changing with current weather trends. Along with birds arriving and flowers popping earlier, southern Canada is documenting gains in warmwater and losses in coldwater habitats annually. So who knows?!

 

I’ve not been following lately, so I’m curious: How many DD fish are you guys aware of from NY, or the rest of the north? In my mind, you can’t just cite the state records bc such fish tend to be freaks –not uncommonly being sterile fish that put calories into growth rather than reproduction, and/or with very unique feeding opportunities. The Colorado state record was 11-4 and "only" 22.5" -a trout stuffed freak (and I wouldn't doubt sterile to boot). A 22.5 in average body condition weighs in the 6+lb range.

 

I don’t see any “fairness” issues here, unless someone actually believes that an angler who caught a 10lb LM in the south is a more accomplished angler than an angler who caught an 7lber in the north.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I hear ya man. I'm not actively pursuing the record necessarily, just the biggest fish that I have access to. I firmly believe I have two lakes local to me (at least, maybe a couple more) that possess DD fish at certain points of the year. I have seen one fish in one of these lakes that I'd put a paycheck on it being 10 or slightly larger. So, they are here.

 

The main issue with a lot of northern guys is they are not actually fishing for THE big fish. They fish for 5 fish, they fish to catch something. Some guys will get "lucky". They don't commit to learning the water as it applies to the apex bass, studying where big fish should be and at what time of the year they should be there. They do not broaden their fishing base to include techniques that put you in a position to catch true trophy bass (comparable to your area). That's cool if that's what they are into, it's just not for me. I will happily forego 3, 4, 5lb fish in lieu of catching something truly noteworthy.

 

Like I said before. If you're not aiming high, you're gonna miss low.

[WRB]

Speedbead is right on target, you must fish for big bass to catch them, few bass anglers have the dedication to pursue big bass, it's not for everyone. There is some luck involved, mostly lucky enough to be able to fish and pursue giant bass.

Bill Murphy's book In Pursuit of Giant Bass is a good source to learn big bass habits, start there.

Tom

[BigBassBarry]

I caught my first DD at fork weighed 10.03lb I was 15 years old.  Caught on a black salt crawl with white pinchers texas rigged

I caught my second when I was 17 yrs old in a farm pond in Oklahoma it weighed 12 lbs  caught it on a blue gill that I caught on a grasshopper. (true story)

I caught my 3rd on when I was 34 yrs old at a small 55 acre Lake in Oklahoma it weighed 11.2 lbs caught on a 4.25" soonerrun biffle bug on a 7/16 hard head.

 

I am now 37 in search of my next DD!

[Paul Roberts]

I hear ya man. I'm not actively pursuing the record necessarily, just the biggest fish that I have access to. I firmly believe I have two lakes local to me (at least, maybe a couple more) that possess DD fish at certain points of the year. I have seen one fish in one of these lakes that I'd put a paycheck on it being 10 or slightly larger. So, they are here.

 

The main issue with a lot of northern guys is they are not actually fishing for THE big fish. They fish for 5 fish, they fish to catch something. Some guys will get "lucky". They don't commit to learning the water as it applies to the apex bass, studying where big fish should be and at what time of the year they should be there. They do not broaden their fishing base to include techniques that put you in a position to catch true trophy bass (comparable to your area). That's cool if that's what they are into, it's just not for me. I will happily forego 3, 4, 5lb fish in lieu of catching something truly noteworthy.

 

Like I said before. If you're not aiming high, you're gonna miss low.

Very well said. I almost didn't respond initially bc I didn't want to just sound like a naysayer, or… like I’m stompin on people's dreams. I’m not. But I think proper perspective is important. I hear too many “stretched truths” from northern anglers telling me their PBs weighed 8 to 12lbs, and then call a 1.5lb fish a "3lber", or a 5 an “8”!. I feel bad for them, rather than “like I’ve been lied to”. These numbers are derived from top southern fisheries and end up used as comparisons and expectations for the whole country. When a kid feels he has to tell me his 4lber (maybe the top fish from that particular pond) was a “6lber” I feel bad for him. And know that I can’t get the real scoop from a lot of the anglers I share waters with.

 

I've been aware of your focus Speedbead, and your truly impressive results. Anyone who can break 7lbs on northern waters by design is doing more than one thing right. Either they have some rare waters open to them, have the know-how, or most likely, both. And probably a few other things I'm not even aware of. I've only done a little of it, just to explore that aspect of ... the food chain. And I broke my PB and several pond records in the process.

 

As I understand it, exceptionally large bass in most (average) waters are those that have been able to jump into a different trophic level by genetic happenstance and/or pure aggression. Most waters simply don’t produce many –if any– exceptionally large bass. If one wants to see them on anything more than an astronomically low probability basis, they have to find them and then fish for them. They'll certainly earn 'em. Otherwise, do me a favor and buy a friggin’ scale!

[WRB]

NLMB vs FLMB

Prior to 1967 the California LMB state record was 14.7 lbs.

1959 FLMB were transplanted from Florida to San Diego CA as fingerlings into a closed lake to public fishing, Upper Otay. 1965 FLMB from Upper Otay were moved to Lower Otay open to public fishing. San Diego city lakes were also stocked with the Upper Otay FLMB in 1966.

1968 through 1971 the CA LMB record fell nearly every month from 14.8 lbs to 21.15 lbs over a 4 year period, the difference was Florida strain LMB. Same lakes, same climate, same forage base, different bass.

FLMB can't survive water temperature lower than 45 degrees and that limits where they can live, they can't live in northern states.

Someday bass anglers will figure this out, NLMB grow about 50% less in weight than FLMB. It's insane to judge all LMB as equal, a 7 lb NLMB is equal to a 10 lb FLMB, lower your goal for NLMB or raise the bar for FLMB, the both can't be the same!

Tom

[SirSnookalot]

Even in the south a 10+ bass isn't so common, if it were I would have seen a lot more pictures posted.  In this technological age just about every one has a camera or smart phone.  A picture is worth a 1000 words, I apologize if I missed someone but in memory only Big O, 00mod and FishCris have backed up their claims.  I have no pictures of DD bass, so for the record I didn't do it.

[00 mod]

Even in the south a 10+ bass isn't so common, if it were I would have seen a lot more pictures posted.  In this technological age just about every one has a camera or smart phone.  A picture is worth a 1000 words, I apologize if I missed someone but in memory only Big O, 00mod and FishCris have backed up their claims.  I have no pictures of DD bass, so for the record I didn't do it.

 

 

Snook, there are some others on here:  Dwight Hottle, A-Jay, Shane Procell, Rolo, Catt, WRB, Dead River, Bluebasser86, Shane J.

 

Jeff

[joeyfishes]

Not even a year. 

 

 

 

 

[Catt]

Even in the south a 10+ bass isn't so common, if it were I would have seen a lot more pictures posted. In this technological age just about every one has a camera or smart phone. A picture is worth a 1000 words, I apologize if I missed someone but in memory only Big O, 00mod and FishCris have backed up their claims. I have no pictures of DD bass, so for the record I didn't do it.

I caught a 10.11 & a 10.67 this week, we are fishing so far back in the marsh cell phones are useless so I left it in the truck.

I really don't care who believes me or not!

[Raul]

I caught a 10.11 & a 10.67 this week, we are fishing so far back in the marsh cell phones are useless so I left it in the truck.

I really don't care who believes me or not!

 

I believe you Catt.

[vikingbear8]

OP If you are really serious about catching a DD, you really need to explore outside of the piedmont area. Not saying there are not lakes here that kick them out, but the vast majority of the lakes here are dead. Yes lake jordan has a 14 and change record, but that was 20 years ago when 40lb bags where not uncommon there. Now it only takes what 12-15lbs to win there usually. Maybe during the spawn 20-25. There is a lake in cary that puts out a handful of DDs every year, and I was lucky enough to find a 4 day window this year where they were extremely active. On that lake during those days there were 5 fish over 9lbs caught. I have not got a single good fish on that lake since that week though and that was in February. There is a guide on Falls that has 27 DDs and the lake record at something like 13, but he has caught them over 20 years or so. Now if you talk about western NC fishing, its a whole different game. That is where the state record is from, and there are multiple lakes out there that put out teeners every single year. The water stays cooler out there, and oh yeah there are this little bass snicker bars running around everywhere that fly fisherman call trout. There is less pressure, cleaner and healthier water. Just all around better trophy fisheries. Not trying to discourage you, there are places here that are good for big bass too, specifically the Bragg ponds, and the city owned drinking water impoundments, and some way out of the way places that all the yuppies are afraid to take their Prius. If you are serious about big bass though, you might want to consider some trips into the smokeys, besides it is beautiful country out there, you don't need an excuse to go, wives love the Biltmore house and Asheville, and you get to fish, its a win win haha. Then again, I am from the mountains and moving out past Asheville this fall so everything I have said may be slightly biased.