Starting My Quest For A Big Bass!

[A-Jay]

Try what I call a" horizontal drop shot"......Rig a heavy duty drop shot , cast it out , work it along. Your lure will be as far off the bottom as you rig it. Consider that your lure will be off the bottom , but, not too much, as the angle of your line determines that......2 feet length of drop line can keep the lure only 8 or 10 inches off the bottom, but, keeps it clear of all yuk and most weeds, while still taunting the bass....Works great in many weedy bottom situations. 

 

X2 ~

 

A most effective rig and one I use quite a bit during mid to late summer.

 

I don't go super heavy, usually 10-12 lb test and an 18 inch or so dropper length.  This summer a Rage Craw Tex-posed on a 2/0 EWG hook has been very good.

 

A-Jay

[Slade House]

my advice, missle bait d-bomb or baby d-bomb texas rigged and fish it on a fallen down log in January. let it sit there for 2 minutes after it hits the bottom.  

[Slade House]

if you're fishing swampy areas, try a bandit 200 series chartreuse with black splatter back. 

[Slade House]

or just listen to Tom , he knows more about catching large bass than anyone on bass resource, and has caught more bass over 15lbs than anyone i can think of . 

[Catch and Grease]

Thanks guys, This information really helps...

I really wanna try that variation of the drop shot y'all mentioned, and I'll look into buying some lighter jigs with bigger skirts!

Gonna try and pick that book up when I can WRB.

[Mattlures]

Wow without calling anybody out, there is some of the worst advise I have seen in this thread. Some of it is good, some bad, and some is just ....really bad.

[roadwarrior]

This was 7.49 caught on a Fat Ika:   http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/lake-guntersville-2012.html

If there are any 5 lb bass in the water you are fishing you can catch them on a Senko or Fat Ika.

[Catch and Grease]

Wow without calling anybody out, there is some of the worst advise I have seen in this thread. Some of it is good, some bad, and some is just ....really bad.

What information is bad? Heck call em out, its not like they should get offended. If they get offended from someone disagreeing with them they need to get off the forums.

[Catch and Grease]

The thing I'm so confused about is people saying if your trying to target the bigger bass don't worry about throwing specific lures? Like one guy said "it doesn't matter" and to an extent it probably doesnt. But I'm sure if your targeting big bass a bigger lure will be better usually.

Like why do pro's always reach for the jig or 12 inch worm when trying to catch the biggest of the day? BECAUSE THOSE LURES CATCH BIG FISH!

What about the guys consistently catching trophy bass on huge swimbaits?

Like obviously a big bass will bite a trick worm or a 10 inch worm but which one looks better to him? Which will get the big bass to bite more than the other? My vote is for the big worm.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Hey, he didn´t say he was going after 10 lbers, we immediately asume when our cyberpals say they are going after bigger fish they mean 10+ lbs bass and such thing is not necessarily true. "Big momma" is a matter of interpretation and geographical location, you can´t go fishing for 10 lbs LMB bass in Minnesota.

 

 

How about Pennsylvania? 

 

Catch and Grease, do your thing man. It's pretty obvious that I buy into the bigger bait, bigger fish theory but like others have said if you are not fishing where there are big fish then it's certain you won't catch them. Seeing where you're from, I'd say a 5+lb PB is easily attainable.

 

Learn your water. Learn fish behavior specific to your location. Success is found through planning and preparation more often than luck.

[OK Bass Hunter]

In Pursuit of Giant Bass will help you regardless of what kinda lake you're fishing. It helps with the mindset, the deliberate presentations, preparations and overall feel of going after big bass.

[deep]

The thing I'm so confused about is people saying if your trying to target the bigger bass don't worry about throwing specific lures? Like one guy said "it doesn't matter" and to an extent it probably doesnt.

 

You worry about specific lures AFTER you've located the bigger bass. The specific lure choice really matters only when it matters.

 

But I'm sure if your targeting big bass a bigger lure will be better usually.

 

Some of the times, bigger baits are  better; some other times, smaller baits. It's all about getting a "positive reaction" from the bass. Note that this may or may not mean matching the forage. You can't forcefeed these fish anything, it's all about what THEY want, and their choices will change from time to time.

Like why do pro's always reach for the jig or 12 inch worm when trying to catch the biggest of the day?

 

Pros do NOT fish for big fish, they're trying to catch five fish whose total weight hopefully is higher than that caught by the other competitors.

 

BECAUSE THOSE LURES CATCH BIG FISH!

 

Sometimes, not always. There's a LOT more to it than fishing the largest bait in your tacklebox. There are certain high percentage lures, proven over time and across the US to catch bigger fish.

What about the guys consistently catching trophy bass on huge swimbaits?

 

Define huge. Sometimes a hardgill is a higher percentage bait to target a giant, sometimes its a BS magnum (sorry Matt). I talked with Mr Long once, and he almost never fishes what I'd consider a huge bait. Okay, a 8" bait is a regular sized one btw. Once again, it's giving the fish what they want. Ask Speed how many big bass he's caught on hudds

Like obviously a big bass will bite a trick worm or a 10 inch worm but which one looks better to him? Which will get the big bass to bite more than the other? My vote is for the big worm.

 

Sometimes you want to fish a 4" worm or a tiny crawfish because that's the highest percentage lure, and that's what the fish wants.

 

 

We can go back and forth on this all day, but you won't be asking a lot of these questions if you were to read the book I recommended. Ordered it yet?

[Catch and Grease]

Haven't ordered the book yet, kinda broke... Gonna buy that book and a heavy rod when I get some extra funds.

[WRB]

I haven't suggested a specific lure by brand because don't have any idea what the big bass in Banks lake prefer, water color or types of bait fish, size of crawdads etc.

You can't go wrong with Matts bluegills, they work everywhere, a good choice to start your quest with.

Tom

[Catch and Grease]

There pretty large crawfish there... As I already mentioned Idk what bait fish are there, I've tried getting a hold of people to find out what kind are here but nobody ever answers... I described them earlier in the thread, maybe you can help me make an educated guess.

The water clarity is very stained its like 2-3 foot or less visibility, kinda tea colored water

[Catch and Grease]

The Biggest bass I've caught in banks were on soft plastics used as buzzbaits and squarebills if that means anything.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Don't get hung up on "baitfish" as being shad, specific minnows, etc.

 

Bluegills live everywhere bass live. There's your baitfish. Simple.

[Catch and Grease]

Don't get hung up on "baitfish" as being shad, specific minnows, etc.

Bluegills live everywhere bass live. There's your baitfish. Simple.

Yea but I have been curious about what kind of bait fish are in the big schools I've been seeing...

[Catch and Grease]

I have already mentioned that I don't want to go to some private pond and catch a trophy.

I want to catch a big bass out of banks lake Georiga!

[Choporoz]

Go fishing.  Then go fishing some more.  Pay your dues, learn the water, learn your prey.  Sorry to sound flip, but there's thousands of threads on here about big bass.  I'm sure you've read plenty of them.  What more did you hope to learn in this one?  Keep an optimistic attitude; build confidence and go fishing.  While your fishing, consider.....if you catch your life-time PB in the first months or year of bass fishing, it'd be all downhill and disappointment ever after.  May every next fish be bigger than your last.

[Brian6428]

There pretty large crawfish there... As I already mentioned Idk what bait fish are there, I've tried getting a hold of people to find out what kind are here but nobody ever answers... I described them earlier in the thread, maybe you can help me make an educated guess.

The water clarity is very stained its like 2-3 foot or less visibility, kinda tea colored water

Man, this has turned into one of the best threads I have seen all year. Good question! Here is my humble suggestion.

 

 

My thoughts on swimbaits: 

 

Swimbaits were designed and are most effective in the clear, deep, rocky reservoirs of California. They do work other places, but that does not mean they are the best option for all lakes. How often do you get stuck with normal lures? 3,4 times a trip? Now imaging there is a $25< swim bait on the end of your line when you inevitably break off. Based one of your earlier posts, it sounds like you don't have money coming out of your ears (aka 99% of the population).  This makes losing those expensive swim baits really hurt. 

 

In addition to this, they work best in clear water. Most man made lakes have poor visibility, making swim baits not as effective. 

 

 

My suggestions:

 

 

Here is how I would approach the situation. 

 

Fish at both ends of the spectrum. By this I mean that you should be doing 2 things: flipping and pitching, and fish deep structure. I saw a video where Denny Brauer said "pitching lets you make accurate quiet casts up to the nasty, shallow areas where the big bass live" (quoted from memory, not directly). I would suggest pitching a big jig, creature bait or something else deep up into some shallow cover.  This shallow big bass philosophy is also shared by Doug Hannon in his book "Big Bass magic."

 

The other thing I would do is fish deep. I would probably split my time 50/50 between shallow and deep. Some big bass (or all, or none, based on the lake) will live deep. Find cover on structure near deep water near by and your odds of catching a lunker multiply by 10. Start your search on a good topographic map. Look for points, humps, drop offs etc with deep water nearby. Once these have been identified, go to the lake and scout out these spots with your fish finder. You are looking for cover (just like fishing shallow!) on the structure. This can be a brush pile, rock pile, weed bed, weed break line etc. 

 

In case you are confused, here is an example. You look at a topo map and see a long point with one side dropping into the creek bed. This spot is already good in and of itself. Then, you go to the lake. If you can find a brush pile, rock pile or weed bed on this point near the drop off to the creek bed, that is a high percentage spot to catch a big bass. 

 

Now for lures. I have thrown swim baits for approx 1 month, but I got priced out of the market due to losing too many 25$ baits. With that in consideration (aka i haven't fished swim baits much, so the sample is skewed). Here are my brother and my top big fish lures:

 

Each of our Pb's came off jigs. Each of our second biggest bass also came off jigs. My third biggest bass are tied on a brush hawg, buzz bait and 10" worm. 

 

I would suggest you use jigs primarily, specifically the Big-O series Jig by siebert outdoors. Pair it with a nice big trailer and you're good to go. Secondary would be a 10-12" worm, 3rd would be a creature bait on a flipping hook. 

 

Good luck! Hope this helped somebody at least a little.

 

Edit: If you can't tell, I'm procrastination doing my homework 

[Mattlures]

"My thoughts on swimbaits: 

 

Swimbaits were designed and are most effective in the clear, deep, rocky reservoirs of California. They do work other places, but that does not mean they are the best option for all lakes. How often do you get stuck with normal lures? 3,4 times a trip? Now imaging there is a $25< swim bait on the end of your line when you inevitably break off. Based one of your earlier posts, it sounds like you don't have money coming out of your ears (aka 99% of the population).  This makes losing those expensive swim baits really hurt. 

 

In addition to this, they work best in clear water. Most man made lakes have poor visibility, making swim baits not as effective. "

 

This is so wrong!!! This will be on my biggest swimbait misconception post. Yes Swimbaits are designed to be realistic to help fool the big bass especial when the water is clear and they get a good look at it. To think that this is a negative thing in less then clear water makes no sense at all. Swimbaits work incredibly good in non clear water. I think they work better in non clear water. They push a lot of water, more them most regular baits. and when the bass gets close enough to eat them, the realism help seal the deal.

[Jtrout]

Go with light tackle and catch the bait fish you see schooling up to see what it is

[Brian6428]

"My thoughts on swimbaits: 

 

Swimbaits were designed and are most effective in the clear, deep, rocky reservoirs of California. They do work other places, but that does not mean they are the best option for all lakes. How often do you get stuck with normal lures? 3,4 times a trip? Now imaging there is a $25< swim bait on the end of your line when you inevitably break off. Based one of your earlier posts, it sounds like you don't have money coming out of your ears (aka 99% of the population).  This makes losing those expensive swim baits really hurt. 

 

In addition to this, they work best in clear water. Most man made lakes have poor visibility, making swim baits not as effective. "

 

This is so wrong!!! This will be on my biggest swimbait misconception post. Yes Swimbaits are designed to be realistic to help fool the big bass especial when the water is clear and they get a good look at it. To think that this is a negative thing in less then clear water makes no sense at all. Swimbaits work incredibly good in non clear water. I think they work better in non clear water. They push a lot of water, more them most regular baits. and when the bass gets close enough to eat them, the realism help seal the deal.

Dang! The real mattlures! Thanks for pointing this for others to see. I thought it was almost a fact that they work best in clear water, but now that I think about it they do displace a lot more water than a 7" worm, which i catch quite a few fish on. I guess that was my take on the situation, but like i said I only threw swim baits for about 1 month. 

 

What are your thoughts on snags, though? I was throwing a mattlures U2 bluegill and huddleston rof12, and I was working them slowly along the bottom. I got stuck so much. It was super nerve wracking, I just got too nervous throwing them. Any tips? I guess it would also be relevant to the OP if he fishes a snaggy lake.

[Loop_Dad]

Maybe it is a mute point with the way this thread is going, but since you started by talking about big worm... I throw 11 inch ribbon tail and 3, or even 2 lbers will eat it. I don't think they think those worms are that big, but at least I don't get too many dinks.