How Often Do You Catch Lunkers?

[boostr]

Thats thinkin like a tournament angler!

August was good .. caught a 20" fish every week.. biggest was a 22" 6 pounder some dudes wanted to keep..not!

If those calculations are correct, that's close or would be a state record. Which stands at 10 lbs and something oz

So far in September I've caught two.. one was a 21" I posted on the forum..

People dont think theres big fish in the waters in NJ.. many anglers dont even know but there is.. heres more evidence from a waterway I frequent:

http://www.stripersonline.com/t/808531/i-think-i-just-released-the-state-record-largemouth-bass

[boostr]

So far I'm pulling 2 to 2 1/2 lbs regularly when I go out to the spots I fish, which is a good fish up here. What really drives me nuts is there are people fishing the same spots that are catching 4 to 6lbs and that's from the bank. Sooner or later I will be on one of those Lunkers. For me anything over 3 lbs is a Lunker.

[Sam]

Not often.

 

Maybe once or twice a year will clear 7-pounds but that's about it.

[einscodek]

 

Thats thinkin like a tournament angler!

August was good .. caught a 20" fish every week.. biggest was a 22" 6 pounder some dudes wanted to keep..not!

If those calculations are correct, that's close or would be a state record. Which stands at 10 lbs and something oz

So far in September I've caught two.. one was a 21" I posted on the forum..

People dont think theres big fish in the waters in NJ.. many anglers dont even know but there is.. heres more evidence from a waterway I frequent:

http://www.stripersonline.com/t/808531/i-think-i-just-released-the-state-record-largemouth-bass

 

boostr, round valley is clear, deep and full of trout.. I cant imagine there is NOT a state record bass in there..

[boostr]

boostr, round valley is clear, deep and full of trout.. I cant imagine there is NOT a state record bass in there..

Funny you mention that, I was at Dicks last Friday over in Rockaway in the Fishing section obviously. ( An 2 level store with one of the largest fishing sections I've seen besides BPS or CABELAS) Me and the fishing section sales assistant were talking about different lakes, ponds and reservoirs in the area, and how there are Lunkers just waiting to be had. To note the sales assistant knew what he was talking[] about when it came to bass fishing products also. Dicks also just started a contract with Duckett... shweet my next new rod.

[mjseverson24]

In MN I classify a bass over 4 lbs to be a kicker fish(44.4% the state record LMB). I would say that I catch a kicker fish at least every other outing. if you want to classify a lunker as a fish over 5 lbs (55.5% state record LMB) I catch a "lunker" probably 1 out of 4 outings.

 

Mitch 

[Jtrout]

I'm from maryland and the lake I usually fish is 37 acres the biggest I've got outa there is 3.55 and they are good fighters. The lake is fished pretty hard. And most people can't buy a bite . I've seen 5-6 lbs come from there but I'm shore there's bigger. In the last few weeks I've gotten 5 that went 2.79-3.55 and to me those are fun but I'm looking for the hogs lol

[Bankbeater]

I would say where I am, anything 4 lbs and up is a lunker.  Some years are better than others, but on average I get one or two a year.

[skeeter1980]

In Delaware I catch lunkers every night.But then I wake up.LOL

[starcraft1]

He said it's relative, which it certainly is. A big fish for Raul is a fish that almost doesn't exist where I fish. 

 

For me, anything over 4 pounds is a really solid fish. I usually catch one about that size every 2 or 3 full day fishing trips. I go on a lot of short trips to the local lakes that don't have many fish that size in them, but if I catch 1 or 2 over that make out of them a year then it was a good year on those lakes. 

As with Rual, a 5 lber. is common place out west (clear lake, Cal. Delta, ect.) For a spot, 6 lbs. could be considered a "lunker", Smallies, 5 (to me) would also be concidered, as for large mouth, 7 to 8 is a nice fish. Thropies are 10 and over.

That being said, a couple of times each yr.

[geo g]

The bigger fish seam to come in spurts.  I will have a day or week when I catch 3 or 4 big fish at one time and then a long dry spell with no Kodak Moments. 

 

The real big double digit fish are far and few on normal ecosystems.  Huge bass may be more common on compounds where the government  spoon feeds them live trout several times a  year, and catch and release is mandatory.   Under normal conditions, double digits are rare.  If you want a good shoot at a huge D/D bass, go to where they live, or it may cost you a half a million casts!    

[FrogTosser88]

Caught 2 today that were 4+... A week before that I caught a 4-5lb fish. The last couple weeks I have been landing alot of healthy fish, so this month has been my best fishing.

[SirSnookalot]

The bigger fish seam to come in spurts.  I will have a day or week when I catch 3 or 4 big fish at one time and then a long dry spell with no Kodak Moments. 

 

The real big double digit fish are far and few on normal ecosystems.  Huge bass may be more common on compounds where the government  spoon feeds them live trout several times a  year, and catch and release is mandatory.   Under normal conditions, double digits are rare.  If you want a good shoot at a huge D/D bass, go to where they live, or it may cost you a half a million casts!    

Seems that way around here, days when I catch mostly larger ones and days when just the smaller ones are active.  

The places I bass fish in Florida hold some decent fish but a DD is going to be pretty rare.  Fishing these ponds and canals on foot is not the same as a "bass factory" with a guide.

[tomustang]

People dont think theres big fish in the waters in NJ.. many anglers dont even know but there is.. heres more evidence from a waterway I frequent:

http://www.stripersonline.com/t/808531/i-think-i-just-released-the-state-record-largemouth-bass

That was a terrible example.

[Slade House]

How often?  I fish lake casitas, and here are the days or afternoons i fished and how big they were . Pretty much if i don't catch a 5lb once a week then that's uncommon.  That explains why having 19lbs or even 20lbs for a day tournament won't usually even get you in the top 5 at my lake. 

 

9/8 - monday -   5.43, 6.24, 3.77

9/9 -tuesday    5.56, 5.38, 5.41, 5.03  (all in the last 2 hours of the day, that day I watched my friend lose a 10-11lber when it bent the hooks on his zara spook and jumped out of the water just afterwards.)

9/11  3.83, 3.34, 5.22

 

I didn't fish the rest of the week or the weekend. 

 

Yesterday   i had 3.88, 3.98, 4.88  

 

And historically my lake is having the least number of 10+lb fish caught , they're used to be around 65 10+lb caught from March to June

 

[geo g]

How often?  I fish lake casitas, and here are the days or afternoons i fished and how big they were . Pretty much if i don't catch a 5lb once a week then that's uncommon.  That explains why having 19lbs or even 20lbs for a day tournament won't usually even get you in the top 5 at my lake. 

 

9/8 - monday -   5.43, 6.24, 3.77

9/9 -tuesday    5.56, 5.38, 5.41, 5.03  (all in the last 2 hours of the day, that day I watched my friend lose a 10-11lber when it bent the hooks on his zara spook and jumped out of the water just afterwards.)

9/11  3.83, 3.34, 5.22

 

I didn't fish the rest of the week or the weekend. 

Is this lake one of those California Ponds that were stocked with our Florida Strain Bass, and then served up trout as a food supply? Is it also a catch and release compound? I know some California lakes exist that defy the Laws of Nature.

 

Yesterday   i had 3.88, 3.98, 4.88  

 

And historically my lake is having the least number of 10+lb fish caught , they're used to be around 65 10+lb caught from March to June

[NDH Fishing]

Well for me it seems like every time I get a lunker its on a noticeably perfect cast, with topwater, at first light.

[einscodek]

That was a terrible example.

Why was that a terrible example?  If that was a legit pic, it wouldve been a state record 10 pounder.. it looked bigger than any I caught here..

Heres a 4.5lb 20 incher I caught this morning.. is this a good example?

[Mainebass1984]

 It is all relative. Where you live. The size of fish your targeting. The lake your fishing. I like to target big bass. It is what I live for. I fish a few select waters in my home state of Maine. In Maine a 5 lber is a big bass, a lunker. This year I have fished my favorite big bass waters in Maine 22 times and have caught 46 largemouth bigger then 5 lbs, including 10 over 6 and 2 over 7.  I go there to specifically target big bass. The numbers are good as well. Usually catch between 20-30 bass each day. I would call anything over 8 a fish of a lifetime. I know very few people in Maine who have caught 8 lb plus fish.

[RMcDuffee726]

 It is all relative. Where you live. The size of fish your targeting. The lake your fishing. I like to target big bass. It is what I live for. I fish a few select waters in my home state of Maine. In Maine a 5 lber is a big bass, a lunker. This year I have fished my favorite big bass waters in Maine 22 times and have caught 46 largemouth bigger then 5 lbs, including 10 over 6 and 2 over 7.  I go there to specifically target big bass. The numbers are good as well. Usually catch between 20-30 bass each day. I would call anything over 8 a fish of a lifetime. I know very few people in Maine who have caught 8 lb plus fish.

Not to be rude Mainebass considering i defended you in the Southern New Hampshire forum, but would you say you are pulling these big fish all the time because you understand the waters so well because you fish the same places quite often?  Say I gave you a new place to fish, which still held the same size fish that you catch, just in a different location.  Do you think you would still pull the same size fish even if it was new water?  I'm actually just extremely curious of what you think.  Cheers!

[Mainebass1984]

Consistency comes with experience.  I think that in due time I would catch big fish for what ever lake I would be fishing. Its not like that I only fish one or 2 lakes. I have my favorite lakes like everyone else. I have caught bass over 5 lbs in 28 different lakes. To me fishing is like everything else. The more you do the better you get. Another part of what I do is that I keep a detailed fishing log that enables to replicate patterns lake to lake, season to season, given a few variables such as weather, wind, time of year and water temperature. My game plan for fishing for the day starts way before I get to the lake. Another aspect of fishing that it is very important is that you must have confidence. Confidence in where your fishing, what your fishing, and how your fishing it. I think that in time I would catch big fish from a new water. Probably not the first time or even the second but in time I believe I would catch some big fish. Three years ago I moved to Vermont. I had exactly zero experience on every lake that I fished. Over time I figured out some lakes and some patterns. It is true I haven't caught a 7 lber in VT yet. This year as you can see from a lot of my posts I have been fishing A LOT in Maine. In Vermont I have managed to catch some big bass, the biggest being 6 lbs 8 oz.  I also won Angler of the year in my bass club in Vermont fishing waters that where completely foreign to me 3 years ago. There is one thing I have noticed about the way I fish compared to every one else I fish with. I like to fish very slow, "sift" methodically. The best way to get really good at fishing a particular lake is to fish it a lot under all conditions. That is why the pros are so good. They fish a lot under all conditions. They spend a lot of time on the water. I think that there is some quote that sums it up from BIll Dance. Someone was asking him how he caught so many fish, big fish and became a pro at the sport. His reply was something like " You want to get good at bass fishing ? Go early and stay late."

 

To sum it all up.  If I was tasked to fish a new lake, given zero information on it, I think that there would be a good chance I would catch some quality fish based on my experiences fishing other lakes under every condition you can think of.

[einscodek]

I think the next step up if you have the confidence, knowledge, and experience.. is to see how good you really are and see if you can make some money on the tournaments and move up compete with bigger boyz

[Mainebass1984]

I think the next step up if you have the confidence, knowledge, and experience.. is to see how good you really are and see if you can make some money on the tournaments and move up compete with bigger boyz

 

I need a bigger boat before I can really compete as much as I like. I did win some trophies and 400 bucks this year. I fished in 7 tourneys this year so far and finished 3 times in 1st place, once in 3rd, twice in 4th and once in 5th.

[einscodek]

I'd say save up for a bigger boat then.. 3 times a winner is awesome

[Basseditor]

My club fishes 12 events per year some on decent lakes. Most times, something in the 7-8 lb range wins big bass. Occasionally a 9 or 10 wins (once per year or so for a 10 lb +.) personally I expect at least a 6 every time I go out. (Doesn't always happen, but enough to keep 6-7 as a Doable goal. Some lakes the minimum I'm happy with is 9+. But I've lived here 10 years and caught one 10 lbr. We've landed one 13.35 in my boat.

We have caught dozens from 8-9+ pounds. I get a 6 nearly every trip. I got 2nd place big bass and 2nd place ovearll last event. 6.6 lbs within a 21 lb bag.

When I fished in utah I expected to catch a 5-7 lb small mouth on every trip. I caught more than 50 of those.