What Time Of Year Do You Expect To Catch The Biggest Stringer ?

[scaleface]

I know it may come at any time but historically when have you had your biggest limits ? 

 

Ive always read where post spawn fish are the most difficult to catch but that is when I expect to load up . 

[Ozark_Basser]

Depends on where I'm fishing. Prespawn on the lake is when I've had my best days as far as biggest bags go. In middle of summer is when I have my best days on the river. However, I have caught my last two PB's in December.

[Team9nine]

Biggest limits:

 

Largemouth - early to mid pre-spawn (45-55 deg. H2O)

Smallmouth - very early winter (<50 deg. H2O)

 

Biggest numbers:

 

Largemouth - late post-spawn/early summer

Smallmouth - late pre-spawn

 

-T9

[A-Jay]

A few factors have to come into play here for me.

 

The bass need to be at their heaviest, they need to be eating, and they need to be accessible: which usually mean shallow but not always.

 

Most of that happens during pre-spawn and again in the fall of the year.  Now provided I can find them and can offer something they'll chew up - I stand a decent chance.

 

However, I had some great mid-summer night spinnerbait bites, had some decent weight throwing a frog mid-day in July, along with several fat stringers throwing a blade bait right before ice-up.  I've done pretty good fishing deep docks and even had a few hefty Drop-shot bags in August.

 

So, I guess it can happen several times a year.  I just have to be at the right place at the right time - doing the right thing.

 

A-Jay

 

 

 

[CDMeyer]

Most of teh time it is whenever I get a solid pattern going.  But as far as time of the year goes I would say in Wisconsin; early summer, spawn and post-spawn.

This is what I find lends to the biggest limit of bass

[RoLo]

I know it may come at any time but historically when have you had your biggest limits ?

Ive always read where post spawn fish are the most difficult to catch but that is when I expect to load up . 

 

You will notice that the Classics & Elites are generally scheduled to coincide with the "early pre-spawn".

The early pre-spawn holds the greatest potential for heavy stringers, but is not the optimum season for numbers of bass.

 

I agree with scaleface regarding the post-spawn season.

The 'early post-spawn' is a brief period occurring on the heels of the actual spawn.

During the early post-spawn, female bass are fasting, lethargic & supposedly recouping from reproductive stresses.

However, immediately after this brief period, the cow bass are back on the feed. The 'late post-spawn' typically provides

the fastest fishing of the year, the best topwater bite and an excellent opportunity for hanging a beer keg.

Due to the schizoid nature of the post-spawn season it is mired in contradiction. That is to say, the doldrums during the

'early post-spawn' are followed immediately by an activity peak during 'late post-spawn',

and the transition between the two is clouded by overlapping periods.

Roger

[WRB]

Simple answer for me; per spawn, 55-58 degrees about 15'-20' depth on jigs and swimbaits.

Tom

[RoLo]

Simple answer for me; per spawn, 55-58 degrees about 15'-20' depth on jigs and swimbaits.

Tom

 

I would add: those are endemic criteria for a region lying outside the natural range of largemouth bass

(Q: what time of year?)

[Catt]

August 1995: 5 bass limit @ 27.02

August 1996: 5 bass limit @ 28.5

August 2003: 5 bass limit @ 30.667

August 2005: 5 bass limit @ 33.37

August 2007: 10.89, 10.66, 8.99 = 30.54; finished with a 5 bass limit of 42.02

Double digit bass: 23 caught during summer & 4 caught during pre-spawn.

Mid-summer's night

[WRB]

I would add: those are endemic criteria for a region that lies outside the natural range of largemouth bass

How about Florida strain LMB in SoCal that spend most of the winter at 35'-50' of water feeding on planted trout, then as the water temps approach 55 degrees the crawdads begin their migration upwards to about 20' depths. That is a magic time for jig fisherman, working jigs uphill on clay banks and major points. Definitely not natural Florida bass behavior.

[Mainebass1984]

 While fishing in Maine I catch my heaviest stringers in early spring and later in the fall.  Late fall is my favorite time of the year to fish. My chances for catching fish over 8 lbs seems to increase in the fall. Spring and fall are when the patterns I fish work the best. I have had some excellent days during the summer as well. Basically you can catch a big stringer any time of the year but on average spring and fall the 5 fish bags are bigger on average.

 

  5 bass @ 32 lbs 6 oz. April 27th 2012

  5 bass @ 30 lbs 6 oz  May 10th 2014

  5 bass @ 29 lbs 0 oz  Oct 26th 2013

[RoLo]

 While fishing in Maine I catch my heaviest stringers in early spring and later in the fall.  Late fall is my favorite time of the year to fish. My chances for catching fish over 8 lbs seems to increase in the fall. Spring and fall are when the patterns I fish work the best. I have had some excellent days during the summer as well. Basically you can catch a big stringer any time of the year but on average spring and fall the 5 fish bags are bigger on average.

 

  5 bass @ 32 lbs 6 oz. April 27th 2012

  5 bass @ 30 lbs 6 oz  May 10th 2014

  5 bass @ 29 lbs 0 oz  Oct 26th 2013

 

Coming from your boreal latitude, those are some awesome stringer-weights!

 

Roger

[Patrick Morrow]

I don`t have the exact dates written down, but I agree with scaleface. Spawn-post spawn transition has been the most successful for me. I have caught really big and full females during spawn too, so it`s definitely a great time. Only may take a bit effort to keep the males away and get only the female to attack. Late fall is the time where I go fishing most often, I don´t usually break PB, but frequently manage to pull out 2-3 two to four pounders. If I remember  correctly October 17th was a great day for me the previous year.

[F14A-B]

In Florida, I use to do my best in Febuary.. Although, that could fluctuate a bit.. The bag I was most proud of & still am, was a near 17lb

Bag on loochloossa in July! A daytime tournament, with my work buddies. ( aviation )

I caught all my fish in 45 mins, after sunrise. The bite was over, it was a brutal day, lol

My over 11 lb was also in July, under a school of crappie ( big school ) same lake the following year, pre spawn is definitely the time for heavier weights, typically.. If I was rolling dice, I'd put my money on the pre spawn.

[RSM789]

My 3 largest fish have all come in the fall or late summer - September, October & early November.

 

The most fish in a day was prespawn, mostly males but did include a 5 lb. female who was inching her way shallow.

 

Whether it matters or not, the least amount of boat traffic and nearly zero fishing pressure on my lake happens following labor day.  Spring & Summer brings the pleasure boaters out in droves, college & pro football keeps them inside.

[Dwight Hottle]

My five biggest largemouth in one day was 43+ lbs. March 2012 late pre spawn at lake Baccarac Mexico.

Largest five smallmouth was 30+ lbs April 2008 pre spawn on Lake Erie.

[corn-on-the-rob]

Late fall when they are fattening up for winter for size and numbers for me.

[Bluebasser86]

Mine have almost always been in the early months from January through May with my biggest 5 fish stringer (other than Mexico), coming in February at one of the local power plant lakes at 30lbs 2ozs. 

 

I was literally dink dropping 5 pounders that day 

[bassinyea]

Here in North Carolina it is usually Feb-March.  Late winter into prespawn is always the best time of year for a big un.  Fish are fattest they will be all year.

[Mainebass1984]

Coming from your boreal latitude, those are some awesome stringer-weights!

 

Roger

 

Thanks Roger. I had to put in a lot of time to get on patterns that produce stringers like that. Time effort and dedication. Keeping a detailed fishing log helps a lot as well.

[J Francho]

My next trip out.

[Dwight Hottle]

My next trip out.

 

I like your thinking J.

[papajoe222]

I catch more limits consistently in the summer, and my heaviest was in early May. That being said, I believe I catch more big 'stringers' in early Sept.

[Bankbeater]

If everything is taken into consideration I would have to go with summer and fall.