Catching Short Fish

[hogplunger]

i recently started fishing in a local club that fishes only one lake. i am having a problem catching keeper size fish ( over 14 inches). i can catch 12-13 inch fish all day long. i have tried everything i can think of. can anyone tell me if i am just catching "short" fish, will there be keepers around also? or do i need to keep trying different techniques until i start catching larger fish?

[Choporoz]

Great question.  You'll get lots of answers, I'm sure.  I can only speak from my very limited experience.  Over years of fishing the same way, catching all kinds of short fish, I did catch an occasional good bass.  Not often, but I did catch 3-5 lb fish in exactly the same places and ways as the smaller ones.  

 

Since I've been on BR and learned and learned and learned some more...and since I've been reading books about catching big bass, I can say that I don't really catch too many more than I used to.  But, no question that I catch more bigger ones.

 

So, to answer your question....I do believe that you need to change things up and target bigger fish if your in it competitively

[Snakehead Whisperer]

 Not often, but I did catch 3-5 lb fish in exactly the same places and ways as the smaller ones.  

 

This. Timing is everything. I fish a tidal river for smallmouth, and there's not a whole lot of information out there for this type of fishing. All I can say is to use the trial and error system. Large fish will inevitably move into the areas where the dinks lurk, but if you're not casting to those areas when they're there you won't catch them. In contrast, these fish can be caught by targeting the areas where they rest when not actively feeding at times when they're not extremely active. 

 

When you're catching smaller fish try altering the depth at which you're fishing, the speed/cadence of your retrieve, and possibly the lure that you're throwing. Chances are you've found decent bass habitat but are targeting the wrong "spot within the spot." If small fish are eating your offering, the larger ones most likely will too. 

 

An example would be this rock pile that I've been dissecting as of late. I've caught large smallies on just about every part of this rock pile at every depth, but I've also caught quite a few dinks throughout. I fished it the other day on the last 2 hours of the incoming tide and the spot was on fire. Lost 5 or 6 big fish in less than 30 minutes on a football head jig. Switched over to a swim jig and started burning it in 8-10 FOW and started to hook up with the bigger fish. Problem was that these fish were more aggressive than I thought, and once I started throwing a faster moving bait by them they were striking much harder. Once the tide turned the fish moved into a shallower area behind the rock pile where there was a current break, and once again the fish were hitting the slower moving football jig and a drop shot(albeit much less frequently.)

 

TLDR: Try something/someplace different.

[*Hank]

TLDR: Try something/someplace different.

[*Hank]

TLDR: Try something/someplace different.

[hogplunger]

thanks guys. i will try moving a little deeper and try different baits.

[bassinOUT89]

thanks guys. i will try moving a little deeper and try different baits.

i wouldn't leave fish, to find fish. But that's just me.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

thanks guys. i will try moving a little deeper and try different baits.

Unless you're already fishing in less than 1 foot of water, don't just assume that the bigger fish will be deeper. Often they are, but sometimes you'll need to fish shallower to find them.

 

Don't forget to try altering your retrieve speed. I hope you start to get into some bigger fish.

 

What lake are you fishing? I spend a lot of time and do a lot of fishing out in the Tulsa/Sand Springs/Tahlequah area.

[hogplunger]

@ dink. that's been my problem. i haven't been leaving fish to find them, therefore, i was going to weigh in and watching everyone else weigh in.

@ snakehead whisperer skiatook. i was fishing in another club last summer ( my first tournaments) and came in 10th in AOY points. i have always struggled at skiatook though. every once in a while i will catch 3-4 lb fish. just cant do it consistently. 

[deep]

Okay, so I know next to nothing about tournaments, so I can't help you there.

 

With that disclaimer out of the way; if you're catching short fish, you're either in the wrong spot, or fishing at the wrong time, or both.

 

Not all structure holds bass, most structures don't attract adult bass, and then there's the issue of timing (seasonal period -> time of month -> time of day).

[papajoe222]

What are the winning weights like? How many guys bring limits to the scales?  This will give you an idea of what you're up against.  If just a handful of guys are limiting out on every contest, or if winning weights are consistently under 10lb. you're going to have a tough time. Going deeper isn't always the answer to finding bigger fish, let alone catching them.  I fished behind a lot of guys, both as a co-angler and because I didn't have the fastest boat to get to spots. I did manage to consistently finish high in the standings. I believe that was due to my paying attention to detail, both in my presentations and my preparation. My motto was and still is; Show 'em something different.  I'm not just talking lures. Sometimes the same lure everyone else is throwing will do, but you may need to alter the normal presentation or location you use.  There can be, and likely are, keeper sized fish in the general area you are catching those dinks from. If you keep fishing for the dinks, you'll rarely catch the keepers. Start with small changes and don't expect your numbers to stay the same.  Catching a dozen fish you can't take to the scales is worse than catching only one you can when the money is on the line.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

@ dink. that's been my problem. i haven't been leaving fish to find them, therefore, i was going to weigh in and watching everyone else weigh in.

@ snakehead whisperer skiatook. i was fishing in another club last summer ( my first tournaments) and came in 10th in AOY points. i have always struggled at skiatook though. every once in a while i will catch 3-4 lb fish. just cant do it consistently.

Skiatook is one of my favorite lakes in OK. Skiatook is a tough nut to crack, but don't overlook deep structure (it has a lot of it.) Seems like a lot of anglers only fish the creek arms there, but my best fish from the lake have come from main lake points and some of the various rock piles/humps. Far less fishing pressure in these areas, and plenty of fish. The Navionics web app has a decent map of it here. 

 

If you haven't already, you should check for the old Bassmaster videos on Skiatook. They're still relevant today, despite the fact that the lake is much larger now. Just search for "bassmaster skiatook" on YouTube and they should come up. 

 

edit: Found one, but there are several in this series. They're all on YT.

[scaleface]

Heres my advice. Be quiet . Dont let the big fish know your there .

 

Think about your lure choice . After awhile you will be making more educated choices. 

 

Every cast should have a reason. No random casting. That doesnt mean not to cast out in open water. It means when you are casting in open water your casting at a depth. I often cast at a depth .

 

Learn to fish a Texas rigged worm well. Once you become proficient with a texas rig all other lures and techniques are easy .

[Southmike1]

Bass don't do stuff for no reason. If short fish are in a particular spot, try to duplicate that spot in other areas of the lake. If you are catch shorts at 5ft deep in grass with scattered stumps, then try to find other areas similar to that and see if they are holding larger fish. Another thing is to fish larger baits. If you catch short fish on a 6inch trick worm, try throwing a 10 inch worm. The smaller bass are more aggressive and active than larger fish, and they will often attack a bait before larger fish in the area can. Using larger baits can discourage the smaller fish.

Mike

[RoLo]

thanks guys. i will try moving a little deeper and try different baits.

 

Yes, it is true that the mean depth of large bass is deeper than the mean depth of small bass (i.e. coldwater tolerance).

It is also true that the depth of trophy bass varies sharply as per seasonal period.

Consequently, simply increasing the fishing depth in the hope of landing a trophy bass

is little more than a crapshoot. There are probably an equal number of situations when moving into shallower water

will expose the angler to more belly-sagging lunkers than moving into deeper water (certainly in my experience).

Just my two cents 

 

Roger

[Southmike1]

It is a common misconception that big bass stay deep all summer. Deep being a relative term. Here in the south the water gets so hot that without current anything deeper than say 12ft is void of enough oxygen to supportmuch life. Other lakes vary of course because of clarity, temp, nutrients, current, and a whole host of other reasons. Basically just because you fish deeper doesn't mean fish get bigger. This time of year a basses metabolism is in high gear, meaning it has to eat more to survive. Generally the move shallow, 10ft or less to do this on our deep southern lakes, bit the definition of shallow is also relative. I caught a 10lb 5oz hawg in less than 2ft of water last august. So don't think because its hot they won't go shallow.