Go big or Go home? baits eddition

[lmobass22]

howdy,

I am wondering if I should start to fish bigger baits than I normally do.

Because I live in Minnesota, the fish here don't get as nearly as big as they do in the southern states

I usually fish baits in the 1 in to 4.5 inch range but I am wondering if i should increase that for bigger bass.

I fish relatively small because that is around the size of the forage up here.

But on the contrary I have caught a 1.5 pound bass with a half pound bullhead siting in its throat.

I have heard the phrases "big baits catch big fish" and "you don't need a big bait to catch a big fish" but am still unsure

I also like to catch quantity over qualty but that will probably change will the baits I use

I am hopping to catch a new PB this year and just have more success in general with catching big fish

Thanks for reading

[j bab]

4 minutes ago, lmobass22 said:

I also like to catch quantity

Then don't throw big baits. In my opinion there's not much of a point unless you know that you're around big ones.

See this thread for proof that you don't always catch big fish with big baits!

Not saying you can't throw them, just giving my 2 cents

[lmobass22]

3 minutes ago, j bab said:

Then don't throw big baits. In my opinion there's not much of a point unless you know that you're around big ones.

See this thread for proof that you don't always catch big fish with big baits!

Not saying you can't throw them, just giving my 2 cents

wow thanks

bass are aggressive wow

[Senko lover]

Throw a jig! Small bait, but one heck of a big bass producer. Frogs, spinner baits, buzzbaits, and chatterbaits are also known big fish lures that will catch quantity as well. 

[j bab]

1 hour ago, Senko lover said:

Throw a jig! Small bait, but one heck of a big bass producer. Frogs, spinner baits, buzzbaits, and chatterbaits are also known big fish lures that will catch quantity as well. 

Excellent point. My dad and I both started throwing jigs a LOT more this year and have caught a lot more bigger bass 

[scaleface]

I throw med  size lures almost exclusively . Stuff that my med baitcasting equipment handles well .Lure placement is important for both quantity and quality .

[doyle8218]

It still surprises me how many small fish will bite a 10 in worm.

[RangerDanger]

I'd say get a bluegill like a gantrel jr and an swaver 168 and once you've satisfied your quantity fix for the day learn how and where to fish them.  In my opinion the best starter swimbait is a jackall mikey because it works great without any mods and is super easy to fish.  I know a couple of guys who really like the rat and have caught some good fish on it.  Not a swimbait but a KVD 8.0 might be a good investment also.  If you want to step up in price there are so many options out there.  Smaller fish will definitely strike at a big bait getting a hook in them is sometimes tough and can be frustrating.

[Bluebasser86]

We have even fewer big fish here in KS, but that doesn't stop me and several others on here from catching fish on big baits. Although they're not big a lot of the time, every once in awhile one of us stumbles onto a good one. 

It's addicting if you have the patience for it. 

[papajoe222]

I'm always amazed at the number of good size bass I catch while fishing for pike and muskie. I don't know if it's because they don't often see forage that size, or because of the areas I fish.

My thinking leans toward the latter. Location is the key, no matter what species you target. Bass that live in waters where they aren't the predominate species tend to expand their forage choice, so bigger baits are a good option.