How to catch a PB?

[Ads7633]

I am from St. Louis, but I'm currently in the middle of a one year internship in Georgia. Because of this temporary move south,  I made it my goal to catch a new personal best this year (6.5lb). So far this year I have done well, lots of 4-5lb fish, but I was wondering what kind of advice you all have to help me get over the top and target/entice bigger fish? Thank you!

[sprint61]

Honestly the best advice is to fish as much as possible. At this point in time in bass fishing there is really no secrets. Nothing can help you more than time on the water. 

[Ads7633]

1 minute ago, sprint61 said:

Honestly the best advice is to fish as much as possible. At this point in time in bass fishing there is really no secrets. Nothing can help you more than time on the water. 

Sadly due to my work schedule I really can only get on the water one day per week! I wish I could be out there trying every day!

[jr231]

The biggest variable is not which lure or technique. Its location. You won't catch your personal best if it isn't there. Which means the hardest part is finding the fish. Not catching it. You should specify if you're fishing from bank or water craft of some sort. And what type of water ?

 

The quickest easiest way is live bait. But my best bass have come off top waters, Worms and jigs. And crankbaits. Lol.have +5lbers on all of em .. 

 

Like I said location is key. Adjust your approach to climate and cover type. 

 

[sprint61]

Just now, Ads7633 said:

Sadly due to my work schedule I really can only get on the water one day per week! I wish I could be out there trying every day!

Yea wish I could be out there everyday too. I guess besides a lot of time on the water try throwing some big swimbaits. Don't know if you have any or any gear that can handle them, but this is a sure way to catch a good fish. Deps 175/250, 68 or 8" hudd, and mg favorite the MS slammer. If you haven't looked into swimbaits I highly advise it. 

[RoLo]

 

Step #1 is to select the correct waterbody.

Step #2 is to pinpoint the sweet-spots.

The rest is easy.

 

Roger

 

[Ads7633]

1 minute ago, Yeajray231 said:

The biggest variable is not which lure or technique. Its location. You won't catch your personal best if it isn't there. Which means the hardest part is finding the fish. Not catching it. You should specify if you're fishing from bank or water craft of some sort. And what type of water ?

 

The quickest easiest way is live bait. But my best bass have come off top waters, Worms and jigs. And crankbaits. Lol.have +5lbers on all of em .. 

 

Like I said location is key. Adjust your approach to climate and cover type. 

 

I currently have access to about 10 private lakes/ponds, some I fish from the bank, some I fish out of a kayak. I know that big fish are present in several of these lakes, and maybe I will catch one just keeping after it. I'm just looking for some suggestions. 

4 minutes ago, sprint61 said:

Yea wish I could be out there everyday too. I guess besides a lot of time on the water try throwing some big swimbaits. Don't know if you have any or any gear that can handle them, but this is a sure way to catch a good fish. Deps 175/250, 68 or 8" hudd, and mg favorite the MS slammer. If you haven't looked into swimbaits I highly advise it. 

I was thinking about trying to get into swimbaits. My biggest problem on that front is I'm not really geared up for it. My current baitcasters are all Medium Power with low profile reels. Are there some some swimbaits that could be handed with that gear? I also do fish soft swimbaits like Keitech Swing Impact Fat quite a bit and have caught a few 5lb fish on them here recently.

[NorthwestBasser]

Once you find em... swimbaits!!

[JustinJ]

Location, location, location, TIME ON THE WATER 

[Bluebasser86]

There is no secret unfortunately. Probably the best thing to do is be prepared so when it does happen you can take advantage of the situation. 

[Deleted account]

8 hours ago, Yeajray231 said:

 ..the hardest part is finding the fish. Not catching it.

 

 

This is true of all fishing, but for some reason recs seem to have a bias against this truth.

 

As to catching a PB, find the best water near you and fish it hard. There are lots of large bass in GA. A spinnerbait pre spawn, a frog mid summer early or late in the day, or a swimbait (as well as many other baits) will catch you a good one if you put your time in. Or,... get some good weed, and make friends with the assistant grounds keeper.

[Catt]

"If you do what you've done...you'll get what you've always got!"

 

Ya catching 4-5s & wanna jump the hump to 6s then keep doing what ya doing!

 

After location comes timing; being at the right place at right time!

[A-Jay]

Fish where they live.

A-Jay

[Ads7633]

9 hours ago, NorthwestBasser said:

Once you find em... swimbaits!!

I don't really have any rods that could be considered swimbait rods, any swimbaits you could suggest that wouldn't require a heavy action rod?

[NorthwestBasser]

2 minutes ago, Ads7633 said:

I don't really have any rods that could be considered swimbait rods, any swimbaits you could suggest that wouldn't require a heavy action rod?

Lots! Any of the keitech style swimbaits and be rigged on a swimbait jig head in various weights that a med heavy or even a medium power rod with some good backbone could handle. There are also 4" swimbaits that aren't too heavy and come prerigged. The Berkley swimmin shad comes to mind, and they are cheap at about $3 for a three pack. Once you get a more sufficient rod I like the MegabassMagdraft swimbaits. The bigger the swimbait however, the less strikes you're gonna get, but when you do its gonna be a quality fish more times than not.

[Airman4754]

Fish, fish, fish, and fish some more. Big baits aren't guaranteed to catch big fish and little baits aren't guaranteed to catch little fish.

[WRB]

If your goal is catching big bass you need to fish for them. Just going bass fishing hoping to catch big bass because where you fish has a big bass population is a very low percentage method.

Being at the right location, at the right time with the right lure that active big bass will strike is how you fish for big bass.

Pre spawn to spawn is going on now where you fish and the highest percentage time of the year.

Bluegill swimbait like Matt lures, jig and craw, 9" to 12" big soft plastic worms all work good.

Tom

[Catt]

#1 most productive technique for both quality & quantity is Texas Rigged plastic

 

#2 is a jig-n-craw

 

What ya catching your 4-5# on?

 

@WRB he's wanting to go from 5 lb fish to 6 lb fish

 

Going from 5 lb fish to double D's is huge...going from 5 lb fish to 6+ not so much!

[TOXIC]

As a guide, I got this request often.  My advise is to save your lunch money, hire the best guide on the lake and tell him what you want.  Keep in mind that trophy fishing is an all or nothing trip.  As long as you understand that you may catch -0- then go for it. Otherwise upsize your baits and try to learn the water.  Trophy fish don't swim with the schoolies normally.  

[Ads7633]

1 minute ago, Catt said:

#1 most productive technique for both quality & quantity is Texas Rigged plastic

 

#2 is a jig-n-craw

 

What ya catching your 4-5# on?

Let's see I've caught several of them on a keitech swing impact fat, one on a spinnerbait, a few on traps, a few on a shaky head, and one on a senko. 

[Catt]

2 minutes ago, Ads7633 said:

Let's see I've caught several of them on a keitech swing impact fat, one on a spinnerbait, a few on traps, a few on a shaky head, and one on a senko. 

 

Now we have the start of a lure pattern with the keitech #1.

 

What structure has produced the most?

[Clinton john]

Like Catt  said think about what and where your catching those 4 and 5 pounders and target that with the bait and color you normally use and it will happen.

 

Plus time on the water is always good for the soul.

[Ads7633]

7 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Now we have the start of a lure pattern with the keitech #1.

 

What structure has produced the most?

Honestly the last few weeks I have mostly caught them roaming on flats prespawn. A few have been next to brushpiles, or out of the grass.

1 minute ago, A5BLASTER said:

Like Catt  said think about what and where your catching those 4 and 5 pounders and target that with the bait and color you normally use and it will happen.

 

Plus time on the water is always good for the soul.

True that

[Catt]

4 minutes ago, A5BLASTER said:

Like Catt  said think about what and where your catching those 4 and 5 pounders and target that with the bait and color you normally use and it will happen.

 

Plus time on the water is always good for the soul.

 

3 minutes ago, Ads7633 said:

Honestly the last few weeks I have mostly caught them roaming on flats prespawn. A few have been next to brushpiles, or out of the grass.

 

"If you do what you've done...you'll get what you've always got!"

 

You're on 4-5# fish during pre-spawn!

 

It'll happen!

[wdp]

Actually, some of my biggest bass the last couple of years have come on smaller baits like a Mann's baby 1 minus and a Rapala Skitter pop. I'm doing same as you @Ads7633 I'm fishing shallow flats with 2-4 ft of water & lots of grass. My biggest last yr was an 8'13" caught on a Baby 1 minus doing exactly that. The bass is the one I'm holding in my profile pic. 

 

But swimbaits work too. I've caught big ones up to 9 lbs or more with 4-5" hollow bodied swimbaits using 3/16 to 1/4 oz belly or keel weighted swimbait hooks. Fishing same areas. These work great in the South where I'm located. We don't have trout as forage that require the giant swimbaits like out West. ?

 

Good luck.