Targeting big bass

[Wurming67]

I fish the Everglades during the day I can't imagine that place at night?

[soflabasser]

7 minutes ago, Wurming67 said:

I fish the Everglades during the day I can't imagine that place at night?

I have fished the Everglades many times by myself at nighttime and yes its not for the faint at heart. The Everglades becomes alive at night with many animals making sounds. Its best to bring a friend along, have a headlight, fish 15 feet or so away from the shoreline, and be very,very careful where you step. I usually do my night bass fishing in public parks and other public bodies of water. I enjoy it very much since they are less fishermen on the water, less boats,no jetskis since they seem to be terrified of the night, no sun to burn my skin, and peace and quiet while hearing the sounds of frogs and other animals.

[Catt]

@soflabasser

 

Every year there are hundreds of 10 lb plus bass documented all across the state of Texas & to my knowledge not a single one was caught on a swimbait.

 

Well except for Keithech swimbaits or a fluke!

 

Not saying big swimbaits don't catch big bass but so does many other baits.

 

I caught all my double digits on Gene Larew Salty Ringworm, Gene Larew Salty Hawg Craw, & Terry Oldham's jig with a Hawg Craw trailer...and on (12.8) on a trap.

[soflabasser]

2 minutes ago, Catt said:

@soflabasser

 

Every year there are hundreds of 10 lb plus bass documented all across the state of Texas & to my knowledge not a single one was caught on a swimbait.

There's a member from this forum from Texas that's caught plenty of big bass on swimbaits. Haven't seem him post here in a while but he does post in the swimbait forum we are both members of. Fishermen tend to stay quiet on what exactly they catch their big bass on and you will never truly know what they use unless you see them catch the bass in front of your eyes. The Texas state +18 pound record largemouth bass was caught by a crappie fisherman with a small minnow so anything is possible. You never know 100% what a largemouth bass of a lifetime will hit , they might hit a crappie minnow, a small inline spinner, a beetle spin, a mimmic minnow, a chicken nugget,etc but that would be unlikely compared to fishing with a buzzbait, oversized Rat-L-Trap like you like using, or swimbaits and big topwaters I like to use. Bass fishing is something that even the best bass fishermen can not know 100% and its safe to say that I have a long life ahead of me to try to figure out what the big bass in my area like the most.

[Wurming67]

That's what keeps us keep going out on the water,it's a never ending challenge.

[Catt]

@soflabasser 

 

If we are in the right location at the right time, lure selection can be anything from a small crappie jig to a swimbait to a chicken McNugget!

 

Are we to arm ourselves crappie jigs & McNuggets?

 

No! But I believe there is too much empirical  evidence proving it aint just lure selection!

 

Just like guys who only target deep structure or shallow water vegetation, they all think their way is the most productive!

[WRB]

If you know what the big bass are feeding on use a similar lure. Trout swimbaits look exactly like a real trout but it doesn't act like a trout trying to escape a bass intent on making it a meal. Real live trout are very fast and jump out of the water trying to get away from big bass. A slow lazy swimbait just looks like a easy target and sometime familiar to the bass.

When I fish a jig for big bass keeping moving along the bottom with stops and goes tends to get more strikes then dead sticking or shaking it, but you should try various retreives and let the bass decide. Big worms I fish a lot slower then jigs, one reason I prefer jigs. Stopping a big worm and shaking it often increases strike ratio. Ideally the bass will strike both jigs and worms on the fall, a strike most anglers miss.

Lures matter in the right location at the right time, but they are a personal choice, you can't catch any bass if the lure is in the box.

Tom

[fissure_man]

Would it be accurate to say that the top end bass in California have been caught disproportionately by a small population of folks actually targeting large bass, whereas other “big bass” states such as Texas or Florida seem to have a higher % of instances where “casual” or non-bass anglers have lucked into the biggest catches (such as Mr. McNugget)?

 

If yes, what are the reasons for the difference?  Is it just angler demographics, or do differences in the fish / environment have a role?

[WRB]

It could be a few factors, California and Texas introduced Florida strain LMB  into thier fisheries and these grow 50% heavier when the ecosystem has the prey sources and warm water temperatures.

California's big bass boom focused anglers on catching them, however the FLMB are not like the northern strain that occupied the same lakes prior to the introduction of FLMB, NLMB are easier to catch. In the late 60's to early 80's live bait was the choice of anglers trying to catch FLMB in California with techniques used in Florida. Hand poured soft plastic worms were the effective arcticial lures, between live bait and soft plastics big bass started being caught in numbers by recreational anglers.

What must be kept in mind is how small SoCal bass lakes are, between 700 to 2500 acres with deep clear rocky structure,few docks and sparse cover and very high fishing pressure. The big bass populations crash under fishing pressure in these small lakes becuase California doesn't restock bass, they are on thier own to reproduce.

Trophy bass anglers using look a like swimbaits to planted trout, bluegill and crappie became numerous during the 2000 to today. Big lures are easy to cast long distance and effective in lakes with trout as a prey source. Recreational bass anglers no longer can use live bait in most SoCal lakes, the big bass populations having been reduced only occasional big bass are caught by using soft plastics by recreational anglers, higher % by anglers using big swimbaits in California.

Texas is very different, they manage their bass program as an asset.  Texas has hundreds of lakes stocked with FLMB from Share a Lunker program. Texas bass lakes don't have trout for prey source because the lakes are too warm or too shallow during the summer to sustain a trout population. Shad are the primary prey fish along with crawdads so smaller lures appeal to the bass. I will add the recreational bass anglers in Texas are higher skilled bass anglers then California.

Tom

[Koz]

15 hours ago, Wurming67 said:

I fish the Everglades during the day I can't imagine that place at night?

 

Same here in SC. I'll readily admit I'm too scared to go bank fishing at night. Alligators are abundant, even in residential communities. The only time they are removed is if they get aggressive, even the really big ones.

 

We have great fishing here but many of the lagoons have overgrown woody and weedy vegetation along the shoreline making the water tough to access. In the northern part of the state this is no big deal to fish areas like that. But here you never know when a gator is nesting along the shoreline. Everywhere I fish I make sure I have a clear line of site along the waterline and I make sure I have a quick egress if confronted by a gator.

 

When they are in the water, 9 times out of ten the alligator will swim 20-30 feet out in front of you and sit there, letting you know you are on their turf. But 1 in 10 times they keep coming at you right onto the shore. That can definitely make for a very bad day if you're not paying attention - or in the dark.

[Wurming67]

I love fishing but not gonna put myself in siuation to do any alligator wrestling in the dark?

[Catt]

When targeting double digits & above the first consideration is the body of water.

 

Does the body of water occasionally produce a DD, like 1or 2 every couple of years?

 

I'm probably not gonna consider it!

 

Does the body of consistently produce multiple DD...yearly?

 

That one will be high on my list!

 

Some of the marshes I fish produce a couple dozen a year with limited pressure...well at least from anglers who know what the doing.

 

Then we have lakes like Toledo Bend that are capable of producing a hundred plus DD annually.

 

[soflabasser]

South Florida is a very different place to bass fish compared to Texas and California so what works in Texas and California might not work the same in South Florida. There are many public bodies of water down here that you do not have permission to enter with a boat,so that changes giving boat advice and using electronic fish finders to find the bass. In these places you have to be very good at reading the water and understand what the current conditions will do to your fishing since you cannot use a electronic fish finder and a boat to help you in these places. Many of these places have 8-12 pound bass, but most of these places are not easy to fish ( lots of vegetation both on land and water, alligators, snakes,etc). Its not easy catching a +10 pound bass in South Florida and the percentage of South Florida bassers that have caught double digits down here is much smaller than those in Central/Northern Florida. I have been very fortunate to have caught a couple double digit bass in South Florida, but each one made me work very hard and fishing for 8,9,+10 bass in South Florida is not something for somebody that wants a easy fish.You really have to earn a double digit bass in South Florida and most people will probably never catch a double digit bass in public waters of South Florida and they will be better off going to Central Northern/Florida if they don't have the patience to fish for DD bass in South Florida( maybe even go to Mexico or a private ranch in Texas that has plenty of pet trophy bass to catch).

[Wurming67]

19 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

South Florida is a very different place to bass fish compared to Texas and California so what works in Texas and California might not work the same in South Florida. There are many public bodies of water down here that you do not have permission to enter with a boat,so that changes giving boat advice and using electronic fish finders to find the bass. In these places you have to be very good at reading the water and understand what the current conditions will do to your fishing since you cannot use a electronic fish finder and a boat to help you in these places. Many of these places have 8-12 pound bass, but most of these places are not easy to fish ( lots of vegetation both on land and water, alligators, snakes,etc). Its not easy catching a +10 pound bass in South Florida and the percentage of South Florida bassers that have caught double digits down here is much smaller than those in Central/Northern Florida. I have been very fortunate to have caught a couple double digit bass in South Florida, but each one made me work very hard and fishing for 8,9,+10 bass in South Florida is not something for somebody that wants a easy fish.You really have to earn a double digit bass in South Florida and most people will probably never catch a double digit bass in public waters of South Florida and they will be better off going to Central Northern/Florida if they don't have the patience to fish for DD bass in South Florida( maybe even go to Mexico or a private ranch in Texas that has plenty of pet trophy bass to catch).

Very hard to get DD in South Florida no doubt ,you can get insane numbers though.

 

[soflabasser]

5 minutes ago, Wurming67 said:

Very hard to get DD in South Florida no doubt ,you can get insane numbers though.

 

Yes South Florida has a extremely healthy population of bass and probably the best place in the nation to catch +100 bass in a single day. Northern/Central Florida is better for trophy bass and 100's of trophy bass are caught every single year in Florida. We probably have the best DNR of all the states and there's a reason why so many people from other states come here to live and not many want to leave.

[Wurming67]

6 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

Yes South Florida has a extremely healthy population of bass and probably the best place in the nation to catch +100 bass in a single day. Northern/Central Florida is better for trophy bass and 100's of trophy bass are caught every single year in Florida. We probably have the best DNR of all the states and there's a reason why so many people from other states come here to live and not many want to leave.

Florida is closed, no one else please ?

[soflabasser]

3 minutes ago, Wurming67 said:

Florida is closed, no one else please ?

LOL! I am sure you noticed how packed its getting down here and it's most likely going to get more packed. Don't worry a couple decent hurricanes will scare many of them back to the west,north, and northeast where most of them come from. I don't blame them for coming here though since Florida is a paradise for much more than fishing.

[Wurming67]

1 minute ago, soflabasser said:

LOL! I am sure you noticed how packed its getting down here and it's most likely going to get more packed. Don't worry a couple decent hurricanes will scare many of them back to the west,north, and northeast where most of them are leaving to come live here. I am use to hurricanes like most South Floridians so I won't be going nowhere anytime soon.

And the bad paying jobs and very expensive to live plus all bass left Florida heading to New York I heard.

[soflabasser]

Just now, Wurming67 said:

And the bad paying jobs and very expensive to live plus all bass left Florida heading to New York I heard.

That's why it's crucial to get a good education to have a profession that pays well...that or have a very successful business. Besides a little extra money can help feed the bait monkey and I am sure the bait monkey does not mind.

[Mr. Aquarium]

i LOVE night fishing! cant imagine the glades. new thing added to the bucketlist

 

[soflabasser]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

i LOVE night fishing! cant imagine the glades. new thing added to the bucketlist

 

Fishing the Everglades is one of my favorite experiences I have had bass fishing. Make sure to bring a headlight, bring a friend, stay 15 feet or so away from the shoreline, and be very careful where you step. Would also reccomend you give land based shark fishing a try when you visit Florida if you haven't done it already.

[Mr. Aquarium]

nope but next trip to florida these will be happening!!

[WRB]

South Florida doesn't have any big public lakes?....Okeechobee lake is in south Florida!

Lake record is 15+ lbs as I recall and number of 10-12 lb bass are caught there every year.

Tom

[soflabasser]

1 hour ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

nope but next trip to florida these will be happening!!

Sounds good. You will have a great time fishing for sharks from land in South Florida. There are other hard fighting fish you can target from land as well besides sharks. Let me know at least 1 month before you come and I will give you one of my fishing reports.

[Mr. Aquarium]

dude we went out on a charter for sailfish and sharks. saw one sailfish come up. no sharks, zip, nada,nothing, not even a shark coming up on the bait. it was soooooooo weird