Targeting big bass

[soflabasser]

49 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

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.

That's terrible and I bet that fishing charter wasn't cheap. I reccomend you do your research months in advance before you visit South Florida again or any state you plan on fishing. That's what I do when I go on my fishing vacations up north and I tend to do well( have caught multiple muskies, smallies, various species of trout, rare types of bass,etc). You don't need a boat or fishing guide to catch a shark in South Florida and honestly sharks are not hard to catch in many places as long as you have the appropriate gear and you know how to handle a big game fish. I suggest in investing a decent combo for shark fishing and make sure to use a wire leader when shark fishing. You can get lucky and land a +7 foot shark with straight 12-30 pound mono and a small hook but that is unlikely compared to using 4 feet of 200-500 pound wire leader,10-20 feet topshot of 100-200 pound mono, and a couple hundred yards of 50-80 pound line. Many shark fishermen down here use much heavier line than I mentioned so your not going that heavy. 

[WRB]

Put a fork in this thread.

Tom

[soflabasser]

On 4/20/2018 at 8:58 PM, DINK WHISPERER said:

The approach is a little different in every part of the world. I mainly tie on big oversized baits when I want to target bigger fish. It doesn't always cut down on the small bites that much though. You'd be surprised what a dink will take on.

Well said @DINK WHISPERER

[papajoe222]

I started reading responses and almost forgot what the topic was.

I'll say one thing that I don't recall seeing mentioned; If you're going to target BIG fish you'll need to mentally prepare yourself for fishless days and I'm not talking a three or four hour outing. I'm talking a full day of fishing.  The feeding window for a big bass is very small and may only happen once or twice in a day.  Big bass are very proficient at obtaining the amount of food they need without wasting much time or energy and enticing a big girl that's in anything but an active mood will humble even the most patient of anglers.

If you've read the book, you know that the big girls will position themselves close to a consistent food source. The other things necessary are sanctuary (cover or structural change) and access to deeper water. When you're playing the numbers game, one or even two of those factors can be missing, but you'll need a spot that offers all three for a big girl to even stick around.  Locate as many spots containing those three elements and return to them often throughout the day.

[A-Jay]

6 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

I started reading responses and almost forgot what the topic was.

I'll say one thing that I don't recall seeing mentioned; If you're going to target BIG fish you'll need to mentally prepare yourself for fishless days and I'm not talking a three or four hour outing. I'm talking a full day of fishing.  The feeding window for a big bass is very small and may only happen once or twice in a day.  Big bass are very proficient at obtaining the amount of food they need without wasting much time or energy and enticing a big girl that's in anything but an active mood will humble even the most patient of anglers.

If you've read the book, you know that the big girls will position themselves close to a consistent food source. The other things necessary are sanctuary (cover or structural change) and access to deeper water. When you're playing the numbers game, one or even two of those factors can be missing, but you'll need a spot that offers all three for a big girl to even stick around.  Locate as many spots containing those three elements and return to them often throughout the day.

Totally agree with this  one ~ ^^^^^^^^

 And it doesn't matter where I'm fishing OR if I'm targeting Green Bass or Brown.

Some of the biggest fish I've been lucky enough to take were the Only fish of the day or perhaps one of two.

First DD LMB came from a spot at sunset - I had fished and come back to it 5 separate  times during the day.  Fished for 30 minutes or so each time - she came on the second cast of the 6th stop there and was the only fish I caught that day.   

My recent PB Smallie came at sunrise and was the only fish I caught that day.  

This deal does exclude sight fishing beds.

A-Jay

 

[roadwarrior]

Man, those are BEE-U-TEE-FULL!

 

[Wurming67]

I just started reading Bill Murphy book and applied his theory to today's fishing and I don't know if it was coquednce or his theory but my catches we're bigger today this was first cast of the morning 4.14 

This was last bass in Florida so don't bother moving here they are all on there way to New York true story bro

[Wurming67]

Alot of people watch what others are doing on the water some do the opposite and get better results I talked to about half dozen fishermen on water today and we're saying they weren't getting much ,the fish will tell u where and how they want it without a doubt,they didn't stop biting you didn't adapt to what they wanted or how they wanted it.

Alot of guys here in Florida if they aren't getting a bite every other cast they think the fish aren't eating anymore,sometimes you gotta and hour or two trying different techniques to the changing weather pattern to get them strike might take longer but they are there and will eat if presented properly and right depth in my opinion,time on the water is bottom.line no book or video or forum can replace that

 

Edited April 28, 2018 by Wurming67

[EGbassing]

On 4/20/2018 at 7:34 PM, Wurming67 said:

I'm at the point where I'm gonna approach targeting big bass.Normally when I go out I'm averageing 30 fish but there small I've rigged up some baits for this weekend to Target bigger bass hopefully I can handle not getting as many bites and focus quality and not quantity wondering how many approach there fishing trips with that mindset of targeting bigger fish and giving up all those smaller fish,how do you handle that?Thanks!

Try a flipping jig. Use a trailer for a bigger profile. They just consistently catch the biggest bass for some reason.

[Bassun]

On 4/26/2018 at 6:27 PM, OCdockskipper said:

While that is a generally accepted axiom, it really is lake dependent.  Specifically, the kinds & size of forage available in the lake will typically determine how well different sizes of lures produce.

 

I have fished many clear water lakes here in the West where smaller lures produce larger fish because they were a better representation of what a larger, more wary fish was eating.  In these cases, the only bass that go after really large lures are the dinks, for they are more aggressive than wary.  On these lakes, the larger lures give off negative cues, which the larger fish heed and the smaller fish ignore.

 

For example, on my home lake, I will catch more & bigger fish with a Ned rig than with a 10" plastic worm.  Change locations to say, Lake Toho in Florida or a farm pond in Alabama and the reverse will most likely be true.

I 100% agree, there are situations where smaller "is" the right choice, but generally speaking I feel the base population of trophy bass are going to key on a single meal, vs a bunch of smaller ones.  Like all other things fishing, there is no "one" fit all solution, lol.

[Wurming67]

Since I started reading that bill Murphy book it's opened up my mind what's going on in that food chain and I don't know if it's coquednce but I'm catching better size lately

 

[Wurming67]

What I'm starting to notice is I'm really getting in tune with what's going on in the food chain in the area I fish, I'm out there every week 2x about 8 hours each day wish I could go more but work,wife,kid,dog and cat ?

[EGbassing]

On 4/20/2018 at 7:34 PM, Wurming67 said:

I'm at the point where I'm gonna approach targeting big bass.Normally when I go out I'm averageing 30 fish but there small I've rigged up some baits for this weekend to Target bigger bass hopefully I can handle not getting as many bites and focus quality and not quantity wondering how many approach there fishing trips with that mindset of targeting bigger fish and giving up all those smaller fish,how do you handle that?Thanks!

I know I said to try a flipping jig before, but I've discovered something even better than that recently. 6" T-rigged zoom lizard.  I get a ton of bites on it, yet rarely catch anything less than two pounds. Caught a 6 pounder last week, a 5 pounder the week before that, and a 9 pounder today... All on that zoom lizard.

[LxVE Bassin]

On 4/20/2018 at 8:39 PM, HookRz said:

Just my opinion but I believe targeting bigger fish has more to do with where you fish than what you throw. 

I agree totally. It’s possible in Indiana where I am but the chances are very small. Targeting big bass here would be a waste of time here, better off fishing your strengths and hopefully luck will be on your side. It’s usually someone with a bobber and worm that lucks up and catches an 8 pounder.