Biggest bites...

[Fishingintheweeds]

"Everyone" says the jig. But does the lure get the biggest bites...or is it the location that it's commonly fished?

 

Seems like a good question. 

[Munkin]

I have caught a lot of big fish on different baits but if I had to use just one to catch a big fish it would be a jig.

 

Allen

[PersicoTrotaVA]

I’ve caught big fish(5+lbs) on a lot of baits but my biggest don’t come from a jig. They come from finesse baits like wacky rigged finesse worm or the ned rig. Although my biggest hit was on a jig, I didn’t land the fish. If I had to estimate it was was over 8 lbs since my PB is 7.5 and that one was bigger. 

[Bluebasser86]

Location is the most important part. Doesn't matter what bait you put in the water, if there's no big fish where you're fishing you're not going to catch any. 

 

If I needed to catch a big fish a jig would be one of the baits I'd be tying on though. 

[thinkingredneck]

Both

[Black Hawk Basser]

Jigs do get a lot of big bites for me.  Also, topwaters during peak times have gotten me some of my best fish.

[Mike L]

I don't throw jigs hardly at all. 

Honestly, I don't even think about them. 

My last 3 PB upgrades have all come on either dragging a craw or useing swim worms. 

(ribbon tail and speed worm)

 

As @Bluebasser86 said, location is key. 

 

 

 

Mike

[Catt]

Of the 35 double digits I've caught 14 were on jigs the other 20 were on Texas Rigs. 6 of that 20 came on craw worms, the other 14 came on worms.

 

Numbers are fairly similar which indicates location!

 

The remaining one & my personal best (12 lb 8 oz) was caught on a Rat-L-Trap

[Dirtyeggroll]

Most people you ask will say that the best way to catch a big bass is to spend time on the water. Another thing they will probably say is to fish where the big ones are.

 

So, my guess is that the things that catch the big ones are the ones that are in the big Fish water most frequently.

 

I would guess that the jig (or Texas rig) is way up on the list of baits that are fished the most, thus giving it a bit of a bias as a big fish bait. Add on top that a jig/t-rig can be fished about anywhere and you end up with lots of big Fish on this bait.

 

A lot of my big Fish this year have come on a jig.

 

Two exceptional days where I hit the conditions just right with a flat-side crankbait on one and a brush-hog/frog on the other keep me from saying “most” of my big fish this year.

 

 

 

 

[kenmitch]

3 hours ago, Catt said:

The remaining one & my personal best (12 lb 8 oz) was caught on a Rat-L-Trap

Nice! Did it feel like the traditional slam you get with the smaller one on the lipless or more like a dead weight snag? 

 

Lipless crankbaits keep me from catching numbers of bass as it's the only thing I really like to throw no matter if they're biting them or not. I'm trying to get back into finesse fishing....But looks like lipless season is getting ready to ramp up again.

 

The largest bass I've ever hooked, seen, and sadly lost at the side of the boat as I watched in horror was back around 1990 on a chartreuse and white spinner bait. Easily a DD....Ughh!

[NorthernBasser]

4 hours ago, Catt said:

Of the 35 double digits I've caught..

I need to move down south. 

[WRB]

Location, location, location, then the right lure at the right time. 

Jigs are excellent choice when big bass are feeding on crawdads.

If you use bottom contact lures like jigs and worms 90% of the time your odds are good that is what you will catch big bass on if they are in the location you are fishing.

Tom

[Glaucus]

10 hours ago, PersicoTrotaVA said:

I’ve caught big fish(5+lbs) on a lot of baits but my biggest don’t come from a jig. They come from finesse baits like wacky rigged finesse worm or the ned rig. Although my biggest hit was on a jig, I didn’t land the fish. If I had to estimate it was was over 8 lbs since my PB is 7.5 and that one was bigger. 

Most of my bigger fish are not on finesse baits,  but my absolute biggest fish are on finesse baits. 

[Pro Logcatcher]

It's gotta be jigs

[LonnieP]

I’d say it’s mostly location and timing . I’ve caught big bass on a jig,Crankbait,buzzbait,and Texas rig but I’ve caught the majority of my big bass on a lipless Crankbait.

[Catt]

3 hours ago, kenmitch said:

Nice! Did it feel like the traditional slam you get with the smaller one on the lipless or more like a dead weight snag? 

 

 

February 3rd 2007 was a nasty cold morning with Northwest winds at 15-20 mph, a slight misty rain falling, and temperatures in the middle 30's. After having launched out of Jack's 944 Marina I made the short (2 minutes) run to the mouth of Bull creek trying to stay out of the wind and some what warm. Having rounded the corner I dropped the trolling motor, picked up my Rat-L-Trap rod again with the thought in mind of keeping moving and staying warm. My third cast was into the mouth a cut leading to a boat shed which I knew had stumps on the west side, after turning the handle 4 or 5 time my trap stopped solid, I tell Pat d**n to close to the stumps so I push the trolling motor handle towards the mouth of the cut while stepping on the switch. At the exact same instance my line starts zinging towards deeper water rod all bowed up & drag slipping; I immediately scream at Pat get the net. By now the boat is moving off to my left the bass is moving off to my right and I'm nearly on my knees in front of the console with the upper third of the rod in the water. Pat net in hand is now on the front deck killed the trolling motor and with a swift motion netted the hawg; which ends up weighing in at 12 pounds 8 ounces.

 

Needless to say I was rather warm for the rest of the day!

[Mobasser]

The jig is certainly a big bass lure. But, location is number one when your after bigger bass. They will strike other baits, but jigs and plastic worms/ soft plastics probably catch them most consistently- fished in the right areas.

[ww2farmer]

I had an old timer at the ramp tell me years and years ago...."big bass like stuff with skirts"

 

He wasn't wrong...as more of my 6lb + fish (which is big for here in WNY) have come on things with skirts, IE jigs and frogs.....but it's not a "rule" as quite a few have come on plastics, and a few more have come on hard baits. This year has not been a jig year for the really big ones...yet. I often catch half a dozen 6lbers a year, this year so far I have 5, not a single one of them has come on a jig or frog. I have two on a wobble head rig, one on a neko rig, one in a tournament on a t-rigged craw, and one on a small plastic nose hooked on a drop shot rig. I have caught a ton of mid to upper 5lb range fish this year, quite a few on a jig, but some of the more memorable ones have been on other stuff, like the ned rig, or other non-skirted things. FWIW...my PB largemouth, a 7-2, came on a jig.

[scaleface]

It seems to me in my fishing texas rigs catch just as many big fish as jigs and more smaller ones . I dont choose quantity over quality , I strive for both . But I'm not catching 10 lbers either .

[BassNJake]

It's location for me, followed by timing.

All my biggest fish have come on crankbaits fishing a deep hump or a channel ledge.

Sometimes you can throw to these spots for hours without a bite but when that current gets right it's go time.

 

 

[Dwight Hottle]

All of the 54 six lb plus smallies I have caught were caught on a jerk bait except one. It was caught on a crank bait bumping bottom, my pb at 7lb-6oz. 

[J Francho]

My two biggest largemouth are from a 12" worm and a 4" worm.

[Catt]

Most jig fisherman's #2 choice is a Texas Rig

 

Most Texas Rig fisherman's #2 choice is a Jig-n-Craw 

 

The reason my #1 choice is a Texas Rig is because in my world a t-rig is everything from Weightless T-rigs to a Punch Rigs.

[Bluebasser86]

Even tiny jigs catch big fish! 1/8oz homemade jig with a trimmed down 2.75" YUM Craw Papi

[scaleface]

If I had to guess which lure has caught the biggest bass on average , it would be the Bomber Long A minnow .