Catching Numbers vs Catching Size

[Manly Studson]

When fishing is tough, do you throw small lures to catch numbers or do you throw standard sized lures to catch larger bass? My son caught 8 bass for every bass I caught. Using an ultralight setup, he threw 1/8 oz Heddon torpedos, a 2 inch grub on a 1/16 oz jig head, and an 1/8 oz spinnerbait. Had he not been there, it would not have occurred to me to use an ultralight setup and lures for bass.

[jimmyjoe]

   When fishing is bad, I work down, down and down. Sometimes I end up with an ultralight, and sometimes a light. Yes, I like to catch fish and not go home skunked. But I've caught some nice sized fish on light tackle, too. It's just that with light tackle, you catch 10 dinks to one decent sized fish. Meh. So it goes.    jj

[WRB]

This topic comes up now and then my answer remains the same numbers of big bass.

If I am fishing with a partner who likes to catch bass regardless of the size then finesse presentations will catch more bass and a occasional big bass.

It's always about population density, bass activity and location. Big bass rule the roost occupying the best locations, smaller bass locate where they can to survive and a lot easier to catch becuase of higher population numbers.

Tom

PS, lure size depends on the prey the bass are targeting, little bass will strike big lures and big bass will eat smaller lures.

 

[jbsoonerfan]

I would rather catch one 5 lber as opposed to nine 1 lbers. I usually try to target areas where I think I can catch a big one and use baits for that situation. I would be terrible in MLF lol.

[Bluebasser86]

9 times out of 10, I'm fishing to catch quality fish. It may not always look like it, but some of the lakes I fish, the best option to catch a big fish is to go with a small bait due to fishing pressure or it's just what they choose to eat at certain times of the year. 

 

Now if it's been a long dry spell of bad fishing trips, I might go somewhere to just try to smack a bunch a little ones just to get my confidence back, but that's a pretty rare occasion. 

[OCdockskipper]

For me, lure size is dictated by the lake and conditions that day.  I don't necessarily start with large lures & work small, it all depends on what I believe will work best at that particular time.  I am trying to catch the most bass possible but if I am only catching smaller bass, I will change lures, locations and retrieves to continue to see what is needed to catch average size & larger as well as the small ones.

 

Small, average & large are subjective depending on the particular body of water you are fishing.  On my home lake, it is reasonable to expect about half the fish to be under 14" and half to be over 14".  If I am not catching any of the overs, I know I need to change something up.

[Catt]

Go big or go home!  ?

[greentrout]

when i'm on ponds and small lakes i will usually downsize to light line and small lures for the action of catching ... 

 

i like medium spinning rods rated with 1/8 lures and up  in 5'6", 6' and 6'6" spinning rods...

 

Always have a baitcaster depending on the circumstances ...

 

good fishing ...

[Glaucus]

I love to fish, and loving to fish means I love to catch fish, so I'll take numbers. Only time I would care about size is tournaments and for a PB.

[scaleface]

I rarely go small and  rarely go big . Ill  go big when deep  cranking because it is  necessary  . I fish med size lures because they cast better on my equipment . The more effortlessly I can cast the more accurate  I am and that should get me more and bigger fish . 

[J.Vincent]

If I’m not catching Bass on standard size lures from 1/4oz up to 3/4oz , I first consider what could make the bite slow ? Or if my fish have moved out of the area? If I know there are still bass in the area, I will try to more closely mimic the forage while making sure Im covering the highest percentage targets with multiple casts from multiple angles. This gives me a better idea about how catchable the bass are under those given circumstances. Only when I’m absolutely sure the standard stuff isn’t going to work, do I then change gears to finesse tactics. Or if I’m certain I’m on a body of water that calls for finesse then I’m going to be prepared to throw finesse . Ultimately I prefer to focus on better quality bass with standard size lures ; and sometimes this means fewer fish catches per outing.  Anyway just my 2 cents , hopefully it’s helpful to someone ! 

[Hammer 4]

I'll tough it out as long as I can to catch Quality bass, however, I've been known to give in after several hours and go to light line and small lures. I hate days like that..

[JustJames]

I was having fun catching dinks the other day. It’s been over a month now that I only carry UL tackle target small fish. Compare to this time last year, I started throwing Magnum Fluke target those 3-5lbs bass.

 

[gilkeybr]

I'm happy to catch lots of fish.  But I would probably draw the line at 12"/1lb.  If i'm catching a bunch under that size, i'll probably abort and try to look for more quality.

 

Some of my most fun fishing days that I can remember are at golf course ponds where you catch 50 1-1.5lb bass.  Other fun days are where we grind it out and finally get that one 5lb+ fish.  All depends on my mood!

 

 

[NYWayfarer]

I love fishing, doesn't matter the species. While my favorite targets are Largemouth and Smallmouth I will try to catch any species available that's not a micro in the waters I fish. I am firmly in the quantity over quality section.

 

Using ultralight setups with finesse techniques for smaller Bass, Sunfish and Trout is great fun and usually non-stop action.

[keagbassr]

I'm happy to catch any bass willing to bite but I won't 'downsize' to get them. Id still rather catch 5 that weigh 20 lbs. Than 20 that weigh 5 lbs.

[fishwizzard]

Depends on my mood. I generally prefer catching lots of smaller bass ti catching fewer larger ones, but every time I catch a really big one I change my tune for a week or two.  

 

I spent an incredible amount of time this winter throwing nothing but medium-size swim baits and I caught painfully  a few bass doing it, but I have now become much more comfortable with the idea of sacrificing catch probability for catch quality. 

[CroakHunter]

In always fishing for the biggest bass in the lake. But that doesn't mean ive always got "larger" baits Tied on.

[Tennessee Boy]

When I join my first club 30 years ago I was all about the numbers.  It was after catching 21 keepers in a tournament and getting beat by over 20 lbs that I realized I needed to change.  Joining MLF wasn’t an option in those days.  ? 

 

 

[Fubijar03]

I like catching fish. Bigger ones are fun, but I prefer to catch a lot of fish to catching none or a couple. Heck, sometimes I decide to just not bass fish and load up on bluegills, because I can catch them on every cast in a little creek near my favorite lake and sometimes something interesting hits. Different strokes for sure, and I think that makes this hobby the cool time killer that it is. 

 

 

[ItsHardwick]

I have big baits, little baits, medium sized baits all tied on at all times. My lake gets so much pressure that I usually throw the finesse stuff most just because a lot of the time that’s the only way to get bites anymore. I’m usually trying to do something different than everyone else. But when I get on a good bite or find a big wad of fish I’ll start throwing the bigger stuff trying to land the big girl in the bunch. 

[Fried Lemons]

I often throw big baits as I find it more enjoyable than fishing with conventional sized lures. I have little to no interest in the smaller bass I see cruising around and I willingly give up bites to improve my odds of catching the big bass. If I get tired of being skunked there are plenty of of other species in my area I find more fun to catch than small to average bass.

[Bankbeater]

I prefer to catch bass that are 3 lbs and up, but I’m not going to go home if I’m catching 12 inchers. 

[CrankFate]

21 hours ago, Manly Studson said:

When fishing is tough, do you throw small lures to catch numbers or do you throw standard sized lures to catch larger bass? My son caught 8 bass for every bass I caught. Using an ultralight setup, he threw 1/8 oz Heddon torpedos, a 2 inch grub on a 1/16 oz jig head, and an 1/8 oz spinnerbait. Had he not been there, it would not have occurred to me to use an ultralight setup and lures for bass.

No. I throw small because the fish I’m going for eat small. I do not catch numbers, because the numbers aren’t there. But there are big ones that eat—sometimes. Do you know what the fish are eating? A lot of fish are eating small things. Possibly stuff like dragonfly larvae. I say that because adding bass to a lake drastically reduces the number of dragonflies. There’s a lot of small things to eat in some lakes that seem pretty barren.

[frogflogger]

I try to always start with a big bait, if they don't show I can always pick up the little rod.