How do you catch a PB?

[MartinTheFisherman]

Good Morning yall,

 

So tomorrow is my birthday (finally turning 14) and I was going to go fishing from 4 pm (when I get home from school) to 9pm-ish, its a pretty short time to go fishing, but I would like to catch my PB on my birthday, which right now is only 4lbs-ish. Anyone know any good lures to catch my PB? I will be fishing from the bank.

 

Martin 

[fishballer06]

GanCraft Jointed Claw 230 and a Deps Slide Swimmer 250 has helped many a men land their PB's. 

[MartinTheFisherman]

3 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

GanCraft Jointed Claw 230 and a Deps Slide Swimmer 250 has helped many a men land their PB's. 

Any lures under $20???

 

Thanks!

[Catt]

What size bass are ya talking about?

 

Where ya live?

 

[Jigfishn10]

Martin, happy birthday bud!

 

There are threads about PB lures that the member's used and there was a wide variety from worm, jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits to a bottle cap. What it all came down to was using a lure your confident in and location.

 

Have fun and happy birthday.

[fishballer06]

Literally anything in your tackle box will catch you a PB. Location and timing is FAR more important than what bait you are throwing. Don't get hung up on having the absolute perfect lure. 

 

My personal best largemouth came on a Rapala DT10 and my personal best smallmouth came on a Rapala Skitter Pop. Nothing fancy or top secret about them. The reason I caught those fish when/where I caught them is what helped me catch those PB's, not the lures. 

[Black Hawk Basser]

You're setting yourself up for disappointment!  That big girl will probably come when you least expect it. But, I've found that fishing a jig/craw, big topwater, big soft plastic swimbait, or spinnerbait will help select for larger fish.  I still catch smaller fish, too, but I think that raises your odds.  Then again, some guys have caught their best on a finesse worm or other baits that wouldn't lead you to believe they'll get a big bite.  You just never know!

[MrFrost]

The size of the fish you'll catch is so hard to predict just by the bait you're using.  Case in point, I caught my PB (just under 5 pounds) this Spring, while fishing for crappie, on a 1/32oz jig head with a 1'' Gulp Alive minnow. 

 

 

 

 

 

[A-Jay]

Happy Birthday Martin ~

 

 Being able to GO fishing on your birthday is your present.

Any catching after that is a bonus.

And catching your PB as well, the odds are a bit long.

But you never know . . . .

As mentioned above, jig & craw has accounted for many big bass.

Enjoy your day.

A-Jay

[Hook2Jaw]

One of the best parts about that 4 pound personal best is you'll beat it soon, time and time again!  A 4 pounder is a fine fish, and I'd be happy to catch one any day.  Happy birthday, Martin!

 

My suggestion is a jig and craw.  They can be fished anywhere, anytime, and arguably have caught more big bass than most other lures!  You're probably familiar with throwing a Texas rigged worm with a weight on it, so get after them with a different presentation using the same technique.

[Koz]

There's a lot of luck involved in catching your PB. Above all, you've got to be at the right place at the right time. And then if you're at the right place at the right time you have to make the right presentation to get that big bass to bite.

 

You can decrease the amount of luck needed by knowing the right place to fish based upon seasonality, time of day, and weather conditions and knowing how to break down the lake keeping those factors in mind. That's a lot to take in plus you've set a goal of catching your PB on a specific day.

 

With that in mind my suggestion is to go to your local bait shop and boat dock, tell your story and ask where they are biting lately. I'd also buy 3 bags of Senkos and go fish those areas using both Texas rigged and wacky rigged Senkos.

 

I caught my PB on a Senko, and even if you don't catch yours that day they Senko is bound to land you enough fish to make your venture worthwhile. You may not catch your PB, but you might catch the most fish you've ever caught in a single outing.

[MartinTheFisherman]

6 minutes ago, MrFrost said:

The size of the fish you'll catch is so hard to predict just by the bait you're using.  Case in point, I caught my PB (just under 5 pounds) this Spring, while fishing for crappie, on a 1/32oz jig head with a 1'' Gulp Alive minnow. 

 

 

 

 

 

A PB on a 1" bait! Amazing!

6 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Happy Birthday Martin ~

 

 Being able to GO fishing on your birthday is your present.

Any catching after that is a bonus.

And catching your PB as well, the odds are a bit long.

But you never know . . . .

As mentioned above, jig & craw has accounted for many big bass.

Enjoy your day.

A-Jay

Thanks!!

 

It's worth a try!

Will most definitely be throwing a jig & craw!

 

7 minutes ago, Hook2Jaw said:

One of the best parts about that 4 pound personal best is you'll beat it soon, time and time again!  A 4 pounder is a fine fish, and I'd be happy to catch one any day.  Happy birthday, Martin!

 

My suggestion is a jig and craw.  They can be fished anywhere, anytime, and arguably have caught more big bass than most other lures!  You're probably familiar with throwing a Texas rigged worm with a weight on it, so get after them with a different presentation using the same technique.

 

 

1

3 minutes ago, Koz said:

There's a lot of luck involved in catching your PB. Above all, you've got to be at the right place at the right time. And then if you're at the right place at the right time you have to make the right presentation to get that big bass to bite.

 

You can decrease the amount of luck needed by knowing the right place to fish based upon seasonality, time of day, and weather conditions and knowing how to break down the lake keeping those factors in mind. That's a lot to take in plus you've set a goal of catching your PB on a specific day.

 

With that in mind my suggestion is to go to your local bait shop and boat dock, tell your story and ask where they are biting lately. I'd also buy 3 bags of Senkos and go fish those areas using both Texas rigged and wacky rigged Senkos.

 

I caught my PB on a Senko, and even if you don't catch yours that day they Senko is bound to land you enough fish to make your venture worthwhile. You may not catch your PB, but you might catch the most fish you've ever caught in a single outing.

 

I've never thrown a Senko...

But I have a Jig!

I got lots of packs of them but I have never thrown them, I have used finesse worms and had luck on them. Senkos are so used here that I don't think I will have any luck. It's worth a try though! 

 

 

Thanks, everyone for all the help!

Cant react to the post cause I ran out for today.

 

[webertime]

All Vt fish

7.2 LM on fat ika

7.0 LM on weedless 6" Huddleston 

6.5 LM on Lucky Craft Flash Minnow

5.9 Smallie on Skeet Reese Lucky Craft crank (2 casts after the 6.5 lm above).

Numerous 5+ Smallies on Speedcraws

 

So...  literally anything will get you a pb

[Hook2Jaw]

Set your jaw, square your shoulders, and grind that jiiiig.

 

If you wanna give stick worms a go on A budget, throw a YUM Dinger.  They sink more slowly than a Senko and if there really are a lot of those being thrown, that slight variation can produce bites.

[GreenPig]

Happy Birthday.  As others have previously stated jig/craw and 10" to 12" worms definitely work. I would also get a large wake bait and fish it slowly. The number one producer of big fish is time. I caught my PB(from the bank) on a quick trip to function check a couple of my reels I serviced. Goodluck. 

[J Francho]

A Personal Best (PB) is simply the largest bass you've caught, ever.  You can't predict or will when you are going to catch a bigger bass, but time on the water, and learning to become a better fisherman almost always results in better size fish.  Happy Birthday, and have a good time fishing.

[WRB]

Right lure presentation at the right location at the right time.

Get a few good books on bass fishing for your birthday on big bass behavior, In Pursuit of Giant Bass by Bill Murphy is my recommendation.

There isn't a panacea lure to catching big bass and we can't control the time any bass will be active and catchable.

Good luck in your pursuit, it's a life long journey.

Tom

 

[the reel ess]

Jig and craw and the spinnerbait caught my last 3 PBs. But more importantly, go where you know there are fish bigger than your current PB.

[Dwight Hottle]

Got any topwater baits?

[taylo166]

Strike King Shim-E-Stick, wacky rigged. Available at WalMart

[Black Hawk Basser]

Happy birthday, buddy.

[Ratherbfishing]

If I EXPECTED to catch a personal best any or every time I went out, I'd be setting myself up for disappointment.  They usually come when you least expect it.  And it would diminish my enjoyment of any other fish I caught.  But my advice for you is this:  Go where there ARE reasonable numbers of larger fish and hold your fingers crossed.  A 4+ lb fish in New Hampshire is probably not something you'll find every day-or even on your birthday.

 

Happy birthday!  Wanna trade ages?

[geo g]

There is no one magical lure.  Keep your line wet.  Make thousands of casts, and good things will happen.  Location is more important then what your throwing.

[soflabasser]

Just have fun tomorrow and do not worry if you catch a new personal best bass or not. Fish the way that makes you happy. Later on in the future you can plan a trip to Florida, rent a guide that fishes with live shiners which is what many people have done to get a personal best bass.

[CrankFate]

Just fish whenever you can and catch what you can catch. You WILL improve the numbers and size of the fish you catch. IMO, when it comes to catching PB fish you just need to have the skill to not lose it when it takes your hook. That comes from fishing as much as your life allows.