Big Bass: topwater, crank baits or soft plastics?

[learnin]

I usually start fishing trips trying topwater baits if conditions are right and sometimes when they're not.  I primarily use popper or spitter type plugs like Ricos, Pop Rs, etc. and various crank or jerk baits.  I catch some fish with these but the biggest I recall was probably a little under 4lbs.  All bass bigger than that have been on Senkos, Baby Brush Hogs & finesse worms fished slow.  Just on my experience, non tournament,  usually once a week and what I've seen and heard that's pretty typical.  Agree, disagree?

[flyfisher]

Disagree.  The biggest fish can be caught on all the techniques you mentioned depending on the time of day, year and conditions.  My largest bass of this year was caught on a dahlberg diver topwater fly.  My largest fish last year came on frogs, jigs and a couple on flukes.

 

[Captain Phil]

Top water bass are generally larger than fish caught on other lures.  This doesn't mean you can't catch big fish on anything else.  Big bass eat large food.  They are not going to waste energy chasing a school of minnows.  They would rather eat the fish that are doing the chasing.   Big bass are territorial and don't like it when something noisy is splashing around their area.  A Florida tournament tactic that has won a lot of money is throwing a noisy Devil's Horse into or next to cover.  I am convinced these fish are not hitting the lure out of hunger, they are chasing it out of their yard.  You are not going to get as many bites fishing top water.  The fish you catch will average larger.

[scaleface]

All lures work . Pick the right lures for the conditions . One is not going to catch many large basses with a Pop R when the bass are 20 foot deep in a brush pile . One is not going to catch many large bass with a 6xd when the bass are 1 foot deep in lily pads .

[WRB]

Haven't fished Hensley or Eastman for a long time. As I recall Eastman had areas with standing timber and mostly shallow sloping banks and few points. Always better action at Hensley.

It's post spawn or early summer transition in the Central Cal with lots of baby bass roaming around so targeting the spawning areas with small top water will attract smaller school size bass IMO.

I would target the trees and boulders in deeper water and the few rocky points using jigs and T-rigged soft plastics for the bigger female bass. A bluegill BD g2 wake bait around the beds and deep diving crawdad Crankbait I rocky areas can also work.

Regarding your question; active bass will strike a wider verity of lures, neutral or less active bass rarely chase down fast moving lures.

Bass are active about 20% and less active about 80% of the time. Timing is very important to lure selection.

Tom

PS, try night fishing.

[Captain Phil]

27 minutes ago, scaleface said:

All lures work . Pick the right lures for the conditions . One is not going to catch many large basses with a Pop R when the bass are 20 foot deep in a brush pile . One is not going to catch many large bass with a 6xd when the bass are 1 foot deep in lily pads .

Before you fish any water, look at it's clarity.  If the water is clear, top water lures should work well.  If the water is murky or turbid, vibrations catch more fish.   Straight tail worms for clear water, paddle tail worms for darker water.  Rattle Traps work well in murky water.  Wacky rigs and finesse worms for clear. 

 

My biggest bass in Florida were all caught flipping heavy cover.  I know of no better way to catch a bass over ten pounds unless you count dynamite. :>)

[OCdockskipper]

6 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Before you fish any water, look at it's clarity.  If the water is clear, top water lures should work well...

The caveat to that is what is the forage in that body of water.  If the bass there never eat anything swimming along the surface or that they can cause to boil, I have found topwater action to be spotty at best.

 

My home lake is an example.  Forage consists of bluegill, shore minnows, crayfish & the young catfish & carp.  All of those tend to hang out near the bottom, so a zara spook or whopper Plopper in 5 to 6 feet of the water is an anomaly.

[Black Hawk Basser]

I can't agree, I caught my PB on a Sammy.  At least a couple of my top 10 biggest were on buzz toads.  A few others, on a spinnerbait.  The rest, either a jig or bottom-hopping plastic technique.  When it comes to bait selection, clearly my best fish have come on a variety.

[Captain Phil]

I flip more than anything else.  Reminds me of the roulette player who says all his big wins are on number 17 when 17 is the only number he plays. 

 

Now that I think about it, I once caught a bass on a Rattle Trap that was so long I couldn't squeeze it into my Skeeter live well.  I didn't have a scale with me, so I released it.  

[Dens228]

My PB bass was caught on a 5" wacky rigged Senko.  

I live in northern Illinois and have caught probably around 20 or so 5 lb+ bass in the last two years.  Other than the Senko PB and one other big one on a jerkbait in November, every other one of those bass was caught on some sort of jig.  But............the depth caught was anywhere between a foot (yesterday) and 20 feet (early spring).  

[scaleface]

How many of you remember the Uncle Josh Spring Lizard ? If I was having a tough day I would tell the person I was with  " If Im not catching any bass I might as well not be catching big bass " then put a spring Lizard on a jig . I caught some dandies after doing that .

[Bankbeater]

Most of my larger bass have been caught on slow moving bottom contact jigs, or plastics.  A few have been caught in the spring and fall on moving baits.  My PB was caught on a topwater during the summer.

 

[soflabasser]

I have caught big bass on topwaters, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, soft plastics, jigs, and other lures. 

[Boomstick]

I largely disagree. If you get on a school of big bass you're going to catch bass - even on a small lure like a drop shot. Did you know that if you get on bite of smaller bass, perhaps at dusk on a crankbait then often the bigger bass move in after the smaller bass are done feeding?

 

At the same time, larger lures will often catch bigger bass for several reasons. Bigger bass will see a bigger target as a meal worth their effort. Many people don't realize this but you can catch smallies on a hollow body frog, but you're pretty much only going to get 3lb+ smallies - ones that can swallow it.

 

But if you get your lure in front of a big bass, if the time is right and they want it they will eat it.

[papajoe222]

Big bass will strike jut about any given lure under the right confitions, BUT..............and that is literally a big but, if you only target big bass, a plastic worm, presented ever so slowly will get them more often than the others you mention. A jig is the only other bait that comes close, in mu experience, is a big swimbait. 

[Catt]

A topwater bite occurs almost every morning up in the shallows.

 

At the same time there is a deepwater bite occurring offshore.

 

Of my 35 double digit bass one (my PB) was caught at daylight in shallow water. All the rest were caught on Texas Rigs & Jig-n-Craws offshore.

[Bluebasser86]

I've caught lots of big ones on topwater, especially buzzbaits.

 

Some of my biggest largemouth in my home state have been on crankbaits, despite my disdain for fishing them.

 

I fish plastics the most so it just goes to reason that I'd catch most of my big ones on them, which is the case.

[RoLo]

 

It goes without saying, trophy bass have been taken on every lure manufactured.

Most of my best bass were probably taken while pitching 'soft swimbaits' in 2 to 6 ft of water

amidst vegetation. I should note, in eutrophic natural lakes, the maximum depth

in many lake sections will be less than 8 feet.

 

Roger

[Captain Phil]

One of the largest bass I have ever seen was caught on a cane pole with a crappie jig.  

[Finessegenics]

Lots of good input here already but a lot of people’s biggest bass happens by “accident”. My biggest bass ever, a 20” Smallmouth (which isn’t giant by any means), was caught on 1/16 oz ned head with a 3” motor oil zman grub. 

The more you get out there, the more likely you are to catch your PB. With time, I feel like it just happens, whether you throw big baits or not. 

[Jermination]

it's all dependent on what body of water you are on. my pb 11.3 came on a booyah poppin pad crasher on chickamauga, but i could throw a frog until my arm falls off on some of the other lakes around here and never get a sniff. I do feel like the majority of the 7+ lb fish that i've caught are striking the bait more out of reaction than feeding. I caught a 6.9 two weeks ago on a 6 inch finesse worm. Right place right time is most important thing here

[frogflogger]

I have caught the majority of my bass over 7 on topwater - mostly frogs - some on spooks - never got over 5 with poppers. I caught a 7.3 on a 1/16 orange beetle - I've caught them on jig and pork, jig and plastic - plastic worms of various lengths, one on an old hawaiian wiggler - but if I am after a big one I will throw a big topwater all day until I become more proficient at throwing big swimbaits.

That said I've never landed a dd

[BrianMDTX]

To be brutally honest, I caught my PB on a UL 5’ rod and a 50 year-old spinning reel that I had set up for panfish. I had a #6 hook about 12” below a bobber with 1/2 a nightcrawler on it looking for a fat bluegill while I was working a Texas rig. I tossed it out, looked to be out about 5’ farther than I wanted it, cranked the handle 1.5 times and wham! 
 

I’ve fished for bass years ago with whole nightcrawlers like a plastic worm, but never expected to catch a 6-7 lb. bass on 1/2 a worm on a bobber. 

[Captain Phil]

Roland Martin was once asked what the secret is to catching more fish.  He replied "Go early and stay late!"

[N Florida Mike]

My top 7 were all on soft plastics , mostly on or near the bottom. Tied for # 7 was caught on a topwater frog. # 8 on a live shiner , # 9 on a live bream. Then a lot of fish in the same general size 6- 6 3/4 pounds. One of them was caught on a spinnerbait, I think the rest on plastics.

Its interesting to me , but my home lake generally has very slow topwater fishing, but I catch enough to keep me interested! I agree the fish caught on top water tend to be quality fish. They also seem to be the healthiest fish I catch. ? Wonder why?  I Haven’t caught many skinny bass on topwater!