Targeting Giant Bass

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

 

Agreed, but it's still new enough (in the bass world) that a lot of big fish in a lot of lakes haven't been exposed to it heavily yet, especially when compared to traditional big bass techniques and locations. There was just a 5 fish 50 lb. bag caught this week using it. There will be a lot more big catches over the next couple years until a certain saturation point occurs. A lot of the initial users are likely just using it to catch bass in general, not specifically targeting the biggest fish in the system.

50 lb bag?! That is awesome

 

So what you’re saying we need is something even NEWER??? Like laser beams that shoot the fish when located....... hahah

[Team9nine]

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

50 lb bag?! That is awesome

 

So what you’re saying we need is something even NEWER??? Like laser beams that shoot the fish when located....... hahah

 

This is new enough for now  Just wait until Lowrance and Humminbird unveil their versions this spring. I'm guessing it will get ridiculous quick, like it has in the crappie world. Technology gone too far in my book, but that won't stop it from happening...

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

 

This is new enough for now  Just wait until Lowrance and Humminbird unveil their versions this spring. I'm guessing it will get ridiculous quick, like it has in the crappie world. Technology gone too far in my book, but that won't stop it from happening...

I know what you mean. On the other hand I come from the school of trying to eliminate pests and it’s impossible, so I think the bass will be just fine 

[Team9nine]

8 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I know what you mean. On the other hand I come from the school of trying to eliminate pests and it’s impossible, so I think the bass will be just fine 

 

Me too, but I still don't want it on my boat  at least, yet...

[Catt]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

In sportsman’s paradise Louisiana? I call bull.........

 

I have been fishing on Christmas and had a guy with a Santa hat ski by 

 

On a jetski maybe ?

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

In sportsman’s paradise Louisiana? I call bull.........

 

I have been fishing on Christmas and had a guy with a Santa hat ski by 

 

On a jetski maybe ?

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

In sportsman’s paradise Louisiana? I call bull.........

 

I have been fishing on Christmas and had a guy with a Santa hat ski by 

 

On a jetski maybe ?

[TnRiver46]

4 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

On a jetski maybe ?

 

On a jetski maybe ?

 

On a jetski maybe ?

I think I’ve seen that too! 

[MassYak85]

Slowing down with jigs and big soft swimbaits is one of my goals for next year. Big worm fishing has always been a favorite for me in the summer too. 

 

Do you feel like electronics are a hindrance when actively fishing for these bigger bass? Obviously their usefulness in locating good areas to target is important, but do you think it's critical to turn them off when actually going back and fishing those areas? I've heard mixed opinions on this. 

 

How about using things like "spotlock" or shallow water anchors? Is the noise from an intermittent trolling motor or the scraping of a talon on the bottom enough to spook big fish? 

[LrgmouthShad]

On it Tom! ?

[mikey z]

On 12/28/2020 at 7:08 PM, jimmyjoe said:

As a shorecaster trying for maximum distance, I'm probably guilty of this more often than many others.

Well, just the other day I tried to strongarm a long cast like an idiot and just a slight backlash was all it took for the line to completely snap and send my jig flying away. The lure hit my target at least! ? Lesson learned

[JK Jake]

 

@WRBThis was a good read.

 

 

 

21 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

It works a lot better south of Cincinnati ! (To borrow a line from dwight yoakum)

I understood your reference!

[scaleface]

One lake I fish only allow aluminum  boats supplied by the conservation dept   . These craft are noisy . Its a good deep water lake at times but mostly on calm days . If its a windy day the waves slamming against the aluminum hull turns the deep structure bass off . They are accustomed to being fished for and that pounding is an alarm to them . On calm days  big ones are highly more likely to be caught . 

[Team9nine]

16 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Slowing down with jigs and big soft swimbaits is one of my goals for next year. Big worm fishing has always been a favorite for me in the summer too. 

 

Do you feel like electronics are a hindrance when actively fishing for these bigger bass? Obviously their usefulness in locating good areas to target is important, but do you think it's critical to turn them off when actually going back and fishing those areas? I've heard mixed opinions on this. 

 

How about using things like "spotlock" or shallow water anchors? Is the noise from an intermittent trolling motor or the scraping of a talon on the bottom enough to spook big fish? 

 

18 minutes ago, scaleface said:

One lake I fish only allow aluminum  boats supplied by the conservation dept   . These craft are noisy . Its a good deep water lake at times but mostly on calm days . If its a windy day the waves slamming against the aluminum hull turns the deep structure bass off . They are accustomed to being fished for and that pounding is an alarm to them . On calm days  big ones are highly more likely to be caught . 

 

This is where it gets interesting to me, and just goes to show how the different scenarios we each are faced with can be used to argue whether one approach or the other is better. In the case of these new Livescope catches, you have a transducer beam constantly pointed at and locked on the fish. Every time that big bass moves, you move the TM so that the beam follows him and you can watch everything on the screen...even following a fish using the TM tens of yards while you follow and cast...and yet they catch giants doing this.

 

Contrast that with the traditional approach, anchoring on a spot, or similar to what @scaleface mentioned, and any excess noise is considered a bad thing and turns the bite off. Don't get wave slap; don't move around in the boat or drop something; turn off electronics; preferably double anchor; etc.

 

Both scenarios currently have guys catching big bass. One is a more active ("noisy") lock and follow approach, the other a stealth wait 'em out approach. I don't think you can argue either is the right or wrong approach. Both obviously work. The big bass "rules" seem only to apply these days to specific approaches, and can no longer be considered "standard" or "gospel" across the board. 

 

[OCdockskipper]

18 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

...So what you’re saying we need is something even NEWER??? Like laser beams that shoot the fish when located....... hahah

 

How about a depth finder that doesn't need a screen?  Instead of you looking down at what the transducer is seeing, the depthfinder instead projects the images out on the water (360 degrees around the boat) of what is below the surface.  So as you look around the boat, you are seeing what is where (including any lure you cast).  It would change everything to virtual sight fishing, not sure I would enjoy it.

[WRB]

Live Scope/ scanning sonar in the hands of skilled big bass anglers will end up thinning the big bass populations.

Big bass get big by avoiding being caught by hanging out in sanctuary areas with a good prey source. When these special fish are discovered the catchable bass get caught. In short time period the big bass disappear the population crashes unless new sanctuary areas are found by the bass.

where I live and fish sanctuary areas are set aside by closing sections of the lake to try and retain the trophy size fish.

No place to go and hide doesn’t end up well.

Tom 

[A-Jay]

3 minutes ago, WRB said:

Live Scope/ scanning sonar in the hands of skilled big bass anglers will end up thinning the big bass populations.

Big bass get big by avoiding being caught by hanging out in sanctuary areas with a good prey source. When these special fish are discovered the catchable bass get caught. In short time period the big bass disappear the population crashes unless new sanctuary areas are found by the bass.

where I live and fish sanctuary areas are set aside by closing sections of the lake to try and retain the trophy size fish.

No place to go and hide doesn’t end up well.

Tom 

This is where I'm hoping the 5 months of ice over helps the big Brown bass up here.

A-Jay

[schplurg]

Exactly how do the fish know they are "being fished for"? Asking as a guy still new to bass fishing.

 

Is it because they have been caught several times and will associate boat noise to that, or is it seeing their buddies caught? I'd imagine the first scenario is it, and I can't think of any other ones.

[mikey z]

7 hours ago, schplurg said:

is it seeing their buddies caught?

I don't think it's this, my theory would be that when bass are hanging around each other, what gets their attention is that the one bass got something to eat and it makes them not very keen about anything else because they start competing over which one of them gets to eat. I think this might be the case because when you find a school of them, a lot of times you can get several back-to-back catches.

[N Florida Mike]

Good advice , Tom. I may go today. If I do , I’ll employ these tactics and see what happens.

[TnRiver46]

16 hours ago, schplurg said:

Exactly how do the fish know they are "being fished for"? Asking as a guy still new to bass fishing.

 

Is it because they have been caught several times and will associate boat noise to that, or is it seeing their buddies caught? I'd imagine the first scenario is it, and I can't think of any other ones.

They don’t “know” they are being fished for. They just know they don’t want to die and they look at being caught as dying. They have been practicing the skill of “not dying” aka survival for a couple million years 

[Darth-Baiter]

Kayak fishing has been the best thing for me. I use the long cast all the time.  
 

I’ve taken my first fall fish of my life.  Before, I gave it up when the leaves turned color. 
 

a January bass?  I have all the confidence in the world.  It might not happen tomorrow (that would be awesome) but I have all month. A kayak is quiet.  Very quiet.