Size vs numbers

[N Florida Mike]

12 hours ago, scaleface said:

 I get both . Just go fishing and catch as many bass as I can and stumble on bigger fish in the process . 

^^^ This !!!

[928JLH]

Fish the conditions and a rough estimate on the seasonal pattern the largemouth will probably be on. Water temp, water clarity, cloud conditions, and wind give me a general idea on what to start with. 

 

Maybe try swimbaits to target larger fish. It's pretty amazing the draw power of big baits. If they don't commit, you get an idea of where the big girls are. 

[CrankFate]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Non sense, I have no idea where a big female will not spawn with a little make! I have watched big female bass 10 lbs spawning with males less then 2 lbs. The big girl could eat the small male!

Spawning behavior is survival of the species nothing to do with normal behavior. I watched as many as 3 big bass trying to lay eggs in the same nest at the same time with a 15” male. Any other time of the season these bass tend to group up by year class.

Tom 

Could be the waters I fish. There aren’t many bass and they are extremely picky. I’ve never seen mismatched spawning. I have to think that’s why the biggest fish out there aren’t filling lakes with all future giants, like themselves, in most places. I also catch the bigger fish that I’ve caught alone. No, I never caught 2 fish over 5lbs on the same day. But I have also seen fish on beds in Mid August and others with tiny fry in Mid August. Where logic and temperature would have them spawning between April and early June. 
 

Edit: In my opinion, if we believe in natural selection, the biggest bass would be most likely to survive from birth. And would make the most offspring. But they don’t in most places. I believe it is because they won’t spawn with smaller fish that they consider weaker. This is why I believe the monsters are so rare.

[TriStateBassin106]

I love the thrill and excitement of catching a 3lb+ fish but I will gladly take a day of catching 1.5lbs to 2lbs if needed, I don't have the luxury to chase big fish all the time but it definitely looks fun and I admire all the trophy bass hunters on this forum @A-Jay is probably my favorite because he goes out of his way to catch really huge Brown Bass on his boat. 

[OCdockskipper]

16 hours ago, Catt said:

..., if there's a 5# bass in a brush pile & Denny Brauer goes by there he's gonna catch it on a black-n-blue jig. If KVD goes by there he's gonna catch it on a spinnerbait. If Larry Nixon goes by there he's gonna catch it on a Texas Rig...

 

By the end of the day, I bet that bass is plain tuckered out...

 

[Biglittle8]

My opinion:1 Put the time in. 2. Be able to find the fish that day in present conditions. I think lure selection is the easy part! I always try to remember, big fish eat little fish. 

[Catt]

6 hours ago, CrankFate said:

I believe it is because they won’t spawn with smaller fish that they consider weaker.

 

Absolute nonsense ?

 

The male bass is always the smallest of the species. If your assessment were true no female over 5# would ever spawn because few males reach 5#. 

[scaleface]

Other than  using large lures , I dont know how to target large bass . I catch them on the same cover and structure as smaller ones .   Thats been  the key for me , fish  cover and structure .

[CrankFate]

4 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Absolute nonsense ?

 

The male bass is always the smallest of the species. If your assessment were true no female over 5# would ever spawn because few males reach 5#. 

Well then what I’ve seen is nonsense. If you are a fish who is better at surviving, you’d pick the biggest male to guard your fry. In the lake I have in my avatar, you’ll only see males around 7lbs guarding fry. Because the females aren’t going to spawn with dinks. If you find a lake with 7lb males you will find the big females. I have not heard one scientific report anywhere that even mentions size selection for bass spawning. So I can say anything is nonsense. Natural selection dictates that the female will pick the best male to protect the fry. An athletic 7 pound male is their best bet. Also, you can watch any and every program on TV and the Internet about fish. You will never see videos of mismatched fish spawns, except in rare cases like the deep ocean angler fish and when the little dink sneaks into a shell bed. Find the big males, that’s where you’ll find the trophies. Because the females pick who they spawn with. I know it’s not a popular belief, but a lunker female surrounded by dinks isn’t making many babies.

[Skunkmaster-k]

Fishing at night is a good way to increase your odds of catching big bass. 

[Choporoz]

1 hour ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Fishing at night is a good way to increase your odds of catching big bass. 

Why?  I'm not sure I've noticed that.

Do the big bass behave differently at night?  Does the fisherman behave differently at night?

[Deleted account]

12 hours ago, CrankFate said:

 In my opinion, if we believe in natural selection, the biggest bass would be most likely to survive from birth. And would make the most offspring. But they don’t in most places. I believe it is because they won’t spawn with smaller fish that they consider weaker. This is why I believe the monsters are so rare.

It's not a bar near closing time. Sure females of all species select the most suitable mate, no matter what that may entail, but like the movie quote, if there is only one scrawny male around, he's like "so you are saying there is a chance?". And larger fish do produce more eggs, by virtue of their size, but they aren't rare because they are different, they are the rare because of statistics, picture it like the chances of a particular person winning the Lotto vs someone winning the Lotto, one is extremely not likely, the other is almost a certainty.

[fishwizzard]

46 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Why?  I'm not sure I've noticed that.

Do the big bass behave differently at night?  Does the fisherman behave differently at night?

I’ve always assumed it was due to the bass feeling safer at night because the risk of predation from birds is less, so the older and presumably more wary bass will more willingly hit stuff on the surface/in the shallows at night. 
 

 

[papajoe222]

On 4/5/2021 at 6:57 AM, CrankFate said:They only mate with evenly matched partners. If there are no evenly matched partners, they will stay alone. A 5lb bass will not spawn with a 3lb bass. A 9lb bass won’t spawn with a 3lb or 5lb bass. A 9lb or 5lb bass might sometimes be around the 2-3lb bass. But not most of the time. 

Seeing as male bass rarely exceed 4lbs., how do those big females mate?

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

Why?  I'm not sure I've noticed that.

Do the big bass behave differently at night?  Does the fisherman behave differently at night?

Lord knows I do. I sleep all night long 

[MN Fisher]

5 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

Seeing as male bass rarely exceed 4lbs., how do those big females mate?

Domination?

[MIbassyaker]

4 hours ago, CrankFate said:

Because the females pick who they spawn with. I know it’s not a popular belief, but a lunker female surrounded by dinks isn’t making many babies.

 

Most of the time, a 5lb+ female who passes up a chance to spawn with a 3lb male isn't making any babies at all, because males her size are not anywhere to be found.

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

Domination?

Latex, heels and fishnets?...  

[RDB]

8 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Absolute nonsense ?

 

The male bass is always the smallest of the species. If your assessment were true no female over 5# would ever spawn because few males reach 5#. 

Agreed...and the male you see paired with the female is not necessarily the only male she pairs with.  Females often deposit eggs in multiple beds.

 

As far as catching quality bass, you just need to change your perspective.  I view a dink as a quality bass.  It just needs a little more time.

[Skunkmaster-k]

3 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Why?  I'm not sure I've noticed that.

Do the big bass behave differently at night?  Does the fisherman behave differently at night?

If you want to dive deep into night fishing Google the name Pat Cullen. He has caught more 10’ers than anyone I know about , and he’s not stingy with the info either. 

[Choporoz]

42 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

If you want to dive deep into night fishing Google the name Pat Cullen. He has caught more 10’ers than anyone I know about , and he’s not stingy with the info either. 

I fish at night quite a bit.   Just not sure I've noticed more lunkers than during the day.  Was curious if there was a theory 

[hokiehunter373]

4 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

I’ve always assumed it was due to the bass feeling safer at night because the risk of predation from birds is less, so the older and presumably more wary bass will more willingly hit stuff on the surface/in the shallows at night. 
 

 

And I'd imagine less fishing pressure contributes as well

[Darth-Baiter]

As a rookie. I still enjoy simply “not skunking”. 
 

big fish are so smart.   Wary.  One day I’ll get a double-digit fish...one day. But right now, a 3-lb fish gets my juices moving.  

[CrankFate]

5 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

Most of the time, a 5lb+ female who passes up a chance to spawn with a 3lb male isn't making any babies at all, because males her size are not anywhere to be found.

That’s what I believe happens. With most popular fish where 10+ lbs is a trophy.

7 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

Seeing as male bass rarely exceed 4lbs., how do those big females mate?

They do sometimes. I don’t think they do, that’s the problem. Maybe a small amount, but not much. At least from my observations.

7 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

It's not a bar near closing time. Sure females of all species select the most suitable mate, no matter what that may entail, but like the movie quote, if there is only one scrawny male around, he's like "so you are saying there is a chance?". And larger fish do produce more eggs, by virtue of their size, but they aren't rare because they are different, they are the rare because of statistics, picture it like the chances of a particular person winning the Lotto vs someone winning the Lotto, one is extremely not likely, the other is almost a certainty.

You read my mind on that ... but most guys know that spawning with the hottest female because they’re the only guy around mostly happens in xxx movies. I can still hope though.

 

 

I still can’t believe I didn’t get flamed over the 7lb male comment. But they do exist.

[Bluebasser86]

I prefer to catch bigger fish. Like others have said, you have to fish where they live to up your chances. Don't get too set in on "big fish baits", either. I fished a tournament Saturday and my big fish bait of choice? A Ned rig ? I drug a jig, fished a jerkbait, crankbait, trap, spinnerbait, bladed jig, and flipped a beaver. All 94" of my limit was on a Ned or slider head with a 4" craw. Elephants eat peanuts sometimes and those fish were keyed on eating the small craws that were all over the rocks.