The Hawg Hunters

[Mobasser]

On Feb 27th, I made a post about consistently catching trophy size bass. I promised A- Jay and Catt that I would keep them updated on this topic, so, in keeping my promise here's how it's gone so far.                                                 It hasn't happened yet. I've caught quite a few bass so far, but none are near the size I'm after.                                    Here's some observations:                                   1. When you sit on a prime spot and slowly work a jig for an hour or more with no action, your mind can easily wander. Patience is super important here.                   2. Once you leave a spot and go to another, you second guess yourself a lot. Was there a big fish there? Should I have stayed there longer? Maybe the big bass was there, but not feeding at that time?                                        3. Timing. Most who commented on my first post mentioned this. It's 100 percent true. And, I think this may be the most important thing. You've got to be there when the big fish is ready to strike.                                                 I've double checked everything to eliminate any mistakes. Super sharp hooks, longer cast in the clear water,focusing on the best retrieve, etc, and have fished in bright sun, misting rain, warming and cooler days.                                                  And last but certainly not least, I appreciate all the good tips and encouragement from A-Jay, Catt, WRB, Dwight Hottle  roadwarrior and many others. Lots of guys talk about catching big bass consistently, but as we all know, this is probably just talk.                                                     Being a member of BR allows me to actually communicate with guys who have actually done this, which is awesome.                         To sum up so far, this is not easy. I'm in no way ready to give up. Instead I'm ready for the challenge, and, I believe I'll get there.                        This may be a good ongoing thread also. Guys who are wanting to target the biggest fish in they're lakes can comment on they're own experiences with this topic.                                         A-Jay and Catt, I'll keep you guys posted. 

[Dwight Hottle]

Sean it's all about timing & location for sure. Just keep trying & success will happen. 

[scaleface]

I dont know how to target the biggest bass in the lake other than fishing around cover and structure . The last few years big bass have become rare for me . I think there are a lot  fewer big bass in the waters I'm fishing than there use to be .

[LrgmouthShad]

I'm patient, but I don't have the patience for true trophy hunting right now. Very much respect your endeavors in trying this, and glad to hear a report on how it is going. If what we are after in this sport is creating memories and enjoying what nature has to offer, hawg hunting as you call it seems like an excellent way to do it. The few or couple big fish I've caught have occurred mostly by chance, and I know it. I just happened to be in a good place at a good time doing the right thing, and things worked out. But when you meditate over a plan and achieve success doing something that you planned specifically for targeting big fish, that has got to have a cool amount of fulfillment associated with it, and your odds increase, however small they might be. 

 

Very cool

[DitchPanda]

30 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

On Feb 27th, I made a post about consistently catching trophy size bass. I promised A- Jay and Catt that I would keep them updated on this topic, so, in keeping my promise here's how it's gone so far.                                                 It hasn't happened yet. I've caught quite a few bass so far, but none are near the size I'm after.                                    Here's some observations:                                   1. When you sit on a prime spot and slowly work a jig for an hour or more with no action, your mind can easily wander. Patience is super important here.                   2. Once you leave a spot and go to another, you second guess yourself a lot. Was there a big fish there? Should I have stayed there longer? Maybe the big bass was there, but not feeding at that time?                                        3. Timing. Most who commented on my first post mentioned this. It's 100 percent true. And, I think this may be the most important thing. You've got to be there when the big fish is ready to strike.                                                 I've double checked everything to eliminate any mistakes. Super sharp hooks, longer cast in the clear water,focusing on the best retrieve, etc, and have fished in bright sun, misting rain, warming and cooler days.                                                  And last but certainly not least, I appreciate all the good tips and encouragement from A-Jay, Catt, WRB, Dwight Hottle  roadwarrior and many others. Lots of guys talk about catching big bass consistently, but as we all know, this is probably just talk.                                                     Being a member of BR allows me to actually communicate with guys who have actually done this, which is awesome.                         To sum up so far, this is not easy. I'm in no way ready to give up. Instead I'm ready for the challenge, and, I believe I'll get there.                        This may be a good ongoing thread also. Guys who are wanting to target the biggest fish in they're lakes can comment on they're own experiences with this topic.                                         A-Jay and Catt, I'll keep you guys posted. 

Can I ask what your bench mark is before your calling them big? Just curious...this year has been better so far for me or nice fish. I've only caught 6 bass since ice out but I've caught a 4.26 and a 5.43...a huge improvement over last year. Not really doing anything different.

[scaleface]

I dont like camping on a spot waiting for a big bass to show up . There Might be a big bass by a stick somewhere waiting for me to show up .

[Mobasser]

6 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Can I ask what your bench mark is before your calling them big? Just curious...this year has been better so far for me or nice fish. I've only caught 6 bass since ice out but I've caught a 4.26 and a 5.43...a huge improvement over last year. Not really doing anything different.

8lbs or better

[LrgmouthShad]

3 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I dont like camping on a spot waiting for a big bass to show up

I think the point is that the big bass is already there, if your plan is right. He doesn't need to show up somewhere, he just needs to be ready to eat. Am I right?

[A-Jay]

15 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

                 Here's some observations:   

 1. When you sit on a prime spot and slowly work a jig for an hour or more with no action, your mind can easily wander. Patience is super important here. 

 2. Once you leave a spot and go to another, you second guess yourself a lot. Was there a big fish there? Should I have stayed there longer?

Maybe the big bass was there, but not feeding at that time?                                     

 3. Timing. Most who commented on my first post mentioned this.

It's 100 percent true.

And, I think this may be the most important thing.

You've got to be there when the big fish is ready to strike. 

                                               I've double checked everything to eliminate any mistakes. Super sharp hooks, longer cast in the clear water,focusing on the best retrieve, etc, and have fished in bright sun, misting rain, warming and cooler days.                       

 

Totally appreciate the update ~ (especially right now). 

IME, the bold type above is a reoccurring theme through most all of this deal.

#copyandpaste

I expect to 'feel' that every trip.

And it gets considerably 'worse' AFTER I poke a few fatties, you'll see. 

Above you mentioned having your gear ready to go, Solid plan for sure.

If I may, I'd like to offer an often over looked but IMO, super critical factor.

Mind set & Mental preparation.

We all may have our own version of this but in the end the result are hopefully the same.

So for me this starts with visualization.

By imaging what I am going to do when the right bass strikes has been beneficial.

Running through it all in my mind, step by step.

From the cast, to the hookset, to the fight right on through

to where I'm going to land her and how.

Clearly it's not possible to account for every situation and every fish catch is so different, but ignoring this type of preparation would leave me winging it or making it up on the fly. 

Which can be less than ideal, especially with the heart pumping, the knees knocking

and the adrenaline flowing !

Might be something to consider.

 

 When I first started shooting video, I learned a ton watching myself

make all types of 'rookie mistakes' landing fish. 

Totally counter productive stuff, I didn't even realize I was doing !

Once I cleaned most all of that up - things went much smoother. 

 

As your efforts continue, what you might find is that it can be hard to 'believe & trust' in any big fish location, technique or timing deal, until you get a few and then can produce repeatable results.  We can probably say this about most all of bass fishing in general

but it may be more prevalent for you during this quest.

 

Finally, and this is something that I strongly believe.

The actual Catching of Big Bass is not hard. 

When we get it right it can seem ridiculously simple.

What IS Hard is 'what it takes' to make it happen.

Enjoy the journey because the gratification is like no other.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

[DitchPanda]

2 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

8lbs or better

Oh wow..that's a giant around here. In 20+ years I've only caught 4 bass in the size range...of course our state record here is only 10lbs 12oz. Good luck man..ill be following your posts! 

[LrgmouthShad]

2 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

So for me this starts with visualization.

By imaging what I am going to do when the right bass strikes has been beneficial.

Running through it all in my mind, step by step.

I used to hear that many top level athletes use this technique, as well as others. I actually planned on doing more to improve my mental state for effectiveness, and this might be something beneficial to add as well. Thanks

[Mr. Aquarium]

I caught an 8lb 2 ounce Massachusetts giant on Sunday.  I knew that pond I fished had my new PB in it. I knew the feeding times and what time of year to be there.  Perfect conditions!  Cloudy calm, new moon early morning .  She just barely nipped the DS glide bait.  Countless hours and heartbreaks goes into sticking a giant.   Study the habits of certain fish.    There’s a lot goes into it, the passion, the hours, experience, skill and luck!  

[LrgmouthShad]

24 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

I caught an 8lb 2 ounce Massachusetts giant on Sunday.  I knew that pond I fished had my new PB in it. I knew the feeding times and what time of year to be there.  Perfect conditions!  Cloudy calm, new moon early morning .  She just barely nipped the DS glide bait.  Countless hours and heartbreaks goes into sticking a giant.   Study the habits of certain fish.    There’s a lot goes into it, the passion, the hours, experience, skill and luck!  

I just saw your post on that fish. Oh my goodness!! You need to move that out of the Northeast Fishing Reports and into the general Fishing Reports section. That needs to be seen! That’s awesome, congrats

[DaubsNU1]

Thanks for the update @Mobasser! Stay the course!  Good luck!

 

I've caught a lot of 2-3 lb bass...and can only remember one tipping the scale larger than that...

 

In the early 1990's living in northeast Missouri, fishing a small two acre pond that was owned by the University where I worked. Pretty secluded...if you didn't know it was there, you would never find it. The dam was overgrown with willows and trees, and there was only a few places you could stand and cast a line in to the water. I was throwing a rainbow trout colored Slug-Go...and BAM! Great fish!

 

Thankfully I had my cheap, spring-type fish scale in the tackle box...this fish weighed right at 8 lbs. (I later checked the scale on a 10lb weight...it was pretty close). The fish went right back in the water, and I have been trying to catch one bigger ever since!

 

 

[Mike L]

Being ready to Improvise, Overcome and Adapt is not just a catch phrase, not to me any way. 
I’ve been very fortunate to land my share of 8+ bass in different waters and conditions over the years, and what came to mind reading your post is that there is one thing that is universally true considering how I approach it. 
 

As @A-Jay said..Is to “Believe and Trust” but not just in the timing and location but believing and trusting in yourself. 
Use your experiences, knowledge and ability to put it and keep it all together every time the timing and location screams to you. 
 

You already know how to do it, it’s just putting it all together when everything come together. 

Don’t get discouraged it’ll come, just enjoy the journey for that is truly the destination!

 

 

Mike

[Team9nine]

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

The actual Catching of Big Bass is not hard. When we get it right it can seem ridiculously simple.

 

What IS Hard is 'what it takes' to make it happen.

 

A-Jay

I have probably spent as much time as anyone pondering and studying this whole big bass subject. I will say, I really like these thoughts. I think we don’t spend near enough time examining the former, while way overanalyzing the latter.
 

I’ll leave another quote I recently stumbled across from a recognized big bass expert to think about;

 

“There isn't any presentation that out fishes good luck.”

[Catt]

2 hours ago, Mike L said:

As @A-Jay said..Is to “Believe and Trust” but not just in the timing and location but believing and trusting in yourself.

 

It takes a rare breed of fisherman using simple techniques to perfection to consistently catch big bass.

[deep]

I'll add a couple points to the original post in this thread.

Angles can be (and usually are) super important, and I don't mean just downhill vs uphill.

Don't make the same cast n times in a row, unless you're stitching.

 

Good luck in your pursuit.

[Zcoker]

On 4/5/2022 at 11:33 AM, A-Jay said:

Totally appreciate the update ~ (especially right now). 

IME, the bold type above is a reoccurring theme through most all of this deal.

#copyandpaste

I expect to 'feel' that every trip.

And it gets considerably 'worse' AFTER I poke a few fatties, you'll see. 

Above you mentioned having your gear ready to go, Solid plan for sure.

If I may, I'd like to offer an often over looked but IMO, super critical factor.

Mind set & Mental preparation.

We all may have our own version of this but in the end the result are hopefully the same.

So for me this starts with visualization.

By imaging what I am going to do when the right bass strikes has been beneficial.

Running through it all in my mind, step by step.

From the cast, to the hookset, to the fight right on through

to where I'm going to land her and how.

Clearly it's not possible to account for every situation and every fish catch is so different, but ignoring this type of preparation would leave me winging it or making it up on the fly. 

Which can be less than ideal, especially with the heart pumping, the knees knocking

and the adrenaline flowing !

Might be something to consider.

 

 When I first started shooting video, I learned a ton watching myself

make all types of 'rookie mistakes' landing fish. 

Totally counter productive stuff, I didn't even realize I was doing !

Once I cleaned most all of that up - things went much smoother. 

 

As your efforts continue, what you might find is that it can be hard to 'believe & trust' in any big fish location, technique or timing deal, until you get a few and then can produce repeatable results.  We can probably say this about most all of bass fishing in general

but it may be more prevalent for you during this quest.

 

Finally, and this is something that I strongly believe.

The actual Catching of Big Bass is not hard. 

When we get it right it can seem ridiculously simple.

What IS Hard is 'what it takes' to make it happen.

Enjoy the journey because the gratification is like no other.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

This makes a lot of good sense in being completely prepared for that big fish--mentally. I fish the everglades down here in south Florida as well as Headwaters Lake and Kenansville. In these places, double digit fish are possible every single cast every day or night of the week. And after a while, it's easy to get complacent. The mind starts to wander, the eyes dart about, maybe a bird takes flight or starts squawking...that pinpointed attention that is needed on those casts and retrieves seems to fade as time moves on. And it's usually those completely unexpected cast when that big girl slams the lure. Where is that solid plan now? I've been in situation just like that, completely taken by surprise and sorta acting on impulse to understand what the heck just happen and what the heck I'm gonna do about it lol. And it's usually when I get my bearings that she shakes me off! Sorta flips me off lol Sometimes I think what separates good fishermen from the best fishermen is in not missing fish, meaning to be completely focused mentally at ALL times.

[A-Jay]

54 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

 

This makes a lot of good sense in being completely prepared for that big fish--mentally. I fish the everglades down here in south Florida as well as Headwaters Lake and Kenansville. In these places, double digit fish are possible every single cast every day or night of the week. And after a while, it's easy to get complacent. The mind starts to wander, the eyes dart about, maybe a bird takes flight or starts squawking...that pinpointed attention that is needed on those casts and retrieves seems to fade as time moves on. And it's usually those completely unexpected cast when that big girl slams the lure. Where is that solid plan now? I've been in situation just like that, completely taken by surprise and sorta acting on impulse to understand what the heck just happen and what the heck I'm gonna do about it lol. And it's usually when I get my bearings that she shakes me off! Sorta flips me off lol Sometimes I think what separates good fishermen from the best fishermen is in not missing fish, meaning to be completely focused mentally at ALL times.

 

Admittedly, depending on how the day is going catch wise,

it can be quite the mental challenge and exercise in self discipline

to focus 100% for the entire length of every single cast - all day.

Seems I'm much better at it when my nets already been wet a few times

and or I'm in a prime area at what I consider prime time.

Either way, we all know that when our baits are wet,

anything can happen.

A-Jay

[txchaser]

On 4/6/2022 at 2:34 PM, Zcoker said:

The mind starts to wander, the eyes dart about, maybe a bird takes flight or starts squawking.

Or, in my case, work calls in between the left and right head-shake of a texas-sized big girl. It only got my attention for less than a second, and ... she was gone. 

 

Phone goes on DND in big fish land now. I can check it later. 

 

[Zcoker]

10 hours ago, txchaser said:

Or, in my case, work calls in between the left and right head-shake of a texas-sized big girl. It only got my attention for less than a second, and ... she was gone. 

 

Phone goes on DND in big fish land now. I can check it later. 

 

Oh, I forgot about those annoying phone interruptions lol One big loss like that is enough to put ALL of them contacts on ice!

[roadwarrior]

I think the most important variable is the lake you fish.

It has to produce BIG BASS, period. For largemouth that

probably means Florida, California and Texas. Other lakes

produce an occasional 10, but it's like one in a million. Here

in Tennessee, Chick has dominated for nearly a decade, but

it is now so crowded it's not an option for me. 

 

If smallmouth are your target, AJ has the PERFECT lake. Big,

hard to access and very little pressure. He has found a little 

piece of paradise!  For most people Erie, Millie Lac and St. Clair 

would be great destinations.

[A-Jay]

5 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

I think the most important variable is the lake you fish.

It has to produce BIG BASS, period. For largemouth that

probably means Florida, California and Texas. Other lakes

produce an occasional 10, but it's like one in a million. Here

in Tennessee Chick has dominated for nearly a decade, but

it is now so crowded it's not an option for me. 

 

If smallmouth are your target, AJ has the PERFECT lake. Big,

hard to access and very little pressure. He has found a little 

piece of paradise! 

And I'll be there again Friday !

Don't tell anyone  . . . . 

A-Jay

[TnRiver46]

10 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

And I'll be there again Friday !

Don't tell anyone  . . . . 

A-Jay

Get ‘em!!!