Trophy Hunting

[Jeffrey Walker]

If my only goal was to catch Quaility size bass and not quantity, what is your best advice??

 

my PB is 4lb. 14oz. 

 

are the particular baits and styles or techniques you would recommend??

 

are there certain times of day or night yih would recommend??

 

are there certain time of year you would recommend??

 

in other words if i was trophy hunting, what is your best advice??

 

Pleasekeep in mind, i fish in PA, NJ, DE freshwater.  if that helps. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Stack the deck, don't fish bad lakes or bodies of water is the easiest route.

 

Go fishing at night or very early in the morning, and throw big topwaters, chatterbaits, and big soft plastics in dark colors 

 

Fish near the middle of the day in the winter 

 

If you just keep fishing though, you'll inevitably start catching bigger fish.   

[softwateronly]

First and foremost, the water has to have big fish.  Sounds obvious, but it can't be discounted.  Then, it really helps to spend time on that water learning the fish.  But in general, for me fishing in MI, ice out till 50 degree water is the best season.  And when the water is over 50 degrees, night is the best time. 

That said, I've caught a 20"+ fish in all conditions, so those other statements are just what I perceive as size of fish per time spent fishing.  

 

scott

[Mbirdsley]

Other than what was said above. Be prepared you may go a couple trips with out catching any thing or that 5 lber is the one fish you catch all day.  Usually makes up for it though when you do connect. 

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, Jeffrey Walker said:

If my only goal was to catch Quaility size bass and not quantity, what is your best advice??

Sell all your possessions. Move to Mexico. Beg @king fisher to adopt you.

[Pat Brown]

7 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Sell all your possessions. Move to Mexico. Beg @king fisher to adopt you.

 

 

A suitcase full of pop'r and fishing line would have you in like flint with KF, I reckon ?.

 

Learn where they live and what they do on your body of water.

 

Early morning and late afternoon during the warm seasons for sure.

 

I find that big bass and are usually more routine/habit oriented and also way more educated.

 

Finding out what they are eating or warding off as the seasons change will aid you once you determine where they live AND where they like to feed (sometimes the same place, sometimes two offshore pieces of cover separated by 1/4 mile of slowly descending sandy bank)

 

The term match the hatch is tossed around a LOT and for reaction bites, is irrelevant, but really big fish seem to be immune to that kind of presentation unless conditions are JUST right for it.  Usually dragging or swimming slowly or really fast twitching flashy lifelike stuff that doesn't have distinct sonic signatures work really well. Depending on conditions and what the bass are doing.

 

When big bass are actively feeding, swim jigs, jerkbaits, Alabama rigs, Spinnerbaits, glide baits, wakebaits, spooks, crankbaits (forage imitators)

 

When big bass are in their 'home' and in a more inactive state I like jigs and soft plastics with appropriate weight for the depth they are holding at worked very very slowly.

 

Time on the water and finding out where they like to be seasonally will serve you better than anything else.

[Mobasser]

Expect this to be hard. Catching big fish consistently is not real easy. Last year I fished for big bass most all summer, and never got the 8lb fish I was after. This year I may do this again, but I'm not going to get consumed with hunting trophy bass. It's a lonely pursuit, and is not easy. Good luck in your trophy hunting.

[gim]

As others have already stated, you need to be on water that has proven it has sizable or trophy caliber fish.  The OP did not state where he was located in the country, so its difficult to calibrate whether he's after a 10 pounder or a 6 pounder.

 

Generally speaking, you want to

Use bigger lures

Fish deeper

Fish during prime feeding windows such as sunrise, sunset, night time, prior to low pressure, etc.

Fish prespawn or in the fall when fish are heavier

 

My personal strategy is to be out there often and spread my fishing trips out over the course of the entire season, rather than just putting all your eggs into one basket for a week-long trip.  I fish enough during the season where its almost literally impossible to have a poor outing every single time.  Eventually I'm going to strike gold because of the odds.

 

That being said, you will have a number of days where you fail too.  That's just the reality of it.  Patience and persistence will eventually pay off.

[scaleface]

Bass and big ones like to hang around stuff. Stumps, weeds ,  brush piles, discarded washing machines... All lures work . Choose lures that you can cast the best and toss them silently around stuff. The better the cast the better chance at catching them . Fish all points and cuts. No noisy overhand casting . Roll cast it . Once you get the lure weight matched perfectly with the rod then   casting this way  is easy .

[Jar11591]

Fish water that you know holds large bass. Fish low light periods, early morning, evening or middle of the night. Look for good cover that is adjacent to sharp contours. Be stealthy. Spend as much time fishing as possible to maximize your odds of running into a giant. 

[king fisher]

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

 

A suitcase full of pop'r and fishing line would have you in like flint with KF, I reckon

If you bring the Bait Monkey, you can move in for as long as you like.

[Darth-Baiter]

one word.  okay..one hyphenated word.  "road-trip"

 

i am finding there are no shortcuts.  you gotta put in the time.  

[WRB]

Having spent most of my life in pursuit of giant bass it takes dedication to learn big bass behavior, prey they prefer and when and where they target that prey.

Pre Spawn is the prime seasonal period.

Lures in order of my preference;

Hair jig with pork trailer

Swimbait 6” to 8”

Soft plastic worm 9” to 12”

Low light with light rain or night.

Tom

Bill Murphy’s book In Pursuit of Giant Bass is a good start to learn.

[Dwight Hottle]

Get your butt up to Lake Erie for smallie fishing prespawn in April or May. You will catch a 5lber with a good chance at a 6 lber. 

[Zcoker]

It wasn’t until I started thinking big bass that I started catching big bass. The mind has to be utterly committed to do almost anything to get that big fish, which can mean going days, weeks, or even months without catching her. Learn to explore, to reach out and do the unthinkable. Seek out new frontiers. Yes, there’s great effort involved, much more than ever thought of. Yet I’ve found through my own experience that the biggest obstacle can be right between the ears! And once that gets conquered, things begin to change BIG time! 

[VolFan]

Big fishing is like hunting - you’re looking for a spot to run into a big fish. Find those spots for your water and fish an appropriate bait for those spots. 

[scaleface]

Before making a cast visualize where a big bass might be set up at . Then get the lure to the best spot  . You may have to pitch , roll cast.... This up-coming tournament on the Sabine river . Contestants will be casting at shallow cover . Watch how they approach it, how efficient and precise they are .

[Catt]

 Understand what structure is, how to truly identify it, interpret it, and then fish it effectively.

 

Understand what the predominate prey species in your lake and how that species relates to structure with each season...morning, noon, and night.

 

If you can't find em lure selection is immaterial!

[GRiver]

I have days that I big bass hunt and days that I just fish, but I’m always scouting out where the big ones might be hiding.

I use the same bait, I think of not as much what I’m fish with , but where.

The places less traveled, the little cove, creek mouth, bunch of cover. I “go ninja mode” when approaching, all electronics off, trolling up, and push pole in. Put my stick pins in, then just “sit a spell” then systematically work the area, when I change baits I wait a little while between fishing again. It’s a slow process.
 

[Bird]

Jigs in the prespawn account for every bass I've caught over 5lbs in the past 3 years.

[Mobasser]

When I was targeting trophy bass last summer, I made a couple of post on the subject. I remember A-Jay saying that along with the correct baits, good lines, etc, you need to be mentally prepared.                                            Remind yourself that you might have a long day or several long days when the big fish just don't cooperate.          It happens to the best fisherman. They're the ones who are willing to put in the time it takes to catch the huge bass. As I said above, I think it can be a lonely, solitary pursuit.  It takes much patience and dedication to the sport to succeed.

[Catt]

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

This up-coming tournament on the Sabine river

 

Ain't no big bass in the Sabine River 

[scaleface]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

 

Ain't no big bass in the Sabine River 

That wasnt my point. Just watch how they present the baits.

[gim]

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

Remind yourself that you might have a long day or several long days when the big fish just don't cooperate.          It happens to the best fisherman. They're the ones who are willing to put in the time it takes to catch the huge bass. As I said above, I think it can be a lonely, solitary pursuit.  It takes much patience and dedication to the sport to succeed.

 

What has greatly helped me strategy-wise and from a mental standpoint is my additional pursuit of muskies.  They are very difficult fish to catch, and the window of opportunity there is short.  I've put some of the successes and failures from muskie fishing into the my pursuit of targeting larger-sized bass, and it has helped.

 

Being able to fish for long periods of time without any success is part of the game.  For starters, there just aren't as many big bass as there are small ones, so the percentage of the population is far lower, and thus the percentage of catching one is also lower.

[Darth-Baiter]

i think for BIG bass, you have to be in big bass habitat.  and throw low percentage giant baits like Swimbaits.  big ones.  you gotta minimize those 5 lb dinks.

 

me, i just play the luck game.  my biggest hit a worn out Senko i that i just bit off the torn end.