Anyone else struggling with big bass?

[TLHSS]

At my local fisheries, consistently catching 2 pounders is considered a great year 😊

[Dan N]

While I love the occasional big fish, I’m more than happy with numbers, as long as they are not all dinks. 2-3 pound bass are just fine with me. Did not catch a fish that hit 5 pounds this year. Although in Wisconsin, 5 pounders are not super common. 

[MIbassyaker]

I caught exactly one bass over 4lb this year in 105 hours of fishing. Last year I caught two.  August 2021 was the last time I caught a bass over 5. 

 

Granted, I'm not consistently fishing the best waters for larger bass, but 2 and 3lbers are the foundation of a successful outing for largemouth in most places up here, most of the time.  Whether I catch anything larger than that depends almost entirely on location and timing...and I don't always get much choice over when I'm free to go fishing, how long I have, and how far away I can go.

 

[Big Hands]

On 11/13/2024 at 8:54 PM, PBBrandon said:

I’ve been heavily bass fishing for 6 years now, and typically I average about 5-10 4+ pounders a year. So far in 2024 I’ve caught 0. I’m guessing my PB this year is a mid 3 if I remember correctly. Spring I skunked out a lot, summer I didn’t fish a whole lot due to being a bit bummed from spring, and recently I’ve caught plenty of sub 2 pounders. Anyone else just having a bad year? I’m sure if I keep at it, things will average out, but it’s just been a grind lol

 

Have you been to Bois d'Ark yet?

[PBBrandon]

1 hour ago, Big Hands said:

 

Have you been to Bois d'Ark yet?

Haven’t been to Bois D’Arc yet, mostly Ray Roberts and Texoma. Might try it out before the end of the year though. I hope the initial onslaught of anglers has died down lol

[FryDog62]

The #1 key to catching big bass - is to fish where big bass are available. 

If you’re a great angler and your lakes top out at 5 pounds, no matter how good you are, you’re not going to catch an 8.  
 

Sounds common sense, but if you focus your efforts only on waterways with trophy fish available, your odds of catching one go up significantly.. The first key is if you have any of those within a reasonable distance, the second is developing the skills to catch them. 

 

Even I might have caught a handful of DD’s if El Salto were just down the street and I had the time to hone my craft

[JHoss]

17 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

The #1 key to catching big bass - is to fish where big bass are available. 

If you’re a great angler and your lakes top out at 5 pounds, no matter how good you are, you’re not going to catch an 8.  
 

Sounds common sense, but if you focus your efforts only on waterways with trophy fish available, your odds of catching one go up significantly.. The first key is if you have any of those within a reasonable distance, the second is developing the skills to catch them. 

This is why people should have a basic understanding of relative weight for bass. You're not going to catch tanks in waters that have a population with low relative weight, so why even fish there if your goal is a big fish. And if you do fish those waters, harvest can be extremely beneficial. 

[Aaron_H]

On 11/13/2024 at 11:54 PM, PBBrandon said:

I’ve been heavily bass fishing for 6 years now, and typically I average about 5-10 4+ pounders a year. So far in 2024 I’ve caught 0. I’m guessing my PB this year is a mid 3 if I remember correctly. Spring I skunked out a lot, summer I didn’t fish a whole lot due to being a bit bummed from spring, and recently I’ve caught plenty of sub 2 pounders. Anyone else just having a bad year? I’m sure if I keep at it, things will average out, but it’s just been a grind lol

 

2023 and 2024 (so far) have definitely been more of a struggle than 2022 was. In fairness, 2022 was a bonkers year for me, with my best five bass going 45lbs 6oz. That may well turn out to be the year I peaked. Last year I only got two 5lbers and one just over 7lb in October, and this year is the same result so far, two 5lbers and one over 7lb in October. Still plenty of time to fish and we're getting into Big Girl season so I have my fingers crossed that I might tangle with a giant here soon.

 

On 11/14/2024 at 6:51 AM, LrgmouthShad said:

I am hooking more large bass than in years past, but having a hard time landing them 

 

I ended up having some pretty frustrating days this year and last, lost some really big fish that caused me to rethink some of my setups and how I'm throwing certain presentations. One of which I got a real good look at up close and I strongly believe was a DD. It can be a little soul crushing but I know they're still out there and hopefully I'm a little more dialed in on my presentations for the next time we cross paths.

[Spankey]

This season was a struggle for that real nice fish. Fish that I’m fishing for. Did catch some respectable Smallies and Greenies though. I just hope next season there are a few less conditions I have to deal with. Things beyond my control.