What's your percentage of big bass?

[Team9nine]

Lots of possible ways to tackle this question, but I'll do it from a different angle. Big fish, and the percentage of big fish, is relative depending upon where you live and the waters you have access to, as well as the way you fish, etc. For my local lakes, I was able to gather the data from a local bass circuit that fishes most of the same waters that I do every month. They had data going back nearly 8 years and encompassing 98 tournaments, with total effort of over 16,000 man-hours during those events. I then looked at all the bass over 4 pounds they weighed in and calculated how long it took to catch a big bass (4 pounds or greater) from these lakes. In this regard, the data for the club came back as follows;

 

About 104 hours to catch a bass 4 pounds or greater;

About 207 hours to catch a bass 5 pounds or greater;

About 489 hours to catch a bass 6 pounds or greater; and

About 1,615 hours to catch a bass 7 pounds or greater

 

They have not weighed a single bass 8 pounds or larger during that entire period. They exist in our waters, but they are simply unicorns.

 

In a previous post, I mentioned I had adopted a "bigger bass" strategy this year to try and increase the quality of the fish I catch. From my catch records this year, I was able to determine that I fished about 130 days, and spent an average of 4 hours per trip equaling 520 man-hours of effort. From there, I was able to determine my catch rate for those same class of fish. My numbers came back as follows;

 

About 25 hours to catch a bass over 4 pounds (~1 every 6 trips)

About 47 hours to catch a bass over 5 pounds (~1 every 12 trips)

About 173 hours to catch a bass over 6 pounds (~1 every 43 trips)

About 260 hours to catch a bass over 7 pounds (~1 every 65 trips)

 

So while I don't know exactly what percentage of my fish were "big," I do know that I caught "big fish" at a rate about 4 times better than the local bass tournament anglers, many of them having fished these waters for years and years. Considering this was my first year of ever fishing these waters, I consider my strategy and effort a success to this point. I also now realize that expecting to catch any bass over 8 pounds on my waters is simply unrealistic. It could happen, but I could also win the lottery, too. The odds seem to be about the same 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

@Team9nine   Alabama has a B.A.I.T. program that is very similar, and my favorite data point is they give how many hours fished per 5lb fish for all the big public lakes.   Very telling data point in my book. 

 

Bass Anglers Information Team (BAIT) | Outdoor Alabama

[Team9nine]

1 minute ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

@Team9nine   Alabama has a B.A.I.T. program that is very similar, and my favorite data point is they give how many hours fished per 5lb fish for all the big public lakes.   Very telling data point in my book. 

 

Bass Anglers Information Team (BAIT) | Outdoor Alabama

 

Thanks. I've downloaded all their reports over the years and studied them, along with data from a half dozen other states. I'll double check the link and see if I need to add any of the recent reports as it's been several years since I last compiled the data. As you mention, it is very interesting info, and surprisingly consistent across most states. Much of the older data encompassed years where certain states or waters were affected by the LMBV, and provides an interesting look at how much the big fish suffered in those waters, as well as how long or how well they recovered. It also is a great determiner of which lakes truly put out big fish more consistently, and proves, to some degree, the adage, "location, location, location." 

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

So while I don't know exactly what percentage of my fish were "big," I do know that I caught "big fish" at a rate about 4 times better than the local bass tournament anglers, many of them having fished these waters for years and years.

 

[papajoe222]

A quick ballpark guess would be less than 5%

For me, it's 5lb. or 22in. as I don't always weigh my fish and bass over 6lb. are very rare in all but our power plant lakes. I boated 340 fish over 13in. last season (I don't log anything under). Only 16 of those were in the first group and of those only 6 were over 6lb. One 24in. fish that may have been over 6lb. I didn't count. 

 

[Swamp Girl]

33 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

6 were over 6lb

 

Impressive.

[GreenPig]

12 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Fingers crossed for you, Crow!

 

As you might know, my pond is full of three to three-and-a-half-pounders. My fingers are also crossed that they grow into four-pounders.

 

 

That's still great fishing from my perspective, Tom.

Full of 3.5 lbers and hoping they'll grow. Nope. Eat some and what is left will grow.

[Pat Brown]

6 hours ago, GreenPig said:

Full of 3.5 lbers and hoping they'll grow. Nope. Eat some and what is left will grow.

 

True story and good advice.  Help those welterweights ascend to Big Mamma Status™

 

All I know is it's 14° right now and my percentage today is gonna be 0/0/0 😂 

 

How do you like that!?!?

[scaleface]

I use to consider a 6 lb bass a big bass. I caught several a year, even though I wasnt   as competent as an angler as now. Now I get excited over 4 lbers. I say 1 percent of bass caught now are 4 lbers. 

 

Its not just fishing pressure that has caused a decrease in large bass ,  its that there are a lot more  really good fishermen out there .

[Tackleholic]

26 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I use to consider a 6 lb bass a big bass. I caught several a year, even though I wasnt   as competent as an angler as now. Now I get excited over 4 lbers. I say 1 percent of bass caught now are 4 lbers. 

 

Its not just fishing pressure that has caused a decrease in large bass ,  its that there are a lot more  really good fishermen out there .

"or a lot more really good video game fishermen out there".

[Swamp Girl]

8 hours ago, GreenPig said:

Full of 3.5 lbers and hoping they'll grow. Nope. Eat some and what is left will grow.

 

I've been inviting guys to launch from my dock, use my canoes, and keep some fish, asking them to keep the smaller bass. I don't eat like to eat bass. 

[GreenPig]

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

 

True story and good advice.  Help those welterweights ascend to Big Mamma Status™

 

All I know is it's 14° right now and my percentage today is gonna be 0/0/0 😂 

 

How do you like that!?!?

My FC, plastics, fingers, and the water gets stiff at 14 degrees. I'd still go, I ain't scared.😁

[Swamp Girl]

5 minutes ago, GreenPig said:

I ain't scared.😁

 

Unlike me. I would be so fraidy. And I'd look so silly and sad, shivering in my canoe sitting atop ice. 

[Zcoker]

I don’t get into any metrics or stuff like that, cut offs and so forth. The only thing I focus on is catching big bass because that’s all that I am after and that’s usually what I get, one way or the other. I know they’re there and I just make up my mind before I head out that I’m gonna get them! Easy as that. It wasn’t until I started thinking big bass that I started catching big bass. I figured that out a long time ago. For me, though, big bass would probably be in the neighborhood 7-8 pounds out in the glades. They don’t get too much bigger out there in the wild. So I settle for what’s consistently there and hunt them down and catch ‘em when I can.