Catching big fish: Luck or Skill?

[KSanford33]

Before anyone chimes in, yes, I know it’s a bit of both. But what do you do to tilt the odds in your favor? I’ve tried using big baits only to catch fish that were barely bigger than the lure. I’ve also caught one of my three biggest fish ever on a Ned rig. 
 

So how about you guys?

[WRB]

This will sound silly but to catch big bass you must fish for them where they live. Can’t catch em if you don’t fish where they are at.

For whatever reason became fascinated catching the biggest bass where I fished. Study big bass habits and learned everything you can about them.

For example big bass are females. Female bass are their heaviest weight prior to spawning or “pre spawn’ and feeding heavily to add body weight to get them through the spawn cycle without feeding. The big females don’t eat once they start laying eggs. The big bass will protect their beds but that is a makes basses primary duty.

Target the big girls before they go onto beds!

Big bass ear high protein prey and avoid spiny prey like bluegill. Sat what big bass avoid eating bluegill!….yes! Big spawner’s will attack any egg eater like bluegills but not as a high protein prey source! The big girls prefer softer ray less spiny prey fish and crawdads.

You want to catch big pre spawn bass use lures that replicate their preferred prey source.

Tom
 

[Choporoz]

Skill when I'm winning.....luck when I'm dinking

2 hours ago, KSanford33 said:

 But what do you do to tilt the odds in your favor?

    Often, I move.  If I'm catching, but not excited about the sizes, I will move.  I do think your bait size can be factor, but of course, one of many variables.   I have caught large (for me) fish on smaller profiles, but I think most have come on baits that are on the bulkier and/or longer side.  Not talking swimbaits.  Just generally.  

[GRiver]

2 hours ago, KSanford33 said:

yes, I know it’s a bit of both.

Skill and luck….and I’ll add a 3rd one in the mix. 
Experience….. to know where and when to fish, and how to fish a certain bait or conditions. All this, everyone has learned through experience and time on the water.

 

[Jar11591]

First thing is making sure I’m on a body of water that holds or can eat least grow big fish. Most bodies of water around here can produce 3lber, but not every body of water can produce a 4-5lb fish or bigger, which are the ones I’m after. This is usually based on the abundance of baitfish like yellow perch or golden shiners. 
 

Another factor that is important to me is depth. Apart from early and really late in the season, most of my big fish come from 8’ of water or deeper, up to 17’. The shallower I’m fishing, the shorter the fish tend to be, unless it’s April/may or October. 
 

So my two most important factors are depth and forage base when I’m PB hunting. 

[scaleface]

36 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

First thing is making sure I’m on a body of water that holds or can eat least grow big fish.

I caught a lot more large bass in the 70's and 80's when I didnt know a lot than now. The lakes I fish just dont harbor the big ones like they use to.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Totally agree with the others, you can't catch big fish if they don't live in your waters.

 

It's that simple and stupid.   

 

I also agree with @Jar11591 about depth.   I'm a big believer in that big Bass spend most of their lives in or near deep water which is relative for different bodies of water.    

 

I think at some point Bass get so big and wise that it's almost impossible to catch them on anything but live bait.   The trout chunkers of SoCal back in the day, along with modern big Shiner and Gizzard guides have proven this to me over time.   

 

Lastly, I think FFS is the ultimate big Bass tool.   For the first time in Bass fishing history anglers can target these big fish in their proverbial beds.   It's hard for me to view a DD caught using FFS the same as one without FFS.   Nobody would know about O.H Ivie and JB Thomas without FFS.       

 

@WRB  I totally agree with you about big Bass loving Crawfish, but one thing to note that's super interesting is that out of all the forage items Bass predate on, the Crawfish ranks near the bottom in terms of protein.   The current thought among biologists is that Bass predate on Crawfish less about hunger and more about anger.   

[Pat Brown]

I say it's skill mostly and then timing and location and of course a sprinkle of some luck is there every time a fish bites, we successfully hook it, fight it to the boat and then land it!

[Skunkmaster-k]

Slowing down increases the odds of catching bigger fish 

[A-Jay]

Just about every basshead at some point gets the itch to fish for and catch big bass.

Some even go for it.

However success comes at a cost.

IMO it boils down to Location, Timing, Presentation & Persistence ~  

The list of bassheads that make it happen is far shorter than the ones that do not.

Main two reasons might be fishing on water that has no big bass and or

just plain giving up.

Is one big bass better than several smaller/juvenile bass ?

Only you can decide.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

.  

 

[Pat Brown]

21 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Slowing down increases the odds of catching bigger fish 

 

Except when it doesn't. 

 

I've caught just as many big fish (8+ lbers) ripping and burning baits around as I have dragging or dead sticking. 

 

I would probably say a significant number more!

[Team9nine]

I think the question is the wrong one to be asking, because the answer is clearly “ both” depending upon the angler and the catch in question.

[gim]

I don't really head to the lake with the mindset that "I'm going to catch a new PB today."  I just don't.  I'm sure some do.  For me it's just not a realistic expectation.

 

My strategy is two fold: as others have stated, fish bodies of water that are known to have a reasonable population of sizable bass, and timing.  Bass are at their biggest during two periods: prespawn and fall.  Doesn't mean you can't catch bigger fish outside of those two periods, but the odds are better.

 

You can determine if a body of water has a reasonable population of sizable bass two ways: in MN, the DNR keeps sampling records posted, so you can check those.  Or, you can rely on personal data and/or data from others because you fish there frequently.

 

I fish about 1-2 times/week between April - October and although I rarely have a poor outing, I go enough that at some point I feel confident that I'm going to run into a few just by the mathematical odds.  The more you fish, the more likely it's going to happen.  I look at it like deer hunting; the more time I'm hunting during the season, the more likely I'll encounter deer.

 

This is yet another reason I also prefer to spread out my fishing during the course of the entire season rather than going on one or two week-long trips.  The odds are just better that way.

[Functional]

I'm with @Pat Brown in terms of speed. My PB and a majority of my big bass have come from ripping a bladed jig or spinnerbait around. I used to think you had to drag a worm to really entice a big on, no more. Also, to another comment, it seems downsizing has done better for me than larger baits. My PB was caught on a mini-max with a cut down split tail trailer. 

 

Mentioning the seasons, all of my memorable big fish have come pre spawn or at the tail end of fall right before/at lake turnover. Not to say I havent caught a decent one in summer/spring months but its much easier and more abundant in the pre spawn/fall timeframe. 

 

For me, like @Choporoz if I'm intentionally hunting for bigger fish I will up and move if I'm bringing in fish under 3lbs. I have yet to bring in the 4, 5lb+ fish when catching smaller. 

 

Everyone needs a bit of luck to catch a big fish but having the skill to put yourself in the position (time, area, season, etc.) with a suitable lure and presentation significantly increases your luck.

 

My opinons may change when/if I can start landing a DD or 2.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 hour ago, Pat Brown said:

 

Except when it doesn't. 

 

I've caught just as many big fish (8+ lbers) ripping and burning baits around as I have dragging or dead sticking. 

 

I would probably say a significant number more!

We've discussed this before, but I'm in total agreement with you on moving baits vs. realistic slow-moving baits.

 

I consider an outlier fish to be greater than 8lbs.    The vast majority of fish I've caught over 8lbs have been caught on reaction baits where I don't give that big, old, smart fish a chance to examine the bait.   She's put into a position of either eating it, or letting it fly past her face.   

 

Going back to the live bait thing I mentioned in my first post, I just think big LMB have too big of eyes and have likely seen to many artificial baits to be tricked into eating a slow-moving bait during the daylight or at depths where plenty of light penetrates to.   

 

Night fishing is different, but even then, I still catch 90% of all my outlier fish during the day, and many when the sun is at the highest from about 10am-2pm.

 

The bait most responsible for the highest numbers of trophy catches (8lb+) recorded in FL's program are from soft plastics like a big worm........so as usual there is always a counter example to any theory you hold in Bass fishing. 

[Catt]

“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity” 

[king fisher]

If I catch a big bass it is because of my superior bass fishing skill.  If some one else catches a big bass, they just got lucky.

[MonsterZero]

When I am teaching new people to fish, I start with two things. The first is learning to read the water. It does not matter how good your gear is or what you are throwing if you do not know where the fish are. And the second is that the fish simply do not care what we think should work; if they are not interested, they are not interested, and no amount of casting and hoping is going to change their minds. So, yes, there is an element of skill in learning to recognize patterns and apply them in the right locations. But the role that luck plays cannot be dismissed either.

[GRiver]

1 hour ago, gim said:

I don't really head to the lake with the mindset that "I'm going to catch a new PB today."  I just don't.  I'm sure some do.  For me it's just not a realistic expectation.

I understand where your coming from.

I have time when I go Hawg hunting and days when I just go fishing.

When I go trying to get the big ones, I think about places, less fished and may hold the big ones. I go super stealth, fish differently.
 I caught my PB(7+)  when I was just fishing, that’s when I think luck was on my side. Go figure.

[Skunkmaster-k]

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

 

Except when it doesn't. 

 

I've caught just as many big fish (8+ lbers) ripping and burning baits around as I have dragging or dead sticking. 

 

I would probably say a significant number more!

I’m talking about making decisions not speed of retreive . 

[MediumMouthBass]

I think skill matters, until it doesnt. Luck and timing are the #1 and #2 things in my opinion, there were many days i would spend 1 hour casting a lipless over and over again in the same spot barely moving. After several hundred casts i would catch a new spring PB, this happened several times.

Were the bass there but just not hungry until 100th cast? Or were they not there but i stumbled across an area they travel through and was able to cast at just the right time a bass was passing by? Who knows. It wouldnt have mattered if i were the best fisherman alive, they werent biting until that moment.

 

#3 Being able to avoid modern day pressure, these bass have lived a long life, and had to survive a lot of different things. They have seen many, many of the same baits in the same group of colors time after time. Throwing something different, whether it be shape, size, movement, or color i think is another great thing. Because they didnt grow 5-10lbs biting every green pumpkin bladed jig that was thrown infront of them. After finding a place that can and does hold big bass, figure out what the locals are throwing. And do something drastically different.

 

#4 Primary source of food. (this is more a CA/Northern states thing, doesnt apply to the southern states with their strain of bass). A lake with bluegill may hold big bass, but how many? Maybe just a few.... Whereas the states that stock trout have had numerous big bass in them, and some giants too. In PA our government stocks trout like an addict who won the lottery, and every place i fish even though small in acreage and not very deep holds many big bass, some giants too.

CA is probably the greatest example of what trout can do to grow big bass.

 

#5 Yes, big bass have been caught on finesse presentations. But i truly believe the best chance we have at getting these fish are one of 2 ways. #1 fast moving baits, again these bass have lived a long time and have seen many lures. #2 bigger stuff, like swimbaits or glidebaits. Especially trout ones.

[FishTank]

Catching one big bass is luck but catching them consistently is skill (or you're just flat out cheating). 

[WRB]

4 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Totally agree with the others, you can't catch big fish if they don't live in your waters.

 

It's that simple and stupid.   

 

I also agree with @Jar11591 about depth.   I'm a big believer in that big Bass spend most of their lives in or near deep water which is relative for different bodies of water.    

 

I think at some point Bass get so big and wise that it's almost impossible to catch them on anything but live bait.   The trout chunkers of SoCal back in the day, along with modern big Shiner and Gizzard guides have proven this to me over time.   

 

Lastly, I think FFS is the ultimate big Bass tool.   For the first time in Bass fishing history anglers can target these big fish in their proverbial beds.   It's hard for me to view a DD caught using FFS the same as one without FFS.   Nobody would know about O.H Ivie and JB Thomas without FFS.       

 

@WRB  I totally agree with you about big Bass loving Crawfish, but one thing to note that's super interesting is that out of all the forage items Bass predate on, the Crawfish ranks near the bottom in terms of protein.   The current thought among biologists is that Bass predate on Crawfish less about hunger and more about anger.   

Fish are not high enough on the intellect scale to have a temper to be angry. Territorial protection shouldn’t be confused with anger.

Crayfish (crawdads) are high in protein as a food source, don’t know where your information is coming from?
The majority of giant bass caught in California were caught on live crawdads. I am an exception using jigs that replicate crawdads because jigs allowed me to cover more water and not anchor.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

If the big fish is a drum, it’s all skill and I’ve got it 😂 

[J Francho]

Take your drum and beat it!