Is bass fishing the same big or small?

[Chris]

Is the tactics you use for keepers the same you use for big fish? Do they hang out in the same locations as the smaller fish?

[reellittlephish]

Hey Chris,

Thanks for the tips on Mead.  Posted on that topic. Sometimes someone says something and it just clicks...

Now that i've got an idea on the depth of larger fish,  I'm gonna try some walls and a little doodling to go with the spoons and crankbaits tomorrow.  Let you know how it turns out.

Short answer to your question: no and almost no

[MKYxD]

I usually fish areas I have liked in the past...sometimes little ones, sometimes nice ones.  It varies.

[Trivib1]

when I hear the word Big bass I think of the 10 pound class and up.  The tactics you use for small fish and big fish are not the same.  Large finish live and feed in the same waters that their smaller brothers do.

[Big_Bass_Rich]

I think somebody mentioned the year class fish schooling together. I think this is true.. but big bass can be in the same areas as small ones. You just have to remember that the biggest bass in the lake or river will usually take the best structure/cover there is. Sometimes this means they are in the most obvious spots... but they are conditioned to all those lures that people are throwing at them. Or they feed at less pressured times (like night time). That's why night anglers do really well for monster bass on areas that are pressured in the day time. That's just my opinion anyway.

[Bassin_Nutt]

I  have noticed that the smaller bass will be close to but not in the BIG crowd.  I think the bigger bass watch more intently and are more curious about what they eat.  They choose to be picky while the smaller bass will eat most everything you throw.

[Chris]

Big fish are different than just keepers. Most big fish are live feeders meaning they will hit something that acts or looks alive or is close to what they are feeding on in size. The idea that big baits catch big fish is true to a degree but what is more important is location. I have caught trophy fish on small baits and larger offerings but the key was location. Big fish will hold up on the best stucture or key element on the structure and will push off any fish thats there to gain its position on the key spot. Big fish are not loners but if the key feature is only capable of holding one then it will be the big bull of the pen. If you have an area that holds a big fish and that fish is taken out sometime during the year that spot will be taken up with another of the same size. Big fish do not need cover or access to deeper water to feel safe they are the king of the lake. What do they have to be scared of? Most of the time you can catch them when they are in position to feed. They do not stay in one spot they move in and out of areas to feed. Sometimes you can find groups in these areas so if you catch one there might be more. Big fish are great hunters and use what the body of water has to offer to their advantage. They don't need cover to help them get food to the same degree smaller fish do. They use structure more to thier advantage. Big fish have better instincts than small fish and i guess in that respect makes them smarter. Big fish will use the whole water column. They are not just in deep water. They suspend a lot. I have caught some that had a full grown crappie tail hanging out of its mouth and still caught them on a normal sized spinnerbait. During spawn i have seen them spawn up against the shore, in stumps, in deeper water, in the middle of bushes, in places where you got to fight to get to. You kinda got to think different when your targeting big fish. You don't fish the same way as you would with just keepers. The biggest key is location and places where big fish come to feed!

[JT Bagwell]

Chris,

I see you read yesterday's column on another site.  ;D

JT Bagwell

[roadwarrior]

Well Chris, that is a very interesting piece you wrote and I'm here to learn more about what other fisherman are doing to be more successful.  I think fish are not hard to catch but hard to find  and if you are right, I have been passing up an awful lot of water that may be productive.  I only fish for big fish and always target structure in deep water or surrounded by deep water and fast current  if I'm on a river.  

[Glenn]

BTW - there's many articles on this site regarding lunker bass behavior and trophy bass fishing.  Chris covered some of if, but there's even more info out there in the articles.

[Chris]

To be honest the stuff i wrote is the same stuff i learned when i was 11 years old. I had a guy that fished pro and through the years became a real great friend. We used to talk about what we called the world of oz. It was a higher learning about bass fishing that few knew about or even talked about. Its funny that 20 years later im now copying or playing off of another. This information is not new I also know that it was known well before told to me. Florida Bass are new to other states not Florida. You forget i posted this well before anyone from the other site to make it plain i don't ask a question that i don't already know the answer to. If you want to give credit to anyone Buck Perry has been preaching about big bass and structure fishing longer than anyone.

[JT Bagwell]

Ok.....

Just seemed a little ironic to me that you posted the same info a day after the another site article but if you say you didn't read it, then I have no real reason to doubt you.

JT Bagwell

[Chris]

I also talked about the same subject in the old forum and i also touched on the topic in some of my posts here. I understand it is kinda weird but thats all it is weird. I know that guy writes some in bassmaster and i might have unknowing made the same descriptions because there is no other way to word it. I remember writting something in the old forum and three days later i saw the same thing posted by Chad Brauer. I met his Dad Denny a few months later when he held an open tournament at Newton lake. Did i point fingers? No because i understand that information is information new old indifferent its used to teach others how to fish or make them a better fishermen. There are very few secrets anymore and most are just coughing up what they know or have learned though there own observations. Some draw the same conclusions. There are more than one guy catching fish in this world i would hope. lol I hope this doesn't sound like i am bent out of shape. I really am not. I am just explaining my side. I am glad someone pointed it out. It is kinda strange

[earthworm77]

They are two totally different ball games.

[Stickling]

BTW - there's many articles on this site regarding lunker bass behavior and trophy bass fishing. Chris covered some of if, but there's even more info out there in the articles.

glen please PLEASe send me those cuz the biggest bass ive cought is 3 pounds lol

[Glenn]

Start here http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/catch_big_bass.html  and then follow the links at the bottom of the page.  There's a bunch, so set aside some reading time!   ;D

[Stickling]

thanks glenn