Do Big Bass Return?

[Topwater_Popper]

I was fishing the other day on a muddy lake with high winds.  All the fish were wanting that day were beetle spins.  So, I cast my beetle spin right under a willow tree.  A second after the bait hit the water, a huge swirl appeared right in the area of my lure.  I set the hook, and sure enough, I had a monster on the line.  I fought her for about twenty seconds when she lept into the air, and, with a shake of her head, flicked the lure right out of her mouth and swam away, out of my sight and out of my life.  Anyway, I would like to bring that fish back into my life and my boat.  Do big bass return to the same area that you caught them in, say, in a few days?

[Skwerl]

Yep, sometimes as quickly as 10-15 minutes. Although enticing them to bite another lure is another matter altogether.  ;D

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

In that event I would immediately toss out a followup like a whacky rigged Senko right where she came off. A bass of any size might be circling to relocate that beetle spin. Those things don't always get a hook penetration, but are simply clamped down on then yanked out of the mouth before getting hook in position to grab mouth parts. That holds true for many wire baits. I couldn't even guess at how many bass I've dragged to boatside only to have them open mouth and let bait pop out. Even though it might appear bass are not interested in a whacky worm as a pattern bait, they will be more interested later if they miss a meal like that, so I always keep some slow moving followup baits tied on for a come-back bite, keeping a bait in a known strike zone. And that bass is not likely to abandon a good ambush point. Those are tough to find and keep when a bigger bass comes along to take it away from her.

Jim

[Rattlinrogue]

Yes,they do.I've missed a few big 'uns,and came back the next day to catch what appeared to be the same bass.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

If you have her on for a bit and then she comes off, she probably won't be biting again for awhile.  If she didn't feel the hook, she's still catchable.

During the spawn,however, everything goes.  We've caught the same fish 3 casts in a row before.  Sometimes they are right back on the bed and willing to hit again (super defensive mode, protecting eggs)