How to Fight Big Bass?

[BassKing813]

As mentioned in one of my posts, I'm going to be fishing a small one acre pond this summer that has some bigger bass and I am planning on throwing a big 12in worm and a swimbait. I have never caught a bass bigger than three pounds. Can anyone here give me some advice on fighting a big bass? Maybe some do's and don'ts? I'll be using an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5500 reel spooled with 50lb braid and a 7ft 6in heavy action flippin' stick in case you want to know.

[Cajun1977]

pray

[5bass]

-Don't "horse" it

-Use heavy enough line so that you can make a hard hookset and not worry about breaking off

-Have your drag set properly

-Keep your rod low (if possible) to minimize jumps

-Tire it out as much as you can(but if it comes close enough to the boat,net it and dont worry about how tired it is)

-Keep it away from cover,dock posts etc

-Keep your net real close by and in a position that you can grab it quickly

[Shakes]

Once you've got him hooked good, let him take it. Let him wear himself out a little. Then, when he stops fighting so much, start to real until he starts fighting some more. Let him wear himself out again, and then start reeling.

[Mattlures]

I could not dissagree more. Playing a big fish out untill its tired is the old way of doing it. It is the only way if your using light gear but your using 50lb braid and somewhat heavy gear. I fish my gear with the dragg almost completly locked. I hook the fish and horse them in as fast as I can. When I feel them rissing too jump I swing back hard and try to open their mothes and move them towards me. This will creata parachute afect and yu gain control and the fish cant jump. if I know I cant stop the fish from jumping I plunge my rod into the water and reel hard. This will minimize the jump. I have caught a few big fish and have lost some too. These techniques are used by the guys out in CA who catch big bass. I have landed probably 200 bass over 5lbs and believe me a big bass is one of the smartest fighting fish alive. If you give them time they will find a way to get off.

[Gatorbassman]

-

-Keep your rod low (if possible) to minimize jumps

This is one that many of us forget to do during the heat of battle. It is very important. Don't be affraid to put your rod all the way in the water to keep a big bass from jumping.

[Rattlinrogue]

I let the bass swim herself out,reeling in only if she's headed to the boat or towards cover that she might break off on.After she gets tuckered out and gives up I reel her in slowly.I set the drag to where I can get a good hookset,but that won't break.I adjust the drag as I go( If she makes a sudden run away from me I'll loosen up).Also when I think  that she's gonna come up and try to shake off the lure I'll put my rod tip at water level or lower.I won't let her get her head above the waterline.When things go like I've described the bass is gentle as a lamb at the boat from exaustion most of the time.

[Randall]

With braid and the flipping stick take the fight to the fish. Thats what they are made for. I bring it as fast as I can to the boat and never give it a chance to fight.

[cart7t]

With a Flippin stick, 50lb braid and a plastic worm you've more than got the upper hand.  Watch your drag setting on that outfit.  As long as you're using good, quality, sharp worm hooks, you should back that drag off with the braid. Once the fish is hooked tighten the drag down some and hauler in.  As long as you've stuck the fish in the top of the mouth you shouldn't have any problem steering any large fish around with that outfit.

[rocknfish9001]

I always set the hook to the side, i get more power in the hookset that way. I usually keep the rod to the side then too. A peice of advice, DO NOT MOVE YOUR ROD AROUND!! Some people follow the fish with the rod, going left, right, up, down, and whatnot. You should keep your rod in a reasonable position, not too high, and try to keep it out of the water. When you get your rod moving, you can create slack. I know people who say that when you horse a fish in, it throws your lure or breaks you off. Having a fish throw your lure will happen sometimes no matter what, but they will not and can not break fresh line with a good knot and properly set drag. Keep the line tight. If they are running, you can keep tension and discourage her, if she starts to feel light, you better be burning in that line. I like have as much weight on the end of my line. I dont let them run, you may even win the battle before it begins with a good hookset. Bring it home, pull her away from her comfort zone, and get her head up, you might disorient her enough to just haul her in

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

Good luck.

I fish ponds almost exclusively for largemouth bass. Some are private, but most are heavily fished public park ponds. I see lot of guys fishing heavy equipment, but I never see anyone catching a fish. I hope you have better luck.

After you fish it your way a few times, if that doesn't work, then here is another suggestion:

I get more bites and catch bigger fish using lighter tackle. I prefer a medium power/ fast action rod, #6 (11.9 lb test) Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft line and soft plastics. Specifically I would recommend the Fat Ika, 6" Senko and Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo tube. Cast parallel to the bank and focus on structure and cover if there is any. A one acre pond is, frankly, too small to hold much and I seriously doubt there are many big bass in that pond. In that water the bass must search the entire pond for food. So, fish every square inch like it is the perfect spot for a monster, you never know where that big fish might be.

Regarding the fight:

I keep my rod high, at about 11:00, so the rod maintains pressure on the fish. My drag is set light and NEVER adjusted during a fight. I want the bass to jump! Man, that's what I live for. With sinlge hooks bass rarely come free. I've lost a few good bass (mostly on treble hook lures), but I have never lost a monster.

[BassKing813]

Hmm...

Good luck.

I fish ponds almost exclusively for largemouth bass. Some are private, but most are heavily fished public park ponds. I see lot of guys fishing heavy equipment, but I never see anyone catching a fish. I hope you have better luck.

After you fish it your way a few times, if that doesn't work, then here is another suggestion:

I get more bites and catch bigger fish using lighter tackle. I prefer a medium power/ fast action rod, #6 (11.9 lb test) Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft line and soft plastics. Specifically I would recommend the Fat Ika, 6" Senko and Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo tube. Cast parallel to the bank and focus on structure and cover if there is any. A one acre pond is, frankly, too small to hold much and I seriously doubt there are many big bass in that pond. In that water the bass must search the entire pond for food. So, fish every square inch like it is the perfect spot for a monster, you never know where that big fish might be.

Regarding the fight:

I keep my rod high, at about 11:00, so the rod maintains pressure on the fish. My drag is set light and NEVER adjusted during a fight. I want the bass to jump! Man, that's what I live for. With sinlge hooks bass rarely come free. I've lost a few good bass (mostly on treble hook lures), but I have never lost a monster.

As far as the pond goes, it might be a little more than two acres, it's kind of hard to tell from memory, but there are in fact several bass in the 10lb range because I have seen them during the spawn. There might actually be a lot of trophy bass because they have been caught so many times and are very wise. The end result of all the fishing pressure on this pond is a bunch of lunkers that are just about uncatchable. Anyway, thanks for all the tips guys, hopefully when I do hook that monster your help will pay off and I can land him.

[Hookemdown.]

with 50lb braid, you don't have to worry about er breaking off, you do have to worry about here coming off the hook. Keep constant pressure on her. And remember, the fish is smarter than the angler most of the time.

[senile1]

I agree with FiveBasslimit's approach for lighter line, and I agree with Mattlures approach if you're using very heavy braid.  I rarely use heavier than 20 lb braid and since I'm accustomed to using the old approach of playing the fish I rarely manhandle and drag them in.  Plus, watching the fish fight is a major part of the fun of fishing for me, even if it's a big one that I don't want to lose.  I do try to keep the big ones from jumping by sticking the rod tip down into the water.  

[Vyron]

| use braided line only and I set the drag as hard as i can

I set the hook hard,keep the rod high and horse the fish as fast as I can.

[rocknfish9001]

Now that i think of it, this is how I landed the biggest fish of my life= I was using a buzzbait, and saw an explosion. It never came out of the water after my hookset. I kept my rod to the side which is a habit of mine, since i always pull to the side on the hookset, and i dont like moving my rod around since i try to keep as much tension as posible. I hauled the fish in and it never got away from me. I was using 30 lb braid and my drag was as tight as possible. With a baitcaster, you can constantly be reeling in at least a little bit, since you wont get line twist. This is helpful during jumps and runs that come towards you out of nowhere. If you just hold your rod in place while the fish runs around, it could shake its head towards you and the lure comes out since your not bringing slack in.

[Fish Chris]

This is another one of things (like braid vs. mono) that I feel really strongly about !

I use gear that all matches itself.... By this I mean, the hook matches the line, the line matches the rod, and the rod matches the reel. The size of of the fish has little to do with the weight of the tackle, as I'm always after the big fish  anyway... and I feel I can pretty easily land the biggest bass I might hook, on the lightest tackle I will ever use. Rather, the size of my gear is determined by the lure or bait I am throwing.

I run a medium drag setting, as I feel that with no stretch in my braided line, something has to give.

But to get to your question about how I fight them..... Whether it be a 3 lb fish on 50 lb braid..... a 13 lb fish on 50 lb braid.... or a 13 lb fish on 10 lb braid, its all the same.... If that fish is taking drag, I let him have it, but the split second (read: the very instant) that fish quits taking drag, I'm on its but like a fly on $%#$ !!!

I see so many people fiddling around with a fish hooked on there line, and I'm thinking, "What the heck are they doing" ???

So again, either that fish is ripping drag, or its coming into my boat RIGHT NOW ! This is why I believe I have landed big fish, on micro-light gear, in the same amount of time, or even less, than some guys using heavy gear.

Ya' know its funny...... I don't think I'm a "great angler"..... but I do think I am pretty darn good at fighting a fish once I hook it !

Peace,

Fish

[langs15]

Make sure you never point the stick right at the fish, always make the rod bend or it could cost you the fish from the line breaking. Again, let the fish tire itself out.

[Fish Chris]

I agree its not good to point the rod straight at the fish, but I think it is more because without a bend in your rod, you have nothing to take up slack with yours, and the fishes movements, during the fight. I think if your line ever broke, then you have a line problem, a drag setting problem, or both.

As for letting them tire thereselves out...... I don't care if they are tired or not, if they are not running drag, they are coming into my boat for a photo session RIGHT NOW ! ;-)

Peace,

Fish

[Alpster]

With 50 lb braid & a heavy stick, winch her in as quick as you can. If you play a big bass for very long she will wrap you around some structure or spit your lure back to you. JMHO

Ronnie