Go for the big bite this year or numbers?

[Clark Stewart]

Went to a local pond I fish over the weekend. Saturday I caught 8 on a craw rattle trap. Sunday I got skunked by my wife's uncle, Semi-Pro, as I call him (he fishes stren, and bfl, and gets sponsored for the wheeler B.A.S.S. tourney every year by Advance Auto) He caught the attached bass (we think around 9 pounds). Well now I'm inspired to go for the big fish. I've got access to some local places with huge bass. One golf course that has a 14lb bass in it (There's a 13.5 on the clubhouse wall).

The dilemma: Do I go for numbers and hope to get lucky, or do I go for broke for big momma? How would you guys go about getting the huge fish? In Alabama now's the time for the really big ones. What baits, what techniques should I be practicing? Where to start? ANY insight is appreciated.

[J Francho]

Go big.  Always.

[JigMe]

I have caught nothing about 2-3lbers last year. I am aiming for a 5lber for 2010.

[Captain Rhino]

Go big. Always.

I completely agree!

[Shane J]

Yup, go for the bigguns unless you're fishing with a kid. This year I'm after my state's record LMB, and intend to break it! Fish for the hawgs, and pick up the others along the way, but ALWAYS go fishing for the fun of it.

[roadwarrior]

Go big or go home

[Clark Stewart]

Man, glad I didn't waste time on a poll!

Go Big being the consensus how do ya'll propose I do that? How do you plan to break the state record?

[MALTESE FALCON]

Living on St. Clair, I'm blessed, because every time I go out, I have a shot at a monster smallie. My goal this year, as it is every year, is to break the seven pound mark. I've been stuck on 6 lb.-15 oz for seven years. I must admit though, I'm perfectly happy going out and catching the 2-4 pounders.

Falcon

[brushhoggin]

deep dark structure+slow moving big worm=Nadine

[brushhoggin]

Living on St. Clair, I'm blessed, because every time I go out, I have a shot at a monster smallie. My goal this year, as it is every year, is to break the seven pound mark. I've been stuck on 6 lb.-15 oz for seven years. I must admit though, I'm perfectly happy going out and catching the 2-4 pounders.

Falcon

: i'd love to be stuck on that.

[Shane J]

Man, glad I didn't waste time on a poll!

Go Big being the consensus how do ya'll propose I do that? How do you plan to break the state record?

Jigs and big plastics, like a Rage Lobster.

[Under the Radar]

I faced that question last year. I went for numbers and ended the year with 1,175. Big fish 7.25#. Was it worth it? You bet. I learned how to pattern fish and caught some nice ones along the way. This year I'm gunning for the big fish. Have I got it yet? Nope 6.5 lbs is nice but not the one. I read that the natural progression for a bass fisherman goes like this.

1st) Happy to get bit.

2nd) Numbers

3rd) Size.

I will admit that after a few hrs of not getting bit, I get bored and want to feel something on the end of the line no matter the size. (maybe I don't have enough sense of purpose yet).

No matter, now is the time to go for the big ones.

Good luck no matter what you choose.

Nick

[J Francho]

Man, glad I didn't waste time on a poll!

Go Big being the consensus how do ya'll propose I do that? How do you plan to break the state record?

Not going to break the state record, but here's a sampling of my biggest fish from last year. 

LMB:

6-0: jig

6-8: jig

6-1: Spro Frog

6-4: jig

SMB:

5-0: drop shot 4" worm

That's the bait....the location and timing is what is more important.

[Under the Radar]

That's the bait....the location and timing is what is more important.

X2

[Clark Stewart]

Loving where this thread is going. Hope it hits 20 pages!

I'm not new to bass fishing, but I am new to fishing worth a dern for bass! Last year I buckled down and tried to pay attention to my presentations. I had my best year then. Patience is still hard to obtain when you're not connecting, but I'm working on it. Thinking of taking my headphones along to listen to my iphone while fishing so I don't concentrate as much on not getting bit! I find that I've got the skill down enough that I can get bit when i'm deep in thought - call it muscle memory or whatever.

I learned that confidence is key last year. I thought that was cliche until then. I started using the Rage Tails and the shad and craw became my friends. Havent tried, but do own, the eeliminator and rooster.

I don't know how to fish a jig very well at all, and on the ponds I fish the scum on the bottom has discouraged me - can you still get jig bit by hauling in slop like a snowplow?

My biggest problem with bass fishing I feel is that I like to be able to feel my bait at all times. In other words I hate finesse fishing because I can't feel my weightless senko and thus I over fish em.

I think Roadwarrior posted an article a couple years back about getting a bite every trip using a senko and fat ika fan casting. If you have that handy I'd love a refresher course. I'm going to try to deadstick a senko this year. I think the iphone will help with this because I kinda plan to cast, let sit, and time my retrieve to take as long as a song does to play - 3min. or so.

What do you guys think? Let's keep the spitball going!

[Catt]

Fishing a pond how could you not help but not target big bass, I would know every square inch.

I would cherry pick 3-4 days and nights a week

[Clark Stewart]

This is my favorite pond where the above bass came from:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=33.907461,-85.933948&spn=0.002035,0.003449&t=h&z=18

And this is the golf course where the giants can be found. Unfortunately no boat access but deep water of 15 feet can be had off the greens in some spots:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=33.887482,-85.926304&spn=0.016281,0.027595&t=h&z=15

[Shane J]

I like the looks of that golf course pond! Yes, you can still get bit with mucky bottom. Just pitch your jig/craw to any lay down timber, or use a swim jig/baby craw through grass and pads. Jigs rock!

[Clark Stewart]

What's funny is I bought a giant plano box full of custom jibs from C&B on ebay a couple years ago but never use em! I guess I kinda thought swim jigs didn't make much sense cuz I thought the whole point was to go slow with em

[INbassMAN]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1257906266/0

Nice fish.

My buddy and I have a friendly competition when we go out to see who can catch the most fish. So, I'm a numbers guy, but thats probably because I have never landed anything with any size to it. Although I did have a 100+ ib tarpon on my line last May. That was a blast.

[bassman31783]

Big baits + slow presentation = big fish.

The last 2yrs I've gone bigger/slower/deeper & the fish just get bigger & bigger.  They are not all in deep water but most of the bigger bass are in the deeper water relative to that particular area.

[Sam]

Numbers.

Always numbers.

Can go to my double secret pond and catch the big mommas so it's numbers any other time. 

[RoLo]

How about, numbers of BIG bass.

Roger

[Red]

I guess I am still in the "learning to catch fish" stage.  I just want to catch fish.  More importantly I want to catch fish because I did the right thing.  I want to feel like I figured out, or patterned the fish, and it worked.  Does that make sense?

Cliff

[K_Mac]

How about, numbers of BIG bass.

Roger

This is always my goal. 8-) I've been fishing 4 of the last 6 days. I've caught 7 fish total. My old cheap scale is no longer to be trusted, so in spite of J Franco's excellent advise to get a scale I can't say for sure what they weighed. All were between17 1/4" and 18 1/4". 3 were full of eggs and I would conservatively guess weighed 4 1/2-5lbs. My fishing partner Sat. caught one 18 1/2" that had a belly as big as mine (relatively speaking ). I would rather catch 7 fish in this range than several times that number of small fish. I love this time of year. 8-)

FWIW 4 were caught on 6" wacky rigged Stick-os, fished on 1/8 oz jig heads. 3 were caught on 4" spider grubs, fished on 3/8 oz football jigs (non-skirted) The other was caught on the same jig and a BPS Tiny Beaver.