Question

[farmpond1]

Prior to this year (astonishingly I caught two six pounders), catching a five pound bass would've made me wonder what deal I must've made with the devil.  And I've fished a lot of years.

[gobig]

Here's an answer, but I'm not sure what it's worth: 495.9 fishing

hours per 5 lb bass.

It depends on where you fish, your level of skill and your goals. You have to fish where big fish live. If all you do is strive to catch DD's throwing nothing but 8in or bigger baits your gonna find your fair share of 5 lbers. There are guys that break 5 lbs regularly. I know guys who do not even keep a record of a fish caught unless its over 7 lbs. I guess I can see 495.9hrs being average if you take and lump all the regions together and everyone across the board from the guy who goes a few times a year to the hardcore pro.

Just to show how crazy that figure (459.9 Hrs) can be to someone who is truly a master of there craft. Bill Siemantle has caught over 400 fish above 10 lbs and more than 75 in the teens. So take the number 400 (fish caught) multiply it buy the suggested hours it takes to catch a 5 lber (were using 10's). 400 x 495.9 = 198,360 hrs. Now divide 198,360 by an 8 hr day. It comes out to 24,795 days. Divide it by 365 days in a year. It would take 68 years of fishing 8 hrs a day 7 days a week to catch 400. Just think if they gave an average time for catching a 10 lber.

[Missouribassman95]

On the outside it may not look like I'm excited, but on the inside I'm pretty pumped!

[roadwarrior]

Well, "averages" mean nothing. Fishing in certain regions and

on particular bodies of water produces big fish. Other water

produces numbers and some result in both!  All of your friends

here at BassResource.com are trying to do is help improve your

chances and enjoyment.

8-)

[ww2farmer]

I have caught far fewer the last 10 years than I used too..........but then again thats about the time I started using a scale. Go figure.

Around here an upper 4lber is good enough to win lunker in most tournaments, 5lbers show up pretty often, a 6lber .... maybe MAYBE three times a year, and every couple years a 7lber finds it's way to the scales. That is unless were talking Erie smallmouth, 5's and 6's are much more commen, and 7's are not unheard of. I have yet to see or hear of an 8lber, either brown or green, brought to the scales at any tournament around here, reguardless or what lake it 's on.

[Senkoman12]

A 5 lb LMB is a good size bass anywhere, it's a big bass for NY. I know bass anglers who have never caught a bass as large as 5 lbs.

WRB

i fish oneida lake a lot and havnt caught one over 4lbs, heck im even excited with a 3 pounder

[Catt]

Toledo Bend 2010 (all certified weights)

Bass over 5 lbs: 66

Bass over 6 lbs: 47

Bass over 7 lbs: 19

Bass over 8 lbs: 6

Bass over 9 lbs: 2

Bass over 10 lbs. 0

Aint been on the lake in 2 months

[roadwarrior]

Toledo Bend 2010 (all certified weights)

Bass over 5 lbs: 66

Bass over 6 lbs: 47

Bass over 7 lbs: 19

Bass over 8 lbs: 6

Bass over 9 lbs: 2

Bass over 10 lbs. 0

Aint been on the lake in 2 months

Well now, if the average is around 500 hours

for one 5+, your hogging the big fish!

BTW, That's remarkable!

;D ;D ;D

[tyrius.]

a 5lb bass every trip is what I usually get

What kind of waters are you fishing and what are you using to weigh your fish?

A 5 lber in the northern part of the country is a big fish and a big deal.  In the past couple of years I've caught a few.  None this year as I've only been out a few times.  Been a bad year for spare time.

[K_Mac]

Catt you are catching way more than your share. Good for you. 8-) I need to move a little farther south. Not that I would put up your kind of numbers, but it would increase my chances...

[Nitrofreak]

Toledo Bend 2010 (all certified weights)

Bass over 5 lbs: 66

Bass over 6 lbs: 47

Bass over 7 lbs: 19

Bass over 8 lbs: 6

Bass over 9 lbs: 2

Bass over 10 lbs. 0

Aint been on the lake in 2 months

If you were to use that scale of 500 hours per 5+ lbs that would mean you would have had to fish 33000 hrs.

That's a lot of fishing!!!

I am curious though I know you like to fish at night...With a estimated guess or you may know exactly... Did you catch most of them at night or is the ratio about the same between daylight hours?

By the way great job and thanks for sharing that with us!!!

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Ive never caught a 5lb bass. Im not the best estimator though I just measure and the longest bass Ive caught was 19" it I guess was 4lbs.

[fmoore]

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/features/x104356352/Marlborough-womans-big-fish-tale

Just ask the guy in this article. I betcha he catches at least 3 5's every trip  :

[badcrawdad]

Thats some funny stuff right there!

[K_Mac]

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/features/x104356352/Marlborough-womans-big-fish-tale

Just ask the guy in this article. I betcha he catches at least 3 5's every trip :

I don't know whether to laugh or cry after seeing this. :'(

[Smiths.R]

I'm in MD, and either I'm not that good at fishing, or 5 lb'ers aren't that common.  When I catch one, I go nuts.

[basser223]

a 5lb bass every trip is what I usually get

What kind of waters are you fishing and what are you using to weigh your fish?

A 5 lber in the northern part of the country is a big fish and a big deal. In the past couple of years I've caught a few. None this year as I've only been out a few times. Been a bad year for spare time.

small lake I count a trip as a hole day fishing trip not like 4 or 5 hours and I have been weighing them with a berkley spring scale that currently brooke

[Goose52]

I fish 11 small lakes - 4 to 201 acres, and a 5 lb fish is probably a once-a-season kind of thing at best - at least at my skill level (and I fish every day). A better angler than myself could probably do better. My PB (7-12) came from these lakes and I don't expect to break that for quite a while.

There are some DD bass in these lakes, but only one or two are reported caught each YEAR. The local bass club tourneys are often won with 5lb bags and the big fish all last season (during a tourney) was about 7-3 so even the bass club guys don't score big fish too often in these lakes. (And the bass club counts 10" fish as keepers - an example of the relative size of the fish in these waters).

My big fish this season (out of 518 bass caught so far) is only 19" (about 3 1/2 lbs). I would be DELIGHTED to catch a 5lber before this season is out

[Catt]

I don't know who came up with the "the average is around 500 hours for one 5+" but it d**n sure aint mine!

That is from January 1st - May 31st or 150 days of pre-spawn through post spawn fishing; in my estimation I put in approximately 900 hours +/- during this time frame.

tyrius., that's every thing from bank shallow out to 20/25', it was X-Tools & Berkley TEC Digital Scales.

Nitrofreak, all day time & my ratio goes up at night in that I catch a lot less bass under 14" (2-2 1/2 lbs)

A 5 bass tournament stringer on many lakes in Texas that is under 25 lbs will almost guarantee no money

[Catt]

McDonald's Big Bass Splash 2010 Lake Toledo Bend

DAY 1: 48 bass from 5.00 lbs - 8.61 lbs

DAY 2: 38 bass from 5.03 lbs - 11.48 lbs

DAY 3: 40 bass from 5.04 lbs - 8.83 lbs

8 hrs per day for 3 days = 24 hrs of fishing to produce a total of 126 bass from 5.00 lbs - 11.48 lbs

McDonald's Big Bass Splash 2010 Lake Sam Rayburn

DAY 1: 101 bass from 5.04 lbs - 9.15 lbs

DAY 2: 89 bass from 5.00 lbs - 8.89 lbs

DAY 3: 87 bass from 5.03 lbs - 10.60 lbs

8 hrs per day for 3 days = 24 hrs of fishing to produce a total of 277 bass from 5.00 lbs - 10.60 lbs

FYI that's 48 hrs to produce 403 bass of 5 lbs plus

[tyrius.]

tyrius., that's every thing from bank shallow out to 20/25', it was X-Tools & Berkley TEC Digital Scales.

I wasn't questioning your numbers catt.  I was questioning someone else's.  The odds of catching a 5 lber in Texas is completely different than northern IL or Maine.

Tournament weights show that 

[roadwarrior]

Goose52,

You should be catching 5lbs+ occasionally here in Tennessee.

Try this: Fish big worms (Rage Tail Thumper T-rigged), 6" Senko

(weightless) and 3/8 oz jig (black)/ Rage Tail Baby Craw

EXCLUSIVELY for awhile.

Cast 10-15 YARDS off the bank and parallel to the shore.

SLOW DOWN... Let the bait sit for at least a minute on

the initial cast, then move it 6"-12" and let it sit for 20-30

seconds. Repeat until you feel you are out of the zone. Don't

"hop" the baits, BE THE BUG! Crawl your bait on the bottom

through grass and over rocks and ruble.

Good luck!

8-)

[Goose52]

Goose52,

You should be catching 5lbs+ occasionally here in Tennessee.

Try this: Fish big worms (Rage Tail Thumper T-rigged), 6" Senko

(weightless) and 3/8 oz jig (black)/ Rage Tail Baby Craw

EXCLUSIVELY for awhile.

Cast 10-15 YARDS off the bank and parallel to the shore.

SLOW DOWN... Let the bait sit for at least a minute on

the initial cast, then move it 6"-12" and let it sit for 20-30

seconds. Repeat until you feel you are out of the zone. Don't

"hop" the baits, BE THE BUG! Crawl your bait on the bottom

through grass and over rocks and ruble.

Good luck!

8-)

RW - good advice indeed - I'm certainly not known for my "patience with plastics" (or jigs)! I like to keep moving. The "power finesse" technique described in a recent Bassmasters magazine article certainly hit home for me!

I know if I want to go after quality fish, I will have to change tactics eventually, both fishing from the bank and from my canoe - just gotta make an attitude adjustment first. :

Having said the above, I still think that, based on the results of the bass club and other local anglers, there may not be as many 5lb fish to be had as on other Tennessee lakes... :-/

[Team9nine]

McDonald's Big Bass Splash 2010 Lake Toledo Bend

DAY 1: 48 bass from 5.00 lbs - 8.61 lbs

DAY 2: 38 bass from 5.03 lbs - 11.48 lbs

DAY 3: 40 bass from 5.04 lbs - 8.83 lbs

8 hrs per day for 3 days = 24 hrs of fishing to produce a total of 126 bass from 5.00 lbs - 11.48 lbs

McDonald's Big Bass Splash 2010 Lake Sam Rayburn

DAY 1: 101 bass from 5.04 lbs - 9.15 lbs

DAY 2: 89 bass from 5.00 lbs - 8.89 lbs

DAY 3: 87 bass from 5.03 lbs - 10.60 lbs

8 hrs per day for 3 days = 24 hrs of fishing to produce a total of 277 bass from 5.00 lbs - 10.60 lbs

FYI that's 48 hrs to produce 403 bass of 5 lbs plus

Catt, your math is incorrect. You forgot to calculate based on number of angler-hours which those stats in the article are given as. According to the press writeup, Sam Rayburn event had nearly 3700 anglers entered and fishing. If that number is correct for that event, then the math is 8 hrs/day x 3 days x 3700 anglers = 88,800 angler hours divided by 277 bass >5 lbs = 320.5 angler hrs per 5 lb. bass.

Also keep in mind the report stated that when just looking at the best lakes (which Sam Ray & Tol Bend would be considered) ,the average hours dropped to just over 150 hrs. per 5 lb. fish. Stats also didn't actually include any data for Texas or Cali., just the 6 or so states listed.

The bigger point of the article was geared toward Midwest fisheries and to not believe every report you hear of guys catching all these big bass.

-T9

[Catt]

A survey was conducted a couple years back that suggested 30% of the entrants in a McDonald's event will never wet a line and are there only in support of Ronald McDonald House programs.

Of the remaining anglers over 50% are incapable of catching bass of any size let alone one in the 5 lb class and are there only for the "pie in sky" theory of winning big bucks.

My point being is some are shocked at my yearly statistics when in reality they are quite normal for 900 +/- hrs on Toledo Bend.