Catching Big Fish Consistently

[Fat-G]

How often do you guys get a big girl? I know the definition of "big" is varied for us depending on location, but do you catch nice fish regularly? For example; I consider a 4 pounder a "good" fish, 5 is a nice fish, and then anything over 6 is entering the territory of a big fish.

In the spring and summer, I can catch a 4+ probably every other trip. That's not to say I haven't had days (and weeks) where I've caught nothing but small ones, or even none at all, but I have also had trips where I have caught three or four 6+ pound fish.

I understand that a lot of people consider pond fishing to be "easier", and I agree to some extent. I don't think I would do as well on a public lake or even a big private pond that I didn't know like the back of my hand. I pretty much know all of my ponds really well, so it's that much easier.

So, do you guys rarely catch good fish, and catch a lot of smaller ones, or do you catch bigger than average fish regularly?

[BASSclary]

It seems I catch a 5+ maybe once every month. But then again I can really only fish 6-8 times a month, and only for an hour or two because my dad get's bored. There's not a lot of great places to fish also. The one GREAT! pond that im gauraunteed a 5+ every time is very selectively open. Its on the end of a military shooting range so it's rare its open, and you have to walk 1/2 mile to get there. I've only seen one person there ever in going there about 10 times over two years. You have to call everyday to see if it's open.

I normally catch 3's consistently with a few 4's thrown in. They satisfy me well. But alot of waters around me their are either: a) no shore access or Private community lakes. There is basically the Potomac and our highly overfished reservoir. And then you pray and hope pond "x" is open!

[Red]

I have actually been keeping track of every single bass I catch since the first of the year. I have caught 284 bass with 94 of them being keepers, that means 14" or over. Five of those have been over 5lbs and of those five two were over 6lbs. I have caught several in the 2.5-4.5lb range and too many dinks to imagine. So as you can see from my numbers I don't catch "bigguns" alot. This year however, has been much better for me catching in the 2.5-4.5lb range. In past years I would catch dinks or fish over 5lbs, nothing in between. For example, this morning I caught 7 bass, three were dinks. The other four totaled around 9-11lbs roughly, nothing huge, but good solid keepers.

Cliff

[Jigfishn10]

That's good that you do that Red, I've been fishing way too long not to pick up that habit. I think I'm gonna keep a log next year and see where it all shakes out.

As far as the OP, for the past 2 years I'm catching more quality bass, but not near the numbers I'm used to. Up here 3 lbs is "good", 4 lbs is "nice" and 5 plus are great. This year, maybe 2) 5 plus, a few 4's and a bunch 3 lbers and under. I will also have to say that, I haven't gotten out nearly as much as I'm used to as well, but I'm very happy with the way the season has been going. Good luck Fat G, as well as, the rest of you all here on BR for the remainder of the season.

[David301]

It depends on the fishery and your approach. For me I only fish for large bass using 1-2oz lures from Hudds and various other swim-baits, spinner-baits and chatter-baits. But I also spend most of my time in a fishery that is populated with a good number of bass over 5lbs and up to 9lbs. So for me, every time I fish ( which is about 4 times per week) I will catch at least one over 5lbs.

[Brand0n]

ive caught a handful 5+ pounders this year and not done yet. i fish a 100 year old lake close to me. i average 3-4 pounds every other week. i always catch atleast 3 fish each trip. i dont over fish it. i go once a week if that. noone fishes it because its weeded up but i come prepared. ive caught two 5 pounders on beds on another lake this spring. i always change my lures. if i get bit or lose a fish i throw something else different out there. i learn new things each time i go out. my biggest 6 pound 1oz was caught pre spawn this year.

[Bassn Blvd]

Out of all the different lakes I fish, I would say 1 out of every 10 bass are over 4 pounds.

[s13john]

location location location

prime areas on big lakes and smaller bodies that dont get fished that much that are capable of producing big bass. their are alot of good small water spots you just have to find them .... google maps. As for bigger water around rva Briery, Sandy, Chesdin and the res are gunna be your main spots, powhatan lakes in a few years too.

Lately with me it has been that i will catch 5-10 3-6lb fish when i go out or get into a dinkfest depending on were i go. briery you will catch alot of fish with some nice ones mixed in but other places you fish the same way and you will catch a couple decent fish and not many dinks. Same baits diffrent locations similar strcture and cover though.

so instead of getting another dobyns get you a canoe or kayak decent fish finder and hit some of the places that you know can hold better fish.

[NorcalBassin]

Out of all the different lakes I fish, I would say 1 out of every 10 bass are over 4 pounds.

Wow, we have them 18+ lbs where I fish, but it's more like 1 out of very 50 I catch is > 4 lbs.

[Bluebasser86]

For me it depends on the lake I'm fishing. Most of the lakes that are within 30 minutes of me if you catch a 3 pounder it's a big fish. For the lakes that I go to on my days off that are around an hour away it's pretty common to catch at least one 4 or 5 pounder a trip. I wish I had some good lakes with more big fish close by. Some days I start to think about going fishing for a couple hours close by but when you know that chances are all you're going to catch are 10-15 inch fish it just doesn't seem worth the hassle of loading and unloading the boat.

[Brand0n]

This morning I caught three 4 pound bass, one five pound bass, and two 2 pound bass all in less than 3 hours. Heres my two biggest...

[grimlin]

I'm lucky to get one 4 pounder a year. Shore bound,lack of fishing because of home and work schedule.I live next to Canada and it gets cold,Bass season...yeah....I'll take what I can get.

I haven't been fishing in over 2 weeks now(that's another story). I'm dieing to cast a line tonight as soon as the "Queen" gets home from work. I don't think some of you guys realize how lucky ya'll are.

[Dwight Hottle]

I keep track of the number of 5lb smallies & bigger each year. I mostly only fish seriously for them pre spawn spring April & may & in the fall late Sept, Oct & early Nov. This spring I had 15 over five & three over six. My best year I had 27 over five & 12 over six. If you really want to see some amazing numbers ask Catt. He posted them up a year back but I didn't save the post. I'll bet Big-O has some awesome numbers as well.

[clayton86]

I keep track of the number of 5lb smallies & bigger each year. I mostly only fish seriously for them pre spawn spring April & may & in the fall late Sept, Oct & early Nov. This spring I had 15 over five & three over six. My best year I had 27 over five & 12 over six. If you really want to see some amazing numbers ask Catt. He posted them up a year back but I didn't save the post. I'll bet Big-O has some awesome numbers as well.

I don't think you and Big-O know how to catch little fish lol.

This year hasn't been as good as last year but I avg most in the 2-3 range for large mouth and iv got maybe 10 over 5lbs this year a lot of 4s though. Last year all I seemed to catch was bass in the 4-7 range. Small mouth this year has been pathetic for me and even my best smallies are pathetic to dwights my smallies are ranging from a few inches up to 3lbs this year but mostly 1 and 2lbers last year I couldent catch one under 3 and I had 200 by june! 3 being over 6. This year I think iv caught 50 smallies to this day.

[FD.]

4-6 pounders are pretty common around here. We catch several nearly every trip. I had 4 eights last summer in one evening.

It mostly has to do with where you go. There are over 500 lakes within an hour drive for me. If I'm taking my nephews and nieces, I will pick a lake with lots of dinks to make it fun for the kids. If I'm going after a big fish and not many bites, I will pick a trophy lake.

[Fat-G]

I keep track of the number of 5lb smallies & bigger each year. I mostly only fish seriously for them pre spawn spring April & may & in the fall late Sept, Oct & early Nov. This spring I had 15 over five & three over six. My best year I had 27 over five & 12 over six. If you really want to see some amazing numbers ask Catt. He posted them up a year back but I didn't save the post. I'll bet Big-O has some awesome numbers as well.

I think Catt is one of the best and most humble anglers here, I just wish he would post pictures!

Roadwarrior, just from reading his fishing reports, has made me a far better angler. He (unintentionally) taught me that I needed to learn the structure of my ponds and fish the not-so-obvious big fish hideouts. I've been fishing that way all year, and I'd say it's working!

[Sam]

There is a major difference fishing ponds and landing big ladies and fishing wild rivers and lakes and landing big ladies.

It is simple to walk to a pond and start fishing the tame bass.

Take the same equipment; put your fanny in a bass boat; leave home at 4AM to be on the water at 6AM; and go hunting in an area of a small city for anything that bites.

If you fish a tidal river you will have to put up with the tides. If you fish a lake you will thousands of places to try.

So how often does one catch a big lady? With ponds you can catch them every trip. On the open waters maybe two or three times a year.

[LWD]

Big fish never it's been fished out to where bass never get a chance to reach 4lbs. But I'd say the average of dinks to keepers in a lake I fish is about 20/4. That's the luck I've been getting anyway. Have a good one.

[Fat-G]

There is a major difference fishing ponds and landing big ladies and fishing wild rivers and lakes and landing big ladies.

It is simple to walk to a pond and start fishing the tame bass.

Take the same equipment; put your fanny in a bass boat; leave home at 4AM to be on the water at 6AM; and go hunting in an area of a small city for anything that bites.If you fish a tidal river you will have to put up with the tides. If you fish a lake you will thousands of places to try.

So how often does one catch a big lady? With ponds you can catch them every trip. On the open waters maybe two or three times a year.

One of my best fishing experiences ever happened in a 21' Triton.

The pops and I fished on Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, NY for a half day guided trip with Allan Green. It was awesome. He was so excited to actually fish with someone that knew something about fishing rather than the hassles of trying to teach and catch in the same day. The weather was horrible, 75 with blue bird skies in the middle of July, but we made it work. I had total control of the trolling motor, where and how we fished, moving places, lures, etc. I think I was 16 at the time. For that age, on a body of water that I had never fished, mid-summer with horrible weather, I think I did pretty good. I caught a 6.7 LM in the pads on a Horny Toad but threw it back before he could take a picture...he was kinda brewed about that because all the pictures of clients he puts on his site are good for business. My dad had about a 7+ on a Horny Toad in the pads but it broke off right as we were about to net it. It was a great day though, and I learned a lot.

[Fat-G]

And yes, pond fishing is easier.

[Fishing Rhino]

Since none of our skills change overnight, the size of the fish caught is more a function of the body of water than the skill of any particular fisherman.

My favorite pond yields very large fish for this part of the country. If I fish it three times a week, I can just about be guaranteed there will be a five or six pounder, maybe more, in my catch for that week. It does help that I know the small pond like the back of my hand, but that does not affect my skill.

I fish some ponds where three pounders are rare, and I consider boating one an accomplishment, while it's a yawner at home.

Braggin' rights are fine, but they should never be the measure of a fisherman's skill. If you and I fish the same pond, and I catch dinks while you catch lunkers, then we can talk about fishing ability/knowlege.

I'll guarantee I could take most locals to my honey hole and the average fish they catch would be considerably larger than any other ponds in the area they fish.

That one fisherman catches fish larger than another or more of them means very little unless they are fishing the same waters.

[deep]

There is a major difference fishing ponds and landing big ladies and fishing wild rivers and lakes and landing big ladies.

It is simple to walk to a pond and start fishing the tame bass.

Take the same equipment; put your fanny in a bass boat; leave home at 4AM to be on the water at 6AM; and go hunting in an area of a small city for anything that bites.

If you fish a tidal river you will have to put up with the tides. If you fish a lake you will thousands of places to try.

So how often does one catch a big lady? With ponds you can catch them every trip. On the open waters maybe two or three times a year.

I have this little lake near my apartment that's around 60 acres or so. I fish it pretty extensively, mostly from shore, and lately from a little row-boat (no electronics). The average length of bass in there is around 10 inches, and it's a lot of work to catch a keeper (12") there, without electronics anyway.

All summer long, I've been trying to get a limit in the 3/4 hour fishing trips I have there. Last Friday, I caught a 2.8, and two more 2+ and had a 8 lbs 14 ozs limit. I was stoked.

And yeah, if I manage to do that again, I'd be equally stoked.

[hatrix]

I think it depends on the body of water. Not all pond are easier to catch big fish. If they are small there might not be many big fish so if you catch one its like 1 out of only a hand full.

[Sam]

Hey guys, remember that there is a difference between the northern and southern bodies of water.

California, Florida and Texas are in a class above all others followed closely by Louisiana and Alabama.

So it is possible for guys in Florida to go out and catch the big ones all the time while guys in the Big 10 country struggle to nail a four pounder.

I would love to catch big ones every cast but that is not the way it is. So we will continue our quest to catch that "big one" and let everyone know we did it.

Hookingem nailed a 7 and a 6 pound 4 ounce lady as I was with him when he caught them. The biggest one I had caught to date was between 5 and 6 pounds on the same body of water.

I also caught a big lady on a Maryland private pond where the average bass weighs around 1 and a half pounds. She went around four pounds.

Just post those pics and let us know how you do for sooner or later you will be catching one of the big ones and we want to know about it.

[Brick]

I live in northern virginia, and catch four pounders on the regular. At least every other trip, and I usually catch a couple if I catch one. I fish small neighborhood lakes for a couple of hours here and there. And on my days off, I will hit up some lakes and reservoirs near my house on my foldcat boat. I have taught myself to fish deeper this year with the addition of a cheap depth finder, and a small boat to my fishing arsenal. Before this year I mostly fished from shore, but still managed a big one here and there. I have had quite a good year as far as size goes. My first cast this year I landed a 5lber from the shore, so I knew it would be a good year. I am going to fish in the potomac for the first time in my boat tomorrow, and tuesday. Hopefully I can pull a couple of big girls out of there.