THE BASS COLLEGE

I know a few guys who swear by big baits, and I can appreciate their logic.

A bigger bait will often get passed up by smaller fish, meaning the strikes you get will be

from bigger fish on the most part.

BUT...... how often does a smaller bait get passed up by bigger fish ?

Let me try and shed some light on a deep dark secret of bass fishing.......

It's all about location.

I'm going to give you a few examples, because that is the only way I know to

get my point across and these pictures are old news.......

Example # 1

4-12 Early season LM caught on a LC Pointer 65......that is a 2.5" - 3/16oz Jerkbait.

A rockpile just off the main lake channel that dropped sharply to 18+ FOW located very close to

a hard bottom flat produced this fish.

Note the bait was only 2.5".......Hardly a big bait, the spot held the fish.

Example #2

5-05 Early season LM caught on a 4" spider jig.....only a 4" bait with a 1/2oz jig head.

This one was on a river......a deep rocky flat adjacent to the main channel with a rockwall intersecting it.

One pitch to the inside edge of the current break in appx 8-10 FOW was all it took.

Note the bait was only 4"

Example # 3

5-09 Mid Spring LM caught on a 2" crankbait (when I should have been throwing a jerkbait).

Early season, the big lake, the jerkbait bite was on, but the fishing slowed down...Early season

vegetation has just started to come up, but was not visable below the surface.

I used the crankbait to "scout" for isolated patches adjacent to spawning flats.

When I contacted one, I'd let it rise up slighly and reel it back down to just "tick" the tops.

The third "tick" and the rod loaded up.

Note, the bait was only 2".

I know most of these are early season, so I'll throw you a summer one.

No Weight, just out fun fishing with Kenny C, caught on a T-Rigged 4" creature.

Fishing the grass for LM, and came across a rock cut with a ton of current washing through...

I pitched tight to the edge and draged it back WITH the current....Bingo.

4" bait....no smoke and mirrors.

All different fish, all on different baits.....None of the baits were big by any means....

Can you go out and land big fish on big baits ?.....hell yeah, guys do it all the time.

But ask them how many bites they get each outing.....not many, even though the ones

they do might seem worthwhile to them.

Can you go out and catch big fish on just about any bait ?......Sure, especially if you have the right location

Nice bass,  it's nice to know any bait in the right location can get you a big bass.

 Nice catches.It`s amazing what really works.I think its just right place right time.

I can attest to a placement of lure and selection of lure is a crucial element.  I took a largemouth bass on a tiny Rebel Pop-R, that I did not expect.  I was figuring maybe 12" bass but when the fish was pulling with some weight, I knew it was bigger.  Didn't expect the bass to measure 18" until I got the ruler out.  18" is considered getting to the big side for us Northern folks.

The other thing to consider was that I was throwing the larger Rebel Pop-R and wasn't getting any bites at all.  It might've been forage or being fishing pressure to account for this.  Regardless, it was the micro lures that produced the big fish.

Great post ,thanks for sharing all those pics of nice HAWGS.

No doubt about it small to average size baits will catch more bass day in and day out and believe it or not you'll catch more 5 and 6 pound bass on these smaller lures than you will with the giant ones.

Tournament fishing 99% of the time the average to slightly below average size baits are the way to go.

However when youre targeting trophy size bass and I'm talking 8,9 and 10 pound bass in the northeast or 12 to ? in Fla or Cali theres no doubt about it the GIANT baits are the way to go and heres why.

A 5 to 6 pound bass while I consider it a truly great fish to catch and a game changer in a tourney its main forage is still the same as that of a 2 or 3 lb bass. 2 to 4 inch minnows or craws mixed in with an occasional frog and even some bugs. Thats what those bass eat 90 some percent of the time

So to be most effective when fishing for that size bass you really shouldnt be using the supersized baits We catch a ton of those bass on swimbaits but if you look at the sizes of the baits they fall in the 4 to 6 inch range most times Dont get me wrong these are great fish and theyre what we target  in our touneys and  most of our guiding .

But when youre strictly TROPHY fishing and you go after those bass that are approaching or are over the double digit mark the ball game changes. Its all about what the fish is eating the majority of the time. Now sometimes that depends on the forage thats avaliable which is why sometimes these bass are caught from time to time on small baits. You can bet thats because something in their world has changed causing them to target that size forage. Either an over abundance of small bait or a lack of the large forage they normally target.

Thats why the window for catching giants on these small baits is normally small and the exception rather than the rule. These megabass are actually eating giant bait more often than their smaller counterparts. I will GUARANTEE you that if you throw a giant swimbait (8 to 10 inches) for just one year through all 4 seasons you will catch the biggest bass of your life. The same is true with live bait if you throw the jumbo shiners 8 or 10 inches the size of the bass you catch will go up.

Its simply the most efficient way to target these Giant bass. This however is not for everyone. The reason you dont get as many bites is because there simply arent as many 10 pounders as their are 2,3,4 or even 6 pound bass.This is especially true here in DE.  So unless you live in Cali or Texas or Florida these are just the rules of the game in which  youre playing. So with that being said  Bassbum is totally correct when he says big bass can be taken more often on smaller baits than what many anglers believe but if your goal is to catch a record class bass dont forget the old adage BIG BAITS = BIG BASS 

That one word "Trohpy" fishing separates it all.  For us northern folks, I can only relate to those who chase Trohpy Pikes or Trophy Muskies.  They do play on a different level of large baits and equipment to handle those large baits, that the rest of use simply cannot do.  The majority of my Muskie and Pike lures are all under 2 oz in weight.  I hear those who chase Trophy class are toss lures in excess of 8 oz in weight.  I cannot fathom myself in their shoes and their pursuit.

I throw some swimbaits for bass here that are 4-5 oz.

Yup, location and presentation are the main factors to getting bites on small lures. I was at Tallulah Gorge State Park by the fishing lake and my dad and I watched as a ma almost caught a 6 or 7 lb bass. You could see through the water all the way to the bottom and it was about a good 3 1/2 4 ft deep. The guy was using a 1/4 ounce marabou jig and was twitching it right in front of the bass' nose. Surprisingly, there were 3 other bass around that same weight looking at the lure too. It took a good 8 minutes, but the fish took the bait. Unfortunately, he ran under the dock and into the super thick brush behind the dock. But yea, One small lure can go one long way.

My Avatar bass was taken on a green pumkin huddlebug rigged on a 3/16 oz stand up shakey headjig.  I was simply matching the hatch & in the right location. Most people catch big bass on smaller baits because that is exactly what most people throw in confidence of simply catching a fish. Not the biggest fish per say. I have caught Northern strain lm in Wisc fishing Giant Jackpots or 10z chatterbaits that went 6-8lbs.  Rule #1: Location..........I agree. However, NEVER overlook matching the hatch.

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I realize stripers are a different breed, but I recently caught a 26 lb striper on a fluke jr.  Small bait, big fish.

i totally agree with bassmankvb!!