Big bass. We've all heard that phrase. But it has relative meaning, depending on where one fishes.
For example, near the town of Alexandria in west-central Minnesota, a big bass is 4 or 5 pounds. But a bass that size does not raise an eyebrow on Bull Shoals Reservoir in northern Arkansas. There, it takes a 6- or 7-pounder to get any kind of attention.
And in the Deep South, 8 pounds is the magic number, unless you live in Florida or California, where 10 pounds is the hallmark of a real bass.
It's a complicated subject, this notion of big fish, but it's one that concerns bass anglers everywhere.
This brings up an important point: It takes more than luck to catch big bass.
You can set out to get your trophy and be successful, if you go by the following systematic approach to catching a lunker.
1. Define what "big" is
To target big bass, an angler first must determine what big means. Locale and species govern the maximum size bass can attain. If the target bass is a 3-pound Canadian smallmouth, or a
4-pound Alabama spotted bass, or a 12-pound Florida largemouth, then so be it. But to catch such a fish, the fisherman has to determine in his own mind what that fish must weigh to qualify as big in the locale he has chosen to catch it.
Once the size of the bass sought is determined, an angler then can begin a determined, systematic process to catch it.
2. Know the hiding places
The next step to catching a big bass is to learn the most likely places to find one. Since all bass water is not equally productive, it's imperative for anglers to do plenty of research to identify where they should spend the bulk of their fishing hours.
Too many fishermen automatically assume that the biggest, most popular and best-known lakes offer the best chances for catching big bass. But the odds are that such an assumption is false.
Many waters well-known for their big bass have a tremendous amount of fishing pressure, and so are not as good for trophy bass fishing as catch reports might lead one to believe. For example, a few Florida lakes have gained worldwide notoriety for giving up huge numbers of 10-pound largemouth.
The lakes still produce about the same number of big bass as they did decades ago, but 10 times the number of anglers fish them to produce the same number of big bass. So, the odds of an angler catching a true trophy from such a lake are much less than they were a generation ago. Interestingly, a lesser-known lake only 15 minutes from the famous one can be a much better spot to catch a
10-pound bass. The lake is much smaller, receives comparatively little fishing pressure, and the ratio of angling man-hours per trophy fish landed is much better than on a famous lake.
The lake is simply overlooked by the legions of anglers who rush headlong to the well-known hot spot because they believe it is the only place worth fishing for big bass.
One of the best sources for information on prime big bass water is from state fisheries department personnel. A tremendous amount of information can be garnered from biologists and fisheries managers, as they are on the water all the time, doing research, making creel surveys and tagging fish.
Local newspaper outdoor writers also can put anglers on to hot spots for big bass. Most good outdoor writers keep abreast of the best bass lakes, and many know some not-so-well-known sleeper spots. Bait and tackle shops, fishing-camp owners, and even guides can be extremely helpful.
Regarding guides, be sure to talk to several good ones who are very familiar with the waters you want to fish. Outdoor writers, fisheries department personnel or similar people who have nothing to gain personally by making recommendations should recommend guides.
When speaking with guides, tell them you're only interested in big fish, a personal trophy for yourself. Explain you want the fish for mounting, or possibly just a photograph before releasing it. If you like the guide, and his answers to your questions are sincere, hire the man for a day or two to try specifically for big fish the way he prefers to get them. You can learn more about a lake, its trophy fish, and how to catch them during a two day guide trip than you can in a month on your own.
3. Think outside the box
Do your own exploring. Sometimes the very best big bass waters are so small, underrated or overlooked, that virtually no one fishes them, and even fisheries biologists have no inkling what the little lakes contain. In this case, you have no other choice than to explore and test them on your own.
Often you can tell a lot about a lake just by looking at it. If the place has at least some deep water (6 or 8 feet is minimum, and 10 to 15 feet is better); some broad, shallow flats with weedbeds, brushpiles or similar cover; and limited development nearby, it's well worth fishing.
Many of the best lakes have a lot of wildlife along their shores, such as herons, kingfishers, gulls, ospreys, raccoons, turtles and the like. It takes a fertile lake to sustain such wildlife, and if it does, it's likely that big bass abound, too.
Extensive development around a lake turns off a lot of anglers, but it can be deceiving in determining a lake's potential. Golf courses and homes built around small lakes are a prime example. Because they are rarely fished, these hidden jewels can produce double-digit bass. Such is the case in Florida, where the growing season for bass is virtually year-round.
Borrow pits, farm ponds, oxbow lakes, city park lakes and lagoons, and even roadside canals and ditches all can harbor the bass of an angler's trophy dreams. Only by keeping your eyes and ears open at all times will you get tips on such waters, and only by checking them out yourself will you learn if big fish are present.
4. Get to know the haunts
Learn your waters well. It should be noted here that once you've targeted several good waters you're sure hold a healthy population of the trophy bass you seek, stick with them. Spend time learning everything there is to know about those very few, well-chosen, trophy bass waters. On those lakes and rivers, spend enough time to know where the deep water is, where there are spawning flats and bays, where the dropoffs are, where sunken brushpiles and logs lie and where there is structure.
Take note of the primary bass forage and where it's most plentiful. Only by thoroughly learning such things about a lake, and by fishing it constantly, can you have complete confidence that you can catch the trophy bass that exist there.
5. Timing is everything
Go at the right time. Timing is an important part to a systematic approach to catching big bass. Simply stated, an angler should be on the water when the time is right for catching heavyweights. This means avoiding cold front conditions; fishing at the peak times of day, such as daybreak, dusk and at night during summer, and during warming trends in the spring and fall.
These times also can vary dramatically on different waters. For example, if the river that you know is jammed with big smallmouth but is a washout in spring because of runoff, don't beat your head against a wall trying to fish it then. Locate some lakes or other streams that are not so vulnerable to rain. Work the river when it's the proper time to do so.
It takes a conscious effort to be on the water at the right times when the biggest trophy bass are on the prowl and looking for an easy meal. But this effort is well worth the trouble.
6. With lures, think big
Use big bass lures. It may sound like an old saw to many veteran anglers, but big fish are most easily duped into hitting big lures rather than small ones. This is a general rule, naturally, because large bass are caught daily on small lures. But a stout bass lives basically on the expended-energy principle.
That is, a fish will not expend more energy to catch forage than that forage provides in nutritional value. What that means in regard to lure selection is that a large bass is most likely to take a large plastic worm, a big spinnerbait or an oversize topwater plug than it is to take tiny, ultralight models of the same lure.
The same goes for live bait. Big shiners, soft-shell crawfish and heavy water dogs are much more likely to tempt a largemouth bass into hitting than would a tiny crappie minnow.
7. Develop an attitude
Finally, it's important that anyone who seeks big bass assume a big fish attitude. He must settle for nothing less than his goal, and it's of paramount importance that he have complete dedication to those ambitions.
It's a determination that can be likened in many ways to a trophy deer hunter. The sportsman who hunts nothing but big bucks will not settle for anything less. He is 100 percent committed to getting a buck with a massive rack, or he will shoot no deer at all.
Trophy bass hunters, too, must share that mental attitude regarding trophy fish. Settle for nothing less than your big bass goal, and it's likely you'll attain the prize of your angling dreams.