How do you find Big Bass

[Trophyhunter8]

How in the entire world do you find big bass. Went to the lake today. Caught 70 fish, all but three were 12 - 14 inches. Caught them on everything from Crankbait, C-rig, Jig, T- rig and no telling what else. Caught them from six inches deep to 30 foot deep. How in the world do the good tournament guys, and locals catch big fish all the time. Is it just lucking into a big school and keeping up with them. Do they like certain areas of the lake better than others. I fish the high percentage spots just like dave says. I'm even getting were I can basically look at a gps or map and almost call a fish. How do you good fishermen catch more than one keeper at a time. It's driving me crazy. Oh one more thing do you have too catch all the little ones in an area to catch the big ones. Tried that too, didn't work. Not wanting specific spots just info on how to do it.
thanks

[jcb]

I'm certainly no expert but I've caught a few decent ones. The best fish I've caught met this criteria:
1. Big fish like big baits--big jigs, big swimbaits, super-sized 12-14" worms. And while a buzzbait might be an exception, my experience has been big fish don't like to chase baits a lot.
2. Fish when no one else is fishing. Be on the water at first and last light, during bad weather, or when it's cold and windy.
3. That magical 52-58 water temp. season is my favorite.
4. Fish deep, or make sure there's deep water nearby.

[dc chopper]

As a rule, big baits seem to do better but like everything else sometimes it don't matter. My biggest came on a 3" rapala. The rest have been on a jig. Have seen several 6's caught on flukes. But then again at night, I throw nothing smaller than a 10" worm or a large creature bait. At Taylorsville, all my big ones have been caught deep, I fish deep at 6 in the morning there, by deep I mean 15 feet plus cause i am going for size not numbers but again my best there was in only 4 ft of water but the rest 15 plus. so I guess what I'm saying is I don't know what I don't know... now I'm confused.

[dc chopper]

also ask AndyG, he's always catching some hawgs and has the pics to back it up!!! That guy is on a big fish tear!!!

[Trophyhunter8]

Yeah, Andy's input would be nice. Andy anytime you want to go to KY or Barkley give me a email. So Yall think the big ones are mixed in with those small ones. I probably am guilty of using too small a baits. I usually always fish close too deep water so I guess I'll just keep chunking and winding, even a blind hog gets a nut once in awhile

[Grumpy]

Read Buck Perry's book: "SPOONPLUGGING Your Guide to Lunker Catches."

To order go to:

http://www.buckperry.com/index.php

Look on the feft under STORE then click on EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS.

Grumpy

[Col Forbin]

A bigger profile bait usually helps me. I have been in some tournaments where I tried to go through about 30 or 40 small fish trying to get a bigger fish or even a keeper. It is hard to make up your mind to move on when you are catching fish on every or every other cast, but I have had to do it before. A bigger profile bait will help in most cases, because alot of times the smaller fish in the school are the most active, and the bait never makes it to the larger ones. If I am fishing a jig, sometimes you just need to bump up the trailer size, maybe even double it. When fishing a worm, sometimes I go to a 10, 12 or even 14 inch worm. Smaller fish may peck at it, sometimes take it, but a larger fish will enhale it, most of my fish on a 12 or 14" worm are keepers. When all else fails, you may need to move and if that doesn't work out, you can always come back. I have fished days on Ky lake where I have caught 70-100 fish with only one keeper - then there are days where you are culling within an hour or two. However, I would take any of that over a one or two bite day (unless it is a 7 pounder).

[Trophyhunter8]

Not complaining at all about the numbers, but what I would give for a big one
thanks

[Grumpy]

According to Buck, in SPOONPLUGGING, fish especially Bass congregate by size, so if you can find the contact point where a lot of small fish are coming shallow, fish deeper on the contact point to find the BIG FISH.

Grumpy

[bullmerc]

I honestly believe that the really BIG BASS are near extinction on most of our major lakes here in Kentucky. Sure you can catch a few 5's or an ocassional 6 lb bass and maybe even a 7 lb'er but the 10 pound plus fish are about gone.

With the pressure the fish are getting now from both casual and tournament fishermen I don't think our fish now have an opportunity to reach Mega size. After numerous hooking incidents on these fish eventually disease will take it's toll if the fish is not fileted in the first place. The odds have always been against a bass reaching mega size and now with the added pressure put on them they really don't stand a chance.

I have personally caught 10 pound plus bass out of Kentucky waters but that was before the MASSIVE PRESSURE the lakes get now. I don't think I have even hooked a bass over 10 pounds in the past 10 years. Before the MASSIVE PRESSURE ( up to the early 1990's) you would get an opportunity on a Mega bass at least once duirng the spring season. I also remember back in the "good old days" that bass over 12 pounds were caught on a fairly regular basis in Kentucky waters. Not every spring but enough were being caught that you knew they really existed. The last one I pesonally have knowledge of was a 12 plus caught out of Barkley in 1992. This was no rumor because I actually saw the bass weighed and the fish was released alive.

To answer you question I would look for isolated waters, such as farm ponds that have a healthy population of bass and start as early in the spring as possible. If you want true TROPHY CALIBER BASS stay away from the pressured public waters.

[smuckey41]

A big bass to me is any thing 3lbs or bigger just my thoughts and I like to fish any point or cut or cove that has a channel running by. Or a cove with a big creek running into it. I also like to find isolated cover or deep structure like rock piles or road beds. As far as baits I try to use something a little diffrent then what everybody else is throwing weather it be bigger or smaller. I am no expert but these are some of the things I do if I can get a limit of 3 pounders or better that is a good sack in alot of places. That is my 2 cents it seems to work good for me. I also go to a web site called www.bassresource.com I might have spelled it wrong becouse I always search it but any way they have alot of real good articals that I have read and printed out and keep them in my bboat for refrence with my bass logs.

Thanks
Chuck

[HURRICANEBOB]

Under "B" in the yellow pages.