Big Lures = Big Bass? 2024
Brett's_daddy reply :
My wife and I got into a friendly discussion tonight about lure size (after she saw my Tackle Warehouse package of a 130 and 90 Whopper Plopper) equating to fish size. I know that I have seen many YouTube videos, read many articles and spoken to tackle store gurus that say a bass is a lot more inclined to exert energy for a potentially bigger meal (i.e.- bigger lures) than a smaller one. A lot of people also have told me that bigger lures catch higher quality fish (bigger) while smaller lures may catch more fish overall. My wife says she's read where a bigger lure doesn't necessarily translate into or is necessary to catch bigger fish. Which side are you guys on and why?
Avalonjohn44 reply :
Your wife is right. No matter what the facts are, she's right. You should have figured that one out by now... 
Mosster47 reply :
Here out west it seems like everyone has fallen into two categories; "tournament" and "swim baits."
There are guys that aim for 100 fish days and guys that aim for one fish days. I've been doing a lot of both the last few years and here is my educated answer.
Throwing big baits, which I define as 6" and over and weighing 2oz or more will make you a better fisherman. It will make you a lot better fisherman actually. When you go to break down water you look for the areas that realistically will hold large fish and you usually only get one cast to make that fish bite so cast and boat placement are extremely critical.
With all that said I haven't noticed a difference in fish size in the last two years. Then again our state record would barely get you into a lunker club. I have caught way more 5lb (which is considered a big bass here) and up fish in the last three years than any other period and it's from throwing large baits, but most of them weren't on large baits.
I guess what I'm getting at is target bigger fish and you'll catch bigger fish, no matter the bait size.
papajoe222 reply :
Catching big fish is all about putting the bait where they are. Big, or small, an easy meal is what gets them. The only time I buy into the 'big bait, big fish' theory is when I'm fishing for muskie and catch bass. Those fish are prey for the big boys and they are on the move and burning energy to stay alive, so a big meal translates to your argument of less energy spent for a bigger reward. Many of the bigger fish that I've caught (I'm a northern boy too), I've done so on 3.75in. tubes and compact jig/trailer combinations. I've also caught 8in. bass on a 6in. lure.
My advice to you is don't let your wife see our responses. 
Show her some magazine article that proves your point.
Fish4bigfish reply :
I throw a lot of big 12 inch worms, Huddlestons, mattlures and deps. I catch a lot of big fish on those baits lol lately i have been down sizing to 4 and 6 lb drop shots and crushing them this year!
NEBasser101 reply :
I have been throwing bigger baits lately and for the most time, you get bigger fish. Other times though, there might be a few overly aggressive bass. In the past 2 weeks, I have started to throw big cranks and 12 inch worms for deep schooling/suspending bass. I have caught fish under 12 inches on a 12 inch worm. Most of the time though, a bigger presentation will catch bigger bass.
Catt reply :
Brett's_daddy reply :
On 7/14/2016 at 12:08 PM, Catt said:
This must be the Blue Fin Tuna crank bait...lol.
On 7/14/2016 at 10:36 AM, Avalonjohn44 said:Your wife is right. No matter what the facts are, she's right. You should have figured that one out by now...
OMG...you have no idea!!! I've already accepted (had beaten into my head) that whatever goes wrong is of course my fault and that whatever the wife says is gospel...lol.
bigbill reply :
On 7/14/2016 at 12:08 PM, Catt said:
The Alaskan crab guys used one of these trying to catch a monster in a cove up there. It's something out of the dinosaur era. The hooked it using a 55 gallon drum for a bobber. It straightened out a 1/2" thick stainless hook. I think they need bigger equipment.
MIbassyaker reply :
On 7/14/2016 at 11:01 AM, Mosster47 said:Here out west it seems like everyone has fallen into two categories; "tournament" and "swim baits."
There are guys that aim for 100 fish days and guys that aim for one fish days. I've been doing a lot of both the last few years and here is my educated answer.
Throwing big baits, which I define as 6" and over and weighing 2oz or more will make you a better fisherman. It will make you a lot better fisherman actually. When you go to break down water you look for the areas that realistically will hold large fish and you usually only get one cast to make that fish bite so cast and boat placement are extremely critical.
With all that said I haven't noticed a difference in fish size in the last two years. Then again our state record would barely get you into a lunker club. I have caught way more 5lb (which is considered a big bass here) and up fish in the last three years than any other period and it's from throwing large baits, but most of them weren't on large baits.
I guess what I'm getting at is target bigger fish and you'll catch bigger fish, no matter the bait size.
Now that is an interesting answer, and one I haven't heard before or thought of.
MassYak85 reply :
A bass will eat anything they feel is worth the energy to eat. If you plop a 3" grub right in front of the nose of a 15lber, all it has to do is open it's mouth and bam! Instant calories. Meanwhile you could catch the same fish on a 10" trout swimbait and have it chase it 100 feet to get it. Because the meal is worth the chase.
I think what it comes down to is bigger baits appeal to the bigger bass, but a big bass can be caught on any bait. But what really matters is whether you are putting your bait, no matter the size, in the areas that larger fish are hanging out. You can throw Hudds all day long, but if you are in the wrong spots, you might be dissapointed. Or you could fish a 4" senko for an hour in the right spot and beat your PB.
Senko lover reply :
On 7/14/2016 at 10:19 AM, Brett's_daddy said:My wife and I got into a friendly discussion tonight about lure size
Mr. Aquarium reply :
well i caught my PB on a swimbait while i wasnt catching anything else but dinks on regular bass lures! but i did catch a 6lbs on a senko last year and 6.6 on a jig! so point is! swimbaits are usefull tool! if a tournie angler use swimbaits for kicker fish! i go out with both regular gear and swimbaits! some days they want they big baits,some days they want jigs or a t-rig.
funny thing is tho! swimbaits resemble the forage the routinely feed on! like a 6 inch perch hudd? that looks like a perch they love. bullshad, roman made,ms slammer? they all look like the natural forage of their food. but a senko a drop shot? t rig? chatter bait? yea they may resemble a bait fish or a craw but they dont look all that much like their forage.
bigbill reply :
Ok my facts are I'm fishing a swampy area with stumps. I'm using a mepps #3 Anglia silver blade brown tail. I'm landing bass after bass up to three pounds. The action stopped. It's around 1 pm. I put on a larger #4 mepps Anglia same as the #3 color wise. The next bass was 4.5lbs. The larger fish came by to see what the smaller ones were eating but wouldn't eat the smaller bait. To me size and color matters.
i had the same thing happen with pickerel too.
tip, Your using a joesfly in black gnat bass inline as it turns from light to dusk the bite stops. Switch to a brighter color lure like joesfly fire tiger Apache same size. You will land a few more bass before dark. There's a short time to use brighter color baits at dusk. In the morning it's at twilight. Try it.
Fishinthefish reply :
Dinks on over sized cranks, big girls on inline spinners 1/4 oz. Fish only follow one rule, in that there are no rules.
WRB reply :
How does a 3.5" and 5" Whopper Plopper relate to big lures? The 190 or 7" Whopper Plopper could be considered a big lure.
There isn't any debate that big swimbaits and wake baits get a lot of curious bass following and looking at them, catching requires a bass to strike those lures. Big bass lures will catch big bass.
All sizes of bass lures catch big bass depending on what those bass are willing to strike at the time the lure coming into thier strike zone.
The answer isn't cut and dry, that is why bass fishing is fun, those green fish keep us guessing.
Tom
An Outdoor Guy reply :
your wife is right and so are you. it is true that the bigger the lure the bigger the fish you COULD catch. I have caught small blue gill and giant bass on the same size jerk bait. But the key word to bigger lure = bigger fish is OVERALL. you are more likely to catch bigger fish on bigger lure overall.
U-boat Aficionado reply :
I've been using bigger lures lately and am getting a lot of smaller fish (smallmouths) that are foul hooked. They tend to hit the top set of trebles and during the fight the back treble gets them in their gills, side or belly. It's not fun to catch fish you can't release because they bleed out.
WRB reply :
30 years ago I wrote a article for In-Fisherman (book 64 Dec/Jan '85) titled A Rare Chance for a World Record Bass, lake Isabella CA. In that article there is a photo of rainbow painted Bagley Bango musky lure that I had been using for several years. Big lures have been around a long time before they became well known for bass.
I bring this up to make a point, during my life time I have caught hundreds of bass over 10 lbs and maybe 10% were caught on big lures, 10% on worms over 10" and the 80% on standard size bass lures, the vast majority on jigs. The reason may be that is about the % of time on the water I spend using those lures.
Tom
Gundog reply :
In my own life experiences I have found that its more about timing than the bait used. Yes I use bigger baits at certain times but only at those certain times. Every other time I use standard size baits or smaller baits. Prespawn,spawn and in the fall when the water temps cool significantly I will use larger size baits cause bass are looking to fatten up and are more aggressive. At dusk and dawn when bass are more comfortable feeding I increase the size of my bait. But if I'm fishing in the middle of the day and the air temp is in the high 80's I'm gonna go smaller to try to entice fish to bite.
greentrout reply :
Guido Hibdon caught some big ones using the Guido Bug: 4-1/2" in length with a 2-1/2" body. Won a few tournaments, too.
Charlie Brewer's 4 inch Slider Worm
scaleface reply :
When I'm not catching bass , I sometimes throw big lures . If I'm not catching fish I might as well not be catching big fish .
primetime reply :
Big Baits can help, but the key imo is timing and putting the bait in the right place with a precise cast. It often takes a long time to figure out a body of water and what the main forrage is etc...
Big Baits will catch Big Bass if you fish them with a purpose, slowly and make them look like an easy meal. Big Bass do not move far to feed in the summer unless they are positive they can catch it, and it is worth the energy expended. Find the best looking spots where you would hide if you were a Big Bass, and bait size at that point is not all that important imo...I find the slower I fish the better quality fish I catch, and I also find the nastier the cover, the bigger the fish....
If the Bass in a lake are conditioned to feeding on 2" minnows all day, a large bait may look out of place, but Jigs worked slowly, or big worms seem to catch numbers and big fish if you figure out why they are where they are if that makes sense. Lots of good articles about getting 5 bites online. Big Bass are Big because they are hard to catch.
People think that coming to Florida is a guaranteed 10lb bass, it may be if you fish a few private lakes with shiners, but with lures, 10lb bass are not easy to catch, especially land them, they have a way of getting away, but most Big Fish caught are with regular sized Jigs and baits, but caught by someone who puts in time and is fishing with a purpose and not just burning down a shoreline casting to obvious structure (Which I often do since targeting big fish is slow, it helps to have a partner with you.)
BassObsessed reply :
I agree about going to Florida and thinking 10lb bass are just going to jump on your hook. Putting time in and getting lucky once in a while helps. Big baits may catch big bass but not all the time. As some on here have mentioned before catching dd bass on small lures I caught 2 over 8lbs same day on 4'' senkos and the 10lber in the pic on a 4'' swimbait in Fl last year.
Bassun reply :
I agree 100% that a fish will eat any size lure, if presented in the right situation. Case in point, years ago I was just piddling around fishing tiny grubs (1" and 2") , midsummer, catching a bunch of gills. All of the sudden, out from under a dock rolls a massive bass. I had 4lb line and was in the middle of a mess of dock pilings and logs so had no chance of landing her - so I just pulled it away quickly and watched her. She stopped dead, then turned back and went to her shade. I thought, heh -- kind of cool.
Fast forward a few hours, and I'm doing the same thing over a lay down. Out comes the largest bass I've ever seen in my life -- on a mission! This hog was an easy 10+ and just inhaled the grub. I set the hook, but it popped right of her mouth. I tried for about 15 minutes to coax her out again with a variety of lures (and with bass gear). Nada. I left her alone, and came back about 30 minutes later and still no luck. Maybe she moved, maybe not, but there was a huge key in catching big bass.
It's not always about the size, or type of lure, but its about getting that first shot right. I always tried to make my first cast in a potential area count -- after seeing that, I was convinced on just how important it is. After some reflection - I had always, in my opinion, over worked areas for fish - trying to coax bites out of fish that probably just we not going to hit. That's not to say I haven't aggrivated a few into hitting, but the time spent on those could have probably been better spent on a fresh spot. Now, if I'm looking for good fish - I don't dwell in one spot too long. The results? More fish in the boat.
Fishing is easy -- it's just catching the little buggers that's hard...
1201vilbig reply :
The Texas LMB record of 18.18 was caught in Lake Fork by a Crappie fisherman....
Gundog reply :
On 7/20/2016 at 8:15 AM, 1201vilbig said:The Texas LMB record of 18.18 was caught in Lake Fork by a Crappie fisherman....
I can tell you that I've heard many crappie fishermen tell me about (and some have pics to prove it) big bass they catch on dinky little crappie jigs fished under slip bobbers.
Bluebasser86 reply :
If big baits equal big fish, I'm doing something wrong.
Gundog reply :
On 7/20/2016 at 2:38 PM, Bluebasser86 said:If big baits equal big fish, I'm doing something wrong.
I know what you are doing wrong....bragging. Nice catches.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 7/20/2016 at 7:26 PM, Gundog said:I know what you are doing wrong....bragging. Nice catches.
Every bite on a big bait is a victory, even when they're dinks 
Nice_Bass reply :
I fall into a different category. I like the drawing power of big baits. I think they can be great tools to show you some fish, and from time to time catch you some fish.
Nothing beats a jig or 10-12 inch worm for catching big fish and neither one of those are "big" baits.
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