Biggest bites... 2024
Fishingintheweeds reply :
"Everyone" says the jig. But does the lure get the biggest bites...or is it the location that it's commonly fished?
Seems like a good question.
Munkin reply :
I have caught a lot of big fish on different baits but if I had to use just one to catch a big fish it would be a jig.
Allen
PersicoTrotaVA reply :
I’ve caught big fish(5+lbs) on a lot of baits but my biggest don’t come from a jig. They come from finesse baits like wacky rigged finesse worm or the ned rig. Although my biggest hit was on a jig, I didn’t land the fish. If I had to estimate it was was over 8 lbs since my PB is 7.5 and that one was bigger.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Location is the most important part. Doesn't matter what bait you put in the water, if there's no big fish where you're fishing you're not going to catch any.
If I needed to catch a big fish a jig would be one of the baits I'd be tying on though.
thinkingredneck reply :
Both
Pickle_Power reply :
Jigs do get a lot of big bites for me. Also, topwaters during peak times have gotten me some of my best fish.
Mike L reply :
I don't throw jigs hardly at all.
Honestly, I don't even think about them.
My last 3 PB upgrades have all come on either dragging a craw or useing swim worms.
(ribbon tail and speed worm)
As @Bluebasser86 said, location is key.
Mike
Catt reply :
Of the 35 double digits I've caught 14 were on jigs the other 20 were on Texas Rigs. 6 of that 20 came on craw worms, the other 14 came on worms.
Numbers are fairly similar which indicates location!
The remaining one & my personal best (12 lb 8 oz) was caught on a Rat-L-Trap
Dirtyeggroll reply :
Most people you ask will say that the best way to catch a big bass is to spend time on the water. Another thing they will probably say is to fish where the big ones are.
So, my guess is that the things that catch the big ones are the ones that are in the big Fish water most frequently.
I would guess that the jig (or Texas rig) is way up on the list of baits that are fished the most, thus giving it a bit of a bias as a big fish bait. Add on top that a jig/t-rig can be fished about anywhere and you end up with lots of big Fish on this bait.
A lot of my big Fish this year have come on a jig.
Two exceptional days where I hit the conditions just right with a flat-side crankbait on one and a brush-hog/frog on the other keep me from saying “most” of my big fish this year.
kenmitch reply :
On 9/9/2018 at 7:41 PM, Catt said:The remaining one & my personal best (12 lb 8 oz) was caught on a Rat-L-Trap
Nice! Did it feel like the traditional slam you get with the smaller one on the lipless or more like a dead weight snag?
Lipless crankbaits keep me from catching numbers of bass as it's the only thing I really like to throw no matter if they're biting them or not. I'm trying to get back into finesse fishing....But looks like lipless season is getting ready to ramp up again.
The largest bass I've ever hooked, seen, and sadly lost at the side of the boat as I watched in horror was back around 1990 on a chartreuse and white spinner bait. Easily a DD....Ughh!
NorthernBasser reply :
On 9/9/2018 at 7:41 PM, Catt said:Of the 35 double digits I've caught..
I need to move down south.
WRB reply :
Location, location, location, then the right lure at the right time.
Jigs are excellent choice when big bass are feeding on crawdads.
If you use bottom contact lures like jigs and worms 90% of the time your odds are good that is what you will catch big bass on if they are in the location you are fishing.
Tom
Glaucus reply :
On 9/9/2018 at 1:44 PM, PersicoTrotaVA said:I’ve caught big fish(5+lbs) on a lot of baits but my biggest don’t come from a jig. They come from finesse baits like wacky rigged finesse worm or the ned rig. Although my biggest hit was on a jig, I didn’t land the fish. If I had to estimate it was was over 8 lbs since my PB is 7.5 and that one was bigger.
Most of my bigger fish are not on finesse baits, but my absolute biggest fish are on finesse baits.
Pro Logcatcher reply :
It's gotta be jigs
LonnieP reply :
I’d say it’s mostly location and timing . I’ve caught big bass on a jig,Crankbait,buzzbait,and Texas rig but I’ve caught the majority of my big bass on a lipless Crankbait.
Catt reply :
On 9/9/2018 at 11:45 PM, kenmitch said:Nice! Did it feel like the traditional slam you get with the smaller one on the lipless or more like a dead weight snag?
February 3rd 2007 was a nasty cold morning with Northwest winds at 15-20 mph, a slight misty rain falling, and temperatures in the middle 30's. After having launched out of Jack's 944 Marina I made the short (2 minutes) run to the mouth of Bull creek trying to stay out of the wind and some what warm. Having rounded the corner I dropped the trolling motor, picked up my Rat-L-Trap rod again with the thought in mind of keeping moving and staying warm. My third cast was into the mouth a cut leading to a boat shed which I knew had stumps on the west side, after turning the handle 4 or 5 time my trap stopped solid, I tell Pat d**n to close to the stumps so I push the trolling motor handle towards the mouth of the cut while stepping on the switch. At the exact same instance my line starts zinging towards deeper water rod all bowed up & drag slipping; I immediately scream at Pat get the net. By now the boat is moving off to my left the bass is moving off to my right and I'm nearly on my knees in front of the console with the upper third of the rod in the water. Pat net in hand is now on the front deck killed the trolling motor and with a swift motion netted the hawg; which ends up weighing in at 12 pounds 8 ounces.
Needless to say I was rather warm for the rest of the day!
Mobasser reply :
The jig is certainly a big bass lure. But, location is number one when your after bigger bass. They will strike other baits, but jigs and plastic worms/ soft plastics probably catch them most consistently- fished in the right areas.
ww2farmer reply :
I had an old timer at the ramp tell me years and years ago...."big bass like stuff with skirts"
He wasn't wrong...as more of my 6lb + fish (which is big for here in WNY) have come on things with skirts, IE jigs and frogs.....but it's not a "rule" as quite a few have come on plastics, and a few more have come on hard baits. This year has not been a jig year for the really big ones...yet. I often catch half a dozen 6lbers a year, this year so far I have 5, not a single one of them has come on a jig or frog. I have two on a wobble head rig, one on a neko rig, one in a tournament on a t-rigged craw, and one on a small plastic nose hooked on a drop shot rig. I have caught a ton of mid to upper 5lb range fish this year, quite a few on a jig, but some of the more memorable ones have been on other stuff, like the ned rig, or other non-skirted things. FWIW...my PB largemouth, a 7-2, came on a jig.
scaleface reply :
It seems to me in my fishing texas rigs catch just as many big fish as jigs and more smaller ones . I dont choose quantity over quality , I strive for both . But I'm not catching 10 lbers either .
BassNJake reply :
It's location for me, followed by timing.
All my biggest fish have come on crankbaits fishing a deep hump or a channel ledge.
Sometimes you can throw to these spots for hours without a bite but when that current gets right it's go time.
Dwight Hottle reply :
All of the 54 six lb plus smallies I have caught were caught on a jerk bait except one. It was caught on a crank bait bumping bottom, my pb at 7lb-6oz.
J Francho reply :
My two biggest largemouth are from a 12" worm and a 4" worm.
Catt reply :
Most jig fisherman's #2 choice is a Texas Rig
Most Texas Rig fisherman's #2 choice is a Jig-n-Craw
The reason my #1 choice is a Texas Rig is because in my world a t-rig is everything from Weightless T-rigs to a Punch Rigs.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Even tiny jigs catch big fish! 1/8oz homemade jig with a trimmed down 2.75" YUM Craw Papi
scaleface reply :
If I had to guess which lure has caught the biggest bass on average , it would be the Bomber Long A minnow .
the reel ess reply :
Location. My last few PBs were frog, spinnerbait & jig (current PB). Those are big fish baits, but they really reflect the ways I like to fish. The last two PBs came from the same body of water. I'd have more confidence there with a Ned than I would most places with a monster bait. I've caught 5+ pounders on most of the usual bass baits at this same place.
burrows reply :
On 9/10/2018 at 12:23 AM, WRB said:Location, location, location, then the right lure at the right time.
Jigs are excellent choice when big bass are feeding on crawdads.
If you use bottom contact lures like jigs and worms 90% of the time your odds are good that is what you will catch big bass on if they are in the location you are fishing.
Tom
When you say worms are you talking senkos or trick worms?
Catt reply :
On 9/16/2018 at 9:08 PM, Burrows said:When you say worms are you talking senkos or trick worms?
Tom will be a long shortly ????
There are far more "worms" than Senkos & Trick Worms!
Today it plastics...all of em!
Harold Scoggins reply :
Jigs, 9 or 12 inch jelly worms, and my all time favorite, a skirted Boss Hub pegged against the Hoo Daddy Sr.
Fishingintheweeds reply :
On 9/16/2018 at 11:20 PM, Catt said:Tom will be a long shortly ????
There are far more "worms" than Senkos & Trick Worms!
Today it plastics...all of em!
Funny, I just made a post about this. The when's and why's for everybody and their preferences.
WRB reply :
My 1st DD bass, 11 lbs, was caught on a live water dog (Tiger salamander) at lake Havasu Roads End dock, I was 12 years old.
Between 1965 to 1973 fishing San Diego lakes Lower Otay, San Vicente,El Capitan, etc, when the Florida bass were 1st introduced it was believed you needed to use live bait like crawdads, shiners and waterdogs to catch these big bass. About 1968 big 9" to 16" hand poured plastic worms became popular in the SD lakes. I caught 100+ DD bass during this time period, all on live crawdads and big worms none on jigs in SD lakes. I caught my PB northern LMB on a jig at lake Castias in 1971 at 12 lbs 3 oz.
Started fishing lakes Castiac and Casitas more during late 70's, SD lakes boom had faded. Stopped using live bait in the early 70's and focused on using big worms, jigs and swimbaits in the deep rock structured lakes. Caught my top 5 FLMB on jigs between 1981 to 1993 at Casitas and Castiac.
Jigs are excellent choice however difficult to detect the very light strikes on a small compact lure. Big worms and swimbaits the strike is obvious because the bass doesn't reject as quickly. Jigs take intense concentration every moment you fish them, most big bass strikes go undetected by the majority of bass anglers.
Tom
Fishingintheweeds reply :
On 9/17/2018 at 12:35 AM, WRB said:Jigs are excellent choice however difficult to detect the very light strikes on a small compact lure. Big worms and swimbaits the strike is obvious because the bass doesn't reject as quickly. Jigs take intense concentration every moment you fish them, most big bass strikes go undetected by the majority of bass anglers.
Tom
So, I guess the next obvious question for a lot of people, me also, no matter how many times I great the answers, might be, how DO you detect them or learn to get better at it?
Maybe the first answer is time and practice and concentration...ha, it's the right answer but it also sounds frustratingly vague! But here is a thread on that, 3 pages worth. It's helpful and it leaves me looking back wondering which bites I missed.
I guess the next question I have would be, Tom, what do you suggest as an alternative to jigs that would be most likely to attract the same fish as the jig? For the big worm and the swim bait, how do you rig them if you're really trying to target the big fish? Is there a rigging and retrieve for these baits (or whatever else you may prefer for bigger fish) that you find attracts larger fish?
WRB reply :
First we need to break down jig presentations into at least 2 groups; vertical flipping and pitching and horizontal casting and retrieving. The 1st group being vertical means short casts less then 30' to visual targets with the jig falling down through the water usually les then 8' feet deep. Vertical is the popular presentation. The vertical jig is a more compact design with a fiber weed guard so it can go through cover without hanging up.
Being a short cast it's easy to keep in contact with jig and you a higher % of strike detection, but it's difficult to get close enough to the biggest bass without spooking them in shallow water during day light. The DD size bass don't usually get into shallow cover unless spawning, preferring more open ddep water. If you manage to hook a DD bass in heavy shallow cover controlling it is very difficult.
The second group being horizontal meaning casting the jig 30 yards or more anywhere from shallow water to over 25' deep. The horizontal is usually a football head type design with a longer hook and may or may not have a weed guard depending on the cover. This is the presentation that has a higher missed strike % because it's difficult to stay in contact with the jig. Being further away from the bass tends not to alarm the biggest bass increasing your chances of getting a strike and this is where consentration is essential by feeling your line for any changes. You present a big worm or a jig the same technique when casting horizontally. I prefer a sliding bullet weight with a faceted glass bead for Texas rigged worms. I try to keep the jig or worm on the bottom or within a foot unless working it up and over something.
Always sharpen the hooks and keep them sharp. Weights should heavy enough to keep in contact.
Tom
Fishingintheweeds reply :
Thanks, Tom.
On these long casts, to water that is 20+ feet deep, what size of weights and worms are you talking about? And for jigs?
What about longer casts to water that is relatively the deepest, but maybe 10-12 feet, with dense vegetation?
Based on your reply, it sounds like you prefer the worms over jigs, for longer, horizontal casts?
WRB reply :
I prefer using 7/16 oz hair jig with 5/0 Gamakstsu hook and pork rind trailer if possible.
The lakes I fish have mostly steep rock banks and structure with sparse wood cover good jig water. The more gradual sloping dirt and clay banks with heavier wood or aquatic plant cover I prefer worms. Making a long jig cast into cover is a low % presentation during day light in my experience, at night shorter cast is an option.
I also like to use 10 to 12 lb mono or FC line with jigs because the smaller diameter increases strike detection with jigs, 14 lb for big worms.
Preferred worms Uptons Customs 9" to 13" hand pours, make my own jigs.
Tom
Catt reply :
On 9/17/2018 at 5:57 AM, Fishingintheweeds said:Thanks, Tom.
On these long casts, to water that is 20+ feet deep, what size of weights and worms are you talking about? And for jigs?
What about longer casts to water that is relatively the deepest, but maybe 10-12 feet, with dense vegetation?
Based on your reply, it sounds like you prefer the worms over jigs, for longer, horizontal casts?
I catch most of my big fish on deep water structure (15-30') casting Texas Rigs & a Jig-n-Craw. Cover will be grass, brush, & timber all on the same piece of structure.
My everyday Texas Rigs are 3/16-1/4 oz weight & some type of plastic but generally I start with a Ringworm 7-8" in Cinnamon Pepper Neon Junebug Laminate (camouflage).
My second choice is a Gene Larew Salty Hawg Craw 6"; black-n-blue or black neon. Also Rage Tail's Lobster Falcon Lake Craw.
My jigs will range in weight from 1/4-3/4 oz depending on depth more than cover.
As for feeling the bites!
Experience, fish nothing but Texas Rigs & Jigs!
I know you've read this one, that's pretty much all I can say.
Fishingintheweeds reply :
Yes, but these threads are worth reading again. I appreciate everyone's feedback!
Hillbilly Bennett reply :
On 9/9/2018 at 6:37 PM, Pickle_Power said:Jigs do get a lot of big bites for me. Also, topwaters during peak times have gotten me some of my best fish.
Agree on topwater. My PB bites have came on big topwater walking baits and frogs. Cranks and spinnerbaits have also yielded some really big bites for me but these Lures don’t produce year round like a jig can. It would definitely be on my short list of Lures to have tied on if I needed a big bite.
Fishingintheweeds reply :
I think I've got the next right question...and maybe someone can help of this has been covered in the past, even though the answer may seem obvious.
So, you know you are going to throw your jig (or whatever else. The jig seems like you would need to be more specific when looking for where) and look for big fish. Electronics be a big part of this for some and maybe not others.
If you DO use them, what are you going to find (aside from being able to see exactly where the fish are)?
If you don't use them, what is your approach to finding your targets?
These answers seem obvious but I'm sure there must be some finer points that the rest of us may not have considered.
Hillbilly Bennett reply :
Electronics definitely help. I’m always looking for anything different in the areas and depths where I believe/know the fish are. Rock piles, brush piles, deep clumps of isolated grass or just areas of hard bottom on points, humps or just plain irregularities. Basically I look for a “spot on a spot” and try to target it from as many different angles as possible until I get a bite. When I do get a bite I try to repeat that cast as closely as I can. There was something that caused that fish to eat that Lure coming from that particular direction and in my experience more often than not if you can replicate the cast you will get bit again.
Mike F reply :
I’m shocked how few people mentioned frogs, even when a one pound fish hits a frog it’s a big bite lol, and imo the most exciting way to fish (when they’re aggressive) That being said my PB largemouth came on a deadsticked drop shot on 6lb fluoroclear, standing on an elevated dock... bring a net!
Bankbeater reply :
The majority of my big bass have been caught on jigs, but I have been fishing in lakes that I know have hawgs in them.
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