What do you use and how do you rig em ?? for the big ones.
Over the past several years, the vast majority of the 5 lb + fish I've caught have come on methods other than large soft plastics. That being said, I have caught half a dozen 5 lb + fish on soft plastics over the past few years. 4 came on Berkley 10" power worm ( Red Shad) and a 1/4 oz JOBEE hook, 20 lb fluorocarbon, fishing among large submerged hardwood trees 10 - 15 feet down.
The other two came on a Strike King 6" soft plastic swim bait, pretty near the surface in a weedy/grassy flat that was 3-5 ft deep. I generally use a 7/0 Lake Ford swim bait hook with this bait.
I've caught quite a few good keepers on a wacky rigged senko over the past few years, but nothing close to 5 lb +.
Just for the record, my best big fish (5 lb +) bait over t he past few years has been a Timber Tiger DC16, fished amongst standing and submerged large trees.
7" Senko
yum 5-6.5 inch money minnow or 5 inch fat money minnow but my biggest bass was caught on a 7 inch wacky rigged yum dinger
Rage Lobster, Hawg, Rooster, Thumper, Anaconda.
Ol' Monster, Brush Hog, etc.
7" Magnum fluke on a 5/0 EWG Gammie. Baby bass color
I like the standby 10" worm T-rigged or a T-rigged brush hog. I've got some 17" curl tail worms I'm working with but finding the right situation at a lake with fish big enough to eat one is difficult.
The 2 biggest I've ever caught [both 9+] I used a watermelon, T rigged, unweigheted brush hog in 3 ft of water.
Mike
Any large Ribbontail worm. I have found Zoom Ol' Monsters to be my favorite. I use either a 4/0 or 5/0 straight shank or EWG hook. Just use a Texas rig with a bullet weight, either pegged or unpegged depending on the conditions you are fishing.
On 5/2/2011 at 1:15 AM, Vinny Chase said:Any large Ribbontail worm. I have found Zoom Ol' Monsters to be my favorite. I use either a 4/0 or 5/0 straight shank or EWG hook. Just use a Texas rig with a bullet weight, either pegged or unpegged depending on the conditions you are fishing.
my go to big bass plastic would be the Netbait C-Mac ribbon tail in the 11 in.and the one I like the most is the 15 in. in Junebug.Or a brush hoh on a t-rig in candy bug KILLERS baits at night!
Hay, Vinny if you like ribbon tails give the Netbait C- Mac a try!
Zoom Ol' Monster in Blackberry. Favorite 10 inch worm out there, outfishes Rage tail Anaconda, Powerbait, and Culprit worms combined...
Runner up would be the full size Brush Hog. That thing scares off the littler fish...
That said, most of my best bass have come on Spinnerbait or Buzzbait.
On 5/2/2011 at 2:36 AM, eyedabassman said:my go to big bass plastic would be the Netbait C-Mac ribbon tail in the 11 in.and the one I like the most is the 15 in. in Junebug.Or a brush hoh on a t-rig in candy bug KILLERS baits at night!
Hay, Vinny if you like ribbon tails give the Netbait C- Mac a try!
I might have to with the Sale GM has going on right now, 40% off all NetBait products.
Thanks for the tip!
My biggest bass of my life came on a Strike King Rage Tail Smokin' Rooster texas rigged, purple flake
Jignfule,
Although my opinion may seem TOTALLY BIASED... I will guarantee you that it IS My favorites and uses are as follows:
1) 10" Anaconda and/or Thumper T or C-rigged. I'll also flip'em if I find fish in the real deep trees using 3/4 to 1oz weight with a rubber weight stop to peg the weight tight to the bait.
2) Rage Hawg and Smokin Rooster rigged and fished the same as noted above but flipping in shallower cover such as trees, brush as well.
3) Lobster and Space Monkey for all the above but also as a larger profile jig trailers and weightless topwaters.
4) Eeliminator is my all time favorite C-rig bait but is also designed for topwater presentation... slow or quick retrieve.
With the exception of the Eeliminator, I like all of the above bait designs on what I call a "Rage Rig" which is using a weighted (Swimbait) hook on them. For many years, one of my favorite Big fish presentations over grass or in shallow cover has been the Anaconda rigged this way but all of them are effective depending on the particular profile that the fish want most at any given time. Just fish them like a slow T-rig with a slow lift, fall and feel. There are some who do well with the Eeliminator like this but I personally prefer the others.
Again, I am prejudiced in my opinion of bait choices but they're my BABIES and they love to catch big fish as much as I do
Hope that helps
Big O
www.ragetail.com
Lobsters and Anacondas have caught the most big fish for me.
A 1/2 oz swim jig with a lobster trailer has become one of my favorites. I like to throw the Anaconda on a light weight t-rig.
More and more I'm relying on the Smokin' Rooster and Eeliminator for the big fish bite.
10" castaic swimbait
I've tried quite a few "big" hunks of plastic. The king of producers for me is the 9" Sluggo. Not something they see every day. Produces the big bite.
10" power worm.
Zoom 8" Big Dead Ringer Red shad or Black.
Eeliminator and smokin'rooster for me too. Of course I'm pretty fond of the craw and lobster as well.
Skinny dipper, big ez, ol monster, rage thumper, sweet beaver.
10" Berkley Power Worm - Black
big ole dark colored craw worm texas rigged
Rage Lobster in Falcon or Big Tex
12 inch Mann's Jelly Worm.
I T-Rig it on a 5/0 Offset Gamakatsu
10 inch Rage Thumper Worm
C-Rig on a 5/0 Offset Gamakatsu
Sorry, late to the party but...
10" Rage Thumper T-Rigged 1/8 oz worm weight and the 5/0 Offset Gamakatsu as well.
I wanted to make mention of this since it was my first significant bass catch EVER **
** other than a few little dinks on a DS
Personal best tournament limit: 33.35 lbs, Gene Larew 7 ½” Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage
Personal best single day: 10 lbs 3 oz, 10 lbs. 9 ¼ oz, & 10 lbs 10 oz, Gene Larew 7 ½” Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage
Lacassine Wildlife Refuge: V&M 9” Super Ringer Worm T-rigged Black Neon
10.37 lbs
10.61 lbs
11 lbs 3 oz
Toledo Bend Reservoir:
10 lbs 3 oz, Gene Larew 7 ½” Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage
10 lbs. 9 ¼ oz, Gene Larew 7 ½” Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage
10 lbs 10 oz, Gene Larew 7 ½” Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage
11 lbs 1 oz, Gene Larew 7 ½” Ring Worm T-rigged Camouflage
Catt, I'm starting to see a pattern hah
zoom ol monster worm with a 1/4z weight. 10 inch rage thumper worm. and a seven inch wacky rigged senko.
On 8/9/2011 at 12:40 AM, Vinny Chase said:Catt, I'm starting to see a pattern hah
Pattern! what pattern?
Mitchell's Eels 7.5" in JuneBug
If I'm goin' big, I'm goin' for the Lobster, Thumper, or Anaconda. I like them all either pegged weight Tx rig, or keel-weighted (except the Thumper, which only gets the tx rig or shakey head).
I like to use a 4-5.5 inch YUM black blue swirl texas rigged. weightless
[Bass Pro Squirmin Worms
These in the 12" size all black. The 12 inch are actually 14 if you straighten out the curltail and measure it.
My seconds are Netbait super T-mac and 7" Yum Dinger.
Both the Thumper and Anaconda, especially in Blue Fleck and Red Shad.
Brush Hog, Flappin Hog and Zoom 7" Trick worm, all T-rigged have been my go to baits for the large bite. But I recently have had luck on a couple baits that are new to me, so needless to say they've been added to the arsenal, Space Monkey keel-weighted and Kreature T-rigged.
Lightly weighted Sweet Beaver seems to catch fish comparable to jig fish, stuck a nice 6lb 6ozer recently.
T-rigged full size Brush Hog.
Xcite Maximus 10" Trick Worm on Titleshot Mag jig hook, started fishing recently and I've become a believer.
red shad culprit 10" original worm
i use net bait 15" ribbon tails and 12" manns original soft bait, other good ones i use are yum 10" ribbon tail and also 10" powerbait ribbon tails, lake fork 9" hyper lizard and i guess id consider my favorite large bait well i consider big lol is the netbait mad paca i think their like 7" long but their a big bait kinda like a baby brush hog but better in my opinion.