Big Baits 2024
Glenn reply :
Large lures can be the trick, whether searching for big bass, matching the hatch or treating yourself to the fast fishing of fall’s feeding frenzy. Here's how!
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/big-baits.html
Mainebass1984 reply :
I need to buy more big baits. I don't have nearly enough.
Neil McCauley reply :
Some of my best catches have been on lures like the Strike King 10XD and a 7.5" Kinchou Pike/Musky plug.
Retail stores and tackle manufacturers fill the shelves with mostly small lures because they cost less to make, package, transport for their price and take up less space. A dozen 3/8oz shad raps for $6.99 each is more profitable than a single 3 oz musky plug for $15.
bigbill reply :
You are so correct. I purchased a large 6" glass perch CRANKBAIT on a closeout from one of the online bass shops.
It has caught quite a few bass for me. Go big or go home
(not really but the go big is true) right now there feeding prepping for the long winter. They want a bigger dinner with less effort. Lure speed is the key not too fast, go slow.
I have like 20 muskie/pike lures custom painted in bass colors.
In my soft tackle bag for pike I have all kinds of large minnow baits,bigger rapala, jointed big rapala, other brands in larger minnow baits. I'm gonna try them.
I have larger pike inline spinners and monster spinnerbaits.
It's time to put everything in the pool.
Don't forget the pictures and tape measure in the picture.
DONT FORGET TO SET THE HOOK HARD.
I upgraded to rods that are stronger in the upper section. I can bury the hook on the hookset now it's more solid..
Sorry I get exceited when we talk bigger bass, fall fishing.
Stay fishing till the ice is on.
Paul Roberts reply :
I don't think you can go too big with largemouths (within reason).
Senko lover reply :
On 10/6/2015 at 3:17 AM, Paul Roberts said:I don't think you can go too big with largemouths (within reason).
^Self contradiction 
Bassguytom reply :
The biggest bait I throw is a 10 inch worm and I'm apprehensive when doing that. I've got abigbaitaphobia I guess. I still catch some big fish for my area 6.2 smallmouth and a 7.3 largermouth are the 2 biggest so far this year. I guess you just have to commit and don't look back.
KyAngler_1120 reply :
Good write up. I am a true believer in the big baits on Cedar Creek Lake here in Central KY. It was built as the state's only designated trophy lake with a 20inch min/one per day limit. The lake is just a little over 10 years old now and it is reaching a big peak. My go to lure is a Mann's Jelly worm 12inch on a Yum Pumpkin ED 6/0 jig head. I basically fish it as souped up version of a shakey head. The Berkley 12inch power worm, Net Bait C-Mac in 12 and 15 inches are my other go to worms. These worms, especially the Mann's Jelly worm rakes in 3-5 pounders like they are going out of style. When fishing right next to my buddy who is using a smaller presentation his bait just doesn't catch the attention of those bigger bass. He just doesn't have a confidence in big baits and it makes a difference.
hatrix reply :
Interesting read. There is some info that is not optimal I guess I would say. Some of it is personal preference also I suppose. Regardless big baits work all year and in every body of water.
scaleface reply :
I use to throw big baits , thinking i would catch bigger bass but I didnt .Maybe if I fished is southern waters .
I use medium size lures mainly , thats what I am set up for , thats what I cast best . I catch more fish with them and the way I see it the more fish I catch the greater the chances of catching a lunker or two .
desmobob reply :
On 10/6/2015 at 7:27 AM, Bassguytom said:The biggest bait I throw is a 10 inch worm and I'm apprehensive when doing that. I've got abigbaitaphobia I guess.
Don't be afraid to throw B-I-G baits! Last summer, there was a huge pike (I mean trophy size) that kept showing up in one of my favorite morning spots, and she was eating a lot of my lures. On a whim, I decided to bring along a saltwater spinning outfit and a giant saltwater jointed jerk bait so I could try to "un-pike" the area before bass fishing and hopefully raise my PB for northern pike at the same time.
On the first cast, I caught a largemouth that was smaller than the lure. Second cast brought in one about two pounds that was a bit longer than the lure. Those darn bass aren't afraid to eat big!
Tight lines,
Bob
Bankbeater reply :
This time of year I tend to use 3/4 rat-l-traps and 1/2 jigs with big trailers. The bass bite them better at certain times.
BassObsessed reply :
The big baits for big bass theory isn't true all the time. A few days ago I caught 2 bass over 8 and one over 6 on a 4'' wacky worm within a few hours on the same lake. I'll still throw 8'' swimbaits on occasion though.
davecon reply :
Interesting topic. I'm in central Florida and fish for bass mostly during the spawn, otherwise I'm snook fishing. My most dependable lure for bass is a 12 inch worm. I use this lure 90 % of the time with excellent results. It also catches the little bucks as well.
Long story short, was fishing my favorite lake a few years ago and a cold front came through. Mid morning with no bites I just for the heck of it started throwing a four inch worm. Within 20 minutes I caught a 4.5, 5, and 5.5. Not what I was targeting as for this lake those are not by any stretch of the imagination BIG, but they saved the day. Those little worms worked great as "back-ups" all winter/spring. The 12 inchers were and are the standard fare.
Weird part is that those 4 inchers have never been anywhere near as good since.
Guess thats what makes it so much fun. Just about the time you think you've got it figured out it all changes.
bigbill reply :
Be flexible when the bite is off. I throw all size baits they will tell you when it's right. Ok the smaller bait is working. When the bite slows down upside your bait.
gobig reply :
The only part of the article that I found off base is when to throw big baits. Big baits work year round. He is doing it wrong.
WRB reply :
The majority of bass anglers may try a big bait occasionally, they are not a normal lure of choice.
Big baits require dedication and discipline to cast all day or night and work year around, the pre spawn being prime time.
Tom
Scarborough817 reply :
ok i know this is kind of off topic but do i really need a heavy power rod to throw big baits like the jackall gantarel? i have 2 med/hvy rods and i know they aren't rated for a lure that heavy but how much will it really affect it?
WRB reply :
The Gantarel is 6" jointed lure weighing 2 1/2 oz, your MH rods are OK if they are swimbait rods! You can carefully lob cast a heavy lure with nearly any rod, that isn't effectively fish the lure. You really should have a rod rated for lures 1/2-2 oz minimum, 1-5 oz ideally.On 10/14/2015 at 2:21 AM, Scarborough817 said:ok i know this is kind of off topic but do i really need a heavy power rod to throw big baits like the jackall gantarel? i have 2 med/hvy rods and i know they aren't rated for a lure that heavy but how much will it really affect it?
Tom
Scarborough817 reply :
On 10/14/2015 at 2:35 AM, WRB said:The Gantarel is 6" jointed lure weighing 2 1/2 oz, your MH rods are OK if they are swimbait rods! You can carefully lob cast a heavy lure with nearly any rod, that isn't effectively fish the lure. You really should have a rod rated for lures 1/2-3 oz minimum.
Tom
ok thanks Tom, i guess i'll have to save up for a new setup then
hatrix reply :
You can throw a Gantarel on a stiff MH or H and be ok but it's not ideal. I don't own one but it being a glide it should cause very minimal drag. Drag is the real issue that limits a rod performance with big baits. Most rods should be able to cast baits over their recommend rating pretty alright as long as you keep it in reason.
bigbill reply :
I picked up two affordable hurricane inshore rods for tossing bigger heavier baits. These were about $9 each at fishnsave. One has braid and one copolymer line. The bigger reels can be found on sale too.
hatrix reply :
I didn't even know you could buy a rod for only $9
basshole8190 reply :
On 10/6/2015 at 3:17 AM, Paul Roberts said:I don't think you can go too big with largemouths (within reason).
i have caught fish on swimbaits up to 11" and some of those fish have been only 16" long themselves! I think bass will hit baits up to 16" if presented properly.
hatrix reply :
Not every place is big bait friendly. There are places I catch basically the same size and quantity of fish with the same regularity. But for whatever reason one place fish of all sizes will hit big baits but the other places even the bigger fish seem hesitant to hit big lures. The only way to know that though is put in the time throwing them.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 10/14/2015 at 10:32 PM, hatrix said:Not every place is big bait friendly. There are places I catch basically the same size and quantity of fish with the same regularity. But for whatever reason one place fish of all sizes will hit big baits but the other places even the bigger fish seem hesitant to hit big lures. The only way to know that though is put in the time throwing them.
This can be very true. I haven't thrown BIG lures in enough waters to say that it's particular to out-sized lures, but lure size can matter a lot. Some waters bass can be keyed in on small prey and going small -even super small- makes all the difference. Many waters though don't give the bass opportunities to be selective. And in such waters, it's amazing what bass will try to stuff in their mouths.
Bob C reply :
On 10/14/2015 at 10:32 PM, hatrix said:Not every place is big bait friendly. There are places I catch basically the same size and quantity of fish with the same regularity. But for whatever reason one place fish of all sizes will hit big baits but the other places even the bigger fish seem hesitant to hit big lures. The only way to know that though is put in the time throwing them.
I haven't had any luck at my local lakes with big baits and I've tried them all. My biggest came from a 4" senko.
hatrix reply :
On 10/15/2015 at 12:38 AM, Bob C said:I haven't had any luck at my local lakes with big baits and I've tried them all. My biggest came from a 4" senko.
Well there can be a lot of factors. What baits were you throwing? What was the weather like? What time of year? Even time of day. What was the location or type of cover? What angle did you fish said location or piece of cover?
They are not magical baits but it can almost seem like it at times when you are dialed in and get everything right. I wanted to quit myself throwing them when i first started. But I put in my time in places I knew they should work and eventually it paid off.
If it something a person wants to get into then I would say go with proven baits even if they seem expensive. You might be able to get knockoffs for cheaper of find a bunch of big lures for cheap but there is usually a reason. You just might be shorting your self.
I am not expert and there are tons of guys way better then me but I try to learn as much as possible from people like that and find a way it relates to me and put it to use.
It takes dedication as most people usually don't start whacking fish right off that bat. That makes you question what your doing and if it's a waste of time. Once you start to catch them and figure a few things out it can be hard to turn back.
Catt reply :
If one were to reaserch the Texas Share A Lunker archives one would find a dozen or more 13 lb plus bass caught on Crappie jigs!
Does that mean we should all tie on Crappie jigs?
No! It means bass are opportunistic feeders, when a lure is presented without any negative clues they'll eat!
One can throw big baits all day but if there aint any big bass present ya aint gonna catch em!
hatrix reply :
On 10/15/2015 at 4:58 AM, Catt said:If one were to reaserch the Texas Share A Lunker archives one would find a dozen or more 13 lb plus bass caught on Crappie jigs!
Does that mean we should all tie on Crappie jigs?
No! It means bass are opportunistic feeders, when a lure is presented without any negative clues they'll eat!
One can throw big baits all day but if there aint any big bass present ya aint gonna catch em!
I don't think there is any doubt anymore the power to draw big fish with the baits. In other words fish you would of never had a chance at hooking or to even have them show. Big baits draw fish of all sizes like crazy. I just tuned a new OG 250 the other day and while testing it every fish in that area seem to come out as watch it. It's actually kinda cool to see a school of fish that you made basically that are fixated on a baits every movement.
WRB reply :
Most bass anglers have this misconception regarding big bass populations. The Bob Lusks pond boss vedio that Glenn posted discribed big bass populations as extremely rare fish. Trophy bass lakes go through periods of boom & bust bass populations. The conditions that allowed a decent number of big bass grow, that becomes a boom period is also a rare event. If that big bass population grew eating large size baitfish, those bass are catchable using big baits, they represent something those big bass are looking.
I use big trout swimbaits, rat baits, bluegill and crappie swimbaits, they all work at times.
My best big bass lure is a hair jig with pork trailer, it's a lure I have confidence in using more than any other lure, it's less than 6" long, not a big lure.
Tom
Catt reply :
On 10/15/2015 at 5:13 AM, hatrix said:I don't think there is any doubt anymore the power to draw big fish with the baits. In other words fish you would of never had a chance at hooking or to even have them show. Big baits draw fish of all sizes like crazy. I just tuned a new OG 250 the other day and while testing it every fish in that area seem to come out as watch it. It's actually kinda cool to see a school of fish that you made basically that are fixated on a baits every movement.
How many bit it?
I saw the same thing when Gene Larew first came out with the HooDaddy, bass would hold it until I reeded them all the way to the boat without setting hook, now ya can not get a bass to bite one!
I aint disputing big baits but there's more to it than big baits & it's proven every day!
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
previous topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.