Numbers Vs. Size 2024

SissySticks reply :

I'm interested in this issue of fishing for numbers vs. fishing for big fish. I like to get a lot of bites, and I tailor my approach to that goal. However, there are a lot of people, more probably, who think the other way. I'm just curious how many on each side of this issue.

BrianinMD reply :

I voted the 5 big ones, just because of tournaments, but it really depends on whether I am out to relax or win a tourney.

mtaag3 reply :

Sheesh, I'd be happy catching any.

I voted big due to the criterion of 1 fish of 5-7lbs each hour sounds exciting. 50 fish in 5 hours seems like it might get mundane? Although I'd love to find out either way

PABASS reply :

For me its a no brainer I would take one 7# fish over 20 1# fish any day of the week and I certainly would take 5 near that size as well. I would say you get to a point where that many fish gets boring especially smaller ones. If your learning a new lure or technique the more then better. This year my focus is on larger fish, my mentality changed recently in part because of this AWESOME site.

Nitrofreak reply :

5 Larger fish for me too, I am in no hurry to do anything, 5 big fish in a 4 to 5 hr period aint too bad as long as I did not have to cover the whole lake to get em.

I fish deep anyway, I am used to the bite being slower and i'm quite comfortable being that way.

If my family is with me I would answer differently though.

kylek reply :

I fish for fun. Throw all the dinks my way.

CPBassFishing reply :

I fish a pond absolutely FULL of dinks, and I mean about ten fish every 30 square feet. Catching them is so easy and gets tiring after a while. Yeah it's fun, but it gets old after about 10 fish. I easily catch 20-30 in a few hours and I'm starting to look for other places to fish. There are no big fish in the pond. I checked the biologist's report a while ago.

228 fish from fry-1 pound

356 fish from 1-2lbs

42 fish from 2-3lbs

30 fish from 3-4lbs

16 fish from 4-5lbs

6 fish from 5-6 lbs.

This is a gigantic pond that takes 20 minutes to walk around.

mjseverson24 reply :

It asked for a fishing trip, not a tournament, so I will take a whole bunch of fish of every shape and size. now if I am pre fishing for a tourney or in one I would rather have the larger fish, but only 5 fish in a day is definitely a grind.

Mitch

Nebasska reply :

i would have to go for the hogs.....something about the feel and the memory a 5 plus pound bass leaves on ya

Teal reply :

Today i am much better at catching numbers than i was 12 years ago. It was a challenge to catch eight or more fish on a given day. Now days after much more time fishing ,reading, researching, and changing my approach it comes easier. Over the past few years, ive tweaked my approach from targeting as many fish as possible to targeting bigger bites.

Im no professional, but I like to think that i can succesfully go after a bigger bite and get at least one on a given day. So thats what i try to do. But ill still fish a pattern conducive to putting fish in the boat.

Hyrule Bass reply :

whatevers biting, i really dont care. size, numbers, etc..ill take them all...

Danarchy reply :

I'd prefer big bass because those are the bites that tell you that you're doing something right. Those small, younger bass sometimes seem to be over aggressive and will hit just about anything. Sometimes you can even catch tons of small bass in the usual areas when the big ones are sitting on beds. In my opinion, the small bass don't really tell me what the quality fish are doing.

senile1 reply :

There are times when a lot of bites is just what the doctor ordered, especially if I am taking some of the younger members of my family fishing. However, most of the time I am looking for bigger bites.

Five big fish in a day is not a grind. The excitement from each one of those fish will carry you much further than the excitement of a whole slew of 1 - 2 pounders. How many of you have caught a huge fish and found yourself shaking afterwards with excitement? That doesn't happen with the little fellows.

MIbassin reply :

I'd have to go with the bigguns because around here the places I fish we don't get too many over 3-4 lbs

MIbassin reply :

I'd have to go with the bigguns because around here the places I fish we don't get too many over 3-4 lbs

MIbassin reply :

Sorry to post that twice

kylek reply :

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/108475-little-fish-or-skunked/?hl=quantity

Here is a thread that RW started awhile back. It is along the same line as this.

derekxec reply :

i would rather have 1 big bass than a bunch of smalls but then again im more of a snook fisherman and even big bass dont fight half as hard as a snook but my spillways are closed mostly so the snook fishing for me is too slow right now

Scott F reply :

I'm pretty lucky in that the lake I fish, if I get 50 bass, odds are there will be 4 or 5 big bass in that number. If all the bass were 10 or 12 inches, after 5 hours, I'd change to another lake. For me, the thrill of the big fish wears off quickly, going two or three hours with no strikes at all is not what I like to do. I need consistent action to keep my interest up. It's a big reason I don't get excited about musky fishing. All musky anglers have to do is SEE a couple of fish in a day and they're happy. I've had 10 hour days where I caught 5 muskies and was not that thrilled with the long lulls in between bites. To each his own.

K_Mac reply :

On 5/1/2013 at 4:56 AM, senile1 said:

There are times when a lot of bites is just what the doctor ordered, especially if I am taking some of the younger members of my family fishing. However, most of the time I am looking for bigger bites.

Five big fish in a day is not a grind. The excitement from each one of those fish will carry you much further than the excitement of a whole slew of 1 - 2 pounders. How many of you have caught a huge fish and found yourself shaking afterwards with excitement. That doesn't happen with the little fellows.

I agree completely! A 40 fish day, esp with a couple of 3 lb fish is a great time. Give me a day like that with my grandkids, and I am as happy as a man can be. A day with 5 fish over 5 lb is much more rare for most of us. My goal, with few exceptions is to catch the biggest fish available. I still get that charge of excitement when I put a good fish in the boat, and when I figure them out to the point I can put several in the boat there is great sense of satisfaction. For me, that is the challenge and joy of bass fishing.

endless reply :

I'm greedy... I WANT THEM ALL!!

Teal reply :

On 5/1/2013 at 6:46 AM, endless said:
I'm greedy... I WANT THEM ALL!!

Hijack!!! DUDE WELCOME BACK!!

endless reply :

Who's Jack? lol.I know it's been a while since I've been on.

Teal reply :

Hijack alert rather. Good you are back

endless reply :

I know just messing

I might stick around for a couple of days lol.

slonezp reply :

Honestly, If I'm not in a tournament, it doesn't matter. 0 fish, a hundred fish, whatever. I find complete serenity in the act of fishing. May sound stupid but it's like Caddyshack and being the ball. I'm one with the act of fishing. The challenge to myself is what I find exciting. The catching fish is the same as making the shot. It's eventually going to happen whether it takes 5 minutes or 5 trips. Some days I am Ty and some days I am Danny

http://youtu.be/LGKkmpbhv9k

I did not vote in the poll.

FLcentral reply :

I vote for numbers. I'd rather fish different baits, patterens and locations than wait out a few big bites. In florida public waters targeting big bass useually means fishing live shiners around heavy cover. It gets big bass but can be slow going, besides it ticks the bait monkey off when you go to the tackle shop and only buy shiner hooks.

K_Mac reply :

FL central I have little interest in fishing live bait. If the big girls can't be coaxed into biting something artificial I'll take what can.

weekendwarrior reply :

I went with the numbers over size. I love catching big fish but only catching about 1 per hour gets me bored and frustrated.

jignfule reply :

On 5/1/2013 at 2:39 AM, kylek said:
I fish for fun. Throw all the dinks my way.

Interesting, I fish for fun also, but for me it is much more fun catching big fish. I will happily give up numbers for size.

WRB reply :

How many bass anglers have ever caught either category, especially 5 bass limit that exceed 25 to 35 lbs!

Whomever voted for catching a bunch of juvenile size bass over catching a 25+ lb 5 bass limit in a few hours, may never caught big bass!

I can't recall how many times I have caught a lot bass, 10 per hour or more, but I can recall 35+ lb limits because they are rare and don't happen every year.

Tom

gallowaypt reply :

For me, since I fish from shore, it depends on the time of year. For instance, I caught literally no bass all winter long for the few times I went fishing. So when the weather warmed up, I didn't care how small the bass I caught (I needed to catch a bass more than a junky needs his next high lol). I'm over that now that I've caught several. I have my eyes on the big girls from here on out.

fadetoblack21 reply :

I chose the 5 big ones mostly because the lakes I fish in are high in numbers but small in size. In reality, I fish for enjoyment, so If I'm catching em I'm happy.

CoBass reply :

Where's the option for both? I don't fish tournaments so my ideal days are the ones where I have a lot of action on the 1-3 lb fish and a couple of nice kickers to make it a really good day.

Bluebasser86 reply :

I'm with WRB, 50+ fish days are very common for me throughout the fishing season. Some of these days the average size is very good with a couple decent fish in the 3-5 pound range to top it off. While that's a lot of fun, my most memorable days are the ones that I didn't catch lots of numbers but the ones I was catching were all well above average size fish. Personally, I'd trade 40-50 little ones for even one big bite. Nobody cares about someone catching 40 12-15 inchers but if you catch one above average sized fish and you'll start to raise some eyebrows.

Fish Chris reply :

I'd rather catch 1 bass over 10 lbs, than 5 of them from 4-7. Didn't see that choice on your list.

It's been a long time (although I've been considering it lately ) but I used to be able to go to Clear Lake CA, with a box of tiny live dads, and crawlers, fished on a micro-light, and pretty much catch at least 5-10 fish, from 4-7 lbs, every trip, from say March, through August. It was fun, but the odds of a true double digit fish were always so slim.

After about 150 trips to Clear Lk. like this ^, I started fishing the stocked trout lakes, with Swimbaits, and although I caught far fewer fish, I did end up with a LOT more really big 10+ lb fish.

Aside from the fish though > I'd rather just be on the water fishing "regardless of what I'm catching", than at work !

Peace,

Fish

Felix77 reply :

For a fishing trip it's all about the numbers for me. Especially if I am sharing the experience with friends or family.

Tournaments - The complete opposite!

PABASS reply :

I love when I hear the trout eating bass waters in CA, it just blows my mind that stocked trout is a targeted food source for bass.. I want to fish those waters too, lol...

PondBoss reply :

On 5/1/2013 at 3:00 AM, CPBassFishing said:

I fish a pond absolutely FULL of dinks, and I mean about ten fish every 30 square feet. Catching them is so easy and gets tiring after a while. Yeah it's fun, but it gets old after about 10 fish. I easily catch 20-30 in a few hours and I'm starting to look for other places to fish. There are no big fish in the pond. I checked the biologist's report a while ago.

228 fish from fry-1 pound

356 fish from 1-2lbs

42 fish from 2-3lbs

30 fish from 3-4lbs

16 fish from 4-5lbs

6 fish from 5-6 lbs.

This is a gigantic pond that takes 20 minutes to walk around.

Sounds like you and whoever else fishes it need to start taking fish out.

PondBoss reply :

Well by your exact words, I'd rather catch a ton of fish varying in size. Odds are 4-5 of them will be over the 5lb range. There by meeting both end goal points. Nothing wrong with weeding through small ones to get to the bigger ones.

mnbassman23 reply :

I don't think i've ever said this before but... I'll take the 5 fat girls

Teal reply :

On 5/2/2013 at 5:50 AM, mnbassman23 said:
I don't think i've ever said this before but... I'll take the 5 fat girls

Get a few drinks in ya, you will say it again....and you probably have said it before.

Bankbeater reply :

I chose the big ones. I catch enough dinks already.

Hyrule Bass reply :

On 5/2/2013 at 5:50 AM, mnbassman23 said:
I don't think i've ever said this before but... I'll take the 5 fat girls

you been spending too much time at walmart

Darren. reply :

So I voted early on that I'd take option B, bigger fish as opposed to a bunch of smaller.

But to be honest, I'd have voted "C" "Both" if it was an option.

I am ever hunting a new PB, but I'll take anything that I can catch. I'll take a thousand 6 oz bass over a skunk-outing any day of the week.

NEjitterbugger reply :

I'd be happy with any sized bass and answering the question from the pole it seemed like a no-brainer to choose the 5 large fish.

~The real question is, would you sacrifice being skunked for a few days to get the big one...

K_Mac reply :

On 5/2/2013 at 11:29 PM, NEjitterbugger said:

I'd be happy with any sized bass and answering the question from the pole it seemed like a no-brainer to choose the 5 large fish.

~The real question is, would you sacrifice being skunked for a few days to get the big one...

The answer to your question is also a no-brainer for me...YES!!!

Texfisherman reply :

For me, it has always been about the fight.

Bigger bass = better and longer fights.

The other weekend I caught and weighed a 6-pounder that fought like my PB 8-pounder.

Size over numbers all the way!

EDIT: I also want to add that the 6-pounder was the only fish I caught in 10 hours of fishing and when I left the lake I was smiling for days.

averagebass123 reply :

I fish a pond that has large amounts of 10 pound bass. It is a minor version of El salto not even kidding. Not saying they are easy to catch. I have probably spent 50 hours cranking (fast water coverage) in the last 2 months and only caught a 4,5, and 2 8+'s. Average fish weight is around 2 pounds, but some days you can catch 5 three pounders and a few 4-5 pounders.

SirSnookalot reply :

I'm out to enjoy myself for a few hours, I take what mother nature is giving me.

senile1 reply :

On 5/3/2013 at 2:58 PM, SirSnookalot said:
I'm out to enjoy myself for a few hours, I take what mother nature is giving me.

I agree with that. I'm going to enjoy the trip no matter what I catch. The poll asked which would be more ideal, which is asking for a preference. I would prefer the bigger fish, but bigger fish and smaller fish are not mutually exclusive with respect to enjoying fishing trips. However, I definitely get a bigger kick out of the larger ones, and hence, greater enjoyment.

wademaster1 reply :

I wouldn't be disappointed with either outcome simply because we've all had those days where we couldn't pay a fish to bite.....but the bigger fish always make better memories and tend to build more excitement while trying to land them.....feel the rush baby!!

Mainebass1984 reply :

I would much rather catch a few larger bass then a whole lot of smaller bass. If I had the choice between 3 five pounders or 20 bass under three pounders I personally would have to choose the 3 five pounders. I try and target big bass. I have caught so many bass under 5 lbs. I want to catch the 5 plus pounders and if i have to sacrifice a few bites to do it then so be it.

Brian6428 reply :

I voted for the many smaller bass option, just because I fish for fun and not tournaments and I like the action they bring. That said, some days I will throw a large jig all day just to get a few large fish

Wayne P. reply :

When I am on the water, I prefer going catching, over just going fishing.

gr8outdoorz reply :

I fish for numbers of big bass!

K_Mac reply :

As usual when this topic comes up, it makes for an interesting thread. I have fished with many people who without constant action soon become bored and ready to fish for something else or go home. Unless they are kids or new fishermen that attitude will not get them a second invitation to fish with me, or I will find a reason to say no if invited by them. For me catching fish is only one of the reasons I fish, and my enjoyment of the day is not dependent on doing so. I fish is to relax, enjoy the time on the water, and the fellowship with whoever I'm fishing with. Too much stressing over catching fish (of any size) takes away the enjoyment for me. That is one of the reasons an occasional tourney is more than enough for me...

Felix77 reply :

On 5/2/2013 at 11:29 PM, NEjitterbugger said:

I'd be happy with any sized bass and answering the question from the pole it seemed like a no-brainer to choose the 5 large fish.

~The real question is, would you sacrifice being skunked for a few days to get the big one...

I'm of the opinion that every fish caught helps you decipher the pattern. Catching NO fish can tell you something as well but not as much as catching at least something.

So I would say no.

Shoop05 reply :

I voted for the big uns'. Simply because I think tournaments. I love to catch bass, but give me a big sack of 5 with a chance of beating my personal best.

GoTakeANap reply :

Id take the numbers. I enjoy catching fish.Take 50 over 5 all day everyday.

Deadeye-1 reply :

If I remember correctly, I read an article awhile back that stated the average bass fisherman in the state of Florida catches 1 bass per hour. I've had days fishing on the St Johns River where that has held true, while others I have caught an average of 2 per hour. That being said in a 4-5 hour period I have never caught 40-50 bass. So for me I would rather catch 5 Good Ones VS 10 average ones. If I COULD catch 40-50 then maybe I'd reconsider.

Maybe I need to start fishing some of the lakes that are known for better fishing!!!

roadwarrior reply :

Last week on the RoadTrip the average was somewhere between 25-50 fish per person, but 5lbs+

were mixed in with those numbers. Glenn finished the trip by hooking up with the biggest bass I have

ever seen alive! Pickwick and the reservoirs of the Tennessee River offer both numbers and the

chance for the fish of a lifetime!

JEC reply :

size for me

Alex_bassman reply :

In my opinion I would rather pick a part a lilly or grass field bit by bit for an hour or so and finally get that HAWG. that is true satisfaction and shows that hard work will eventualy pay off. Ill take 5 fatties over 40 dinks any day. Remember, patience is a virtue. ESPECIALLY in fishing.

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