Tips for me to get my PB this summer? 2025
ElijahH reply :
So I mainly fish a very heavily pressured lake and just want some tips and tricks to catch a nice fish on a pressured area. It won't take much, my PB is only
3 3/4 Which is really embarrassing considering how much I fish.... Thanks!!
scaleface reply :
Go at night .
Catt reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 5:34 AM, scaleface said:Go at night .
Done! ????
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
Well, this one's done. Nice work guys ????
WRB reply :
What are the biggest bass caught in the lakes you fish recently?
While I agree fishing night in high pressured lakes increase your odds if the lakes have big bass and the water clarity should descent.
I would put away everything except bigger worms and jigs focusing on areas with deep water access like major points and near the dam, swim beaches and docks with lighting like marinas.
Tom
GreenPig reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 5:34 AM, scaleface said:Go at night .
On 5/6/2019 at 6:00 AM, WRB said:What are the biggest bass caught in the lakes you fish recently?
While I agree fishing night in high pressured lakes increase your odds if the lakes have big bass and the water clarity should descent.
I would put away everything except bigger worms and jigs focusing on areas with deep water access like major points and near the dam, swim beaches and docks with lighting like marinas.
Tom
Agree with the above. But I would also fish a large topwater and hudd gill.
IgotWood reply :
On one of my local lakes, I see more pressure on one side of the lake than the other. I hate fishing near other anglers. I choose to fish the other side, and I catch just as many fish as the rest. I also caught my PB on this less pressured side. Get intimate with your water. Learn to fish where others don’t. Look for likely spots away from where the crowds fish.
Once summer rolls around, I tend to catch more fish, and bigger fish, just before daybreak. Once the sun is up, it seems the bigger fish disappear and the smaller school fish move in. If the water is warm on your lake, try getting there an hour before sunrise. It should still be dark enough so that you can’t really see where you’re casting. Try something big and slow. I like a big 10” ribbontail on a very lightly weighted Texas rig.
A-Jay reply :
Fish as early and late into your legal open water bass fishing season as your state's regulations allow. Both offer excellent opportunities to land some of the heaftiest bass of the year.
Good Luck
A-Jay
I'm Blue reply :
depends on area,,, look at local conditions. In m area the tourny guys pound snot out of the waters. They seem to always be prefishing a tourny,,, so launch at dawn and are gone by 1 or 2,,,
I used to launch at 2 fish till dark did way better.
That or you can do what I did.. Drive to FL Rodman reservoir and hire a guide
soflabasser reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 5:33 AM, ElijahH said:So I mainly fish a very heavily pressured lake and just want some tips and tricks to catch a nice fish on a pressured area. It won't take much, my PB is only
3 3/4 Which is really embarrassing considering how much I fish.... Thanks!!
1. Put in your time on the water
2. Fish at night with topwaters such as buzz baits, wake baits, hollow belly frogs, etc.
3. Live bait
4. Finesse techniques
5. Big swimbaits
6. Have the mindset that you are targeting the top 10% biggest bass of where you fish and that you might not get many bites but when you do it will be a bass worth your time.
WRB reply :
For what it's worth I have never caught big bass at night (darkness) on top water lures or swimbaits, dusk and dawn yes dark no. If the lakes are shallow and off color noisy top water lures may work in darkness, they don't where fish.
Tom
CroakHunter reply :
Another point tonhit on is to fish the moat uncomfortable times of the year. For instance, super hot or very rainy may run fair weather fishermen and women off where you could have the whole place to yourself.
soflabasser reply :
Pat Cullen is one of the best trophy bass fishermen that has ever lived and he caught +1,100 bass over 10 pounds on buzz baits during the night. He fished in Georgia but his techniques will work well during the summer in shallow lakes. Swimbaits work well during the night but you need lots of patience to fish with these lures. Be patient, fish hard, and eventually you will catch a new personal best bass.
Armtx77 reply :
Fish at night, slow down and increase lure size...all have been said.
I fish several, highly pressured, lakes/lagoons. Here in the NOLA Metro.
The guys who regularly catch big fish 6-8lbs, are constantly moving from spot to spot. They are pitching Senko's on MH gear, into pockets of grass and putting lures into ugly looking spots.
Personally, I have been having real good luck with 5" black w/blue flake Senko's. With a 5/0 offset and 3/8 bullet weight...Texas Rigged, attached to 15lbs Sufix832.
Slow down...big bass in heavily pressured waters, are educated beasts.
Hower08 reply :
Not sure of your location but here in Ohio it gets so hot around august that oxygen levels start to diminish and the big fish in our lakes will push to super super shallow water at the hottest part of the day. My biggest bass last year was 5.75# on a day in august hot enough to choke you with water temps pushing 90°. So I guess any advice I could give you is fish big worms on weed edges and big jigs in the nastiest cover you can find.
I started fishing magnum worms 2 years ago and the average size fish I catch now has probably increased by close to a pound but the numbers have not dropped by a noticeable amount. You will still get a number of small bites so your not only catching one or two a day like happens with giant jigs sometimes. Also if you throw a buzzbait or frog at high noon that can also produce some giant hot water fish. Good luck in your hawg hunting. Think outside the box sometimes and the big ones will come
basseditor reply :
Not wanting to be a jerk, but the best way to catch a PB, is to go to big fish lakes.
813basstard reply :
No finesse. Go big. Swim bait, Frog, 1oz jig etc..weedless senko is good but...
GreenPig reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 9:35 AM, soflabasser said:Pat Cullen is one of the best trophy bass fishermen that has ever lived and he caught +1,100 bass over 10 pounds on buzz baits during the night. He fished in Georgia but his techniques will work well during the summer in shallow lakes. Swimbaits work well during the night but you need lots of patience to fish with these lures. Be patient, fish hard, and eventually you will catch a new personal best bass.
Mr. Cullen's big bass was 18 lbs I believe. He had a little different scenario he as fishing private waters with little to no pressure.
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
I'm about an hour drive from Cullen. Private farm ponds play into the scenario big time. As I have fished around some of those ponds.
But his methods do work.
j bab reply :
Throw an 8" Hudd and reel it slow on offshore structure. That's how I caught both of my PBs, the 11lber was this time of year too (at night) 
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 11:04 AM, basseditor said:Not wanting to be a jerk, but the best way to catch a PB, is to go to big fish lakes.
Not being a jerk at all. It may sound like a serious DUH! statement, but you can't catch them where they don't live. I have local guys ask me how I catch big fish as I'm fishing known big fish lakes, while they never leave the lakes that have very few bigger fish.
I think a lot of these suggestions are good, but you're not shooting for an overly large fish here (no offense). If I needed to pick 2 baits that I was going to fish all summer to catch a 4lb bass, I'd be fishing a bladed jig and a flipping jig. Fish them around high percentage areas (points, boat ramps, docks near drop offs, weedlines), you'll run into her eventually.
Russ E reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 11:50 AM, Bluebasser86 said:Not being a jerk at all. It may sound like a serious DUH! statement, but you can't catch them where they don't live. I have local guys ask me how I catch big fish as I'm fishing known big fish lakes, while they never leave the lakes that have very few bigger fish.
I think a lot of these suggestions are good, but you're not shooting for an overly large fish here (no offense). If I needed to pick 2 baits that I was going to fish all summer to catch a 4lb bass, I'd be fishing a bladed jig and a flipping jig. Fish them around high percentage areas (points, boat ramps, docks near drop offs, weedlines), you'll run into her eventually.
This is probably the best advice here.
Most states do sample shockings to paint a picture of the bass population and average size in each lake. this is usually published on the state local game and fish website.
Here in Kansas the wildlife department publishes an annual bass forecast for nearly every lake in the state, with the results from the survey.
it shows the bass density and more importantly how many big fish came up in the survey.
It is no big surprise that my favorite lake is always number 1 or 2 in the state. For overall population and size.
Most bodies of water have a few quality fish. My pb Smallmouth came from a lake that is known for being stingy on giving up quality fish.
My 5 largest Largemouth bass from Kansas, came from one of the highest ranked lakes in the state.
ElijahH reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 6:00 AM, WRB said:What are the biggest bass caught in the lakes you fish recently?
While I agree fishing night in high pressured lakes increase your odds if the lakes have big bass and the water clarity should descent.
I would put away everything except bigger worms and jigs focusing on areas with deep water access like major points and near the dam, swim beaches and docks with lighting like marinas.
Tom
There has been a 8 pounder this month and I was on a boat with a friend who landed a 5 1/2 right in front of me, throwing the same worm I was.....
Choporoz reply :
I don't keep stats, but I would bet that 80+% of my bass over five pounds have been pulled off of/out of wood. If you have laydowns, and/or timber on the bottom, spend a lot of time picking it all apart meticulously. The other 20% is such a mixed bag of everything else, it'd be hard to draw specific conclusions, other than some sort of vegetation was nearly always close.
EWREX reply :
why only this summer? i fish for my PB every time my line is in the water ????
WRB reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 11:25 PM, ElijahH said:There has been a 8 pounder this month and I was on a boat with a friend who landed a 5 1/2 right in front of me, throwing the same worm I was.....
Good luck, the bass are where you are fishing it's up to you to catch them. Use the rig, line and fish the same pace/technique your freind used. What did you do after your freind caught his bass?
I use the old school brass n glass T-rig for worms 7 1/2" to 13", tungsten bullet weights over 1/4 oz and believe the clicks make a difference. Slow down and shake the rod tip every few feet, pace and action triggers strikes.
Tom
the reel ess reply :
Full disclosure, my PB is nowhere near as big as the guys who live in the deep south or CA. But it's near the ceiling in the place I fish most.
In addition to what I've seen in this thread, fish around the new moon and full moon. Stats show that's the best time of month for big'uns. I'm not necessarily saying to fish at night, though that is a good tactic. Low light periods are better for big bass. Overcast or even rain can be killer too.
It's better to have the wrong lure where there are big bass than a monster swimbait where they're mostly dinks.
If you know someone who catches bigger bass than you, try to go along with them and study their techniques. Ask them questions.
Go in winter. The bites you get, though few, will be better average. If the water is not hard. If it's hard, start fishing as soon as ice is gone. When the water warms all the way to spawn is about the best time for fishing shallow.
If I had to choose only two lures that catch better than average fish for me, it would be a full-size double willow spinnerbait and a 1/2 oz. black/blue Arky jig with craw trailer. Don't downsize. I catch dinks on this bait too.
As mentioned before, shallow wood is killer.
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
Time on the water cannot be replaced.
The longer you spend on the water, the better your chances are. Get out there and sling some bait
rod snapper reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 5:33 AM, ElijahH said:So I mainly fish a very heavily pressured lake and just want some tips and tricks to catch a nice fish on a pressured area. It won't take much, my PB is only
3 3/4 Which is really embarrassing considering how much I fish.... Thanks!!
I recommend that you read High Percentage Fishing because it will help outline ten different things that will help you catch bigger fish. Interestingly, 80% of all fish 5lbs+ are caught on worms, so personally, i would go with a Senko or Ribbon tail however you like rigging it, and fish as much as possible In high percentage areas, and at high percentage times. Plus, if your fishing with a worm, your going to catch big fish and small fish, and everything in between. If you fish a 36 inch swim bait (sarcasm) like some have suggested, your not going to be catching nearly as many fish. So statistically its a no brainer, you can have fun catching lots of fish, and still have a great chance of catching a PB if you fish a worm.
EGbassing reply :
Zoom lizards, jigs, and big spinnerbaits (all fished slowly) seem to produce the most good sized bass for me. If you give the zoom lizards a try you won't be disappointed.
The Bassman reply :
I recently started a topic in the tackle forum about Yamamoto's Fat Ika. @roadwarriorlinked it to an old thread he wrote. This bait rigged backwards is something bass haven't seen. Very bulky and appealing to larger fish. Try it.
N Florida Mike reply :
Use shiners .????
Pickle_Power reply :
My best tip would just be to fish your heart out. Whenever you can, even if just for 15 minutes, get some casts in. I caught my PB last year, and that day I only planned to make a few drops around a few docks with a jig/craw. It only took one dock next to a pontoon, and bam, had a monster. If I had just said "screw it" that day, I would have not had an awesome fish and a great story to tell.
ElijahH reply :
On 5/7/2019 at 12:02 AM, WRB said:Use the rig, line and fish the same pace/technique your freind used. What did you do after your freind caught his bass?
Congratulated him of course, no point in being a sore loser and then channeled that big fish into my fishing energy and got right back in the water.
Shortly after I caught my only fish of the day.
Believe it or not he was using a rig said a lot in this thread! (Thanks everyone!) A T-Rigged ribbon tail.
roadwarrior reply :
Fat Ika
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/lake-guntersville-2012.html
CrankFate reply :
On 5/6/2019 at 9:10 AM, WRB said:For what it's worth I have never caught big bass at night (darkness) on top water lures or swimbaits, dusk and dawn yes dark no. If the lakes are shallow and off color noisy top water lures may work in darkness, they don't where fish.
Tom
Throw them a half smoked Marlboro Red after Midnight. Especially if there are lights near the water.
WRB reply :
I haven't spent a lot of time night fishing, dusk and dawn all my life but not total darkness.
My 1st night tournament was in 1988, our local public lakes close 1/2 hr before sundown and open a 1/2 hr before sun up. Charity night events stated around 1988 so I enetered those with my son, about 2 to 4 derbies each year.
My early lure choices were musky size wooden Jitter Bugs, buzz baits, big Colorado blade single spin spinner baits the traditional night lures with little success. What worked was Berkley 10" black w/blue flake Power worms, jigs and deep diving crankbaits.
I tried swimbaits a lot as did everyone else with little to no success after 10 pm. I know of 1 DD bass caught on a swimbait in 20 years in total darkness.
Worms, my best night limit was 58 lbs for 5 bass on big worms and jigs, that is why I suggested them because they are high % night lures. Wake baits at dusk like rats work well and DD 22 crankbaits in crawdad colors are very effective.
Tom
PS, Catt is a expert night bass angler with far more experience then I have, listen to ole Catt.
Tom.
Ty Watson reply :
I would recomend to get your going to humps that the top is 20-30 feet and throw a big worm with a heavy weight and just drag it
The Bassman reply :
On 5/7/2019 at 7:47 AM, roadwarrior said:Fat Ika
https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/lake-guntersville-2012.html
Wrong link?
roadwarrior reply :
#7.49 caught on a Fat Ika. Might be just the ticket for a PB.
The Maestro reply :
Pay very close attention to your bait. A bite from a big bass is usually very subtle. If you are going to set the hook, ALWAYS set with authority. Never just a half hearted attempt. Better to take an extra second or two to get yourself into a proper position than to try doing it with your body at a bad angle.
kenmitch reply :
As long as the lakes you fish can produce your new PB's then it's really just a matter of time before your in the right place, right time, using the correct bait for such a fish to bite. Figuring out all three is the tricky part as sometimes just pure luck rewards you with a new PB. The term luck can be subjective as if your throwing a particular bait while trying to catch a bass then is it luck or is it just the game plan in the end that gets the bass.
Just like you I set out this season with the hopes of catching my new PB bass. I'd imagine that all anglers set out with the goal at least in the back of their minds. I'd imagine even WRB sets out with at least a dream of topping his PB.
I caught my 1st bass of the season on Feb 26th and she was a new PB of 7.02 lbs! I knew I had a shot at a new PB, but I had no idea it would be the very 1st catch of the year. Funny thing about it was after countless hours and bait offerings I'd more or less given up any hope of catching anything on this day. I fish for fun so whenever I'm faced with outings that don't look so promising I'll just putt around in my kayak and explore the lake for areas that look like they'll be promising for future outings. Whenever I kick into this mode I'll only throw a lipless offering as it allows me to keep on the move. Whenever I see a fishy looking spot I'll cast to it and pretend there's a fish waiting to ambush my lure. It was during one of these practice scenarios that she slammed my Trap! I was shocked when she 1st broke the surface as I instantly knew she was PB worthy! I guess in the end I accomplished what I was simulating, but now instead of later....If that makes any sense.
Sadly there were no other boaters around when I caught my new PB, but I did get her to pose for me on my measuring board at least. I'm surprised she even raised her dorsal fins for me.
Get out on the water, keep your goal in mind, try different offerings, and when you least expect it it'll happen.
Good luck on your quest for a new PB!
Squarebill79 reply :
I've been lucky enough to catch 5 bass over 6lbs since I started fishing heavily in 2014. Here are what i caught them on and the scenario.
1. Live bluegill under a bobber while fishing for catfish
2. BPS popper(those same ones that are $1.99 in the bargain bin at BPS), caught it while it was raining working right along the outside of the weedline.
3. 5 inch senko wacky rigged, caught in morning along an old roadbed
4. 5 inch senko wacky rigged, tossed it up into some rocks off a rock jetty
5. Luckycraft squarebill, working a weedline from my boat
My biggest was caught by accident in a deep rock quarry, my 2nd best was caught out of a pond only 6 feet deep. My 3rd, 4th, and 5th biggest were all caught in the same lake, one that is known for big bass in the area and has a slot limit.
ZbestBassman reply :
Night fishing plus bass attractant ( use the gel) stick to BIG baits in black or blue with lots of vibration. Maybe even a saltwater version swimbait something they haven't seen yet !????????????
basseditor reply :
Follow up. Plan for big fish by using good equipment and big fish baits (seasonally).
I think catching big fish every time I go out. I moved to Texas about 15 years ago. Before then, I only caught a handful of 7 pounders (all smallmouth). Now I “expect” to catch one 6-7 lbs. + every time I go out. I caught a 6+ the last two weekends (6.95 yesterday) between rain storms and minor tornadoes. In other words, pretty poor weather. But nasty weather is a good time for big fish.
Having said that, some of my largest bass have come in summer when temperatures were 100 degrees plus. Many, at mid-day when it was sweltering hot with no breeze.
I don’t like to fish in either of those conditions, but I can’t argue with the results. Big fish act differently!
(My biggest bass almost each of the last 10 years has been at least 8 pounds.)
Harold Scoggins reply :
Don't be afraid to fish deep, especially mid day.
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
Don't be afraid to throw topwater midday either.
soflabasser reply :
Another tip...find someone who is very good at big bass fishing in your area and become their friend. Go fishing with your friend and learn from them while actually fishing not just reading about it. That will help you improve much faster than reading about bass fishing on the internet.
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