What adjustments do you make to catch bigger Bass? 2024
j19 reply :
Lately I have been catching a lot of fish but for the most part they have been relatively small. When you find a pattern that is producing lots of small ones, what adjustments do you make (if any) to try and find the bigger Bass?
Scarborough817 reply :
the first adjustment i would make is up size the second would be find a bait with similar profile but maybe a different tone like if it was a regular lipless crank maybe go to a one knocker in a similar colour
sully420 reply :
If you are on a school of bass they generally school by size. So look for new schools with bigger fish. Some lakes only the smaller bass school and you should look for bigger individuals in cover rocks,docks,mats ect. If your are power fishing and getting rats then go to bigger more agressive baits.
Russ E reply :
this time of year, if I am catching small fish, my first move is to fish a little deeper.
the 4 fish in my profile picture are a classic example. I was catching a lot of small fish in 5-10 foot on weedy main lake points, with a 1/8 ounce Shakyhead. i moved out to 20 foot on the same points and caught these, with the same bait but on a 1/4 ounce head.
hope this helps.
roadwarrior reply :
My suggestion would also be deeper water.
N Florida Mike reply :
Soft plastics and frogs fished as slow as you can stand it.If youre already fishing those and catching dinks, then go to a bigger size bait.
You could also try the solunar feeding times specifically for bigger fish with these baits/ speed.I only rarely check them but its good if you only have a couple hours to fish and cant decide when to go.
If you have been fishing the same baits/ speeds/ times of day ,switch it up and try something different.
I know this wont go over well with some,but live bait is a great big fish producer for me in summer.The reason I dont do it as much is that its 2-3 times the work to catch the bait ,keep it alive ,and make the presentation. No better bait than live wild shiners!!!?
Catt reply :
On 7/10/2017 at 10:48 AM, j19 said:Lately I have been catching a lot of fish but for the most part they have been relatively small. When you find a pattern that is producing lots of small ones, what adjustments do you make (if any) to try and find the bigger Bass?
Change locations 
NHBull reply :
The larger fish on my lake are coming from OLD docks and deeper rock and tree cover. Jigs are bring in the bigger ones. Night fishing top waters has also been successful
j19 reply :
Thanks everyone for the feedback.
On 7/10/2017 at 11:20 AM, Scarborough817 said:the first adjustment i would make is up size the second would be find a bait with similar profile but maybe a different tone like if it was a regular lipless crank maybe go to a one knocker in a similar colour
I generally try to keep multiple sized baits tied on my rods, I will try to utilize the larger baits a little more.
On 7/10/2017 at 11:40 AM, Weedwhacker said:this time of year, if I am catching small fish, my first move is to fish a little deeper.
the 4 fish in my profile picture are a classic example. I was catching a lot of small fish in 5-10 foot on weedy main lake points, with a 1/8 ounce Shakyhead. i moved out to 20 foot on the same points and caught these, with the same bait but on a 1/4 ounce head.
hope this helps.
The lake I live on is pretty much shaped like a frying pan and averages 6-8 feet deep with the deepest spot at 13. I do have a tendency to move deeper when I look for the bigger fish but I have rarely caught anything deeper than 8 feet in my lake. The lake itself is fairly weedy throughout and my go-to strategy is to find the thickest weeds I can and pitch into them. The fish I catch aren't terribly small (1-2 lbs.) but I would like to start landing the 3+ lbs. more consistently.
scaleface reply :
If I'm on a pattern and catching a lot of small bass and want something bigger , Then I'll stick with what I'm doing and make minor changes. A little deeper , slightly larger , deeper on cover... I found though , that if I catch enough dinks , I'll stumble on larger fish in the process .
lonnie g reply :
I agree with the up size on bait. try heavier cover as well as deeper water, be more accurate with your cast. sometimes the big ones don't like to move far to catch there prey.
scaleface reply :
If I'm fishing cover like brush or a downed tree . I dont make a couple of hops and then reel in . I keep hopping that lure until I no longer feel anything , then a couple more hops to be safe . Those big fish are often on the deep part away from what is visible . They often will hit that lure away from cover . I've had a lot of big bass hit right under the boat for some reason .
Mike L reply :
Know your waters...
Down here in the summer when the water temp is in the high 80's low 90's fishing in open, or scattered cover more times than not will get you the smaller fish in any given area.
The big girls undoubtedly will be in the heaviest, thickest cover within a short burst to more open areas.
You gotta go where they live and that means buried up.
You won't be catching 10 8+ lb'ers in any given outing, but knowing where they have a better chance to be, is where you need to be.
When making any given flip or punch you better be ready because you can hook up with a few that will make you learn real quick that knowing where to go, is more important than what you're doing.
Mike
Mike
Catt reply :
If all ya catching is tighteyes it's cause big momma ain't there!
Up sizing lures is just gonna catch ya tighteyes on bigger lures!
Ya gonna have to change locations to where big momma is, be it deeper water or thicker cover.
RichF reply :
Throw a big jig....all day.
A-Jay reply :
On 7/11/2017 at 1:12 AM, RichF said:Throw a big jig....all day.
X2 ~
And throw it like you're Trying to lose it.
A-Jay
WRB reply :
Location, location, location, adult size bass are located where they can feed on a predominate food source. Juevnile size bass and big bass don't share the same locations, it's a pecking order.
Tom
scaleface reply :
On 7/11/2017 at 2:19 AM, WRB said:Location, location, location, adult size bass are located where they can feed on a predominate food source. Juevnile size bass and big bass don't share the same locations, it's a pecking order.
Tom
What if the predominate food source is so available that they can set up anywhere ? The lakes I fish are so full of shad that at times it seems like the entire surface is covered and the depth finder is black because of them .
Hez reply :
On 7/11/2017 at 2:19 AM, WRB said:Juevnile size bass and big bass don't share the same locations, it's a pecking order.
I struggle with this concept and sometimes wonder how well it holds true....
I am sure like every other "rule" in bass fishing...it is not a guaranteed rule all of the time...
But I have a hard time picking up and moving just because I caught a little fish.
scaleface reply :
On 7/11/2017 at 2:41 AM, Hez said:
I struggle with this concept and sometimes wonder how well it holds true....
I am sure like every other "rule" in bass fishing...it is not a guaranteed rule all of the time...
But I have a hard time picking up and moving just because I caught a little fish.
Me too . If I'm on a random school of small bass holding on a featureless bottom then I hardly ever catch a big bass . If I'm on a school of dinks on great structure , then I have caught a lot of big bass mixed in with them .
Catt reply :
On 7/11/2017 at 2:11 AM, A-Jay said:X2 ~
And throw it like you're Trying to lose it.
A-Jay
Two of my favorite quotes!
The second is, "set hook like you're trying to break something!".
On 7/11/2017 at 2:41 AM, Hez said:
I struggle with this concept and sometimes wonder how well it holds true....
I am sure like every other "rule" in bass fishing...it is not a guaranteed rule all of the time...
But I have a hard time picking up and moving just because I caught a little fish.
Ever watch Glen Lau's Bigmouth & Bigmouth Forever?
What you will notice when there's more than one bass they are the same size.
Hez reply :
On 7/11/2017 at 2:49 AM, Catt said:Ever watch Glen Lau's Bigmouth & Bigmouth Forever?
What you will notice when there's more than one bass they are the same size.
Yes sir, I have actually watched that on YouTube recently...and I did notice that, but I will watch it again and pay close attention to that detail.
WRB reply :
Every lake with bass populations the density is more smaller size bass and fewer larger size bass. Baby bass are prey for larger bass including juevnile size bass. Young juevnile size bass are prey for larger adult size bass. The only time big and small bass coexist is during the spawn, after that it's bass eat bass underwater world. If there is lots of small bass actively feeding it's because they feel safe to do it.
Big bass locate at the best feeding zones.
Tom
scaleface reply :
You have to take in consideration that big bass in some spots are not even worth mentioning in others .
WRB reply :
What you should consider is females make up high % of the population over 4 lbs. I consider adult bass 4 lbs or larger are big bass that can eat and do whatever they choose. The giant bass in any population are so rare you waste time trying to determine their specific location. Find the 4 lber's and you found the location of bigger bass , then it's a matter of timing and lure selection/presentation.
Tom
scaleface reply :
On 7/11/2017 at 4:00 AM, WRB said:The giant bass in any population are so rare you waste time trying to determine their specific location.
Now I'm on the same page as you .
j19 reply :
On 7/11/2017 at 3:21 AM, WRB said:If there is lots of small bass actively feeding it's because they feel safe to do it.
Big bass locate at the best feeding zones.
On 7/11/2017 at 4:00 AM, WRB said:The giant bass in any population are so rare you waste time trying to determine their specific location.
These are both good statements. At some point I plan to start entering local tournaments, I can fill my limit pretty quickly but struggle to increase the weight.
Here's a question, let's say you are targeting shallow docks but catching small bass. Do you stick with the pattern and keep looking for 'better' docks or would you stay in the same area and target deeper structure nearby?
A-Jay reply :
On 7/11/2017 at 1:12 AM, RichF said:Throw a big jig....all day.
X2 ~
And throw it like you're Trying to lose it.
A-Jay
crypt reply :
slow down, sometimes a bigger bait will help, throw in heavier, deeper cover. like some others have said throw into places you would never think of throwing into. also patience will,
help bigger bass didn't get to be big buy biting at everything that comes by.
clh121787 reply :
Slow down. You bait , your boat your movements , be quiet as you can
WRB reply :
To catch big bass you need to fish for them. The only times I fish shallow water is during the spawn and at night. Big bass like easy access to deeper water so they can escape safely and sneak up on prey effectively. The likelihood that I would be targeting a shallow water dock is remote unless there is a sanctuary escape route close by. Let's say this hypothetical dock in located in a wind protected cove and the entire cove bottom is flat and only a few feet deep. The chances of a big bass being back under that dock are low. Let's move that same dock around out of the cove and on a point with deeper water on one or both sides, now the chances of a big bass using the dock are a lot better. Now let's move that dock 200 yards from the bank and anchor down on the 4' deep hump surrounded by deep water, the probalilty of several big bass being under that dock are very good.
where would you fish?
Tom
gimruis reply :
On 7/10/2017 at 10:48 AM, j19 said:Lately I have been catching a lot of fish but for the most part they have been relatively small. When you find a pattern that is producing lots of small ones, what adjustments do you make (if any) to try and find the bigger Bass?
I have had this issue for periods this season too including last Friday. I caught probably 30 bass in about 4 hours and I swear that 25 of them were the same size (12-14 inches, about 1-2 pounds). I moved a little deeper and that seemed to help a little bit as I started catching bigger fish. Seems like the most common responses to this thread are to 1) move deeper, and 2) upsize the lure/bait.
j19 reply :
I went out for an hour tonight and after spending the first half hour screwing around in the shallows with a buzzbait (caught one small one) I decided to get more serious. I went to the thickest pondweed I knew of in about 8ft of water and spent the rest of my time picking it apart. I lost one and caught 3, the first 2 were smaller but the last one was a 4lber.
I made a couple minor adjustments based on all the comments. First, I went with a bigger trailer than I normally do on my jig (caught one and missed one on this setup). Secondly, I spent more time picking this area apart than I typically would have and caught the 4lber. I circled the spot twice hitting it from all angles and at the end of the second time around is when I landed the big one on my go-to Texas Rig setup with a creature bait.
d-camarena reply :
The first adjustment i make is leave the ned rigs at home...
Just kidding! Or am i?
BassB8Caster reply :
I have a tough time fishing deep (or atleast having success deep). I like to target bigger fish. I fish smaller ponds out of a kayak without any electronics. I tend to target the thick stuff with texas rigged plastics and do pretty well. I catch 3-4lbers often. I have yet to land a 5+lber. i have lost a few of them. Havent really been able to target them, just hooked them in semi random spots. The biggest fish i lost from a shook hook was in a pond that rose about 2 feet over night. i targeted submerged bushes with a frog. Two other 5+ fish i lost were just outside vegetation late in the day as it was starting to get dark. They were probably up roaming looking for food. The one big fish i lost this year was on a swimbait on the edge of a hump just outside a dropoff. I was targeting this hump specifically for bigger fish. So really, this is the only time i hooked up with a bigger fish in a spot i was targeting with a technique for bigger fish (5.8 keitech). Of course the others i lost in or outside of vegetation could be argued that those were targeted areas as well. To that i would say no because it was not the thickest gnarliest areas that probably had the even bigger fish.
So my weak point is success deep. I try to fish the drop offs or adjacent areas (to the best of my knowledge with water body survey maps from the 60's as my only depth finder). After reading some excellent replies here, my goal is to target the thickest spots. Make a goal to try to lose baits, etc. And fish jigs more this summer. I have not given them a fair try. I give up on them too easy. I know they are big fish baits, so i need to use them in the right areas. So location is #1, timing #2, and bait size #3. And of course, a bunch of luck.
WRB reply :
Thick vegetation isn't good unless there easy access for big bass to swim under or through tunnels in the weeds. There are good weeds and junk weeds. If you are a pond angler study aquatic plant types. Pond bass tend to be more shore oriented because the prey source is located there.
Tom
Willerman reply :
I usually find a different spot if I am just catching a bunch of dinks. Last night was different. Kept getting a bunch of pecks from those pesky 8 inchers on a 5" senko, but buddy didn't want to give up on the spot quite yet so we stayed. I kept tossing the senko in that same spot and was surprisingly rewarded with a 4.5lber. Typically the big mamas don't hang around with the little ones, but not always...
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