Big bass Tourney Strategy? 2024
texasoldtimer reply :
How much do you change when fishing a big bass tourney compared to a stringer tourney? I have three fish over 7lbs in the last year caught on senkos and flukes. But those are the baits I throw 90% of the time which obviously means I fish shallow most of the time . I haven't fished the 10" worms much but am leaning that way for an upcoming big bass tourney. I am fishing a shallow lake with a lot of grass and well defined river channel. In the past I have left this tourney telling myself I wasted my time fishing in 3' water. Although I know some big fish have been caught shallow on topwaters early in the morning I think the fish are post spawn and have moved out to the creek channels. I have a week to prefish. Advice please.
florida strain reply :
try a lizard, the fish are bout done w/ the spawn here and i got a few nice ones today on lizards during the am major/minor time
Catt reply :
How much do you change when fishing a big bass tourney compared to a stringer tourney?
None 
RobbyZ5001 reply :
QuoteHow much do you change when fishing a big bass tourney compared to a stringer tourney?None
I do. In a stringer tournament I will go for a limit then upgrade. The big bass tournaments I fish are 3 hours long. I will sit on a point or two where I know big fish come up on and feed. Sometimes being patient works, sometimes it doesn't.
texasoldtimer reply :
Sitting on a point waiting for the big ones to come up and feed? Thats the type of strategy I am asking about. In a 9 hour tournament you could sit on such a hole during primary and secondary times. Then maybe search some humps or river bends at other times. Throwing big worms.
fishfordollars reply :
You don't change a thing. We started on a point Saturday morning and when we were done another boat hit it. A short time later an angler approached it and caught a bass over 8. It's just the luck of the draw. Dan(txfisherman) was 40' from him and had just left the point.
texasoldtimer reply :
So fishfordollars was this a place you knew from experience had big bass? Are you saying you should have stayed on that point all day? And maybe just tried different baits?
fishfordollars reply :
QuoteSo fishfordollars was this a place you knew from experience had big bass? Are you saying you should have stayed on that point all day? And maybe just tried different baits?
Yep, it's known for big fish. I have several over 8 in the immediate area, but it's always a timing thing. You just never know when they will make a move up and put on the feed bag.
All big bass tournaments are just the luck of the draw. Luck in getting bit, landing the fish, and then sitting at the check station trying to decide which hour you will weigh the fish.
To answer your question, No I ain't sitting on a spot hour after hour waiting on a fish. Just ain't my style. I need to be on the move looking. If I get a good bite I will settle down and fish the area well. Otherwise I'm off to greener pastures. No guarantee that fish would have even looked at the lure I was throwing.
texasoldtimer reply :
Catt, I see from your toledo bend post that you focus on deeper water than I ever have. Thats a good reason for you not to change your strategy for a big bass tourney. I need to study the entire T Bend thread to understand better. Fishfordollars were you at the big bass splash last weekend? I fished only Friday and caught two limits of 2 pounders fishing shallow grass/reeds. I went deeper for an hour but didn't stick with it.
Catt reply :
texasoldtimer, Jack (fishfordollars) & I have fished together on a few occasions; our styles are eerily similar. We target high percentage areas that not only produce big bass but big stringers as well.
Jack will probably agree, I never intentionally target dinks
fishfordollars reply :
Never target dinks. If all your catching is dinks make a move. It doesn't have to be far. Maybe out to a little deeper water around the next drop. At times though i will totally change a location. If i move into an area and it just does not feel right I am gone. No activity meens no fish. A move to another area with a different type of grass and bottom contours is usually all you need to do.
fishfordollars reply :
QuoteCatt, I see from your toledo bend post that you focus on deeper water than I ever have. Thats a good reason for you not to change your strategy for a big bass tourney. I need to study the entire T Bend thread to understand better. Fishfordollars were you at the big bass splash last weekend? I fished only Friday and caught two limits of 2 pounders fishing shallow grass/reeds. I went deeper for an hour but didn't stick with it.
Yes I was there. fished Friday and Saturday only due to family commitments. caught 28 friday with the largest being about three pounds. Saturday only caught 22. Had a large fish on Saturday at 10:20am on a dang trap. It bit, came right up and spit the bit. I was left there just staring at the water. Wanted to just throw up. I was fishing a large shelf 7-8' deep that had a three ft. drop off out 50 yards from the bank. The fish was right on the edge of the shelf right where he should have been.
texasoldtimer reply :
So if you were with me catching multiple 2 pounders in 3' in a cove at some point you would have moved farther away from bank looking for a dropoff where the bigger fish might be holding? Without even trying that I went to a completely different area.
Catt reply :
Late April in East Texas I would not be in 3' of water, more like outside grass lines in 8-12' casting both shallower and deeper!
Right now is pretty much post spawn so most of the bass you will catch shallow will be buck bass guarding the nest.
The biggest sow bass have long departed for deeper water
fishfordollars reply :
QuoteSo if you were with me catching multiple 2 pounders in 3' in a cove at some point you would have moved farther away from bank looking for a dropoff where the bigger fish might be holding? Without even trying that I went to a completely different area.
first, I would have not been in that water depth this time of year. I would have been fishing the first and second drops or the mouths of the creeks as I was doing. I am never comfortable fishing behind the fish. I would rather be out and let them come to me instead of up shallow chasing the smaller bucks. The better fish have allready done the deal and have moved out to a little deeper water, tightened up to the deeper grass, and started to bunch up out on the creek channel bends in 8-15 ft. of water.
you will still catch a larger fish up shallow at times, but the odds will favor you if you move on out a little and find the outside grass lines along the points and channel bends.
Lots of pressure up shallow right now. Not so out in the mid depths. The fish are recovering from the spawn and at times can be harder to catch. Just stay at it and you will find them.
Good luck.
texasoldtimer reply :
Thanks for the tips. I think about the only thing I may have done right is when I came to a drain I did fish out in the middle of it first in about 6' before i worked back into it. However, this drain created a bend in the shoreline which must have created an underwater point or ridge on each side of the drain. I neglected to move out and fish those. There was a buck bass on the nest in the back of that pocket. The female was probably sitting out on that point waiting for me to win the tourney with her.
Matt Fly reply :
If I know that big fish reside in that area, I'll camp all three days on that spot.
Once the tournament starts, you have no clue who has been on your spot unless you've been there 3 days straight.
Has this paid off? Why yes, I have been know to cash a check here and there in those tournies.
In 1997, during Rita reminants on Fork in Sept, I had a 23 7/8ths 11.88 that would have won the tournament if she was a legal keeper, she was a short fish.
I have said this before, Catt set me up on some spots, and I took a deep hole and set for 3 days straight, it was worth 900. on the 3rd day, and I was middle of the water taking the waves and other passing boats for 3 days straight.
We worked very hard for that fish, matter of fact, lost one the day before that would of cashed.
By the way, when we got back out there for the last hour and half, the other boats who had known, moved in as fast as we got up on plane. LOL.
Just read this, 1997 and Rita, LOL, I think I have my date alittle wrong.
fishfordollars reply :
QuoteIf I know that big fish reside in that area, I'll camp all three days on that spot.Once the tournament starts, you have no clue who has been on your spot unless you've been there 3 days straight.
Has this paid off? Why yes, I have been know to cash a check here and there in those tournies.
In 1997, during Rita reminants on Fork in Sept, I had a 23 7/8ths 11.88 that would have won the tournament if she was a legal keeper, she was a short fish.
I have said this before, Catt set me up on some spots, and I took a deep hole and set for 3 days straight, it was worth 900. on the 3rd day, and I was middle of the water taking the waves and other passing boats for 3 days straight.
We worked very hard for that fish, matter of fact, lost one the day before that would of cashed.
By the way, when we got back out there for the last hour and half, the other boats who had known, moved in as fast as we got up on plane. LOL.
The spot you are refering to is worth sitting on for three days. I've been on it with Catt.
texasoldtimer reply :
At what point do you rely on your electronics to tell you there are no fish there? I hear the guides on Fork talk about graphing several different deep holes before they find one with fish. Specifically, they say they'r not gonna waste time fishing that hole if nothing is on the graph.
Catt reply :
My depth finder shows depth of water, structure, cover...my lures find fish
Just because a bass is not in the cone of the depth finder doesn't mean there are no bass present on the structure. Even if you are moving around graphing an area and not seeing anything think about this. Could the bass not be moving at the same time as you? And would you not miss seeing them?
I'm not targeting transitional break lines where bass stop periodically; I've targeting their home.
Hey Matt remember where we where when I broke your seat?
That was no tight-eye I set hook on
texasoldtimer reply :
Something interesting happened to me Saturday. I made up my mind to go fish deeper water. When I got out to the main lake I intended to find the bend in the river channel that I saw on my below average map. As I was idling and watching my graph I noticed one lone boat about 100 yards away fishing in one spot very slow. I recognized the fisherman as a local big bass slayer. Anyway I ended up fishing a flat area in 16' that dropped into the channel at 24'. After an hour of nothing I headed to some nearby points and worked those for a couple hours keeping one eye on the local legend. About 3 hours passed before he left and I went to graph his area. Figured I would see some brushpiles. But as I eased across the flat in 16' I came up on a ridge that came up to 12'. Couldn't see any special structure down there except the ridge itself. So my observation is that a postspawn bass is more likely to be in 12' rather than 16'. Maybe not move to 16' for another month or so. Catt I hope you read this and comment. Also fishfordollars. Anyone?
Catt reply :
Once structure is located the next step is being there at the right time, the only way to determine that is to be there.
It never ceases to amaze me how subtle structure can be and still hold bass; don't always look for the obvious.
I read no mention of bass being caught so how did you draw the conclusion "So my observation is that a postspawn bass is more likely to be in 12' rather than 16'. Maybe not move to 16' for another month or so."
fishfordollars reply :
The best places USUALLY are the hardest to find. Humps and ridges out on the main lake are great producers. Timing is everything though. You can fish across the best spot on the lake and not get bit. You just have to keep checking the great looking areas to define time and circumstance. I have hit spots as many as six times during the day without a bite then move back on and catch the heck out of them for ten minutes.
If I am reasonably sure fish are using several areas I will rotate through at different times to try to figure it out. One morning I may set up a run and then completely reverse the order the next day to check them in opposite order. If that does not work i will delay my start the next day picking other areas to add to the list. Sooner rather than later you will have certain areas that produce early and others that will be better later in the day. Just keep checking and adding and subtracting aeras and before you know it you will have a half a dozen areas that you can do a milk run on and consistantly catch fish.
texasoldtimer reply :
I saw him catch one fish. But my conclusion is based on the fact that surely a bass moving out of the shallows will make that move gradually having staging areas on the way back to deeper water. Am I wrong here?
fishfordollars reply :
QuoteI saw him catch one fish. But my conclusion is based on the fact that surely a bass moving out of the shallows will make that move gradually having staging areas on the way back to deeper water. Am I wrong here?
nope you're not. the fish don't make a mad dash out to summertime areas just after spawning. they will follow the bait.
One thing to watch for is the bream spawn. when it happens find the beds and set up out in a little deeper water. It's a consistant pattern in this area that will produce numbers as well as large fish. They set up a little away from the area(Just like you should), and will move in and out feasting on those bream.
Catt reply :
Bream started moving into shallow water to spawn about a week ago on Toledo
If you were referring to the main lake which I thought you were, these bass will move deeper faster than the bass which are shoreline related, the main lake bass will spawn out on the main lake.
What puzzled me was the "postspawn bass is more likely to be in 12' rather than 16'", out on the main lake the post spawn depth will be relevant to the location of the structure.
fishfordollars reply :
QuoteBream started moving into shallow water to spawn about a week ago on ToledoIf you were referring to the main lake which I thought you were, these bass will move deeper faster than the bass which are shoreline related, the main lake bass will spawn out on the main lake.
What puzzled me was the "postspawn bass is more likely to be in 12' rather than 16'", out on the main lake the post spawn depth will be relevant to the location of the structure.
To add that lots of the main lake fish will stay out there year round. Never moving to the bank. They will spawn out in the middle on anything that has the right depth, water temps, and sunlight, and then just move right back into the deeper water.
FYI, the bream are moving up on Rayburn too. Gonna be fun.
texasoldtimer reply :
I have a ridge with 1' of water on the main lake that I have caught a 5lber on. One side drops into 4' then gradually gets shallower for 100 yards up to the bank. The other side drops quickly into 8'and goes back up to 3'. I think that 8' water is a slough off the main river channel that drops into 17' water. I caught the 5lber on the end of the ridge farthest from the river channel but probably should find more fish towards where the channel and slough connect. Correct? Or just keep working up and down the 200 yard ridge throwing deep to shallow then slow way down on a spot when I get bit?
Catt reply :
From now until next years pre-spawn I'll seldom fish shallower than 15'
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