small panfish work the best
Totally concur W/Brook, Have caught 5+# LM on tubes, big whole nightcrawlers, finesse worms, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, senkos, Zaras, and more. Timing, presentation, depth, water temp, and “matching the hatch” (fly fishing lingo) all play a role. Not mentioned here yet is “match the hatch”. Watch what’s swimming around the water, and crawling around the banks wherever you fish, then try to match it. For instance, we have a lizard in these parts called a Blue Racer. They have blue colored detachable tails. When I started to match that blue color and long skinny profile W/my lures I immediately started picking up more fish. This is one example, but I have applied the same technique W/ success many times.
Great advice, Pappy. And something that always amazes me is the number of bass fishermen who ignore it.
I hang out at a marina near me, and recollect, as just one example, when the boys started showing up for the regular Wednesday night tournament. Bass were chasing baitfish just under the surface, and I told the guys that if it were me (I don’t tournament fish myself) I’d use a floating/diving minnow bait. I mean, the fish were telling them what they wanted, right.
Not one of them took my advice, opting to use the same old jigs, plastic worms, and who knows what else. But some non-tournament fishermen did—and each of them outfished the tournament guys three and four to one.
Things aren’t always that obvious, of course. But if you pay attention, you can learn what, where, and when they want particular baits, and how they should be presented.
Well I fish in the South East mostly and normally the big fish i get come from the following
Flipping Mat (Beavers,Craws, Trick Worms)
Crankbaits
Senkos Sometimes
Chatterbaits/Spinner Baits
Good Luck
BIG BAITS, large Buzzbaits half hour before sunrise and from sunset til you can’t see your line anymore during spring spawn and you will get your lunker.
Large plastic worms either traditional rig and if that’s not working go Wacky rig. If you have found a honey hole area with decent size bass on a favorite pond or spot on your favorite lake you can count on it, there’s a hawg somewhere near by and you just have to keep that BIG lure in the water and work the area. Good Luck! My biggest Largemouth Bass was on a black super size Buzzbait about 45 minutes after sunset right after spring spawn was ending, I couldn’t even see my line anymore and was fishing just off hearing the sound of the buzzbait coming across the top of the water and then the BOOM! 11lb 9oz largemouth.
last year my 5+ pounders came on these baits/rigs.
-
topwater matzuo popper
-
t- rigged sweet beaver(wrtmln/grn pumpkin)
-
split shot zoom finesse in baitfish color(worked fast twitches)
4)senko weightless
i caught at least 2 fish over 5 pounds on all these baits, but the beaver produced best since i flip alot.
You can catch big bass on just about anything! You have to find the big bass and be patient. i I have always had the best luck during pre-spawn in shallow covered water using a scum frog. There are so many different brand of frog out there now but I prefer scum frog or SPRO.(White or black) If you know how to fish the frog correctly you can land some enormous bass.