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Old 03-25-10, 05:25 PM   #1
everettvet
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Default What to you when....

I was fishing Saturday and caught 17 bass. The problem is that they were all shorter than the 15' size limit. Yes, they were fun to catch but not when you are in a tournament. When you are faced with a situation that all you can seem to catch is short fish, what do you do to increase the size of the fish you catch. I realize that some days the shorts are going to happen, but what techniques do you use to increase the size of the fish you catch.

I realize that this can vary from region to region and also depend on the time of the year. I appreciate the responses.
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Old 03-25-10, 05:53 PM   #2
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Sometimes going to the next larger bait helps.
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Old 03-25-10, 06:00 PM   #3
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Change your approach, but not by a lot. You're close to what the big fish want, just not quite there. Do what Tavery said, first. A slightly bigger bait (1/2 oz spinnerbait vs. a 3/8 oz, for example) in the same color pattern is a good place to start. Also, maybe try going out just a little deeper from where you're catching the little ones. Retrieve your lure either a little faster or a little slower...basically, don't change much, just tweak it a little bit.
Hope that helped.
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Old 03-25-10, 06:08 PM   #4
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I agree with what tavery and ssippiboy said.
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Old 03-25-10, 06:15 PM   #5
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If you're catching small fish are you beating the bank? Move out to some good structure.
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Old 03-25-10, 06:38 PM   #6
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You might wanna try fishin a whole new lure. For example, jigs are known for bringin in much bigger fish on average than some other lures. Also, texas rigged worms and other soft plastics are successful for bigger bass as well as spinnerbaits and others. What the others said is also true, changing to a bigger size lure can help catch bigger fish, the larger bass won't waste their energy goin after small prey that isn't worth the output it takes to eat and digest.
Hope that helps
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Old 03-25-10, 08:55 PM   #7
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Seems to me, if your catching that many bass your onto a pattern the bass are working. I would try to duplicate that pattern as closely as possible but in a little deeper water or closer to deeper water. Say your catching bass from submerged weedbeds on a flat. Try similar weedbeds located on a flat but near a creek channel, or a drop off. And like the others said, try a larger profile bait. But not untill you've tried the same bait they have been hitting already all day.
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Old 03-26-10, 11:41 PM   #8
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About a week ago, while I was up on a flat catching 14" fish on a fluke, my brother was a half mile up river hangin 3 to 6lbers on a steep rocky bank on the river channel with his jig. Sort of along the same lines as what Keith is talking about, I think in my neck of the woods many of the smaller males have moved up, but the larger females are still hanging out on deeper banks and drop offs.
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Old 03-28-10, 11:32 AM   #9
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Thanks for all the great advice
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Old 04-06-10, 03:50 PM   #10
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Ok guy's, don't jump all over me, just putting this out there.

As I've said in another post, we don't have freshwater bass where I live but we do catch a lot of other type's, mainly bass, pollack, and wrasse, yes all these are salt water species but non the less fish are fish and they all respond to different techniques.

When we fish from the shore especially for bass and pollack it's amazing that lots of people who are fishing all around can use similar size lures and weighted jigs, vib baits etc and start catching a few fish, now this is the thing, no matter what people do all the smaller fish in general are caught when using a retrieve, weather fast or slow, jerked or twitched.

About 90 percent plus of the biggest fish that are caught, are ON THE DROP in stead of being retrieved and garanteed if there's any bigger fish around, they all fall to this method, I think it's because you can get a very natural slow fall on the smallest of baits to match the forage, this has repeated itself to many times to be a fluke in my mind, now I'm not saying that this method is better than any other on it's day, but it just seems to eck them big girls out when needed.

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Old 04-06-10, 04:35 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kevin white View Post

about 90 percent plus of the biggest fish that are caught, are ON THE DROP in stead of being retrieved and garanteed if there's any bigger fish around, they all fall to this method, i think it's because you can get a very natural slow fall on the smallest of baits to match the forage, this has repeated itself to many times to be a fluke in my mind, now i'm not saying that this method is better than any other on it's day, but it just seems to eck them big girls out when needed.

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A pint to mister white even...

However I need to point out that evervet is a skilled angler fishing a massive lake.-kentucky lake-
unless he was sitting on a certain gravel bar behind a certain island. Those of us who were there know the place I mean.

I would jump up to the big stuff 12-14" baits using the ken-tucky rig err carolina rig..

I would start looking at the banks-not in the water the bank. any fair steep slope with a rocky bank..
um say in this area..
N36 54.991 W88 13.231
N36 48.832 W88 12.255
N36 38.484 W88 05.395

I caught fish from all of them spots -you did not hear it from me.mind you the water WAS 5 feet over the banks...

lil mule is the on site "local" for ky lake...

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Old 04-06-10, 06:10 PM   #12
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I move to a bigger bait.
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