“Super sizing”

I went fishing the other day at a popular lake near where I live and I was rewarded with beautiful weather and a great morning of very active bass. Cast after cast with a drop shotted plastic worm produced strike after strike. It put a smile on my face.

Reflecting on the day as I drove home, it occurred to me that I had had a phenomenal day catching 13 and 14 inch bass. I felt kind of deflated when I considered that the lake I was fishing has a reputation for big bass, and I was catching essentially small ones. I spent the rest of the weekend wondering what I could have done to upgrade the size of my fish.

BASS Pro, and winner of this year’s tour stop at Santee-Cooper reservoir, Kelly Jordon notes that there are definitely big fish patterns that can produce heavier weights. Jordon explained to me that this time of the year especially, most anglers actually have their boats positioned on top of the bigger fish while they cast to the shore and catch the smaller ones. Big bass, especially females, tend to stage off shore before moving in to spawn. There are so many smaller ones in shallow, that most anglers catch them and feel good about it.

Florida Pro, and a leader in the FLW’s race for Angler Of The Year this season, Mike Surman explained to me that at tour events, a pro needs to make sure that he gets on the scoreboard, but once that limit is in the livewell, there are definitely ways to upgrade the size of the fish you are catching. Surman mentions that it is important to evaluate the lake you are fishing, you might be on a lake where catching a bigger fish is not a realistic goal. Just catching good numbers of fish should be your goal in these situations.

Both pros agree that there are certain lures that lend themselves to catching bigger fish. Mike Surman goes with a jig and plastic crawdad combination and fishes the heaviest shallow cover he can find when he is trying to upgrade his catch. Kelly Jordon also targets heavy cover but opts for a Jerk bait or crank bait when he is trying to catch bigger bass.

Why not always fish for big fish? The problem with always targeting big fish is that you can often eliminate the smaller fish, which, tend to out number the big fish and tend to be easier to catch. In targeting only big fish, you are risking the possibility of catching no fish at all. Here lies the dilemma that tour pros face: When to fish for numbers and when to supersize.

After catching so many 13-14 inch fish this weekend, I could have searched for some alternate patterns that might have yielded some bigger fish. I had that luxury, I caught plenty of smaller ones. Jordon and Surman offered these tips to upgrade the size of the fish you are catching:

*Slow down-big fish like easy targets. If they have to work to hard, chasing down a bait, they are just as likely to wait for a slower one.

*Fish deeper-big fish often spend their time in water that is just a bit deeper than the smaller fish. Think about it, if you are catch 13-14 inch fish in water that is 3 or 4 feet deep, that might be the population that lives at that depth. Move out and explore the 6 to 8 foot depth range. *Fish bigger baits-again, bigger fish tend to be more efficient, eating one larger meal is easier than chasing down a bunch of small snacks all day.

*Target heavy cover-the biggest bass in an area will also be the most dominant fish in the area, which means that the biggest bass will get the best place to hang out. Target the heaviest cover because the most dominant fish will be in the best places.

*Power Fishing-a style of fishing that involves using reaction lures like crank baits, rip baits, spinner baits and jigs. This kind of fishing tends to draw bigger bites because it plays on the aggressive nature of big fish that may attempt to protect its dominance over an area.

While catching numbers of bass is always fun, there is still part of the puzzle that many of us miss. Honing our skills to not only catch numbers, but to be able to target and consistently catch bigger fish is a definite skill. It is not luck. The top professional tour anglers in this country understand this and continue to pursue this mind set.

Super-sizing, its not just for fast food anymore.