Catching All Small Bass, Where Are The Big Ones?

[PerchJerker]

I don't target bass very often but I've been going after them lately with my 5 year old kid, who is super into casting crankbaits and rattle baits right now.

We've been fishing the east end of Tonka (clear water) over deep weeds (12-15 fow) and catching a lot of bass ...... but mostly 10 inchers. I've tried moving deeper and tried plastics on the deep weedline but it hasn't made a difference.

So ..... why are we catching tons of little bass with only a few bigger ones mixed in? Thanks for the help.

[Craigums]

Try upsizing the baits

[bassNspear]

Craigums is correct.

Try to go to a bigger bait so you are going to mistarget most of the smaller fish. Try to throw a jig or a 10' worm.

[ocf1]

swimbait

[Deitz Dittrich]

Perchie-- Would love to help out on this.. but it could be a ton of things.. Bigger bait may work.. Try a Jig Pig... But if your catching small bass like you said, often times like many species, fish school by size to a point. Without knowing the spot its hard.. I would try that area out past the weed edge and look for hard bottom. OR go shallower and plunk a heavy jig through the milfoil, and again.. look for hard bottom.

[BassProAddict]

When do you know when it's jig and pork time or pitching big worms? What do you guys look for?

In your own experiences, are there bigguns around when you have lots of juvies around and biting?

[SledNeck]

ITS ALWAYS JIG N PIG TIME!

[Mark Christianson]

There is catching bigger bass, but there is also getting your limit for league.

I know what Perch is getting at. I fished league with him a couple weeks ago.

Its a quandry. 3 hours of league to get 6 bass, or 3 hours of league to get a couple bigguns. Its tough.

My take is fill the well with 6 bass, and hope for something bigger later, IF you have time. 3 hours is not much time to get overly creative.

[lookincalifornia]

i too would suggest jigs and worms if only cause the though of my little girl (4 1/2) tossing lures with double treble hooks scares the bujesus out of me.

if your little one likes to reel, maybe a spinnerbait would do the trick.

[PerchJerker]

i too would suggest jigs and worms if only cause the though of my little girl (4 1/2) tossing lures with double treble hooks scares the bujesus out of me

He's been casting for quite a while and I'm not too worried about this anymore. He started casting with a jig under a bobber, then moved to spinnerbaits with 1 hook, and now he's moved on to crankbaits and rattlebaits. I make him wear his sunglasses when he's casting and only let him do it when it's just the two of us in the boat. He's good at hooking his own fish when he's casting and retrieving these baits, but I don't think he'd hook too many with a jig or plastic worm yet so I haven't had him try that yet. Although I fished plastic worms that last time we were out and only got small fish on them too. We fished around more than 50% of a large bay, caught bass almost everywhere, but they mostly tended to be very small fish.

[goblueM]

I'd say upsize the baits, like others have said. Last night I caught fish 14-19.5 inches only - 6" senkos, 10" worms, and a jin n pig with a 10 inch worm trailer. The GF got a 13-14 inch fish on a 1/2 oz spinnerbait.

[FishinChad]

Tis the season, big bass harder to come by.

Wont be long and they will be easier to find and catch, we just need the temps drop a little.

Average high just dropped to 80 and is falling, as soon as we get a week of temps that dont go over 80 too much, fishing will get better.

[PerchJerker]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going with location as the main culprit. I moved a short ways out of that particular bay and started catching larger fish on the same baits, up to 17 inchers ...... still a lot of small ones, but definately larger fish. Today I ran back to the small bass spot and started catching them right away, once again all small ones.