How to Consistently Catch Bigger Largemouth Bass
One thing is certain when your quarry as an angler is big largemouth bass -- you need to put in the time on the water to achieve results. No specific method that is foolproof exists for consistently catching the lunker largemouths, states Bill Miller of Bass Resource. However, you can follow some guidelines to increase your chances of landing trophy-quality fish more often than your fellow anglers.
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Things You'll Need
- Fishing pole rigged with braided line
- Large fishing net
- Offset worm hooks
- Soft plastic 6-inch lizards or worms
- Live shiners
- Ice fishing tip-ups
Instructions
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Target the fish in lakes with a proven track record for producing the biggest trophy largemouth bass, if possible. These bodies of water are all either in the Deep South or in California. They include Fork Lake and Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas, Seminole Lake in Florida, and Toledo Bend Lake in Louisiana. In northern locations across North America, big largemouth bass are as likely to be in a river as in a lake, especially in sluggish sections where there is a muddy bottom and adequate weed cover.
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Fish with dependable equipment. Use braided fishing line when fishing in heavy cover to avoid losing a big bass to a broken line. Braided line's stronger design allows you to pull bass through weeds with ease without fear of the line snapping. Utilize a sturdy reel and always bring a large fishing net with you when seeking big largemouth to secure them when you get them close to shore or to your canoe, kayak or boat.
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Look for big bass near submerged stumps, downed trees and underwater snags in a river. These spots typically are home to at least one good-sized largemouth that uses them as a kind of home base, venturing out to grab whatever potential meal comes by. Position yourself upstream from such structures, and cast your offerings as close as possible to warrant a bite from these fish.
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Learn how to use the Texas rig and fish for big bass with 6-inch-long, soft plastic lures. The Texas rig involves pushing the sharp point of an offset worm hook through the top portion of the "head" on your plastic lizard or worm and bringing the point out 1/2 inch from where it went in. Slide the plastic lure up past where the hook offsets, let it dangle, and push the point into but not through the lure's belly. This presentation allows you to cast into weeds and near brush where big bass are, without worrying about your hook snagging, costing you time and effort.
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Seek big bass during the summer and winter months by fishing for them using live shiners. Hook the shiners through their backs to allow them to swim naturally and live longer. You can fish live shiners underneath bobbers in open water and on devices known as tip-ups through the ice during northern winters. Tip-ups deploy over a drilled hole in the ice, with a reel of line and a flag that pops up via a trigger when a fish grabs your bait. Scout the pond or lake in advance during summer and fall to find any weed beds. Drill your holes over them on safe ice, with your shiners placed just above the weeds. Largemouth bass have slower metabolisms in the cold, but they still have to eat. They expend as little effort as possible when eating, so cover an area with as many tip-ups as possible under your state's regulations to increase your odds of finding and hooking a big one.
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