Do you want to catch big bass? If so, stop fishing for numbers or limits or a full sack. You must dedicate a few trips to catching just one trophy.
Think big, use big lures and heavier tackle. Vacate the areas where noted stringers of 3-pounders are consistent or tournaments find their winners. Even if a school of nice fish appear, restrain from using the same old common tactics of 12- to 15-foot-diving, medium-sized crankbaits. If the water depth will allow, cast a super deep-diving lure well past the school. Crank down to maximum depth then slow your retrieve to a minimal speed.
Monsters very seldom school, but they do take advantage of the smaller fish supplying a meal. As a school of fish marauds a pod of baitfish, injured prey or residue falls beneath the feeding frenzy. This is where the big bass are, picking up the leftovers it didn’t have to work for.
On the same note, I have had very good success by casting past schooling hybrids and stripers with big football jigs trailed with 5-inch Big Bite Fighting Frogs or heavy Carolina rigs with a super large Big Bite 10-inch Kreit Tail Worms crawled beneath the surface activity. The plastics prevent the unwanted bite, as hybrids seldom hit slow-crawled plastics.
Relating to the seasons, keep in mind that the super girls hang out in shallow water during the spawn and prespawn cruising stage. Even then, stick with very large lures to prevent smaller fish from interrupting your quest. Any other time of year, depend on old brushpiles or natural timber that other anglers rarely visit.
Big Bass Areas
Study your Lake Master maps for sharp ledges, and search for target areas that look like a giant could be inhabiting a comfort zone or calling a specific spot home for many years. Confidence is the name of the game. Learn to fish slower than ever before, sometimes waiting even minutes before moving the lure.
My last 10-pound-plus bass came while jigging a spoon in a high-confidence area at a sharp drop from 25 feet straight down to 40 feet. I had been vertical jigging in the same 10-foot x10-foot area for 15 minutes, trying to maneuver my spoon as snug to the inner ledge as possible before a very gentle but recognizable tug foretold her impending capture. This same confidence area has produced multiple fish in the 8-pound class over many years.
Glory holes are few and far between, but with enough patience and persistence, you will not waste your time. Besides, you can’t waste time fishing.
Billy Darby is a retired professional guide on Lake Eufaula. He can be reached at imfishing4u@windstream.net or 229-768-2369.