How to Catch a Large Largemouth Bass

Largemouth Bass is one of the most sought-after game fish in America, and probably the world. Anglers can target the fish from California to Texas to Florida. There are few fish that can be found in so many different bodies of water and are as widely distributed as the Largemouth Bass. Like the whitetail deer and bass, there is a culture and tradition that every outdoorman can appreciate.

Every small American town has a 10 pound wall-mounted bass. Everyone’s grandpa has a tale about the great catch they made without a camera. Nearly every angler has a bucket list item: catching a bass that weighs in the double digits. We will show you techniques that can help you join this exclusive group and let your story about the 10 pound bass hanging on a wall.

Lunker Largemouth Fishing Spots

Although big bass can be caught anywhere, there are many factors that go into growing them. Largemouth are more common in areas with long growing seasons and mild winters. Mexico, Texas, California and Florida are all well-known for producing bass that exceeds 10 pounds. These states are different from the northern regions because they rarely, if ever, experience below freezing temperatures and allow bass to grow year round. These areas also have large bodies of water.

Clear Lake in California, Lake Okeechobee, and Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas, all have thousands of acres. They provide bass with high-quality habitats and the food they need to grow big. These larger bodies of water can hold huge fish, but big fish can be found in smaller ponds or lakes if there is enough cover and food.

These southern fish can grow larger because of the differences in genetics between the Northern and Florida strains. The Northern strain bass can only reach 10 pounds while the Florida strain can grow to 20 pounds. The Florida strain has a more linear growth rate after 2 years. They will grow to 14 inches and gain one pound each year. Northern strains’ growth rate slows down after 3 years.

Bass Fishing Gear

Bass fishing gear can be tailored to your lure or bait choice. Anglers will prefer to fish top-water frogs with dense cover using heavy action rods and baitcasting reels that have high ratios. A spinning rod with a light line is necessary to sense subtle bites when finesse fishing drop-shot rigs or weightlessworms. We recommend that you fish for giants and use heavy gear.

A heavy casting rod and a quality baitcaster with braid of 30-60 pounds is best for throwing large topwaters or 7+-inch swimbaits. Although it may seem like a lot, the large lures and heavy cover that these big bass require make this gear necessary. For soft plastic fishing, use a medium-heavy spinning rod with a 4000 spinning reel. The spinning reel should be spooled in 20-pound braid.

Monster Bass Lures

There are three main types of big bass lures: topwater, soft plastic, and swimbait. Each lure is effective in its own way, but they all have their place. A topwater is the best bait, since large bass are notoriously picky about lures that they find on the surface. Topwaters that are popular include the Heddon Zakra Spook, the Zoom hornytoad, the Spro popping Frog, and large jitterbugs for pike and musky.

Anglers have seen lunker basse abandon all their possessions in an attempt to smash a large topwater. This can only happen if the conditions are right. Low light situations are the best. The last hour of daylight in the evening is preferred. Topwater fishing can also be great on calm, cloudy days.

Although topwaters almost always provoke aggressive fish to strike, they can be ineffective if the sun is too high or fish aren’t fired up. Move subsurface to throw a swimbait. We know from firsthand experience that big bass will eat large baits so saltwater swimbaits for snook or tarpon are the best. We love the Vudu Mullet 4.5 inches, but have had excellent results with the Spooltek 4 inch swimbait. Gambler also offers a line called the EZ swimbaits that can be rigged weedless and are extremely effective.

Soft plastics are the best baits to catch largemouth bass. It is recommended to use baits such as the Zoom Baits Magnum O’ Monster swimming worm in red and the 8-inch Magnum Lizard in Pumpkin Chartreuse. These baits should be fished with quality hooks such as Gamakatsu’s 6/0 screw lock.

Habitat for Bass Fishing

Habitat and Techniques

Although techniques are specific to the structure that you are fishing, there are some general guidelines. You should look for heavy cover, such as reeds and lily pads, that is close to a dropoff or deep water. Big bass are predators that hunt in packs. They need cover to feed but they also like deep water nearby for quick escapes.

These areas can be fished with topwaters such as the jitterbug or spook. Cast the lure horizontally and follow the dropoff. This will prevent fish from hiding under the cover and draw fish lower down in the water column. Because they emit a lot vibration and noise, the jitterbug and spook are great for this.

You should not be afraid to stop and let your lure rest for a while. This may get you a strike from a fish that has been following your lure, but has not yet committed to it.

A second rod should be rigged with a weightless, soft plastic worm when fishing topwaters. You can quickly reel in a fish that has missed the topwater and cast the plastic at the spot where it struck. Give it two hard twitches after it sinks for a few seconds. The fish will usually take the easy offer right away, 9 out of 10 times. However, he may not accept the topwater if there is a follow-up cast. This technique is especially useful with the Zoom Horny Toad and does not require two rods.

The Horny Toad is a lightweight soft plastic frog that has been rigged on a wide gap hook. You can quickly cast the Horny Toad 10 feet beyond the spot where it hit. Then, you reel it in quickly and let it sink for a few seconds. The frog will jackknife and the tails will flutter too hard for it to handle. This technique is very reliable and can be used again.

There is also a learning curve when setting the hook with topwaters. Anglers are often quick to set the hook after a fish catches their lure. However, this almost always leads to a missed fish. Patience is key here. You should wait at least two seconds before setting the hook. Although it may seem like an eternity, this is crucial for setting a good hook.

You can then reel in your slack and give the fish a two-count. The topwaters you use have either thick gauge hooks, or weedless designs that require some force to drive the hooks home.

Cast a large swimbait if conditions are not ideal for topwaters. These can be fished in the same areas as topwaters but you need to be more aware of weeds. You should not only make long casts along drops and weedlines, but also fish in the most likely areas.

Sometimes, you just need to move a swimbait 5 feet through an area where it is likely to be bit. If this happens, feel free to present short, calculated presentations in attractive pockets of cover. A big bass needs a lot of energy to move, so they prefer slow-moving, large meals. Keep this in mind when fishing for monster bass.

If the fish are finicky, you can switch to a soft-plastic if they’re not happy with your choice. A 12 inch worm should be rigged on a Gamakatsu 6/0 Gamakatsu worm hook. The spring lock will prolong the life of each worm and improve your hook up ratio. The spring lock prevents your worm from sliding down your hook, making it look unnatural. This will increase your chances of getting a second bite if you miss the first one.

Soft plastic imitations of lizards can be extremely dangerous when bass are spawning. Salamanders are attracted to largemouth eggs in many parts of the country, so placing a weightless imitation on a female’s bed could be a great way to find a reaction strike.

The article was written by a professional charter captain at Salty Knots Fishing Charters with 15+ years of experience in the Gulf of Mexico. Salty Knots Fishing Charters is a local fishing charter service based out of St. Pete Beach, Florida. “We know what it takes to catch a giant trophy fish!” Salty Knots Is the best when it comes to Fishing Charters St Petersburg FL.