Bigger Baits Better?

[Haggs7]

with the new fad of throwing the biggest baits to produce the biggest fish. does anyone find that smaller baits at the right times produce bigger fish?

[Fearnofish]

I have seen some monster baits being thrown this spring, so I know what you mean. I do just fine with smaller baits. It's just my opinion. Sometimes, being able to manipulate the bait is better than the size. I have great luck with some 6" and 8" shallow divers. There just easier for me to manipulate in a manner that gets bites. Plus, with the smaller baits, I can cast all day long. Some of the big baits cause me to cut my day short. I'm not as strong or young as I used to be.

Adam C.

[wallymn99]

NO, bigger baits aren't better necessarily. So many people are using double 10's even double 13's and it's a good option, but i still don't believe that the larger baits produce MORE fish. They catch fish, but so do smaller baits and bucktails. I have some of my biggest fish on regular single #8 blade bucktails. The main point is to be on the fish.

The large bucktails will wear you out fast. Try dragging a double #13 for a few hours. you won't wanna fish much after that. I do use them, but i pick my attack. I don't run around the lake with the largest blades possible as it will depend wear i am fishing. They have their place, but so do other lures.

[W.W.]

I think that the trend to BIG baits and them (big baits) catching more/bigger fish has more to do with the fact that they are different than what most Ski's have seen in the past.

I think something "different" that they haven't seen is especially true on hard fished waters; the fish become conditioned to popular baits.

Are there times for big baits....Yes; are there times for small baits.....Yes.

Back to the original question; I like to throw small baits when the fish are in a negative mood. I will often throw a bass sized bait on popular waters and it seems to work for me.....

W.W. in Iowa

[bennysabin]

I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT THE BIG BAITS GO WITH BIG WATER AND THAT SMALL BAITS WORK WELL FOR SMALLER BODIES OF WATER I ALSO NOTICE A LOT MORE ACIVITY ON POUNDER BULL DOGS AND TWIN TEN COW GIRLS WHEN THE WATER TEMP IS AROUND 65 DEGREES:blush:.

[TReX300]

I throw big baits all year long......at certain times. this years open we didn't get anything going until we started tossing dbl #10's. We rose 15 fish boated 6 and lost 2 biggest were 49" and 46". All but 3 were after big baits. Last weekend we started out with the same pattern in the areas and nothing even took a second look at the bigger baits. It didn't take long for some one to down size and start moving fish. We ended up raising 12 fish, boated 6 again and lost two. All on 6" Sledge's and Springdawgs. Last fish were 44" and 43". Big baits do work in the spring mat times much like smaller baits will work in the fall at times. Another to take into account with more spring fishermen tossing big baits is that there was an article in a recent issue of MH mag that talked about using larger bait in the spring.

Good Fishin'

Tim

[AllenW]

My wife caught a 28# Musky on a crappie tube jig and ultra light tackle, so do you HAVE to have big baits to catch big fish?
No.

But big baits will catch more big fish generally, meaning it usually takes a bigger fish to go after a bigger bait.

Does it mean you'll catch more fish, probably not, but the ones you do will usually be of a larger size.
Usually....

Personally I think the key to catching fish is putting the right bait in front of the right fish at the right time.

So I have several different sizes of bait I throw, and if that don't work, I get the wife's crappie rig out...:)

Al

[TReX300]

Personally I think the key to catching fish is putting the right bait in front of the right fish at the right time.



Thats the trick right there. Too many people get stuck on a one style or size of bait system and don't change things up. My longest fish (55 1/4") came on a 6" Long "A" Bomber I was fishing in the fall because big baits just weren't doing it. My heaviest fish (43lbs) came on a 14" 4oz spinner-bait fishing the week after our opener. The fish were VERY aggressive and baits in the 8-10" size were getting too much attention form smaller "snot rocket" fish so I switched it up to keep them away or off. Just shows it sometimes pays to go against the grain and switch things up to what your not supposed to be throwing.

Good fishin'
Tim

[esoxon8]

I would say that big baits reason for people saying they catch more fish on them or see more fish on them is because of the fact that they are so big and they simply annoy a musky causing them to follow or strike at the bait. I have talked with a guy who has done ALOT of underwater filming and has countless hours of underwater video of musky and alot of these fish will come up and simply swat their heads at a lure just because it was around them. This is just MHO. I also think that the bigger bait craze lately is just like anything else 30.30 was the way to kill a deer forever now its I need a .300 to do it. :)

[ffishman]

I start out with the bigger baits, BUT, to save my arm after a short while I switch to smaller ones. Much easier to cast for long periods.

[St Clair Hound]

When trolling I will start with a spread of different sizes and types and narrow it down from there. I have produced large fish on small and large baits. I do agree you will produce fewer larger fish on big baits. I think the statement of putting the right bait in front of the right fish at the right time rings true.

[guideman]

A lot of the Big bait craze started because more and more people are fishing at night and big baits seem to work better in low light situations. I live on a lake that for years was known as a small to medium size bait lake and we caught lots of big fish on smaller baits. Now everybody comes up here and throws the bigger baits, don't ask why, I still catch most of my fish on medium sized baits. I however don't do the mid night fishing thing, I can still catch them during the day. having confidence in a particular bait has more to do with why we throw it. If a guy goes out and catches his first big Muskie on a giant bait he's going to throw that thing until his arms fall off. Lucky for me I caught my first 50 on a Walleye crankbait so I don't have that problem. LOL

"Ace"

[PackerBacker]

Yeah sometimes smaller baits produce. It is when the fish are not as hungry. Do you always go for a 16 oz ribeye? Nope. Sometimes you just want a small snack. If you do run small baits it increase the chances of you catching smaller fish though. Bigger baits cut down on the smaller fish caught.

[Thumpr50]

I think having a variety of sizes of baits is part of your arsenal. Mix & match, try different things & the fish will tell you what they are interested in. Have I caught fish on BIG baits? YES. Have I caught them on small one ones? YES. The fish in my profile photo is a "48 caught late September on a 8" firetiger Shallowraider twitched along a weed edge. Caught a 47" the same morning on a Suick an raised 5 other fish on small to medium sized baits.
Switch it up, be flexible and pay close attention to the results; avoid getting stuck in a "bait rut", in my opinion.