Every fisherman has a story about “the one who got away”. In some cases that giant bug-eyed bass got caught completely off guard due to bad luck. But in many other instances, it’s because you weren’t ready to catch the fish of a lifetime.
Boating a 10-plus pound bass requires completely different requirements and skills than boating a 3-pounder bass on the end of your line. There are a few things that will increase your chances of catching a personal best, or potentially state-record fish.
If you don’t want to be left crying curled up in a fetal position on the bottom of your boat, make sure you follow this checklist. Otherwise, you might be the one telling sob stories about how you lost the best bass of your life.
The biggest bass of my life! (two PBS broken)
Fish for Big Bass with the Right Gear
Make sure your equipment matches the environment and species you will be fishing in. For example, you don’t go around for big bass on Famous Lake Fork Reservoir With less than 20-pound line, and you should probably be spooled with 25-pound. When you are dealing with large fish in thick cover it is absolutely essential to use heavy line to avoid heartbreak. And don’t use a crappie rod if you’re fishing for giants. You need to have a rod that has enough power to handle larger bass.
Don’t deny your temptation
Check your hook. In some cases, you may find that they need to be replaced. It’s no secret that a blunt hook or a hook that has been bent before is likely to fail. If treble hooks throw the bait, I also check the stock hook. If they seem to bend too easily, I will always replace them with a higher quality alternative. This is a simple task to execute and will ensure that no large bass leave my hooks idle.
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test your drag
Your tension can become loose in a myriad of ways. I travel a lot, over rough patches and potholes I tend to stumble across rods that bounce around and can loosen the tension on the reels. If the tension is too loose, you will likely get a poor connection with the fish and be unable to maintain proper pressure on it.
If you are fishing with a light line, finesse technique, you will not want your drag to be too tight, otherwise you are liable to break your line with a larger fish.
What to do if a big bass bites?
You need to set the hook with some power, especially when fishing with larger sized hooks. It takes a lot of energy to drive a 5/0 heavy-duty hook into the mouth of a 10-pounder. A weak hookset will set you up for failure from the start. First, you may miss the fish altogether, or worse, the fish may come out when you bring it closer to the boat.
adjust drag on the fly
Know your surroundings and make adjustments to your drag as needed during the fight. If your fish are in open water, and there is no known structure they can burrow into, give them a short line to escape so you don’t risk breaking them. However, if that fish is in heavy grass or fallen trees, you may not want to give it even an inch, as it will instinctively move to the safety of that structure. Larger fish are Houdini of the water, and if they’ve been stuck once or twice before, they’re quite adept at freeing themselves.
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don’t horse bass on boat
During the fight, it is important to feel the movements of the fish and try to control them. If a fish is attempting to jump, I direct my rod tip downwards to try to pin the fish down. However, if a fish jumps, do not apply too much downward pressure as this may result in too much negative torque, causing the bait to slip out. If you feel the fish want to turn, try turning the rod in the opposite direction to avoid dislodging the hook.
How to handle trophy bass
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with emotions after landing a trophy bass, but try to learn about an older fish that has put too much pressure on itself in a fight. Try to keep it in water as much as possible. We all want and deserve a hero shot as a record of our accomplishments, but we also need to take care of that fish. I find it best to keep them in a net or livewell when I’m preparing a camera or scale. If you’re practicing catch and release, make sure revive fish If necessary, so that they float firmly.
This will ensure that other anglers can share the same joy you just experienced.
