Yeah, Im going to try and go exclusively big this spring, but I may get too bored and start downsizing if I dont get any bites. We are having a severe cold snap for us this time of year and so I am thinking the pre-spawn wont start up until the end of january and into early february with the bulk of the spawn kicking in right around mid march.

Hopefully ya'll dont have another massive die off like last year Chuck, but maybe that allowed some other fish to grow big and healthy because of a lack of competitiion? Who knows, but good luck this spring any how.

Well,
A bad day fishing is 100times better than a good day at work..and I'm not kidding.

Here's what I enjoy besides catching fish..

A. Fresh Air
B. The Sun rise
C. Looking for lost lures that folks off the shore snagged in trees for me.
D Seeing a bald eagle or warbler
E.hearing a Barreled Owl or Common Yellow Throat
F.Making great cast..
G. Seeing a big swirl
H. Spending quality time with a friend or family member.
I. Driving down the road with a large cup of coffee
J.Chatting with folks on the shoreline.
K.Listening to the 4 wheel drive as I back my boat down a grassy hill
L.Seeing a big gator sunnning itself on the shore
M.Bumping a jig...in a promising spot.
N. the steady retrieve of a Rooster Tail through fish you saw on a depth finder
O. The drag properly kicking in when you realize you got a quality fish on
P. Hearing God's Spirit in the quietness ,,comforting and encouraging you as a son
Q. getting a nice tan on the arms and legs..in the winter time { Florida only }
R. Noticing that the boat isn't leaking { -; after 3 hours of fishing.

And now the bonus..{ -;
S. A tap on a rubber worm..
T. The solid hang up on a Rooster Tail that you know darn well this is a quality fish.

U. The boil under a Horny Toad...

V. A bucket mouth clearing the lake with your worm in it's mouth shaking it's head violently

W. Your big fish 2 pounds heavier than you thought.

X. Schooling bass ...

Y. Seeing a friend or family member with a quality fish.

Z. Findng a new island or brush pile in the middle of no where that has never been fished.

There has been talking of fishing exclusively for "big fish". Isn't this the objective for all fisherman? I just don't understand when someone says, "I'm going to try to catch a big one this year."

Now, I atleast understand what ya'll mean, but to me there is times for all kind of fishing. There are days when I am happy to land a 12" 1lb Largemouth. Other days or in a tournament once I get a limit, I will specifically target big fish areas.

But again, isn't every fishermans dream, specially bass fisherman, the hope of the big one?

I by no mean think this is the only reason you guys, or anyone for that matter should fish. As Chuck just stated, A-Z should be just as important as catching the fish.

OK BUCKHUTER14..

For me..there is a big difference between regular bass fishing and fishing for hawgs,,I can't say too much because I don't want to share my strategies...

Reg. fishing like last year..use a smaller worm that will get any bass's attention..gettin gexcited about schooling fish...playing around with lures while drigting a shiner..trusting your shiner will be your bread and butter..

OK Big bass fishin with artificial...not so easy..Mrs. Hawg can not be easily fooled..she has survived the pressure for a long time..Strategies..which are my secrets..look for all of her weaknesses...she still has a few..this is like deer hunting..in highly pressured public property..you know the big one is there..you will have to stick with your plan and have PATIENCE..I know alot of stuff from simply talking to sucessful and consistant fishermen in the area..and also my own past experiences..I do not plan to catch alot of numbers this year..rather..go to where I beleive SHE is..and do my best..with a prayer.{ -;

remember Doug Hannon The Bass Professor...He was a hawg hunter to ..from central forida.

[quote=Chuck7;3757446]
Reg. fishing like last year..use a smaller worm that will get any bass's attention..gettin gexcited about schooling fish...playing around with lures while drigting a shiner..trusting your shiner will be your bread and butter..

OK Big bass fishin with artificial...not so easy..Mrs. Hawg can not be easily fooled..she has survived the pressure for a long time..Strategies..which are my secrets..look for all of her weaknesses...she still has a few..this is like deer hunting..in highly pressured public property..you know the big one is there..you will have to stick with your plan and have PATIENCE..I know alot of stuff from simply talking to sucessful and consistant fishermen in the area..and also my own past experiences..I do not plan to catch alot of numbers this year..rather..go to where I beleive SHE is..and do my best..with a prayer.{ -;

[quote]

I agree Chuck.

Although, to me a strategy is a strategy. Worthless in a sense, unless you know when and how to execute it properly.

Although, to me a strategy is a strategy. Worthless in a sense, unless you know when and how to execute it properly.
Buckhunter14

Agreed..and like anything else you must have faith when executing your plan. ..and when the moment comes LOL don't choke up..

Choke up experiences I've had ...all of these were 10 pounders and up.

A. drag not set properly
B. should have retied more often
C. did not keep a tight line..
D. too light of line for structure I was fishing in

Stuff that wasn't mine fault..
A Fish wrapped around structure and unhooked herself
B. Straightened hook on lure fresh out of the package
C Fish cut line with teeth

Quick story about that last comment. A neighbor and I were doing a spawn flipping in tight lily pads .I was in the front..3 tiny bluegill type taps..we had already caught about 12 dinks to 2 pounders..I said ,"Kevin , you can have this dink LOL ." so i left that tiny spot and kevin jigged his little black and red tailed worm in the spot..Lo and Behold..Kevin hooked into a monster..it was no dink. This fish pulled us and the boat about 5 foot deeper into the thickest of pads. he was using 10 ound Triline clear. After a long time the fish was exhausted..Her mouth and thick body freaked us out..an easy 10 pounder ...she laid half way out of the water and on the pads..I reached as far as I could..darn 3 foot short of reaching her..The water was only 3 foot deep.If it was my bass I would have gotten out of the boat..gators and all I wouldn't care..the fish was hooked real good but all of a sudden i noticed while the bass was staring at us her head was slowly turning back and forth..very suttle..and the 10 pound mono was cut in two. The fish just laid there..exhausted..Kevin nearly crying { A 40 year old at the time} "my my my bass MY BASS "as she slowly back finned herself back into the water..we go over this story alot..Lesson learned...in thick structure ...use the right line { -;

If it is a trophy bass and you plan on putting it on the wall it wouldn't matter as you may want to take more pics anyways. I do agree though that less time out of the water is better on the bass being able to survive better.

I am not sure on what the large bass has for eating patterns up here or down your way for that matter. Here however if I was to plan on catching just the monster lakers it would be a lost cause. That does not say I wouldn't want to catch one though. They say the large lakers only eat about once a month or so. That makes your odds of catching one of those rare to say the least. That is because they tend to eat larger fish than a smaller laker would. Then they just lay around until it is digested before going on another eating binge. So if large bass happens to eat in a simular pattern then it would be hard to target them as well as the only fish to catch. I do understand wall hangers though and everyone wants to catch one.

I am thinking of using the fly rod more this year with a hair mouse tied to it early in the season may do the trick..:)

Nice bass your friend had caught by the way..

Phil,
I've been flirting with the fly rod idea too...not for lunkers..but just for the pure novelty of it..we don't have many fly fishermen around here..hardly any.

Well..went out this morning...I put an asterick but the comments that applied.{ -;

*A. Fresh Air
B. The Sun rise
*C. Looking for lost lures that folks off the shore snagged in trees for me.found a rattle trap in new shape.
D Seeing a bald eagle or warbler
E.hearing a Barreled Owl or Common Yellow Throat
*F.Making great cast..
G. Seeing a big swirl
H. Spending quality time with a friend or family member.
*I. Driving down the road with a large cup of coffee..actually drank it in the house
*J.Chatting with folks on the shoreline.
K.Listening to the 4 wheel drive as I back my boat down a grassy hill
*L.Seeing a big gator sunnning itself on the shore..saw 5 gators
*M.Bumping a jig...in a promising spot.
*N. the steady retrieve of a Rooster Tail through fish you saw on a depth finder
O. The drag properly kicking in when you realize you got a quality fish on
*P. Hearing God's Spirit in the quietness ,,comforting and encouraging you as a son
Q. getting a nice tan on the arms and legs..in the winter time { Florida only }
*R. Noticing that the boat isn't leaking { -; after 3 hours of fishing.

And now the bonus..{ -;
S. A tap on a rubber worm..
T. The solid hang up on a Rooster Tail that you know darn well this is a quality fish.

U. The boil under a Horny Toad...

V. A bucket mouth clearing the lake with your worm in it's mouth shaking it's head violently

W. Your big fish 2 pounds heavier than you thought.

X. Schooling bass ...

Y. Seeing a friend or family member with a quality fish.

Z. Findng a new island or brush pile in the middle of no where that has never been fished.

You might be surprized by what a fly rod can do. When you see fish bubbling on the water they are after one of two things. They are either chasing bait fish or hitting bugs that are either hatching or falling into the water. Why else would they be up on top? Of coarse frogs may be the case and they make some flies that can look alot like them as well. It can be a challenge to get one out of the weeds but the zing of a fly reel going full tilt is a lot of fun. You can also troll with a streamer just under the water that the bass will surely hit if they are onto bait fish.

By the way did you give those streamers I sent you a try? They are great early in the year streamers and you may want to give a slow troll with one. Most all fish up this way will hit those streamers. Just give one a shot and see if anything happens..