Advice on a GIANT bass I found

[BadChad1983]

Isaac this is awesome man. Reminds me of when I was chasing a 200 inch whitetail for three seasons.  I didn't get him but very very few people are lucky enough to be able to chase a world class specimen in the wild. 

I might not be Butch Brown, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn express last night...

I have read Lunker Lore, Bill Murphy's book, one of Larry Larsen's books, and ordered tracking trophies by John Hope a few days ago but for some reason it hasn't shipped yet. 


John Hope's interviews in Lunker Lore which is available on amazon kindle should make you feel about 8000x more confident. I mean I think you're going to do it after reading that book.  Mike Long was chasing Dottie around for like 4 days before he got her.  She ain't going anywhere man. As long as you stay stealthy and don't run her off she won't go nowhere. 


The more you read these books and first hand accounts of catching these all time greats a bunch of common themes emerge regardless of which book it is. The important ones are game planning for this fish specifically. Name her, she has her own personality, you already had quite the run in with her already and hopefully between the info you learned from that and what you can learn from those books you should be in good shape. She probably didn't get that big by being stupid ya known?

I have read a fair amount of John Hope interviews and in all the big fish he tracked over that long time frame only two were ever caught outside the spawn by someone other than him. One was a young local fishing guide who followed Hope's boat around to figure out where she was hiding, so he cheated, and the other was caught randomly by some guy trolling for striped bass. 

You will have to decide for yourself if you think she is a night feeder, or day feeder based off what you observe.  If there is heavy pressure on the lake she probably is a night feeder, but each fish is different.  When whitetail bucks get to be 4 years old they have a similar behavioral change if they are pressured even lightly and go full nocturnal to avoid hunters. The ones that don't go primarily nocturnal aren't around no  more because they got shot. A big girl like her has probably become pretty good at ducking your average Joe Fisherman on the water. 

Hope can explain it better than me, but in general if she is a night feeder for 10 months out of the year, she will only go out looking to eat if she didn't get enough the night before. That is just best guess based on a whole lot of statistics he has and despite sampling a large number of magnum size bass over a very long period of time he can't even tell you because he isn't buddies with your bass.

The reason so many are caught during the spawn is it is the one time a year they are feeding during the day in addition to being up shallow. 

Here is a link to Mike Long's account about the events leading up to him catching Dottie.  I now want to read the account of her being caught on the Mission Fish. 

Full disclaimer I am a total noob and this will be my first spring targeting big girls ever. I am just paraphrasing what those books said. If I was you I'd put a post up and offer to pay whatever it costs to get a copy of Trackin Trophies asap. And while you wait to get that read Lunker Lore, it's a start. 

Honestly just going off books I've read I think you're more likely to get her than not. I'm pulling for ya brother. 

http://www.mikelongoutdoors.com/what-is-it-like-to-catch-a-20lb-bass/

[MaineBassin]

@BadChad1983. Great post. Didn't want to quote the whole thing. I have read a lot of the same stuff. One thing I slightly disagree with you on is the whole night feeding. From what I got with reading ML stuff and (can't remember his name right now) the guy who tracked many many fish, was that they believed that older fish switched to night feeding as they matured. They knew this gave themselves the best odds to survive. Then if something (people, storms, other circumstances etc) altered their feeding schedule, they made up for it at some other point (whether it was dusk, dawn, or during the day). They got to eat. Same as bucks. It's not that those that don't become nocturnal get shot. They are still smart with extremely high survival instincts (less so during the rut). I believe nearly all (maybe even all) wild big mature deer become nocturnal, there are just unforseen circumstances or events that happen that disturb their patterns that cause them to behave/act in unfamiliar situations which cause higher probability for a mistake. Just simply never feeding during the day VS having to is a huge shift in probability of getting caught/shot.

 

Obviously knowing where she is is huuuugggee. Now I would do everything I could to shift the odds in my favor. Every little bit helps. Fish at night, around storms, in the rain etc. Stealth will be tops on your list. The best/worst (depending on how you look at it) part about all of this is you could do EVERYTHING right, and she could just not cooperate. Puts so much pressure on us to be nearly perfect every time. One slip up and it's over. She catches wind of what you are up to and you are done. Possibly still catch her at night tho. Remember she has to eat! Make it happen and come back and brag about it. We are all waiting for to hear the story!

[waynem]

One thing is disagree with is that the bass is there to stay.  Put some pressure on some of these big fish and they will definitely find themselves another home area.  From my experience not every bass acts that way, but certainly some are going to relocate if they sense too much presence.

[MaineBassin]

One thing is disagree with is that the bass is there to stay.  Put some pressure on some of these big fish and they will definitely find themselves another home area.  From my experience not every bass acts that way, but certainly some are going to relocate if they sense too much presence.

I would agree. Once she figures out what you are up to (or even just sensing something different could do it) it's all over. She may not leave the area altogether but she won't feed there (unless possibly she feels comfortable enough at night). They are called trophies for a reason.

[BadChad1983]

I think so too, if she gets pressured too hard she will likely have enough and move out. The guy you're thinking of @MaineBassin is John Hope. It seems like I have heard a lot of people doing well between noon and two which if I had to guess would be when a lot of people were taking a break. It's not realistic to think they only feed at night, I can't remember the exact details but it was significant enough. My copy of his book should show up Tuesday. 

One thing I learned from chasing trophy whitetails was never to underestimate their ability to track you. I am still bitter over not changing up my entry and exit times/routes while chasing one particular buck who had me patterned so much better than I could ever hope to have him patterned. The worst part was I never even got to see him in the flesh. Was always on trail cameras, I knew he was there but I never got eyes on him in person. Was literally like chasing a ghost.

When big bucks get too much pressure and relocate to a different area it is often so random and out of the way most people wouldn't consider it. This is especially true with big non typical bucks which are rare to begin with but even more so than typical racked bucks.

I remember reading one guy breaking down the top 25-50 non typicals ever taken. He started seeing a pattern of beginner hunters who were setting up in just plain random locations. Turns out that isolated fence row, or random 3 acre patch of timber on an island by itself, would often be where these guys would "get lucky". 

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the state record from Alabama but thought some of you would find this interesting. The biologist is quoted in Larry Larsen's book as saying this northern strain bass full of eggs would have broke 20. If Mike Long's post is right I think only 12 bass over 20 have ever been caught.

I know, I don't believe it either. So far it's the only state record I can find a verified account of that kicked a Florida strain bass out of the top spot.

http://www.aonmag.com/article.php?id=3433

Man I can't wait for the ice to melt...

Isaac any updates man? Hope you get her dude. I'm pulling for ya out here in Iowa brother...

[IsaacM619]

I have been on 2 trips since spotting her. Booth trips were more of a scouting expedition than a fishing expedition. I saw her again on my latest trip. She is still relating to the underwater rock, which is in about 8 feet of gin clear water. There are about 6 fish in total all relating to the same rock. The rock for reference is about 6'x6' in about 8 feet of water. There is a little tiny "cove" just east of the rock which I see the fish pulling into for brief periods of time, but mostly sunning themselves just on the deep water side of the rock. Depth drops off to about 60 feet as you move away from the rock. The spot gets hit often by fishermen. But not near the rock, mostly about 30-40 yards down the bank where there is a rocky bank that meets clay bank. I am trying to gather as much recon as I can before I really try and make my move. I am contemplating just keeping tabs on her and waiting for the spawn, which I would bet is roughly 3-4 weeks away. That may be my best shot. I will keep this thread updated as I continue to pursue her. This may be my only shot at a fish of this size. The last time I saw her I think my 18 guess is fairly accurate. The other fish range between 8-11 pounds. Just a bunch of fat girls congregating in this spot. Seems weird, but who am I to judge. Fingers crossed she stays in this area. 

[MaineBassin]

Man tough call. I would hate to keep scouting and end up slipping up and blowing it without even getting a line wet. Now that you know she is there you just need to find out when she feeds.

[waynem]

Personally I would not be waiting for the spawn.  It sounds like this body of water gets fished a good bit.  There is no guarantee that the fish will spawn near that rock.  It may pick a place you will not find, or it may pick a spot where someone else spots her.  I think taking a couple of casts now is not going to have any effect on what happens during the spawn.  If I had the chance I might stitch a 16" - 20" worm and take 30 minutes for the single cast.  Or maybe let something like a 13" Mattlures Deadtwitch float over the spot for 30 minutes without moving it.  Those tactics are not going to put the fish on high alert.  It would be a lot easier if you didn't have those 8 to 11 pound "dinks" around.  Hope you get a chance to set the hook on her.  Good luck!

[MaineBassin]

That's another tough thing. Nothing stopping those little 10lbers from biting and alerting big mama. Real world problems that's for sure. Go get her man.

[Mossypumpkin]

Personally, I’d quit my job and leave my wife and kids to hunt for her. But we all have different methods of fishing lol

[Tuco]

Are you concerned with method ? If not, live bait is an option.

[FishDr]

One thing worth considering, and which others have brought up, is that the fish has likely seen most of the baits you and others have been throwing.  I'd still consider using a Hudd (that would probably be my #1 choice), but don't discount going with something that's kind of oddball - like a Mattlures Catfish crawled past the rock, or dead stick a Possum.  Something unusual, but realistic, might just do the trick.

[drewmoniz]

I don't think I could resist the urge to put something in front of her face. I'd probably blow it but hey, what can I say, I'm weak lol

[bassturds]

That's another tough thing. Nothing stopping those little 10lbers from biting and alerting big mama. Real world problems that's for sure. Go get her man.

little 10lbsers man id kill to have this as a problem. lucky bastids

[danthefisherman]

Just reading your report has my heart pounding lol...I hope you get her Isaac, I really do!