Small baits in Spring=myth

[Fishooked]

Or at least I have always heard that mantra over and over again...



"...use smaller sizes baits in spring because the forage is still small that early in the year..."


Anyway I try not to overthink much, I just go with whatever I feel like. So I figured the surface is friggin cold, meaning the warmer water must be deeper, which is where the bass must be.
So I used a deeper diving lure, the MR-11 Minnow Rap -






Funny thing was the next bass I got was nearly identical, they were both 20" long -








Also got a couple of smaller bass as well Sunday -

Clackin Crank CNC-74 in OPSD


Clackin Crank CNC-74 in Silver




And this pickerel...got this one on a OPSD DT-THUG - you see what looks like water drops coming off of the fish? This was actually a female, and she was dropping her eggs...a LOT of them too...




She did a number on my THUG too...lost part of the front treble and stretched out the split ring to boot...



Happy to say her & her eggs were safely released

[happyshad]

Nice work! Is that a chain pickerel?

The small forage mentality does have a little merit to it - when there is small forage in late spring - early summer. But.....I prefer to live by the mantra of: GO BIG OR GO HOME!

Big baits catch big fish - and small baits catch big fish too! Great thing about fishing - The fish are always right!!! We are just the ones who "think" we are always right!!!!!

[Fishooked]

Apr 6, 2011 10:59:01 GMT -4 happyshad said:

Nice work! Is that a chain pickerel?

The small forage mentality does have a little merit to it - when there is small forage in late spring - early summer. But.....I prefer to live by the mantra of: GO BIG OR GO HOME!

Big baits catch big fish - and small baits catch big fish too! Great thing about fishing - The fish are always right!!! We are just the ones who "think" we are always right!!!!!

I agree, except that one day I realized how small the baits were that I was using-in relation to the size of the mouth of a bass. I finally realized that there were a lot more room in that mouth if they wanted to go after something bigger.

So I actually got rid of a lot of my smaller lures and now only have one box dedicated to smaller lures for trout or panfishing - the rest is all bigger in general. And I actually think I have caught a lot more bigger bass because of it.

[90collector]

Very nice bass

[bacon]

got thinking a little about this, this early in spring, the new hatch of baitfish are going to be even to small to even pattern, and larger predators are now feeding off of last years fry, now fingerlings in that 4-8 inch area. i know in winter i want the biggest bait i can get, 10-12inch shiners or smelt are fine by me. my largest pike thought the ice was a nice fat 36in fish that took a 10 inch shiner, when i cleaned the fish i found a 12in bass in its stomach also. big fish eat big bait, couldnt have said it better. very nice fish ted. i tend to toss bigger baits in general, i use the smaller lures for trout, and have not had any luck sizing up, trout seem to eat small lures the bigger they get. but even in early summer i will toss large topwaters and larger cranks. i dont seem to catch as many fish, but they tend to be larger on average.

[jaketomberlin]

Pretty work on the bass Ted. Those are some good lookin fish.

I agree with the big bait theory. It amazed me when I used to catch 11-12 inch largemouth on #9 Risto Raps, and a #9 Risto looks huge compared to your average bait.... however, a 4 pound springtime female largemouth sees a #9 Risto as a snack.

I've always thought (in my mind) to throw bigger jerkbaits and crankbaits in early spring. Because (in my mind) a female bass will see a small bait and not get too excited..... but if she sees a big bait come through her strike zone she get's excited by it, and she just about HAS to eat it. (mind you, this is just what goes on in my mind, I could be completely wrong)

Another reason I rarely throw a small bait is because small, limit-filling fish will eat a big bait too. I've caught more small fish on big baits than big fish on little baits. If that makes sense.

Anyway, good work on the bass. That MR 11 looks Dandy! I'll have to pick up one of those.

[Fishooked]

Thanks guys.

Around now is pretty much the only real time I get a chance to throw deep divers, because of the lack of weeks, plus on my home lake my baits tending to do more much dragging if they run any deeper. Once the summer comes I wont throw anything that dives more than a DT-6, and even then thats pushing it.

I really need to hit some new water this year I think, if anything to try some lures in deeper water just to see what I might kick up...

[purplehog44]

Good Job!!! I start out with smaller baits to find fish. If I start catching a lot of little ones I will upsizein the same lure and try different colors until I can get a big one to latch on.

[riverrat]

I used to go with that "myth" as well every spring right after ice out. Not Any More.......#11 & #13 Original Floaters until the White Bass move in then I scale down to the #5 & #7's after they move out.