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Posts: 184
Location: Rockford Il 61108 | Hey guys, I am wondering if Bigger lures work better for fall usage or
is this just hype. It seems that Im reading different articles that
contradict themselves. Any ideas or input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the great forum |
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Posts: 32892
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I seem to do very well in the Fall on 6" gliders, and 5" creatures. I never subscribed to the big bait=big fish idea, and that is probably why I do well on smaller baits; that is what I am fishing with. I think the bait gets the job done if it is placed in front of a reasonably active fish, no matter the size. I use baits that give me a good hooking percentage, and call it good. I can't troll here at all, against the law. I bet I might change my tune some if I could, trolling big Grandmas and similar baits works well where I have tried it. |
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Posts: 688
Location: Northern IL | I'm with Steve on not seeing any correlation, big baits= big fish. There have been enough big fish taken on small baits and enough small fish taken on big baits in this crowd to back this up. But I'm still open to the big bait idea,,, I guess.... And Steve, I don't think you would change your tune at all if you were trolling. It's still all a matter of having our baits at the right depth (in there face) and having the bait moving at the right speed to trigger a strike, trolling or casting.
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Posts: 259
Location: Alexandria, MN | The big bait in the fall idea goes way back; The thinking being that all the young forage fish have grown up or been eaten, so the majority of the forage they are use to is on the larger side. ("match the hatch") But at the same time, some of the forage fish out there, only get to be 4,5 or 6 inches as adults. There are always "small" fish to be had. The second belief being based on the idea that the fish want to feed efficiently going into winter, one big meal rather than chasing a bunch of little meals. If you drop a small glider, creature or even a tube jig in the right spot and make it an easy meal, they won't pass it up. They are feeding and will take advantage of any easy meal.
Big baits catch big fish at any time of the year, and so do the little baits. Throw what you have confidence in, it's all good.
Good Luck! They are getting fatter every day.
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Posts: 184
Location: Rockford Il 61108 | Thanks for the input fellas, I appreciate it.
Evar D Keep pluggin |
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Posts: 202
Location: Angola, IN | I totally disagree. Big baits can equal big fish. Sure, you can catch monster fish on bass or walleye lures....look at Ken O'Brien's 65 pounder. However, when you're trolling and constantly putting the lure in the strike zone, smaller fish usually hit the smaller lures. If you're trolling two 6" lures and one 12" lure and the rod goes off with the 12" lure, you can bet it's gonna be a decent fish. I guess, to better state what I'm trying to say is.....small lures catch big and small fish, but big lures tend to catch big fish. |
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Posts: 906
Location: Warroad, Mn | My experience is that big lures are generally better for big fish than small lures. You can catch large fish on small lures, and visa versa, but mother nature will tell big fish to eat big things. Doug Johnson |
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Posts: 1430
Location: Eastern Ontario | I am part of the group that believes big baits = big fish. Yes big girls can eat small stuff but you're putting the odds in your favor with the bigger baits. One thing I have not seen mentioned here is that when using smaller baits not only you have to weed through the smaller muskies but walleyes, bass and pike as well. Now when you are reeling in them small fish you are losing time and lowering your chances at the big girls. Fishing for trophys is a different game and using bigger baits is one of the main part of it. Now figure out the location and presentation part of the equation and your in the money.  |
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Posts: 132
Location: Kawarthas, Ontario | I would agree that normally big baits do equal bigger fish, but there are exceptions to this. Perception can make a bait appear bigger than it is... spinnerbaits with overly large blades or the big Eppinger 300 spoons are examples of this. I have to admit that I catch on awful lot of 40 inch plus muskies on baits in the 5 to 7 inch range. I can also state that the muskies that I've caught on a 16" Ukko, which is a huge bait in anyone's book, were 35 and 36" respectively. (Who'd have guessed?)
If you troll in areas where smaller fish inter-mix with larger fish, a bigger bait is a good way to weed-out the smaller fish. However, in some lakes, the larger fish tend to set-up geographically in very different locations than their smaller brethren. In this case, you're free to use whatever works. And I have repeatedly found that when the fishing conditions are the toughest, down-sizing the bait is often the best way to turn a no-fish day, into a 1-2 fish day.
Steve Wickens
STRIKE ZONE Muskie Charters |
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Posts: 389
Location: Presque Isle Wisconsin | Definately in the big bait = big fish camp. Exceptions though! If I know they are working over perch or ciscoes on a certain structure I will throw whatever I think is closest in size action and color to the forage.
Having said that The biggest fish I have caught or seen were on exceptionally large lures in the 11 to 14 inch range or suckers in the 20 to 22 inch range. Way to many times over too many years to be a coincidence.
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Bigger, Better