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| Does anyone here catch good fish on small baits, or should I keep buying larger 8" or better baits? |
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| The smallest bait I've caught a musky with caught my biggest fish. You often hear of big muskies caught on walleye and crappie jigs and worms and corn...you never know what will happen. Then again big baits catch big fish too. |
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| Even though I usually Throw larger baits there are definately times and places where a smaller bait is called for. Seasonal factors such as early in the year or forage base reasons may dictate the use of something small. The classic time to use small baits is the dreaded summer cold front. The past two seasons Ive used a salt water lure called the sandViper 51/2" from Predatek tackle online. Its been a real producer.
Keep in mind the old adage that :Elephants eat peanuts. |
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| Good one!! That is one I will use in the future, for sure.
My biggest Wisconsin fish was taken on a baby creature during October back when Pluto was a puppy. The fish was in about 4' of water in a pocket in the heavy cabbage, and I couldn't get her to come out and take a look at anything, so I dropped a short cast with that slow dropping creature in there, and she ate it...( that fish is in the now much maligned 'John Denver' picture, I think). I have several over 50" using a jig and creature that wouldn't break 5 1/2" total lure length.
I use lure size to match the fish location and what I think the pattern might be. I also have caught TINY pike and muskies on baits large enough to make two piles of kindling from. |
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| The SandViper can be seen at Aussietackle.com |
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| most big fish I've hooked came on lures in the 5.5" to 7" range.
As far as small lures is concerned, I strongly believe you'll get more takes and catch more fish with small lures, not necessarily only small fish though. |
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| The biggest fish I have ever hooked casting was on a bagley monster shad, 5" long, did not land it but it was beeg! One of my parents had a nice fish up this year on the small bulldawg which would have been my biggest for the year had I caught it.
Conversley, I have caught 12" bass and 20" pike on a squiley burt and had a 24" muskie try to eat my 10" widowmaker cigar glider. I think the glider weighted more than the fish.
I think bait size can be important at times but since feeding is such an oprtunistic thing, that almost any sized bait can catch a big fish. |
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| I caught a 45 incher this year in the middle of Oct. on a 6 inch Phantom glide bait! Several years ago I caught a 45 incher on a 6 inch Reef Hawg on Nov 6th.
Big fish will eat small lures anytime of the year. In fact, small lures are quickly becoming a necessity on the heavily pressured waters of No. Wisconsin. God bless.
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| 4" Crankbait! and a 46" by my wife casting.
I have fish up to 47" in the boat on small cranks, they really do produce big muskies on waters with small forage bases and lots of preasure. |
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| I've had several Muskies in the 45-48" range eat my 6" reef hawgs in the past two seasons at times I never used to use them. I get most of my May and June big fish on those and 6" jakes, but have started using my 6" Reef hawgs during summer and fall more as search lures fast, or as a throwback with success. With that said, I still believe big baits are key for big fish most of the time, including spring, but at times those smaller lures are really all it takes to make a zippo day light up with a camera flash or two.
The other times I've seen it and it has been beated to death, but a fish that is pressured, and I mean one that has already seen a few bigger baits that day or even hour will often eat something smaller. I've also seen it go the other way where they will eat the bigger bait after seeing smaller lures, so watch what others are doing too, and toss em something different.
One thing that also seems to be a really good trigger for me with the bigger fish on the smaller lures is a game of keep away. I try to get that hawg hoppin' as fast as I can when I know a fish is theyre, and pause it at the last second when the lure reaches either shore or the boat.
Good luck in 03!!! |
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| I think that the bait's action and amount and size of the bait fish play in part of what size bait can be hot. Smaller baits can (and do) produce big fish when the lake has a food sorce of small minnows and stunted panfish. |
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| Magnum BullDawgs + Eagle Lake = BIG Fish
Magnum VooDooTails + Eagle Lake = BIG Fish
With these equations up, I will add that some of the biggest fish I've caught have come on smaller bucktails and reapers/creatures, early in the season.
I know that each year there are some HUGE fish caught early on jig/creature-reaper combos.
I believe time of year has "something" to do with this, but not everything. I am hoping everyone doesn't jump up and hollar, "but I caught my biggest fish in early September on a banjominnow."
I start throwing the Magnum BullDawg right from opener, until the end. I believe to really large fish, the Mag Dawg, Mag VooDooTail, 9" Granny, and so on, are still small baits.
I can't tell you of the countless 45+" muskies I've had eat walleyes early in the season. It happens all the time, and these walleyes are 12"-17".
So, that is my 2 cents worth.
I believe SIZE DOES MATTER!
Donnie [:bigsmile:] |
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| My son got a 50.5 on a Bagely EZ 3.5 inches long |
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| ffffish,
That is awesome your son caught such a big fish on a small bait. My son Weston's largest fish came on a Harrasser.....small bucktail!
I am just trying to play the odds....what will the WR eat? Remember O'Brien's fish? Rapala....#13 countdown I think!
Hmmmmm....run Forest, run!
Donnie [;)] [;)] [;)] |
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| I think if you are fishing water that has a good population of large fish you are better off going with large lures. This doesn't mean that you can't catch large fish on small lures, but in general big fish eat big things.
I once caught a 51" fish on a 1/4 oz spinner bait. But I've caught a whole lot more of them on 10" Suicks, 10" Believers, and 10" Jakes.
Doug Johnson |
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| I generally try and get a feel for the forage base in the lake and then try and throw baits that match the hatch (heard that somewhere before :).
I have the best luck with baits 3" to 7" on the lakes that I fish the most around here (Fox Chain, Madison Chain, Pewaukee) in Spring and Summer. In the Fall, I usually don't throw much below 7" in hopes of getting a biggun' before freeze up.
If you are on lakes that are sure-fire big fish lakes, you are better off staying big - looking for Shamoo. |
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| Yes, small baits at times mean big fish. In Kentucky I have caught some nice fish using shad rap number "9" s, and 1/2 ounce rattle traps. I am not using these for bass either. Here is a secrect for Lake of The Woods, I will talk about because I know very few people will try it, one of my confidence baits is the Reed Runner spinnerbait in 5/8 ounce size crawdad color, double blade with the larger being cooper stamp, best if you can find ones with number 8 Indiana blade. My third largest musky came on this bait alittle over 50 inches est. weight around 35 lbs. By the way you will also catch a ton of smallmouths. It is a real expensive bait, alot of baitshops have them 3 for $10.00. Good Fishing, Al[:bigsmile:] |
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| For what it's worth, the Nebraska State Record Muskie was caught on...get this...a worm and a bobber. But, seems to me, most Huskers are a little "different", so maybe Husker Muskies are "different", too...!! :)
SLM |
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Posts: 364
Location: in the white boat | I found this thread while searching for clues in the Scavenger Hunt, and wanted to clarify something. The Nebraska State record muskie (41#8oz on 8/9/92) was caught on a Shad Rap, not on a worm. |
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | Small baits do catch big fish. Match the baits to the size of the forage, stunted blue gills/use smaller baits, siscos or big perch/larger baits. First thing you need to do is find the forage of the fish you are targeting, not every spot on the lake will have the same forage. Shallow bays will be different from bars and points in the main basin. Do your homework on the lake your targeting, then bring the lures you will need. I caught 4 muskies last year over 45 inches on baits under 6 inches, when the time and situation calls for small baits don't be afraid to go smaller. Sometimes you can just catch more fish on smaller baits and the big ones will eat those too when presented correctly. Big fish will not pass up a easy meal because its too small, just my opinion. |
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Posts: 5230
| If you threw big baits all season and small baits all season,at the end you would have a much higher average size on the bigger baits.This is muskie fishing which means any thing can happen at any time even on a minimite,you can catch a monster muskie.0723 |
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Posts: 1046
| I have heard so many times about match the hatch in spring and use small lures. i just don`t see it that way as in the spring seems that most of the forage has not spawned yet,everything is really left over from the previous season and for northern waters fish have not seen baits for awhile so I start with the big stuff right away and usually as pre-summer turns to summer and the food chain kicks to high gear and the fish become more pressured i seem to start to throw alot more smaller/speedy baits.There are exceptions to any of the rules I make for myself but for the last couple seasons i have something bigger on my rod alot more then something smaller!I also am not an advocate of musky finnese fishing as you can tell.Small stuff has a time and a place but big is better,just ask your better half! Handy |
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Posts: 129
| lots of good ideas...like with trout I feel fishing pressure can impact the size of lures that fish will respond to.
Many times when fishing for pressured trout going from a size 16 hook to a size 18 hook makes the difference. Even though I throw the
big stuff, my best fish this year was on a small spinnerbait. When you have a lucky day like that you should go out
and but a lottery ticket. Unfortunately, I did not.
tom |
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Do small baits= small fish?