Dreaming of a double-digit bass

[Captain Phil]

Of course you could get lucky.  Here's an 11.5 caught flipping near my boat dock in Lake Eustis.  This was when I had hair!  

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

20 hours ago, Woody B said:

I saw a local "hero" a while back pulling a decent size Bass out of his livewell taking pictures at different areas of the lake he was fishing.  His social media post that day was bragging about how many he caught.   It was different views and angles of the same fish.   

 

What a sad, little man.

 

20 hours ago, Woody B said:

I fished with a guide once.   (in Florida BTW)  I caught some nice Bass, including an 8 pounder and a couple 7 pounders.  It just wasn't for me.   

 

Like you, Woody, I want to find my fish. That's my fun, finding them. For about the last five trips in a row, I found them in different places. It's an Easter Egg hunt! 

 

I don't want to be a pretty princess with Ye Royal Egg Finder pointing at each egg for me, just so I could say to the court, "Look, I found the most! I win again!"

 

A DD is so arbitrary anyway. It exists because we use a Base 10 system. With a different system, we'd have a different cutoff. 

 

Numbers-wise, I use a Base @WRB system. The cutoff is a 17-pounder. I'll never catch one, so I'm happy to catch the bass I do catch. 

[A-Jay]

On 5/4/2024 at 4:45 AM, Dervish said:

 Christ, those tactical bassin guys make it sound easy.  I just want one.  Then I can die off in peace and leave a mount for somebody else to deal with.

 

 

It's not easy but it sure is fun,

if you're into that type of thing.

Dreaming about something is cool.

Hoping for that same something is important too.

But hope isn't a strategy.

DD fish are hard to find, hook, fight, and land.

Folks who say that are not, probably haven't caught many.

Dreams can come true, but IMO, it's the planning, effort, drive & suffering

that ARE the REAL satisfaction of catching a DD bass. 

Many folks start the journey but 99% give up very early on,

because it is hard.

Watching this clip of my friend Big Fish Jeff Landing back to back DD bass,

always makes my day better.

So Glad I had the GoPro's running. 

Good Luck on your quest. 

A-Jay

 

 

[Captain Phil]

Here's a story that might help you in your quest. If nothing else, it may amuse you.  When I was a youngster, I dreamed of catch a big bass.  I lived in South Florida, so there were big bass available to me. I tried and tried and the biggest bass I caught was 6 1/4 pounds.  Back in the 70s, there was a big plastic worm called a Hawg Hunter.  To say it was huge would be an understatement.  It sounded like a whip on the cast.  It was 13" long, at least 3/4" wide and 1/4" thick with two hooks impeded into it.  I decided to fish for nothing except big fish.  One day I was running down L67 canal in the Everglades.  The bottom of those canals is as flat as a plate.   My flasher showed something big on the bottom, which was unusual.  I stopped and casted out a black Hawg Hunter.  I immediately caught a big mudfish (bowfin). I unhooked the fish and cast again.  Another giant mudfish took my worm.  That was fun, so I cast back out and got another hit.  This fish was different.  Instead of rolling on the line, it came to the surface. You guessed it, a 8 1/2 pound largemouth was on my line.  I had that fish mounted and hung it on the wall for a long time. Once I broke the ice, my luck improved. I won't bore you with more fishing stories, but I have caught at least a dozen double digit bass since then.  Here's my advice.  You can get lucky and catch a big bass anywhere and at any time.  To up your chances keep this in mind, Big bass eat big food and they don't eat often. It takes patience, but you can do it.  Most truely large bass never get caught, they die of old age. 

[Swamp Girl]

41 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Big bass eat big food and they don't eat often.

 

This sounds right. Thanks for the story. I love 'em!

[Susky River Rat]

It’s interesting how everyone has their own tick with bass fishing. Some want DD. Some like the simple serentiy of untouched water(cough @ol'crickety). Some just like breaking down water. Others like getting people on fish. Some fish tournaments. Some just like having their rod bent. 
 

i wish you luck on this endeavor but, do not get to caught up you forget to have fun fishing.

[Swamp Girl]

10 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

Some like the simple serentiy of untouched water(cough @ol'crickety).

 

Yep, that's me. Before I found some bass the last time I was out, the swallows were swirling around me and the red-winged blackbirds were following me, watching me fish, and I was so happy. In the rain and 47 degrees, so happy. Then, when I finally found some bass, I was even happier!

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Captain Phil said:

To up your chances keep this in mind, Big bass eat big food and they don't eat often.

 

Foward Facing Sonar has undoubtedly proven that to be false.

[Captain Phil]

2 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Foward Facing Sonar has undoubtedly proven that to be false.

 

It's due to climate change!   😅

[Reel]

Just to show that there is more than one way to skin a cat, I caught my personnal best american bass (around 9 pounds) from  what I believe is that same everglades canal ( Captain Phil L67 ) I had figured out the pattern and was going from one good spot to another using  Sweet Water Chubs, a small plastic lure that looks like a 3 inch Slug-O.  I was catching medium size fish ( 3-4 pounders) until I reached one opening where the water from the flat was going back into the canal.  Just at the mouth of the opening I could see a couple of bass that were of good size.  They were coming to the surface and chasing small minnows that were coming in with the water discharge.  One cast with a Pop-R and one of the big fish was in the boat

[Captain Phil]

My first double digit bass (11.25) was caught in Lake Okeechobee on a 6" Creme Scoundrel.  I was at the right place at the right time.  I moved to Central Florida in 1996 when the Harris Chain was supposedly dead and the water looked like coffee with too much cream.  All my double digit bass since then have been caught flipping heavy cover including the bass in the photo above.  I have never owned a live scope, forward facing sonar or any of the electronic gadgets anglers use today.  My boat does not have power poles or sponsor placards.  What does this prove?  Absolutely nothing!  😃

[FishTax]

I'd love to catch one at some point. I'm pretty sure one has looked at one of my lures before. She probably laughed and took off. 

I love the hunt. Catching a DD on public water in NC is certainly an achievement, but I also think it's very doable. The time investment is the hardest part from my perspective. 

[Zcoker]

Try some night fishing. I do it all the time out in the south Florida everglades and have great success with trophy size fish because they're the main player at night. They're sneaky, sly, and cunning. They might even follow you around. And when they decided to hit, it's like a bomb going off, so be prepared! Night fishing works well because it frees up the days for any other obstacle that would normally prevent you from going, like a job or a family. Just have to adjust with cat-naps and so fourth. I work full time, have a family, and put in just as many hours fishing as a single person with no responsibilities who fishes all the time. So it's very doable and does solve a lot of the problems that you described. Plus it offers you the biggest chance to get the biggest fish in any body of water. Guys like Pat Cullen figured the same thing out for himself, thousands for him. Jimmy Zinker here in Florida doing it right now and is into the hundreds. So try it. I know you'll at least start getting 7's and 8's because I get those all the time like clockwork. Regardless, most all fish that hit at night are going to be on the larger size. Just have to re-learn and re-adjust everything that you already know about bass fishing because it's a whole different world out there in the dark!

[txchaser]

IMO five hours with a good guide (and the right asks to the guide) is worth hundreds of hours of time on the water. Tell them you are trying to target bigger fish and you want to learn where and how to fish for them. 

 

Based on some @WRB commentary I started treating big bass like a different species. For me, that helped. 

[thediscochef]

I'm positive I've had my lure bitten by one or two, which hurts to know but also confirms I occasionally do one thing right. The trouble is that I haven't figured out what that one thing is. A DD is my ultimate goal in bass fishing, but it's important to think about life after the fact too. I get the feeling I'm gonna wonder "now what?" on the same day I catch one, if ever.

[Captain Phil]

19 hours ago, Zcoker said:

Try some night fishing. I do is all the time out in the south Florida everglades and have great success with trophy size fish because they're the main player at night. They're sneaky, sly, and cunning. They might even follow you around. And when they decided to hit, it's like a bomb going off, so be prepared! Night fishing works well because it frees up the days for any other obstacle that would normally prevent you from going, like a job or a family. Just have to adjust with cat-naps and so fourth. I work full time, have a family, and put in just as many hours fishing as a single person with no responsibilities who fishes all the time. So it's very doable and does solve a lot of the problems that you described. Plus it offers you the biggest chance to get the biggest fish in any body of water. Guys like Pat Cullen figured the same thing out for himself, thousands for him. Jimmy Zinker here in Florida doing it right now and is into the hundreds. So try it. I know you'll at least start getting 7's and 8's because I get those all the time like clockwork. Regardless, most all fish that hit at night are going to be on the larger size. Just have to re-learn and re-adjust everything that you already know about bass fishing because it's a whole different world out there in the dark!

 

I enjoyed your post.  It brought back a lot of memories for me. I started night fishing the Glades when I was 12. I have written about this many times on this forum.  A few thoughts from an old man.   Night fishing is for young fit anglers. Even then, they shouldn't fish alone.  The smallest things can quickly turn into a nasty problem. I fished the Everglades alone in the dark and never had a problem.  I was lucky and foolish.  I have passed more than one dead body laying on the ramp.  It's normally someone who fished alone.  Two good friends of mine fishing a night tournament on the Harris Chain hit something in the water running at night.  It broke a huge hole in their boat and they were lucky to make it back to the ramp. You could fall out of the boat.  You could hook yourself to a big bass.  You could have a stroke or a heart attack. Be careful out there! 

[Zcoker]

3 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

 

 You could fall out of the boat.  You could hook yourself to a big bass.  You could have a stroke or a heart attack. Be careful out there! 

 

Out of all of these statements, I'll take take "you could hook yourself to a big bass" because they practically drag me overboard! Yes, it's a very dangerous activity just like many other things in life but it can be done safely and responsibly, imho. I've adapted over many years to the night fishing life, so much so that it has become much like any daytime activity. That kinda normalcy and confidence has been earned, almost like a sixth sense. Takes time and a lotta experience to deal with any pitfalls at night. I wouldn't recommend to anyone to go at it alone but to slowly ease into it comfortably and safely. There's some great post on this site for anyone interested in night fishing, from guys like you as well as many others. Aside from that, there's a risk with anything in life, day or night, even while sleeping. 

[Pat Brown]

If you're night fishing the bank wear some stiff boots.  Ole Danger Noodle is fishing too almost every night.

[Zcoker]

I will add this: going after a DD bass or trophy hunting is an activity that can go way beyond regular bass fishing. It can press the limits with all things in life, including things never done before. I recall a quote about trophy tarpon fishing that I saved because I was chasing trophies myself with my Florida tarpon tag: "Tarpon addiction has led to divorce, fist fights and mysteriously sunken skiffs. Writers have described the experience as akin to electrocution without the harmful side effects; the transfer of energy from fish to angler provides a mind-altering jolt." It can be the same way with with DD or trophy bass fishing, imho. Gotta push those boundaries. Only in this way can one open the doors in pursuit of these very smart fish. They've been around for a long, long time, overcoming some incredible odds, including evading us! 

[Pat Brown]

Yeah, hoping that luck leads to something extraordinary very rarely works out in life.  Extraordinary things happen to people who push boundaries and take risks. That's just the way it goes. Same with bass fishing. Good point @Zcoker

[A-Jay]

8 hours ago, thediscochef said:

 A DD is my ultimate goal in bass fishing, but it's important to think about life after the fact too. I get the feeling I'm gonna wonder "now what?" on the same day I catch one, if ever.

I can only offer my own personal feelings on this.

My answer after a plus size catch ALWAYS IS "Let's Do That Again".

https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?feature=shared&t=573

The addiction is real and in many ways much of my life revolves around it. 

I like it that way.

A-Jay

 

[Captain Phil]

A few thoughts come to mind.  The scariest night bass fishing I have done was fishing Lake Okeechobee.  Just being on that huge lake at night is frightening.  Having the entire lake to yourself is an experience.  Looking over your shoulder in the dark at 40 miles of black water is intimidating to say the least.  That was nothing like when we used to get up at 2 AM to catch live bait on the reefs off Miami.  You are running through a narrow ocean cut in the dark.  You can hear the waves crashing, but you have no idea how big they are.  Are they 3 feet tall or 30!!  Bimini at night is an experience.  Try coming into the Cat Cay Harbor not knowing where the rocks start and end!  Enough reminiscing, I'm going back to bed.  😊

[Zcoker]

11 hours ago, thediscochef said:

 A DD is my ultimate goal in bass fishing, but it's important to think about life after the fact too. I get the feeling I'm gonna wonder "now what?" on the same day I catch one, if ever.

 

That feeling never crossed my mind. It's one of those experiences where the rush of catching a DD is as great if not greater than the actual catch itself. I once caught a bass that I weighed in close to 12 pounds and I was so rushed up with adrenaline and excitement that when I went to pull her back out of the water where I was holder her, she shook me off with a tail slap, saying bye bye! Only thing I could think of after that was to catch another one to have that rush all over again! 

[Pat Brown]

Found one that decided that the new moon was a great time to lay eggs this morning.  27" long and easily 10" tall and 10" wide.

 

 

That's a special fish.  Her tail is the size of my hand.

[MediumMouthBass]

3 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Found one that decided that the new moon was a great time to lay eggs this morning.  27" long and easily 10" tall and 10" wide.

 

 

That's a special fish.  Her tail is the size of my hand.

@Dervish if you really, really want to catch a big bass, for a low price of just $2,500 plus shipping and handling @Pat Brown will tell you where this magnificent bass is! Call in the next 5 minutes and he will even throw in a free Jig.

 

Jokes aside thats a magnificent bass right there, it always upsets me though how cameras usually dont pick up how huge a bass actually is and the colors of them, versus how we actually see it with our eyes.

I just checked google and it states that bass should be between 11-13lbs. Wow