If your catching fish but there all 1-2lbs what do you do to find bigger fish is it the lure or location you change

-Location.   But not a dramatic location change at first.  Sometimes just a little deeper...or shallower, or 5-20 yards away.  Then, if that doesn't work,a bigger move to something very different 

-Speed.  The bigger girls can be in the same neighborhood, but may be more likely to bite a very slow or very fast presentation. 

 I rarely make lure changes to target size, even though I have seen it make a difference by accident. 

It depends.  There is no formula.

Try fishing the same spot or pattern, but a little deeper. 

The highest population of LMB are the smallest size. 12” to 14” LMB are about 2 years in most lakes or ponds and just growing out of the juvenile stage to adult size. They still stay together in groups hunting in packs and very easy to catch.

Bigger bass are adult females and may still hang out in a small group depending on the prey they hunt but tend be loners when not hunting prey.

It’s a pecking order where the best most abundant prey source is available with some type of safe sanctuary.  To catch these big bass you need to target them with lures that represent the abundant prey source when these bass are active.

Sounds simple but remember the big bass population is the smallest numbers in the population.

If you are catching small bass that is the wrong location at that time period, small bass generally avoid big bass.

Location, location, location at the right time with the right lure. 
Big bass eat whatever they when they want to.

Proven lures are jigs, soft plastic worms and swimbaits.

Tom

Not every place has big bass. You might be fishing in a location with a lot of small bass, which have stunted themselves out due to overpopulation. It's always good to fish some new water, give that a try. 

 

Lots of good advice on getting a bigger one to bite. I've had good luck with big bass on squarebills and soft plastic flukes. Try those near ambush points.

 

Big bass are both a numbers and presentation game. There are fewer of them than little bass, so your ratio will almost always favor the smaller side. They have also usually survived because they're smart and have learned common fishing lures mean danger, so throw something they haven't seen in a while.

 

But again, I don't know where you're fishing. Never discount the null hypothesis. There might just be no/very few big bass where you're fishing -- particularly if it's small water.

The big fish seem to always take the best shade or ambush spot. Best dock, best laydown, best weed patch or whatever you have.

Like above, some lakes just do not have many large fish, due to food source, fishing pressure, predators, etc.

On 10/25/2025 at 12:18 PM, WRB-2.0 said:

If you are catching small bass that is the wrong location at that time period, small bass generally avoid big bass.

^^^What Tom said!!!^^^  I fish lakes where 9lb bass are caught annually.  If you are catching 1lb-ers and having a good time, keep slinging.  If you are tired of the 1lb-ers, you'll have to move.  Maybe just a bit deeper or 15 yards down the bank, but they aren't hanging out together.