When you set out on the lake for a day worth of fishing what are you going after? If you catch me on one day I may be targeting a healthy 5 fish limit. But if you catch me when I’m fun fishing I will be looking for one BIG bite. There are certain things you can do to target either BIG fish or numbers.

First we will cover fishing for numbers. Most fish up to a certain size tend to hold in schools and can usually be patterned more easily than larger fish. Once fish get over a certain size, which I feel is different from lake to lake, they will tend to separate from the schools and become loners.  When targeting small fish I tend to use smaller baits such as 7 inch and smaller worms,  small lizards or 1/4 oz spinnerbaits. Another option is small crankbaits such as a bandit 100 or 200 series. You can usually catch numbers of smaller fish together in the same area. They tend to be in more predictable areas usually around bait fish. It is easier to locate smaller fish on a graph than larger fish due to the fact that smaller fish tend to group together more often than big fish do.

Bigger fish are often hard to spot on a graph. They tend to be tight to cover or suspended over open. You may see likely structure or cover but the fish will often be real tight which would make the hard to see.  Bigger fish may be near smaller fish. Sometimes they are deeper or just a little further out than the small fish. These loners usually find the most ideal feeding area to stay in and they usually don’t venture to far from that area. They are usually in a location close to deep safe water and a shallow feeding area. Every once in a while some body gets into a good sack of fish and they pulled them all out of one spot. The best explanation for this occurance was given by Bill Murphy. Big fish stay out deep as loners but they may share feeding grounds with other big fish. It’s like going to a restaurant we may all be eating at the same place but that doesn’t mean we go home together. Same thing when big fish are feeding it is possible to find more than one together especially since the area they feed is obviously a very good area to feed. The tougher thing is when they are not actively feeding and let’s face it how often do you get to fish an “active” feed. When targeting big fish upsize your presentation and fish slow. A big fish is looking for the most bang for her buck. She would rather eat one good size meal that struggles instead of twenty small ones. I think this should get you headed in the right direction. I would like to reccommend a real good book if you want to target BIG fish. “In Persuit of Giant Bass” by Bill Murphy. It is a very educational read.