Most recent issue of the NAFC magazine features an article on a study of lure size and it’s relationship to the size and numbers of fish caught.The numbers are in and results clear. Bigger Is Better! At least if you’re after the trouphy size fish.
Numbers went to the small and mid sized baits but the odds for catching the big boys was clearly way in favor of the big baits.The study was done solely on largemouth bass. This might not be great news for some and doesn’t make for the easiest day of casting but the really big bass it seems would be best targeted with
BIG flies. Might not be what we might wish but it’s what the fish apparently prefer most often and they are the ones with the real say in the matter.
With the materials available today, it isn’t that difficult to tie a large fly, 6 to 10 inches that won’t wear your arm out. Just need to do a bit of pre planning. Figure on tying it out artificial materials, that don’t absorb water or shed it quickly. Take a look outside of “fly fishing” hooks. There are several brands of straight shanked light wire worm hooks that are size 1/0, 2/0 or larger that are strong and not nearly as heavy as the equivalent salt water fly hook that would be using for a large fly.
I would have to agree with the article, especially with Large Mouth Bass. My largest fish are almost always caught on large 7-9 inch streamers. When tied using Icelandic Sheep hair they are not too difficult to cast, however, be prepared to catch a whole lot fewer fish.
I’m with Jim Smith. That’s why unless the big fish are really turned on, I mostly use smaller flies. I don’t like to turn down any respectable fish to include crappie, sunfish, sandbass, carp and small bass.
This may at times be water body dependent. One little piece of water I used to frequent yielded its largest bass to me on size 16 poppers. Another pool on a local river those same poppers were totally ineffective, but some NICE fish took size 2 hairwing streamers.
I agree that for large LMB, large flies or large lures tend to do better for me but there are exceptions. Namely, educated LMB that no longer take large flies and large lures after being caught on them for so long but only bite smaller flies and smaller lures.
Another exception is when I caught a 10 lb. LMB sow (she was roed) in a deep hole on a small creek on a commercial #8 Dixie Devil (yellow chartreuse) popper a long time ago .
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL
“Flip a fly”
[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 09 March 2005).]
I agree that it can be either water or weather dependent…I fish 1 pond where I will start with about a 6"-8" rabbit strip & may end up with more & larger bass on a size 6 Sneaky Pete…this place is a “bass factory”, but you had better have a variety of flies. I have actually caught 4 lb class LM Bass there while fishing size 8-12 flies for gills. I will say that, as stated earlier, I start with the larger flies for bass & that is how I generally do best on the larger bass. Just not ALWAYS.
Mike
Well, speaking of lmb, I must agree that they like bigger lures or flies mostly, but there are exceptions, and sometimes using small flies willget more strikes from big fish than using large flies, I had an experience with those really small flies I was fishing a trout pond using a size 18 bloodworm and got an 8 lb lmb!!! so I just think that they might eat what ever looks like an easy meal .
I know that one of the considerations of using larger hooks is their ability to embed and hold securely. The size 16 I was using normally purchased into the “skin” lining the inside of the lower jaw. It almost always held securely enough to turn the fish on a tight line.
The few on which it pulled loose deserved their freedom.
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