Bigger Bass

Question
Dear Mark, I am a tournament bass angler and my question is. Need to find the big ones. The next lake I will be fishing is almost covered in weeds
crank baits are almost out maybe jerks and sticks can be used. I mainly fish shorelines with jigs-n-pigs, and soft plastics. Spinner baits work well here, but only catching in the one pound range. Catching alot of fish but not the quality needed to be in the top ten. Need some tips on offshore I see the boats in the middle of the lake. And the guys brings in the big sacks you never see on the shoreline. tks

Answer
Hey Chris, How are you?  Thanks for the question! My apologies for not getting to you sooner...just finished workin' 36 straight...gotta work to keep on fishin'. Anyway, let's take a good look at your fishing dilema.
 I wish I had more information about your lake or when your next tournament is but I can still take a solid shot at things.
 You're finding the smaller fish simply because they are more active. The larger fish are trying to get more bang for the buck and in the warmer water temperatures still try to conserve energy and stay comfortable. The guys you are seeing in the middle of the lake are structure fishing...the fish you are taking are more than likely scattered feeders.
 Get ahold of a good topography map of the lake and lets stick to the basics of structure fishing. IF you don't have a map available ( a local tackle shop...if not the U.S. Geological Survey can get you the quadrangle of the area and you can map the lake yourself...you need only the high water elevation of the lake and the location of any dams.)then you'll have to use that which often separates the men from the boys...read the terrain and the water. Lets look at the map first.
 Once you have the map of the lake or geography of the area, look for the underwater features that are going to hold fish; points, creek/river channels, road beds,rock piles, sunken trees, humps and even old buildings and fence rows. If you have halfway decent eyesight and an adequate fish finder (better yet, we'll call it a structure finder)...you'll be in business in no time at all but remember, there are lots of variables that can affect where the bigger fish are. The primary variable is food and it's followed by comfort.
 Food? What is the primary forage for the fish in your lake? Is it shad or other baitfish? Is it crustaceans like crawdads or freshwater shrimp? Where is the forage? Are you able to meter the schools of baitfish? This is where you need to learn to truely "pattern" the fish. You want to strive to bring as many variables together at once as you can...find the stucture...find the comfort...find the food...find the fish. Trust me, the fish will be near if you find the forage.
 Now, most of the big fish will most often be a bit more anti-social than the smaller ones and the schools or concentrations of fish will often not be as large. Remember a basic premis...the vast majority of largemouth and smallmouth bass spend most of their time in the deep water and they ALWAYS relate to some type of structure. They use structure both for "comfort" and protection and also as a roadmap to the feeding areas. The deepwater sanctuary may be as obvious as a rock pile, tree or dropoff say, at the end of a point in 35 feet of water. Daily, and often multiple times in the same day, the fish will move from the deep santuary up the water column to say, a rock on the point in 24 feet of water. THen they will see that "reference" and continue to a small ledge in 15 feet of water then a brushpile in 10 and if they haven't located the food they seek, they'll often "scatter"...checking the shallows and other structure in the area. If they find food in abundance they will rarely scatter. Remember that actively feeding fish are the easy ones to catch...and at this time of year, the fish are cranked up from the higher temps and "cranks" can often catch lots of them as can spinnerbaits. THe BIGGER fish however, often will not migrate with the smaller ones opting to conserve energy, stay near their "comfort zone" so to speak and pick off easy, often larger meals. I dearly love to fish larger plastics...say 8 to ten inch worms on these deeper fish. If they are reachable with a deep crankbait, you can often score heavily as well.
 Remember the migration route idea and try to map numerous ones out on your lake.( you can also map backwards from the area where you're finding lots of smaller fish and back track to structure that may lead to the deep santuary). When you find that perfect combination of structure, temperature and forage look for the fish by fishing...not by staring at your meter! (of course if ya spot'em on the meter, they just might be bass...sorry man they also might be 10lb channel cats or even carp!)Try Working a soft stick bait deep or dropshotting a 6 inch worm...or work a big funky plastic like a lizard or "Swampthing" type bait. Of course with weather and seasons, techniques will change so stay flexible. MOST IMPORTANTLY>>>TO BE CONSISTANTLY SUCCESSFUL IN THE TOURNAMENTS OR YOUR DAILY FISHING FOR THAT MATTER, DO NOT GIVE UP ON DEEP STRUCTURE FISHING UNTIL YOU MASTER IT!!!
 As for "reading" the terrain...this is something you're probably doing now in the shallows...just remember that points usually lead to deeper water. Dead trees and snags may go from the shoreline to the deepest part of the lake. Road beds often are spotted with a keen eye going from the bank into the water and perhaps back out on the other side of the lake. Also, when you are fishing the shoreline...look for subtle differences in the structure...a larger rock...a change from cattails to tules or bullrushes...a sand bank to gravel or gravel to broken rock...these changes or "breaks" will very often hold the larger fish that are holding up and waiting for the food to come to them! Don't discredit the shallows! I once took a 9 lb fish on a slow-rolled spinnerbait in 18 inches of stained water that was nearly 80 degrees!
 Here's another tip...if your lakes water level varies greatly from month to month or seson to season, remember to get out there at the lowest water and map all the structure that will be submerged when the water rises or that simply may be exposed and still in the water...that is info worth dollars in your pocket in tourney winnings!
 Well Chris, I hope that was of some help...if not, feel free to write me back and give me some more specifics about the body of water...oops...if forgot...if the lake is "weed covered" with FLOATING mats of weeds, like hydrilla, find the mats that are OVER the deep structure (rock piles, creek channels etc...the fish also migrate vertically!
  Hope you have fun in the tournament...le'me know how you do.
     Good fishing and GREAT catching...
      Mark Rimmer- AllExperts.com
         or email me at [email protected]