# What is considered a big bass?



## TIGGER (Jan 17, 2006)

How do you personally judge a big bass?. Length or weight? 20" or larger or 5 lbs and greater for examples.


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## liquidsoap (Oct 22, 2005)

I do weight, I consider anything over 3# a good bass. Anything over 5# a big bass!


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

I was gonna buy a scale today(my first). Went to Dick's saw the Rapala digi scale that goes to 12 lbs. Its hook is a large diameter. I decided I didn't want to poke large holes in the smallies. A small tape measure will be fine.


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## Yanks (Oct 4, 2005)

crawdiddy said:


> I was gonna buy a scale today(my first). Went to Dick's saw the Rapala digi scale that goes to 12 lbs. Its hook is a large diameter. I decided I didn't want to poke large holes in the smallies. A small tape measure will be fine.


Why would you have to poke holes in them? 

Big Bass to me = 3+ lbs.. 

HUGE bass to me = 6+ lbs


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

maybe no need to poke holes. I fish mostly for smallmouth. I just don't see one sitting still long enough to get a measurement. I see it flopping off the hook.


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## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

big -- 4 - 7 lbs.
big mamma! -- 7+


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Crawdiddiy, Land your fish with a net, weigh net and fish together, subtract weight of net and voila, you get the weight of your fish.


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

thanks for the great tip whaler!


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## bassteaser1 (Apr 13, 2004)

If it peels drag it's a big bass....that is of course if your drag is too loose!


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

Depends on where I am fishing, here in ohio anything over 4 pounds is big, down south to florida then it takes 6 pounds to become big.


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

Smallmouth (not including Erie) 18" or bigger is a big fish.
Largemouth 19" or bigger.
Rock Bass 10.75"
White Bass 15"


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## zachtrouter (May 1, 2006)

liquidsoap said:


> I do weight, I consider anything over 3# a good bass. Anything over 5# a big bass!


I agree with this man. 
Now smallies is a different story. I think a 2# smallie is something serious. Fights like a 5# largemouth


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

crawdiddy said:


> Smallmouth (not including Erie) 18" or bigger is a big fish.
> Largemouth 19" or bigger.
> Rock Bass 10.75"
> White Bass 15"


While I will agree that any smallie over 18" is a big fish....A true HOG smallie should be nothing short of 22"...I can usually catch several 19"-20" smallies every year...But have only managed ONE 22"+ in the past three years (went 22.5"). Now I don't have much evidence to support my theory, but I believe once these (river) smalles reach "monster" size they only feed on decent size bluegill,crappie,chubs....and they laugh @ 3" twisters and tubes..Only way your going to get them is to throw something huge....Like a musky lure or a 7" bluegill on a slip float (thats what I got mine on while flathead fishing )


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

As far as Smallmmout go, I think body of water plays a big role. A 20 inch Smallie may not be huge for Erie stadards, but it is Giant for just about any other creek or river here in Ohio. For the people that claim to catch 19-20 inch Smallies all day in Ohio, outsid eof Erie, well I would have to see it to beleive it.

Largemouth, I say anything over 4# is big, 5#+ is Really Big.


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## zachtrouter (May 1, 2006)

H2O Mellon said:


> As far as Smallmmout go, I think body of water plays a big role. A 20 inch Smallie may not be huge for Erie stadards, but it is Giant for just about any other creek or river here in Ohio. For the people that claim to catch 19-20 inch Smallies all day in Ohio, outsid eof Erie, well I would have to see it to beleive it.
> 
> Largemouth, I say anything over 4# is big, 5#+ is Really Big.


I dont fish erie but twice a year. Never for smallies. I get all my smallies out of the hoga'. As far as seeing it is believing it


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## BornToFish (Aug 22, 2005)

I'm usually good for at least a couple of large smallies a year out of rivers/streams. I consider anything over 17 inches in a river, pretty nice. My biggest was a 21 1/4 inch, 4 1/4# several years back in SouthWestern Ohio. Alot of guys, don't ever really measure there fish correctly, nor do they weigh them on calibrated scales.>BornToFish


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## bigcat46 (Dec 15, 2004)

I agree with most that over 3 is a good bass, and over 6 is a Big Bass.


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## billybob7059 (Mar 27, 2005)

In ohio LargeMouth bass 21 inches or over 3 pounds is a big fish.
as for smallies I would go with the 18 inch mark. There are few of those in ohios rivers and streams.


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## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

4 pounds and up


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## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

in ohio.... for river smallies.... remember that they fight just about as hard as a largemouth about twice there size.... 2lbs river smallie = WOOO HANG ON.... 2lbs LM are still fun.... just not as fun as a 2lb river smallie and no where neer as fun as a 2lb pike


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## Marshall (Apr 11, 2004)

Big bass is one that wins you money. At griggs on tuesday evening a 2lber can win you big bass. For Ohio I consider a 5lber to be a big bass. But a 6 or 7 to be a trophy for largemouth.


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## Canoe (May 3, 2006)

I took the missus out for her first ever fishing experience last week. She did very well casting a spinning rod and her first 15 minutes of effort paid off with a 14" LM. To her that fish was huge!

"Did you know that if you look into it's mouth you can see right through the gills and everything?". (just one of many great quotes she had that afternoon)

Big is relative.


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## Steel Cranium (Aug 22, 2005)

As mentioned earlier, depends on where it is caught. Ohio? I consider 20" as a mark for a big bass. Further north, the size gets smaller. I picked this one up in the Michigan U.P. last week, along with many others around the same size (16-20"). The locals considered these big bass for up there, along with the 12-15" crappies in the same area. On the other extreme, I fished a lake in Florida that had a 23" minimum size limit.


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## liquidsoap (Oct 22, 2005)

Steel Cranium said:


> As mentioned earlier, depends on where it is caught. Ohio? I consider 20" as a mark for a big bass. Further north, the size gets smaller. I picked this one up in the Michigan U.P. last week, along with many others around the same size (16-20"). The locals considered these big bass for up there, along with the 12-15" crappies in the same area. On the other extreme, I fished a lake in Florida that had a 23" minimum size limit.


Nice fish SC, is that drinking while fishing????
Gotta love vacation


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## madcrappiekids (Mar 11, 2006)

I think size is more about where you are fishing. I know on a private pond you can catch 4+ pounders all day and on a public lake it may be one every so often.


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## big fish (Oct 9, 2005)

what ever you have to fight for a long time i think is considered a big fish


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## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

big fish said:


> what ever you have to fight for a long time i think is considered a big fish



i agree lol


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

what about a 14" smallie on an ultralight with 4 lb test? A good fish for sure but a big fish? What am I talking about its been a month since I've caught a 11" smallie?!?!?


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## ill be on the water (Jun 5, 2005)

Whaler said:


> Crawdiddiy, Land your fish with a net, weigh net and fish together, subtract weight of net and voila, you get the weight of your fish.


Thats exactly what I do. My net weighs, about 0.5lbs


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

that's a good way to do it. that way you don't poke an additional (bigger) hole into the fish. We've all caught bass that we've seen healing from hooks, etc (sometimes they don't look so good, it forms a flesh ball, etc).


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