Over the past few weeks, I've written a number of articles about catching trophy-sized largemouth bass - bass in the 10 pound class and higher.
Over the past few weeks, I've written a number of articles about catching trophy-sized largemouth bass - bass in the 10 pound class and higher.
Like many bass fishermen, I've been lucky enough to catch not one, but a number of wallhangers, but I've never caught anything larger than 12.2 pounds.
Celebrating my 64th birthday recently and catching up on some long over-due reading, it hit me that I should go on a quest in search of that elusive 12-pound plus bass that I know is currently swimming around in one of our many lakes in Highlands County.
I've been catching bass since I was 12-years old, 50+ years, but I've never actually targeted trophy bass.
Like most fishermen who spend time on the water, I've caught big bass simply as a result of the time spent fishing.
Reading and re-reading books written by big bass experts over the past few weeks has reminded me that they're out there, and that if I really want to target the trophies, I probably need to modify my techniques.
Doug Hannon, widely regarded as bass fishing's greatest living scholar, noted inventor, diver, underwater photographer, filmmaker, lure designer and expert angler shares many idea's on when, where and how to catch not only a wall-hanger, but possibly even a new world record in his book Big Bass Magic.
Cliff notes on the book are not available, but the information provided inside the covers is not only helpful, but targets and helps identify specifically where he believes a world class largemouth might exist, and the most likely way to increase your chances of catching it.
For starters, Hannon writes, "We hear a lot about exotic, faraway places like Cuba and Honduras as the home of world record bass, but the odds are that the fish will come from Central or North-Central Florida: the 150-mile area from Tampa to Gainesville, specifically. Why? North of this area, cold weather shortens the growing season. South of this area, it gets too hot."
The professor goes on to say "In Central Florida where I live, we have an 11 or 12 month growing season for bass, meaning the water temperature causes the bass' metabolic processes to be fairly active most of the time. If a bass gets too hot (over 84 degrees F), being a cold-blooded creature, it seeks to conserve bodily energy by being inactive. If it gets too cold, its metabolism automatically slows down. For a bass to not merely maintain body weight, but to actually grow, takes water in the 50s to the mid-80s, which is what our water is like most of the year."
"Even in huge Lake Okeechobee, it's too hot for bass to get really big. You catch a lot of 5 to 9's there; when I moved to Florida Okeechobee's lake record was only 13 _ pounds. Many states have a record bass bigger than that! So in terms of catching one record fish, you would theoretically have a better chance of catching it in Arkansas or Texas than on Okeechobee. Todays record on Big O is 17 lbs, 3 ounces, but I doubt if this will be broken. I don't think the odds are in favor of a lake with "hot" water."
"The Okeechobee record brings up an interesting point. This huge bass was 32-inches long and may well have attained world record proportions had it been born in Central Florida's waters."
Hannon goes on to discuss how the water transmits sounds and how a bass hears, the importance of vision, lure scents and a multitude of other factors, including weather, wind and the cycles of the moon.
He also touches on catching spawning bass and the fact that although they appear to be heavy at that time of the year, the biggest bass will always be caught in the fall season, well in advance of the spawn.
Reading the professors book, "Big Bass Magic" as well as Glen Lau's "Bigmouth Forever", encouraged me to re-read other bass fishing classics like Bart Crabb's "The Quest for the World Record Bass", Steve Price's book "Big Bass - In Search of Trophy Largemouth" and Bill Siemantel's "Big Bass Zone".
Fortunately for me, I travel a great deal with my job, and between flying and the time spent in hotels, I have plenty of time to read.
The one thing all these books have in common - the one central theme is that big bass do exist, and that a world record may be out there just waiting for you or me to put the right bait in front of them.
By the way, each of the authors felt your chances of catching a true lunker are greatly enhanced with live bait.
Shiners, 10-12 inches long, crayfish, nightcrawlers, leeches and even small bluegills are mentioned often, but I prefer to catch my next wallhanger on an artificial bait.
Rummaging through a half dozen old tackle boxes, I picked out a couple dozen lures I plan to use over the next few months.
Many of these lures, like the old Pikie Minnow and the AC Plug are designed for trolling, and although I'm not a big fan of trolling, I plan to try it with many of these lures.
So why not join me in my quest?
To all of my readers who have caught a trophy bass, try catching one that's even bigger!
And for those of you who are still trying to catch that first double-digit giant, rest assured there are plenty of them out there.
I will be reporting on my progress in the months and maybe the years to come.
Twelve pounds, three ounces is my mark. What about you?
Send me an email and let me know how you're doing on your quest and include a picture and some details.
I'm sure the readers of this column would like to know.
Don Norton is a professional tournament bass fisherman, bass fishing guide, and custom rod builder. He has also taught a few fishing classes at the South Florida Community College. He lives in the Golf Hammock area of Sebring with his wife Lexie and is the owner of a custom rod building company appropriately named "The American Fisherman". He can be reached at 216-339-6571, 330-635-6682 or by email at donorton13@gmail.com. His website address is theamericanfisherman.com.
Friday, October 05, 2012 - www.newssun.com/FRI-10-05-12-FishColumn