Backwater Charlie:

I’m going to start off saying, NO bait is going to insure you a large bass every trip. Gulp is no better than any of the leading bass attractants. There is no magic bass lure. But if i were you fish some big baits. It will eliminate the small fish from biting, if that’s what you want.

Any more questions ?

deerkilla:

the bait doesnt matter all that matters is the fisherman and how good the fisher man is

dumdum:

All you need to know and more- (Answer was given previously by Bass fisherman)
Bank runners. Dinks. Squealers. No matter what you call them, they’re undersized bass that always seem to latch onto your lure. Some lakes are thick with these immature fish, making daily catches of 10 or 25 tiny bass a common occurrence. Although they’re fun to catch, “dinks” can demoralize the angler in search of a lunker. For in bass fishing, many believe it’s quality, not quantity that counts. Most weekend anglers would rather catch one big bass than a bunch of small ones. What steps can you take to increase your odds of boating a trophy? Don’t count on luck; it has little to do with catching lunkers. Instead, use a game plan, one that will significantly increase your chances. The following are tips and tactics from several big bass experts that can move you into a bigger class of fish.

1. Target Shallow Water: Florida’s Doug Hannon spends his time researching and fishing for big bass. Over the years, he’s caught 500 bass exceeding 10 pounds, most of which were from shallow water. The well known expert says when he first began hunting giant bass in Florida in the 1960s, he verified catches of bass 16 pounds and over by interviewing anglers. Ninety percent of these giant fish came from 3 feet of water or less. Hannon insists the bass, as a species, is a shallow water predator: “It’s shape, coloration and physical features dictate that it will most efficient in shallow water. It’s logical to assume the biggest fish will play closest to this ‘rule,’ because bass survive and grow large by following, not breaking , the rules.” One major exception: Recently, giant bass have been caught at great depths in the water reservoirs of Southern California. “Here, the bass and their preferred forage – trout – have both been transplanted,” Hannon adds. “But in most lakes nationwide, the biggest bass will be shallow.”

2.Avoid Concentrations Of Small Bass: It can be fun catching a squealer on every cast, but it won’t put you on the path of a lunker, says fishing pro Charlie Ingram. “Small bass are distracting,” he say. When you’re getting hit after hit, it’s awfully hard to crank up and leave that area, but often that’s exactly what you must do if you’re after a big fish. Ingram, like Hannon, targets shallow water, but says not all shallow areas hold quality fish. This becomes “painfully evident” in a tournament when he catches 100 bass a day but has little weight to show for it. Ingram has discovered big bass prefer large, shallow flats with plenty of cover and an ample supply of baitfish. “Flats provide the basic needs of bass – food, cover and a place to spawn. For big bass, abundant forage is a major key. These fish won’t move far for a meal. Look for schools of baitfish on the surface and use a spinnerbait.

3. Use Big Lures In Murky Water: Bass fishing legend Bill Dance proved that an amazing number of lunker bass can caught in water that looks muddy enough to plow. During a four hour period on a Tennessee river that was rolling brown with mud, Dance and his partner caught more than 100 pounds of largemouth and smallmouth bass. Most of them weighed 3 to 7 pounds each. The key was Dance’s insistence on using big lures. “The finesse fishing craze has taken attention from big artificial lures,” he says. “But where visibility is restricted, big lures are the ticket to success.” Dance believes bass need all the help you can give them in finding your lure in murky water. “A small lure will hurt you here,” he says. “The bass will never see it.” Dance likes big, beefy artificials, especially spinnerbaits, fat crankbaits and oversized jig-n-pigs. He fishes thee tight to cover, mostly when current is present. He says his biggest surprise is how lunker smallmouth nail these big lures. He catches bronzebacks as heavy as 9 pounds in murky water while using the biggest lures in his tackle box. Even with moderate water visibility, Dance chooses bigger lures. “If you see 10 peanuts and one cashew laying on the tabletop, you’d reach for the biggest nut first,” he reasons. It’s the same with big bass. They’re greedy. Why use a lure that’s the same size as the bass’s domain? Give it the chance at a real meal.

4. Fish High-Light Periods In Clear Water: Hannon catches many of his biggest bass from Florida’s super clear lakes and rivers. Surprisingly, most of these are taken not at dawn or dusk, but “smack in the middle of the day.” “Bass are primarily sight feeders,” he says. “In clear water, this sense is utilized to the utmost. Visibility is highest in the middle of the day, and big bass feed at this time to take advantage of their full capabilities as predators.” Hannon disagrees with the myth that the sun’s rays cause discomfort to bass. Although many bass professionals believe this, it’s simply not the case, he says. “The bass is a member of the sunfish family. It’s also a predator, however, and all predators seek to conceal their presence