I spent a couple days chasing bass on Big Marine for our clubs last event of the year. Friday I took my regular boat, as well as my Otter, and did a little duck hunting early on. I saw quite a few Woodies early, but nothing within shooting range. Fortunatly the bass bite was much better. There wasn’t much wind, and lots of sunshine. I started fishing a row of docks and caught quite a few nice fish. The biggest was just over 4lbs, with most around 2.5lbs. Stickworms texas rigged weightless worked best. Next I moved out to the deeper water and managed to catch fish on crankbaits like a Bomber Fat A. The key was to find green cabbage. There was lots of milfoil and some coontail as well, but the cabbage was the key for me.
Sunday the bite was quite a bit slower. I was able to go to the same dock I had caught the 4lber on Fri, hook up another big fish, but she came unglued. Then I lost another big fish. I knew that was going to hurt. The crankbite pattern held up for me as well as others, but with the light bite, somehow you would feel the hit, and not be able to hook up. Jig worms also managed to put a couple fish in the boat.
On a positive note, there was a good walleye bite going on. Lindy rigged crawlers worked best with most fish coming from 16′-20′ water. The average size was 16"-17".
Mike,
Thanks for the report. I haven’t been on Big M for a long time, but the last time I was there in the fall the same pattern held true. I would look for green cabbbage with a crank bait, but caught most of my fish slow-rolling a spinnerbait. If a given weedbed didn’t produce it was worth coming back later. Why they wouldn’t use the coontail is a mystery to me.
The last time I was out the Bass were hitting my crankbait weird too. It would suddenly go “soft” and by the time you set the hook you’d already missed em. I went to a crankbait that had a bigger swing so I could feel it better (bigger theump coming up the line). Any change in the cadence and I’d set the hook.
Rootski
Thanks for the report. Big Marine is a grat lake with some monster bass out there.
What was the winning weight for the tourney? Big Bass?
I might need to get out there one more time this year.
9lbs 10oz bag won it.
Big bass was 3.00lb.
Very small weights. Almost everyone I talked to did much better the Fri or Sat before while prefishing. The water seemed to be down as well. Many times there will be a good Scum frog bite in the pads.
any new reports for Big Marine? I’m thinking of heading out there today, and I wanted to know If anyone had some tips? this is my first time out on this lake. thanks for any help
It may be a little late, but normally any of the weedlines in 8-12′ will put out bass on a deep diving crank like a Bomber Fat A or a lipless model like the Super Spot. Green cabbage is usually the key.