I think DD's are the smartest fish in the lake and hardest to boat once hooked, but I think there are less in lakes than people think.

Is it cheating if you catch a DD trolling a deep diving crankbait behind a yak?

Thats how I am planning to get mine.

Found the perfect spot too! Once the water gets super hot, they are going to stack up on this spot I know it!

I have caught 2 that I actually weighed, pretty sure I had two more but did not have scales., 11.2 on Moss Lake, 10.1 on Ray Roberts. I had one break my 20 lb line like it was thread this past Sunday on Roberts, I got to see the fish very well, she was well over 10, no doubt about it.

I've been fishing lake fork since 1988 and never caught a DD in my life. MANY over 8 and a few over 9, but no 10's. My biggest fear......(sort of).......is going to another lake that I have spent zero time on and catching a DD there. LOL.

GO --------->

Top Waters- My one and only DD fish (10.68) came from Caddo a lake at the time I had only fished twice before. Yet I have fished Fork maybe 50 times and only have 3 over 9 no DD fish.

They do seem a lot smarter, that's why they are so big.
Great post
I'm still chasing after mine, came real close, but no cigar!
Lol

That book "Tracking Trophy Bass" John Hope & by Jesse Miller

I have 4 to my credit. All in the last 3 years. I hate saying this but it may put some perspective on the matter. When I was running and gunning in a power boat searching for 5 tournament fish I never really cared about finding or spending the time to concentrate on bigger fish. Since going over to a yak I now don't have the advantage of running from spot to spot. I also have limited my lakes to 3 with much more emiphisis on just a few areas per lake. Each day that I fish I may spend 4 hours in an area no bigger than the square footage of a house (normal sized house) Some days I do not get bit some days its amazing. Baits of choice change throughout the year depending on the fish. Slow and big swimbaits for the spring...jigs/large trailers late spring/summer...faster erratic swimbaits in the fall. But the key is to focus on the areas and holes that support the bigger fish.
LOCAL knowledge also plays a huge role in this. Time on the water!!! I have cut back my days to around 200 per year now. So the odds are in my favor that Im going to stumble across a big fish.
This certainly doesn't make me a better fisherman than anyone who hasn't caught a DD yet. Far from it. I happen to have some really good lakes, happen to be in a position in life that allows me to fish a lot, and the patience of Job to sit around and pitch a jig in the same spot for 1/2 a day lol.
Something to end on...In my opinion nothing beats the fighting power coupled with the athletics of a 7 to 9 pound fish my bigger fish pulled hard and a few head shakes but certainly didn't fight like the 8's.

Surely you can't mean 200 fishing days?

LOL I... yea 200 which is much less than the previous years....danged ole tennis elbow slowed me down and don't want it again.

What a great thread.

Fork keeps coming up. You guys have seen the traffic Fork gets throughout the year and from good sticks. I think there has to be something said about less pressured big bass.

If you are the 10th lure they have seen that week, that has to play a role.

Luck plays a big role in it. I'm nobody special and wasn't necessarily trying to catch a 10lber but I caught my first one (10.08) in the first 20 minutes of the Skeeter Tourney and my 2nd one (12.88) just fishing around the RV Park I just moved into on St. Patricks Day. I just got lucky....I would rather catch ALOT of fish vs 1 big one all day. I still can't catch a lot of fish.

I would have said yeah on big slow movers b4. But seen too many elites and won with GIANT fish on cranks. I really think to get them to eat a slow moving bait it generally has to be the time for them to eat. But on those cranks, long lining and getting down to them you can get a real reaction strike and make them eat.

There are tons of variables in catching a 10+

Some of the biggest that you can control are...

The lake your fishing- by far the best way to increase the odds
Time on the water- more time = better chance
The way you fish- specifically targeting big fish
Being prepared- have everything ready when that fish bites. The line broke, the fish wrapped me up, etc are all thinks you could have reduced the risk of.

The pros often maximize these variables where as the average fisherman does not.

Lake Fork bass are the most educated fish on the planet. Smart fish are harder to catch pure and simple.