I don't think so. I think it's just a law of averages. If you look around any weekend of the year you see people dragging worms or jigs. It's just how most people fish

you don't understand what im getting at. they don't distinguish a piece of plastic as being a worm, craw lizard etc. heck, drop a rock in front of one and they might bite it. its the action you have to figure out, sometimes loud, sometimes finesse. data only goes so far. I lived with 18 of them over 13 pounds for over a decade. they are such simple creatures. I get your data quest but its a lost trail.

A lizard is just as threatening on a bed as a any other soft plastic you can rig. Trust me, I caught probably 50 over 8 on beds up to 13-14lbs and 99% of them came on a small tx rigged creature bait. Some fish would eat a piece of bubble gum on a hook.

I think the lizard data is also due shear amount of lizards fished in spring cause anglers think it's the bait to fish. Like you said, you can only analyze what people give you for data. I'm pretty sure the data would be similar if all those guys using lizards were using brushhogs instead or a worm.

The data came from Sharealunker program. It's not based on all year.

Found one of these one spring at Fork. Put it on a weedless hook and it was ravaged in about 5 minutes. Unfortunately didn�t catch the fish, maybe a grinnel based on what the half of a siren looked like afterward.

Is there a similar graph showing ALL sizes of bass caught? That would be interesting to see just how different, if any, the data would be.
Also, all big bass are female. Therefore a good number of them were caught while spawning(sight fishing or not), and a jig/worm/lizard bottom bumping presentation would get them more often due to that bait being right on the bottom in their protective strike zone for a longer period.

I'm presuming swimbaits are mixed into the other category.

I don't have that graph Joe. I could run it though. The downside is that as you get bigger the sample size gets smaller extremely fast! I'd have to look to be sure but I'd guess 90% of the 1000+ data points are less than 14lbs. Above that they are just extremely rare fish.

The swimbait question is a good one. They are in the other category. 1/2 the data is sharelunker the other 1/2 bassmaster lunker program. Obviously all the sharelunker data is from Texas. The bassmaster data is from all over. I think in general though swimbaits are probably under represented in the data just because they aren't used as often (until the last couple years) in most places outside of CA. I know I'm using some broad brush strokes with that generalization, but it's my best guess as to why they are not higher up on the list.

Yes that�s a good point about the swimbaits.

This is good info Josh. I think jigs are #1 because they are so versatile and guys fish them year round. Dragging a FB jig in the summer has become a mainstay for many guys.

Lizards are great too but it seems most anglers use them only during the spring. I am certainly guilty of that.

I agree that bedding bass will hit most anything. It does seem like the baits with lots of flapping appendages get the bass agitated the quickest. So I think that's what makes baits like lizards, brush hogs, creature style baits so good. I believe the more appendages the bait has the better when they are spawning, as a general rule.


When you can see a spawning bass really well you are able to see what they react to. I recall one 7# bass on a bed at Fork we could see really well. She was committed to her bed and would not leave but would circle round & round the small area where she had her bed. She seemed ripe for the picking.

I threw every thing at her, starting with a white lizard, then a GP lizard, then beaver style baits, then a fluke, then a senko. I would pitch a bait into the bed at her and she would pretty much ignore my offerings. I would strip the bait off my hook and try something else.

Just as I was ready to give up my partner suggested a frog. I thought to myself, this one just ain't ready yet...

But I grabbed a Stanley Ribbit frog and rigged it on my hook. The instant that bait hit her bed she responded in an aggressive manner. She went nose down on the frog and within 4 or five quick pitches she inhaled the bait and we landed her.

Sorry, kind of got off on a tangent there but the point is, don't be afraid to try different things when they are bedding.

Surely a bass fisherman would not lie about what he caught a giant bass on.......

True, but waterdogs have gills. A waterdog (mudpuppy)is the larval stage of the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum), the largest and most widespread terrestrial salamander in North America. It's named for its yellow, tiger-like spots and streaks. Occasionally, tiger salamander larvae develop into a �cannibal� morph which has a larger head and longer teeth, enabling it to feast on other larvae. Some adult tiger salamanders do not undergo metamorphosis into a terrestrial form, instead remaining aquatic and retaining their gills.

These critters migrate to their breeding ponds in late winter or early spring - "up north," usually after a warm rain that thaws out the ground's surface. Each female produces anything from 100 to 1000 eggs per season. In the Pacific Northwest, We used them as live bait for bass, hooked through both lips with a 3/0 or 4/0 weedless hook. I've seen them up to 7" long. A GREAT bass bait....probably why the old 4- and 6-inch Mister Twister Super-Liz in black with yellow spots worked so well up there.