The biggest bass I have seen caught have been on swimbaits that mimic the local baitfish. In Cali, it was rainbow trout swimbaits and jerkbaits.

I have caught 4 bass that were around 10 lbs. All of them were on reactionary hits. Two on T-rigged within a second or two of the lure hitting the water, another on a wacky rigged as I was bringing it up to the surface, and one on a swim bait.

Come to think of it, I normally like to have a slow presentation, I might have to vary my style.

tt

I am of the opinion that the best way to catch giant fish is to fish slow. Now, I am not talking about dragging a 4" worm along the bottom, I'm still talking about fishing with "big fish" baits but doing so in a manner that they are willing to eat it.
The top 3 baits I would recommend for CONSISTENTLY catching BIG fish are a jig (not a finesse jig), a slow moving LARGE topwater , and a Swimbait that is a minimum of 6" long.
I'm not saying other baits don't catch them, but out of 44 Double Digits in the last few years these 3 styles of fishing account for 40 of them.
As I've said in the past, any bait will work at the right time. Your concern is getting a giant to make a mistake when it is NOT the right time and she is not in the mood.
In my opinion all 3 of these baits are reaction baits but the reaction comes after long periods of slow movement! I'll give an example of each:

For these examples I will include a photo of a fish caught on each to help make the point. Fish range from 8.5 to 13.4 lbs (sorry about the backgrounds but we don't all get to live in the great state of Texas. Some of us are stuck out here dealing with these realities.)

The Jig:
My number 1 jig for BIG jig fish is a 3/4 oz. No Jack Flippin' Jig from Dirty Jigs Tackle in Molting Craw. Depending on exactly what I want to do I will use a swimbait trailer or a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver in "Delicious". (How is that for getting specific for ya?) The jig itself is key as it employs an incredible color scheme that truly looks alive in the water and is coupled with the strongest hook I've found to be available in a jig. (no bending when you hook a big one)
Enough of that... here is how I consistently work the bait. I employ a slow drag/raise and lowering of the rod as I move the jig across the bottom or through cover. Every 5 to 10 feet that the bait has traveled I give the rod a quick "double snap". This causes the jig to pop off the bottom then "puff up" and bolt away several feet. Ever watch a crawdad try to escape? its EXACTLY what they do! This is employing a slow moving bait that a BIG bass will follow and then creating a "reaction bite" when she realizes that jig is making a run for it! Deadly effective.

The Topwater:
For this example I will use the lunker punker from Black Dog baits co. For those that are unfamiliar with the punker it is a "walk the dog" style bait on very large steroids. The benefit of this bait is its overall size and ability to cast incredible distances. When using the lunker punker you're able to present a LARGE bait (6" , 8", or 10") Rattling or solid wood, but present it in a way that moves slowly. The bait will walk great distances side to side but move toward you very slowly. In other words you get the benefit of covering water (side to side) and drawing fish in without moving forward and away from their strike zone. I will typically use the punker on a very very slow cadence then speed up 3 to 4 quick snaps, then stall the bait. Then begin again. For any following fish they see the bait making a run for it and as soon as it stalls... EXPLOSION! Again, you're using a slow moving topwater but creating a reaction bite.


The Swimbait:
Out here when I am we have a mix of lakes that receive trout and those that don't. For this example I will use an "osprey" style swimbait with a boot tail. These baits are not painted, they are just poured plastic in varying colors. You employ a simple cast/retrieve much like you would a spinnerbait, crankbait, etc. No other action is required. These baits are typically 6-7" long and will draw fish from great distances, even in murky conditions. When the bait is slowly moving along you will often get EXPLOSIVE strikes out of no where as big fish ambush the bait from in and around cover. However, in the event that you have a large follower a quick double snap of the wrist will cause the bait to dart to the side (something other swimbait tail-styles cannot do), this will mimic a fleeing baitfish and often results in bone-jarring strikes!


In closing, the moral of this post is that large fish rarely just "make a mistake". If you want to catch them consistently you need to create situations in which you cause them to react! If you let the fish follow and follow and follow without a "trigger" she will generally do exactly that, follow. Best of luck in the future!

Thanks Supermat I appreciate the advice.

LOVE the post Supermat!

Supermat is my hero!

thanks for all the advice. Hope it helps

Great post, thanks!

Very interesting. Thanks,man.

Great post!

My two bass that were over 10 came on a 10 inch Culprit T-rigged, the fish came from the deep edge of a fallen tree in 12 feet of water. The second fish hit a Chrome Zara Super Spook in 5 feet of water. I have also caught lots of fish in 5-8 pound range with frogs, jigs, buzzbaits and large swimbaits.

If you want to have the best chance at getting big bass try using live bluegill. Use a simple carolina rig with a circle hook. I really stress using a circle hook because a large bass can inhale a 5-6 inch gill no problem. And the large cirlce hook helps with hook ups especially with large baits. I havent caught a double digit bass on bluegill but I have caught most of my most recent big fish on them. Give it a try

I'm glad you guys found it helpful. I was a little wary to bury it in an older post as it might have gone unnoticed by most but it seems a lot of you found it. I hope that you apply the techniques mentioned and increase the number of big fish you're putting in the boat!

I'm like Matt,For Big fish I like Big baits and Slow presentations. Once you get a feel for Big Bass areas it will get easier for you to locate Big Bass waters no matter where you fish.

For moving baits like fishing a large bladed black Buzzbait slow rolled at night so that it barely stays on top has accounted for several Texas Hawgs. Same for night fishing slow rolled Large spinner baits in black with #6-7 Single Colorado or Indiana Blade. I have also caught many a good fish on large Black crankbaits at night... fish just don't experiance many crank baits at night so they attack them with abandon.

If you are looking for Big fish and the bite is off around grass and shallow timbered areas get out in 30ft plus water and target deep water tree tops with a deep diving crank bait. Chunk out well past the tree and walk the crank slowly back thru the branches.

Big Bass like to be on points, humps, tank dams, roadbeds. bluff ledges and creek edges near a good drop off.. they can often be caught shallow, but you can bet there will be deep water very near.

Tageting Big bass can be a long day with only a couple of bites.. but those bites may be your next personal best. It's hard work and you have to commit to it to be successful. Night fishing greatly increses your odds of catching a double digit Bass.

Bazz

Thanks for taking the time to write out these detailed posts Mr. Fishing Advice Giving Men - seriously, this is exactly why I come to this forum! It's much appreciated!