Ok, so as shameful as this is to admit I haven't caught a bass over 4.5 lbs in over 6 years. I catch a bunch of fish most times I go, but why can't I break this small fish rut?

Cus your using a little worm !

your not holding your mouth right.

Do you spend your time pounding the banks?

Depends on the lake, but 75% of the time I fish the banks yes. The rest I mix between flipping, and C-Rigs.

Throw something BIG down on DEEP structure...

There's your answer. You need to learn to fish deep structure. I used to be a bank beater too. Never caught a fish over 9.13 doing that. Once I learned how to read electronics and some deep techniques, I started catching consistently bigger bass.

I'm going to Fork tomorrow and I'm going to force myself to drop shot, hoping that and a wacky dinger on those stump flats will produce for me. I haven't fished that lake since I was 14, I'm 36 now and so looking forward to it!

I'm trying to make myself be patient. When I'm alone its hard to fish slow.

You are 1 of about 90% that pound the banks. Try what fouzman suggests. You will catch bigger fish. I had to do the same! Your next post like this will be "I haven't caught a fish over 10.5 pounds in over a year"
Good luck

If you are headed to Fork read Tom Redington's report in the freshwater report section. He could not be any clearer or more honest, and then stick to the plan and do not give in to the same old thing that works the same old way just because you try something new and it does not work right away. Remember the old saying, "If you keep doing what you been doing, you will keep getting what you been getting."

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

http://fishcatchingtravel.com/

LOL!! I hope so!!! Thanks fouzman and mbassn.

Yes, slow is important. You also have to fish lakes that have a healthy bass population. Take it slow and force yourself to fish big fish baits (jigs, big plastics) and move out on points and humps. Stay away from the banks. I think you might be suffering from dink addiction. What happens is you get so into catching the easy pickings that by the end of the day you have boat loads of dinks. Even if there are some big fish mixed in with the dinks, chances are they're going to get out raced to your bait.

Big fish don't like to compete for food so they'll usually find places more or less to themselves (or with a few other large fish) where they can eat when they want too. That's usually away from a whole bunch of little fish.

Just read it. THanks

[u][/u][i][/i]Try fishing lakes that you know have big fish. I tend to fish shallow probably 80% of the time and have done well with decent to large fish. Fact is shallow fish are aggressive fish. Sometimes you have to be willing to outwork the other anglers by going farther into areas that most will not consider.