8+lb bass pull much harder than a 5lb Bass. You know you have a toad when you set the hook. They mean business:)

On onieda lake the smallmouths fight like there on steriods!

I bet that 5 pounder is the hardest fighting bass you've ever caught then....

I've never caught anything under 8lbs so I couldn't tell ya..

lol... it was definitely a good surprise to finally see a boss hoss on the line...lol

I was holerin to my buddy, and I was sure it was gonna get off the line before I got it...

I can't wait for the next big one! my addiction to bassin was bad before, but it was totally rejuvenated when I got that fish! lol

Catch a smallmouth in a fast moving stream/river/deep lake and you will have a fight on your line. I like catching them on a fly rod for some spectactular jumps

I have caught several over 5 pounds and a few in the 7 and 8 pound range out of Fork and the hardest fighting fish I ever hooked into ever; on any body of water, was a 5.15 pounder I caught in 15 feet of water @ a submerged bridge on Fork with a C-rig. Half way into that battle I just knew I had a new state record on the other end. I was extremely disappointed when the fish surfaced. I usually don't weigh fish that small but this one's fighting ability just had me curious as to how much gas she had in the tank.......

It seems to me that water temp and time of year also plays a big part in the amount of fight. With that said I
would never guess the size of a fish until I get her in the boat, you just never know. It would also make sense that the age of the fish would play a part as well.
I know for sure that the ones that get off before you get em in are always the biggest.

ALL of the fish that get off before I get em to the boat are DD's!!

Head down to the coast and hook into a Bull Redfish!!

Texas fits you like a glove CP. You used "holerin" and "bassin" like it was nothing. All you need now is to get a "hankerin" for something and your transition is complete.

I am unfortunately (fortunately?) the master of five pound fish. I've caught so many five pounders in the last two years I can pretty much call it on the bite. There were close to 20 for me one day in OK, another 10+ in Marshall a few months ago, another 15+ down at Salto, and too many to list on one of the PWF lakes in Sulphur Springs. One thing I am NOT the master of is 8 to 9 pounders. I can tell you I've caught probably five and each one of them was a completely different experience.

I set the hook on an eight and a half pounder down at lake Salto on a square bill and it was like I set the hook into a tree. But then it started peeling drag like I was hooked into a Volkswagen. Completely different feel than the five pounders. I caught a 9.1 from Lake Ivie and the same is true. I was C-rigging 65 lb braid out deep and my line loaded up like I hooked into a freight train. Once again.... totally different than the fives. I caught an 8-14 at Falcon that I would have sworn was a DD it pulled so hard. Same story though.

In my opinion, once you get above 8 lbs it's a whole other feeling.

Keep it up.

Jackson

My biggest bass came from Lake Toho,Fl it was 24" roughly 7lbs and honestly not much of fight. Tossed a frog out and not really focused on the bait felt something heavy set the hook. Starting to reel the fish in saw how big it was next to the boat and played it for a minute and then fish in the boat. Seemed too easy on a fish that big. A fish that size from falcon fought 1000X harder

Been so long since I've broken the 6# barrier, I am of no help here...

Have talked to a fisheries biologist before, who informed me that the oxygen content in the water will play a pretty big factor in the fish's stamina. ....think of a big fella, who smokes, trying to run his best 40-time...compared to a track athlete in peak condition. ..

A big factor is getting the fish turned. While it takes more force to turn a bigger fish it it also harder for them to get unturned because they have more water area to push. They also have much bigger mouths that hold air pockets which they are fighting against too.

My experiance is that fish over 10lb will pull hard but for a very short time. It's kind of like watching a 350lb lineman run the 100yd dash. Pretty impressive for the first 30 yards but after that he is huffing and puffing.