Getting back into fishing.. in Toronto!

[MuskieBait]

(09-03-2013 09:42 AM)ATF Wrote:  I went shore fishing for bass with a mepps Aglia #0 and some corn.

Managed to catch a wonderful 2 lbs rock bass, and released a whole bunch of smaller ones (I'm saving them for next year ).

I want to thank Giuga10 for his advice. It really worked and had a great time! I'll try to knock the barbs out of my spinners next time around, as I had to keep a few small ones I would have rather sent on their way due to the ridiculous damage the barbs did to them.

On to a question: I assume if I want to attract mostly the larger ones instead of the smaller bass, I should up the size of my spinner?

Size #0 Mepps is really small. Great for panfish or small trout fish, but 4-5" juvenile Largemouth Bass will not have a problem swallowing these spinners. If you want to reduce mortality, upsize your spinners, or at the minimum the hook size. Switching out the tiny treble hook for a larger single hook will also help to release these fish faster and with less damage.

If it is any indication, on Friday and Saturday I was fishing for small muskies with #5 Mepps and large spinnerbaits with #5 willow blades. With the #5 Mepps, I hooked 4 Largemouth Bass between 1.5-2lbs, and 1 Largemouth Bass that is around 3.5-4lbs. With the large spinnerbait, I hooked a 1lb Largemouth Bass...but this is probably an exception since the fish can barely fit the lure in its mouth.

Size of lure also depends on location. In highly pressured locations, you likely have to downsize. In less pressured areas, you could probably get them to hit anything.