Small lures or Big lures? Many small fish or one big fish?

[digitroll (ron)]

Here is some quotes from Fishing legend Dave Genz:

“If all you ever do is use these smaller lures,” says Genz, “you miss a lot of chances to catch big fish.”

Dave argues that there are compelling reasons to start each day “fishing big,” then downsize if and when it becomes necessary – rather than the other way around.

“A lot of times,” says Dave, “the small fish and the big fish run together. I have to keep the small fish from grabbing my lure, so the big fish can swim up to it and bite it. It doesn’t do me any good if a little fish has it in his mouth when the big fish comes swimming by.”

[Matt]

That is a good point, although I guess it depends on the time of the year for Trout and Salmon.

[Salmoneye]

HoneyBee #3's.

[digitroll (ron)]

HoneyBee #3's.

Yup... Shootout #2's choice.

[Salmoneye]

HoneyBee #3's.

Yup... Shootout #2's choice.

Every fish I have had over 24" came on #3's...

[digitroll (ron)]

It's something to think about to provoke thought. Yes, we have all caught larger fish on small lures, but think about starting your day out with some big lures in the spread whether on a cheater or the main line.

[tamiron]

My sales of Honeybees to New England is
90% SMALL & MP6
10% Medium #2 and Large #3.
Yet in the early years of the LCI and Rotary, it was that #3 that won or placed most often in those Derbies. While this was true, no one would admit it because of "How important it was to keep that type of knowledge to yourself as an edge for the derbies"

Yes, some great fish have come on smaller lures but I am inclined to go with the bigger the better if you are trying to sift thru small ones and non-salmonoids. If winning the Derby is your strategy, then you need to be more selective. If putting food on the table is your strategy, use smaller to get the most cookie-cutters you can. But small will catch big and big will catch small if the forage size is imitated.

[champlain fisher]

The fish in my avatar came on a size 3 bee. The fish in my avatar on the other Champlain forum came on a 2 3/8 inch Janns net craft blank. I want to catch as many fish as possible when I go out - I'm a fish hog, LOL. Seeing as how Champlain has tons of smaller sized bait fish the smaller spoons are going to catch both. In the warmer months though I tend to go with bigger spoons as the size of the bait where the fish are holding is most likely bigger. I also will run bigger sppons when fishing below 50 to 60 ft and smaller when fishing up top - again I think that the smaller bait fish hang higher and therefore want to match as best I can.

[tamiron]

The fish in my avatar came on a size 3 bee. The fish in my avatar on the other Champlain forum came on a 2 3/8 inch Janns net craft blank. I want to catch as many fish as possible when I go out - I'm a fish hog, LOL. Seeing as how Champlain has tons of smaller sized bait fish the smaller spoons are going to catch both. In the warmer months though I tend to go with bigger spoons as the size of the bait where the fish are holding is most likely bigger. I also will run bigger sppons when fishing below 50 to 60 ft and smaller when fishing up top - again I think that the smaller bait fish hang higher and therefore want to match as best I can.

Agree with the refinement!

[voyager]

For those who've been on it it, just look at the size of the smelt coming up in the nets on the Melosira trips. Plenty of 4-5-6 inchers. I think that salmon & trout will eat forage that's much bigger than we realize. I've seen a lot of 18 inch fish puke up 5" smelt. My top producing spoon in LC is a Silver Streak in green alwife that's about the same size as a Honeybee #2. We have a lot of discussion of colors. Why not experiment with size too?

[dragnballs]

I think that you need to be trying both, as in matching the size of the bait that is present at that time of the year and area that you are fishing.Yesterday while out with Popster we were seeing huge piles of bait and one would think that there should be all size ranges of fish in those schools.We caught fish on every thing from Crazy Ivans,mp6s to #3 bees and some of the smallest fish came on that #3 and the biggest laker hit a mp6.
This summer there were days that the only size that would work were #3bees and NK-28's,and my biggest fish on champlain while targeting salmon and browns have come on 2&5/8 taped blanks.
I agree with both Tamiron and Voyager in that you need to be experimenting with sizes and that big lures equal big fish!!!! so vary your srpead and do a little 'spearmenting with sizes and you just might be suprised with the results

[Sleepswithdafishes]

When fishing Champlain over the last 6 or 7 years I have fished mostly for Lake Trout and the guys I have fished with fish almost always with live bait!!!! With that said they always want the biggest they can get there hands on!!! And from my time with these guys they always seem to catch on the average larger fish!!! Also we have have had mornings when we have caught fish at will to the point that we got tired of it!!!!! Let me add this is not every time!! I would have to say big bait big fish!! Sleeps

[digitroll (ron)]

Some really interesting observations! Although Dave is a warm water fisherman it is interesting what kind of stuff we can correlate to his thoughts to our coldwater fish.

[Crazy Ivan]

I am a big guy...... Some would say over weight..... Some even call me fat.... yes "fat Ivan"..... I eat a lot, probably more than most, but I never shop for big food! Just seems damb silly to me to to eat really big things that are hard to digest and make me feel uncomfortable. I really like to pack away ton of little bits of food and sometimes big bites are ok but i always pay for it later. Sometimes I just eat everything in sight, if it is in front of me watch out!!!!!!! I have even been known to take the food out of little people's hands..... Doesn't matter whether it is big or small if it is there And I am really hungry I will eat it.
Sad but true....... Sometimes I just need to be held!!!
I truly believe that location and lure Presentation is what catches fish, big or small. I have caught my fare share of big salmon and everyone of them has come on smaller size spoons. I run every spoon out there, from DB melt to # 3 honey bees and those big suttens, everyone of them catches fish. Even stingers, well until the paint comes off.....
At the exact moment that I caught that big fish would I have caught it on a sutten or #3 Honey bee ..... Who knows. At the same time would I have caught more monsters if I was running all big spoons? Who knows. I for sure have done a lot of silly things to try and figure out what fish are thinking and the times that I have run all big spoons instead of small spoons I did not catch just monster fish, in fact I still caught the same fish that I was catching with the smaller spoons.
Effies monster came on a #1 honey bee........ The largest salmon ever recorded on lake Champlain was caught on a small lure.......think about that. I happen to know that fish personally his name was Big Bob, Big Bob is allot like me..... Fat and hungry most the time. Big Bob saw that tasty custom honeybee and said to himself " wow look at the scales on that Fillet" " perfect coloring and shine" " I think that is my lunch" ........ Bob did not say, " I am a big fat fish and that lur is toooooooo small for me I am going to sit here hungry and wait for a bigger one to come by..... We all know Big Bob would have eaten may small honeybees on that day to fill his tummy, but Effie and her family had other plans........the r set is history.
THE BIGGEST SALMON EVER RECORDED ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN WAS CAUGHT LESS THAN 6 MONTHS AGO ON A SMALL SPOON!

[Crazy Ivan]

Ron.... At what dept did that large spoon work in shoot out number 2?
Todd