Originally Posted by tim k
I have an established pond with plenty of BG and native bass. Year and a half ago I put in 15 Floridas ranging from a pound to three pounds. The Floridas go after my feed every time the feeder goes off.

We have had very little luck catching any of our large fish - both native and the Floridas. Any suggestions? Thanks

Hey, Tim. I've got a mix of Floridas, F1, and Northern LMB at my place. I've found three techniques for the bigguns.

One, throw Stubby Steves around the feeders, especially after the pellets are dispensed. The only disadvantage is that you'll get a lot of BG and smaller LMB along with the occasional lunker, but it is a blast to watch. The big girls lose all sense of caution!

Second, when you catch a small BG or LMB, use them as live bait. This is what they do in Florida, only they use shiners. Much more likely to fool a Florida LMB than any artificial bait. At least, that's been my experience.

Three, attach a hook to a big Hand Thrown chunk via a rubber band. This works best after you've already tossed out a few chunks and have the bigger fish going crazy! Advantage is that you won't be bothered so much by BG or small LMB.

Good luck!