If you want to up the odds for a trophy fish, Bob Jensen says you should use big-fish tactics in big-fish waters.

People go fishing for different reasons. Some want to be outside; others want to spend time with family or friends. Anyone who goes fishing wants to catch a few, and some want to catch a really big fish. Some of those goals are easily accomplished while some are more difficult.

It’s easy to spend time outdoors when you’re fishing. Fishing is done outdoors. If your interest is spending time with family or friends, you must invite them to join you. Another easy task. If you’re not concerned about species or size, you can usually catch a few fish. But the big-fish goal, that’s an entirely different deal. The reality is chances for catching a truly big fish of a certain species every time you go fishing are minimal. However, there are things that an angler can do to increase the odds of catching a big fish of the targeted species more often.

First off, if your primary goal is to catch a lunker of a particular species, you need to go fishing where the lunkers live. Some bodies of water are home to lots of fish, others are known as big-fish lakes. For instance, the biggest walleyes usually are found in lakes that have oily baitfish as a primary source of walleye food. Do some research to learn which bodies of water have a history of turning out big fish.

The next thing to do to catch a trophy is to use baits or techniques that will appeal to the larger fish. Much of the time, big baits catch big fish. A trophy can certainly be caught on a small bait, but for most of the open-water fishing season, big fish want a big meal. If you want to catch a bunch of bass in the summer, find a deep weedline and tie on an 1/8-ounce jig head and thread on a 4- or 5-inch Ocho worm. You’re going to catch ’em. Maybe not the biggest ones, but you’ll probably get bass-thumb, and every now and then, a lunker will eat your jig-worm. But if big ones are the goal, find the heaviest vegetation, tie on a Hack Attack Heavy Cover Swim Jig, attach a KVD Rodent plastic, and work it in and around that heavy cover. You probably won’t get as many bites as you would on the weedline with a jig-worm, but your big bass odds are going to go up.

Remember that big is relative. A 5-pound bass in some locales is a big one. In other places an 8-pounder is needed to turn heads. And, in a few regions or bodies of water, it takes a 10-pounder to get a bass chaser’s attention.

Fishing is supposed to be fun. If a lunker is your goal, go for it. But also remember that with some luck, that little fish that you just caught will one day be a big fish. Also remember that it’s just fun to catch fish. Many, many fishing guides and tournament anglers have had very successful and profitable careers by catching lots of smallish to medium-sized fish. If you are set on catching the biggest fish of a particular species, use big-fish baits and techniques in big-fish waters. But never forget, they can’t all be big ones. It’s fun to catch fish of any size any time, and fun is the best reason to go fishing.

You’ll find plenty of helpful summer fishing tips in the June and July/August issues of MidWest Outdoors. Subscribe on our website.