Have you ever been on a lake and thought to yourself or said to your fishing partner, "We should have caught some fish by now"? Well, maybe it's time to downsize. One reason to downsize is when the bass are going through the stages between spawn and postspawn like they are now in Ohio. We all have heard big lures catch big bass and that is true but there is a time when large lures just don't cut it. When the bass are in the spawn to postspawn transition find the warmest water on the lake and try downsizing your lure.

When you're fishing a lake and know what the bass are eating, try to match it. Why throw a 10" worm when they are eating 4 inch shad? That just doesn't make sense. So if you know what the old bass is eating then match the size of your lure to the prey.

Cold Fronts-This can be the worse fishing of all, especially if the front stalls. Bass become homebound, they don't move far from cover for sure. Now is the time to downsize and/or drop-shot that small lure.

Fishing Pressure-One of my favorite lakes is getting more and more fishing pressure each year. Big lures can make the bass very picky and can spook them easily. Now is when downsizing comes into play. I was fishing a lake just this past month and hadn't had a hit, I watched a guy who was using light line and a spinning outfit and a 3" tube lure and he had caught about 6 bass. Guess what I did? Yep, downsized!

Here are times when downsizing comes into play:
Cold fronts,
Spawn to Postspawn,
Clear water,
Falling Water Temperatures,
Match the Prey,
Fishing Pressure.

Just remember the strike zone is smaller and the fish hold closer to cover in these instances.

Good Fishing to You!