catchin

Question
im 14 and live in north east pa too(canadensis).  i need some tips on large mouths. i own a 13 acre lake with fallen timber, weeds, brush and rocks. i know the basics, morning and evening, medium retrieve...i got all that but i only catch a few bass over 2 pounds each year.  i must catch 50-60 bass a year out of my lake alone but only a hand ful over 2lbs.  i have a hundred lures and some produce every cast but just small bass or pikerel are all i get. any advise?  what do you have the most luck with on topwater, crankbait, rubber and any others.  any other tips would be great. thanks
                        -Scott price

Answer
Hey Scott, sorry it took so long for me to get to this... I havne't had a chance to check my mail much lately and I've been ridiculously busy.  
Well, you have a pretty common problem, and there are a coulpe of simple solutions.  The first one is to fish new water.  It might not be your problem, but the lake itself.  If the bass population is extremely high along with a high concentration of pickerel, there's a good chance that bass simply aren't getting into the 4+lb range.  There's too much competition for food, and the bass can't grow.  Without the necessary resources for a population, a lake simply won't consistently grow trophy bass.  Think of it kind of like a Third World country.  They have tons of people, but lack the monetary and dietary means to support the population, so people die young and with low body weight.  The same thing happens with fish when they lack adequate food, oxygen, environment, etc.  Start fishing another pond or lake similarly to how you fish your lake and see if the results differ. Another good idea is to check out your lake during the spawn.  You really need to practice strict catch and release, but if there are large bass in that pond, you'll be able to locate them very easily then.  Bedding females will strike just about anything you bring near their beds.  Just be ethical.  Taking those fish (I believe, even with the new laws) is illegal and detrimental to the fishery.  
The other solution is that you simply aren't fishing for larger bass.  Locate creek channels and fish them.  Hit the edges of cover.  Use larger lures when need be.  Change things up.  When I'm looking strictly for larger bass, I fish areas where there's immediate access to deep water, or better, such areas with isolated cover.  I've caught a lot of my biggest bass in such areas using carolina rigged sluggos, jig'n'pigs, plastic worms (10in worms are a good idea sometimes), and a lot of other lures that can be flipped and used effectively in close range.  I've also caught a lot of larger bass on topwater.  You lose a lot of fish, but it's exciting.  Dragging frogs, tube frogs, large plastic worms, jig'n'pigs, weedless spoon/pig, and even occassionally torpedos with weedless treble hooks across dense cover like duckweed or lillypads can be extremely effective.  Out of those, I probably prefer the spoon/pig or jig'n'pig combos because you can allow them to sink and fish them at any depth in cover.  
I hope I've given you some ideas at least.  Your problem is pretty common, and I've answered a few questions like it since I got set up on here when I was 16 (I'm 21 now, the bio doesn't update).  The important thing is that you keep at it and that you pay attention to details.  Pay attention to weather patterns, water clarity, depth, structure, cover, etc.  Take a notebook when you need to. Once you start seeing a difference, take note, see what works, and learn to be creative.  If you need anything else, or have any more questions, or want more information on anything, please feel free to ask.  I'm sorry it took so long, after this week I should be able to check my mail everyday, so I'll be able to get back to you quickly.  

Good luck,
Chris