BigBendFishing.Net

For those that fish out of Econfina and the Fin Holloway area. Does it seem that the rock bass are getting bigger? The past few trips that I have taken to the area has produced some really nice rock bass. One was 14+ inches. On one trip we had approximately 20 over 11 inches. In the past I have caught plenty of them, but rarely was one over ten inches. I have enjoyed them, as they are a good pull and taste great fried.

yes, we have noticed the same thing, they are growing up!

I was fishing out of Stinhatchee a few years ago and was in 70 feet of water it was a cool day in late Febuary as i recall we were catching huge black bass I have never seen fish like this......they had shuch huge blue lines through their faces and huge mouths they were quite beautiful.......most of the one we caught that day were over 15" long we had a bunch over 18" I never did count them but we had a cooler almost full of them we cleaned fish for over 2 hours man they were good eating........I was told the deeper you can find them the bigger they get I don't know how true this is but I have caught all the small ones I want too in 30 feet or less.........

Thank goodness the DNR may have finally made a wise decision to the black sea bass fisheries... with the increased size limits, I also am catching larger and more aggressive sea bass on top water plugs while targeting my favorite specie of the area... THE Speckled Sea Trout. Now if the same "wonderful?" DNR will return the favor to us here in the bigbend area and allow us to take the seven fish up to 24", that only on a very good day I ever did, to compensate for the many trips over the water where I spent the day fishing and NOT catching.

If recall correctly the Florida record for these fish is like 5lbs or soemething....can you imagine what a 5lb rock bass would fight like......anybody got into that caliber of fish before?

Never that big! I believe the Black Sea Bass is related to the Grouper. If you can get pinfish around the 2-3" size you can clean up on the huge sea bass. I'm talking 17+ inches..I found that out last weekend out of Keaton Beach. We bought 5 doz pinfish and none were over 4" We caught bigger sea bass than ever before. Only one gag about 12" inches long. They were expensive but huge. The really big ones wouldn't hit cut bait either.