ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Matt Allen and Tim Little are well-known big-bass experts who own Tactical Bassin , a website and social media channels dedicated to educating the public about bass fishing .

ow is the time to catch the biggest bass of your life . That ’ s not hyperbole . It ’ s fact . The biggest bass in your fishery are currently transitioning to or from their spawning areas . Regardless of which side of the spawn you ’ re facing on your home lake , the big bass are feeding . They may be bulking up to spawn , or they could be recuperating after a successful spawn , but the end result is the same : They ’ re looking for a meal , and if you ’ re prepared with the right lures , the right game plan and the right mentality , you can be the one to give it to them .

I ’ ve been blessed to catch some truly remarkable bass over the years . Whether largemouth , smallmouth or spotted bass , the right fish have seemed to come my way time and again , and I feel truly lucky to have caught them . And one common thread that runs between them all : The biggest fish have all come this time of year .

Here are my personal-best bass to date : LARGEMOUTH 15 pounds , 0 ounces SMALLMOUTH 7 pounds , 0 ounces SPOTTED 10 pounds , 6 ounces ( former IGFA World Record )

an enormous largemouth bite My big largemouth came first . It was an early spring day in 2009 , and I was throwing large swimbaits in search of a giant bite on Collins Lake in Northern California . I knew I probably wouldn ’ t get many bites that day , and as it turns out , I was correct . I got two bites the entire day .

I was intentionally targeting fish along secondary points leading into spawning bays , hoping to cross paths with a prespawn giant . After a subtle “ tick ” on the line , I set the hook into a monster bass . After a short battle , I held up the big ol ’ bass and was amazed when she