Sort through small ones or move?

[kdog70]

I went to a lake I never fished before, looked at navionics map went to a 12-25 foot transition punched holes started marking and jigging. Hali spoon with two spikes is my searching bait and immediately hit fish but only caught 5 inchers at best but I stayed cause I was catching hoping to sort to bigger. I tried to bait up to keep small ones off and I tried to bait down no change. It never happened... Was I wrong to stay? I use ht blues 2lb test prob a dozen different jigs and one Hali spoon and h-bird ice 55.

[rufishn2]

Sometimes you can fish a bigger lure like a chubby darter or fish higher in the water  than where the small ones are hitting. If that des not work keep moving to you find bigger fish.

[Scooby31]

I usually just stay and pick through the fish I don't need a ton of fish to take home to eat so I just like catching fish.

[THE GILL PILL]

if switching to a bigger lure don't work i'll generally move and try to find bigger fish sometimes you will and sometimes you won't. i've found the amount of smaller fish really depends on the specific body of water and how its stocked/managed.

[bigstorm]

For me, it depends on the ratio of keepers to small ones. If 1 out of every 4 or 5 is a keeper and I end up with 3 or 4 keepers per hour, I would stay but if I'm there for an hour with nothing to show, I'll move

[VanderLaan]

If I am catching a bunch of dinks, I will stay in the same general area, but move to water that is a bit deeper.  Seems that the bigger gills like the deeper water.

[Jfraze10]

I was at spot two days ago that was constant fish. But majority under my size preference with the occasional big one every 6-7 + fish I caught 72 in a two hour period so it was pretty non stop. I moved four times to try and find "size" only to end up at that same hole and come 5-6 o'clock last hour of the bite the size went up greatly resulting in a keeper size every other fish or so. Just one experience on one body of water. I think I might start returning to the holes that earlier produced smaller fish in the day in the future after seeing this.

[Gills-only]

Plastics will weed the little guys out!! Lot of times the bigger gills will hit these instead of bait, when the little bait stealers are aggressive!

[italianice77]

try spoons or move around a bit, then come back to the same hole after its cooled down, sometimes the big gals move but are not far away.

[Unclegillhunter]

try spoons or move around a bit, then come back to the same hole after its cooled down, sometimes the big gals move but are not far away.

Good advice!
Keep it safe! JDL

[Townie]

Plastics will weed the little guys out!! Lot of times the bigger gills will hit these instead of bait, when the little bait stealers are aggressive!

Yup! Bulls love plastics. Regarding moving to better fish-- this is were scouting holes w/ UW cams can save the day. Some of the better gills I've caught were found suspended over 20' in upper 1/3 of water column; far from the safety of weeds. Never would have found them on sonar alone. Quick, 360 views with eyes on the actual fish put me on steady Bulls.