5 lbs is LUNKER/TOAD status for ohio in my book.

 

any bass that 5lbs is a lunker in my book

 

What they said..........

 

ditto the ditto

 

Any Bass Fishingredhawk catches is a lunker.
5lbs is a pretty darn good fish for Ohio, But anything 6 to 7 lbs is a true lunker.

 

I'll say 5lbs since I was unable to break that mark last year. But, this year is a new story

 

To be a Lunker, I'd say about 45". Heh heh.

 

An Ohio lunker is 6lbs for a largemouth. Most claim they have caught one that big, but few actually have in my opinion.

4lbs inland for a smallmouth, or 5lbs from Lake Erie.

 

it should be up to the guy who caught it, if its there first lunker 3lb fish more power too them
personally what redhawk said is on the button IMO, especially about the part that most people havnt landed them

 

5 pounder is a lunker in my book...

 

I would also say 5 lbs, but any bass (or any species) larger than the largest a fisherman or woman has caught to date would qualify as a lunker in my book & would certainly be worthy of praise.
Mike

 

15 inches at findley state park

 

i agree with redhawk anything over 6lbs is considered a lunker.

 

In my area...Dayton, considering i dont bass fish much I would see a 3lb smallie as a lunker and 5lb large mouth as a lunker (non-private pond fish camon as for catfish.. i would see any channel over 13lb a lunker and a 25lb carp as a lunker. Flatheads....I guess I would consider any over 20lbs a lunker ( i know they are much bigger but i am just saying in Dayton).

 

15 inches at findley state park

In my case lunker status would be very easy to achieve

 

An Ohio lunker is 6lbs for a largemouth. Most claim they have caught one that big, but few actually have in my opinion.

4lbs inland for a smallmouth, or 5lbs from Lake Erie.

I pretty much agree with you, but I might bump the Lake Erie smallies up to 6 lbs, too. Some of them are getting huge!

 

I say an Ohio 5-pound or better largemouth is a lunker.

They are more rarely caught than most anglers realize. Everything has to fall into place perfectly just to get one hooked. Let alone get her to the boat for a quick weigh-in and picture.

First off (if you get one hooked up) on the check list is line/knot strength. Then there is the thought of... Is it hooked with a single hook lure, or a treble hook? Will she get wrapped-up? How fast do I drag her to the boat? Or should I play her out until she's tired? Then... Darn-it! She came off!!!
(I'm sorry, I am just writing out a couple of nightmares of last years fishing.)

 

I say an Ohio 5-pound or better largemouth is a lunker.

They are more rarely caught than most anglers realize. Everything has to fall into place perfectly just to get one hooked. Let alone get her to the boat for a quick weigh-in and picture.

First off (if you get one hooked up) on the check list is line/knot strength. Then there is the thought of... Is it hooked with a single hook lure, or a treble hook? Will she get wrapped-up? How fast do I drag her to the boat? Or should I play her out until she's tired? Then... Darn-it! She came off!!!
(I'm sorry, I am just writing out a couple of nightmares of last years fishing.)

Agree ^^ when you have the big one hooked so much goes through your head trying to figure out how to get that fish in the boat!

 

IMO if you're going to claim you caught a lunker (regardless of the size restrictions you put on it) you need a pic. It's one thing to say "I caught a couple 2 pounders yesterday" without a pic, but if you're going to say "I pulled a 6.5 pounder out of Mogadore on a black buzzbait" and you don't have a pic, it's a worthless statement. Those fish are rare, and I think everyone has some sort of device to take a picture. Just my two cents, but pic-less claims of giant fish drive me crazy.

 

I guess it depends on what is a lunker. Is it a once in a lifetime fish for someone who dosen't fish much. Or is it a once every few years fish for someone that is always fishing. The definition of lunker is a fish that is large for its kind. So to me a lunker isn't a once in a lifetime fish, but one that is attainable especially for hardcore fishermen or those fishing private/managed waters. I fish a fair amount and ive probably caught 6 over 5 lbs in the last 10 years in ohio, only one went over 6 though. So yeah 5 lbs seems about right for largemouth.

I would say 5.5 or 6 for lake erie smallies. Just from my experience since ive only fished for them a handfull of times but ive got 4 over 5 and one over 6.

 

I must sumerise these statements ::: A lunker is the big fish in a Specific body of water. Each lake or stream will be different. Each fish will have a different size. Or where you guys talking about the lunker my wife always brags about to her friends........ ha

 

I'd say a true 4 lber is a lunker for both species anywhere in Ohio. In some of the small creeks i wade for smallies a 2 lber is a giant. It certainly varies depending on the body of water.

 

23" smallie out of the local rivers and streams

27" largemouth out of pond, lake or stream.

I do not go by pound because I can not weigh one while wading.

 

23" smallie out of the local rivers and streams

27" largemouth out of pond, lake or stream.

I do not go by pound because I can not weigh one while wading.

27???? WOW!!! That's a potential state record fish in Ohio! I'd say a 5.5-6 lb bass (whether a largemouth or smallie) would be considered a lunker. Years ago, 5 lbs was the goal, but it seems as if 5s have become more prevelant. My biggest Ohio largemouth is 6.5 lbs and 23.5 inches, and my biggest smallie was 6.3 lbs and 22.75 in. I would think that 27 inches would be 9-10 lbs!

 

Largemouth current record is 25" 13 lbs 2 oz.

Smallmouth current state record is 23 1/2" 9 lbs 8 oz.