The Truth About a 2-Pound Bass

"A lot of bass anglers are tight-lipped about fish locations and what baits they're using to catch them, but as for the numbers and sizes...well, that's often a different story. For example, you might hear someone say, 'We caught so many big fish, we were culling 2-pounders.' Or, you might hear, 'We caught plenty of fish, but none were over 2 pounds.'

"Being what I'd call a pretty fair bass fisherman..., the 2-pounder I kept hearing about caught my attention. In my younger days, it was easy to overestimate the weight of a fish, but after a few years of tournament fishing, estimating weights became a little easier."

Thus wrote bass angler, outdoor writer, and TV co-host Lyle Johnson (left) back in 2005.

"The thought of 2-pound bass in the livewell always got my blood flowing," he continued. "A 2-pound bass was a nice fish to me, but sort of routine or a little on the short end for some. Surely, all these bass fishermen couldn't be exaggerating the truth," he thought.

Accordingly, Johnson decided to undertake some scientific research and test out just how big a 2-pound bass really was. He speculated that "if people could catch five 2-pound bass every time they went fishing, they'd do well."

The source of his research data were the recorded weights of tournament anglers, amateur and professional. In some ways, the results weren't a big surprise; in others, though, they were amazing. The facts concluded that if you could catch five 2-pounders every time you went fishing, you could quit the grind of your 9-to-5 job and earn a good living bass fishing. And some years, you'd win a lot of money.

Subsequently, Johnson ran across a BassFan survey. The question posed was: "What size of bass do you typically catch when you go fishing?" The answers to choose from were: (1) up to 2 pounds, (2) 2 to 3-plus pounds, (3) 4 to 6 pounds, (4) only 7-plus pounders, or (5) I only fish for bluegills.

"When thinking about my vote," said Johnson, "the first one that came to mind was 2 to 3-plus pounds, but that's what I wanted to catch. The question was, 'What size of bass do you typically catch when you go fishing?' Typically, I caught up to 2-pounders if averaging all my catches, so that's how I voted."

Once Johnson got to the results page, he learned that 41 percent of the people had voted like him, but 49 percent had said they usually caught 2 to 3-plus pounders. With more than 2,500 votes cast in the survey, he mused, "If these guys are honest, they're missing their calling."

Continuing his research, Johnson dug into results from the Bassmaster Elite 50s, a series that lasted two years, with four tournaments each year. His goal was to find out where five 2-pounders would have placed in that competition. He learned that the answer was one first place, two seconds, and one each of the following: 8th, 13th, 16th, 27th, and 30th. "Not bad for fishing against the likes of KVD, Mark Davis, and Greg Hackney," he concluded.

Johnson then checked the results of some Bassmaster Classics. Five 2-pounders per day in the 2005 competition would have beaten that best gathering of pros by a whopping 17-01. Your finish in 2004 would have been 13th, 8th in 2003, 9th in 2002, 4th in 2001, and 1st in 2000. You also would have won in 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, and you would have scored plenty of Top 10s along the way, too.

"So, just how big is a 2-pound bass?" asked Johnson at the end of all his research. "Bigger than most of us think. Is it possible that we now have proof positive of the adage that fishermen don't tell the truth?"

In checking my records of the Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney Series, I have to admit I was a bit surprised to learn that five 2-pounders would not have placed in the money at any one of the tournaments during our COVID-shortened 2020 season.