Just How Big Is a 2-Pound Bass?

That's a question bass angler, outdoor writer, and TV co-host Lyle Johnson (right) once asked himself, but he didn't stop there. Instead, he decided to do some research and find an answer.

It's a well-known fact that a lot of fishermen are tight-lipped about the locations where they catch fish and what baits they're catching 'em on, but those same people...by and large...are quite willing to share the numbers they're catching and how big they are. Those conversations usually go something like this: "Man, we caught our limit, and all of them were over 2 pounds--one went over 4," or "We caught so many big fish, we were culling 2-pounders."

In a disappointed tone, you also might hear, "We caught plenty of fish but none over 2 pounds," or "No big fish at all--our largest was a little over 2."

For Johnson, the thought of having a 2-pound bass in the livewell always got his blood pumping. Although catching a 4- or 5-pounder might be a great goal, he considered a 2-pound average weight very respectable. If you could catch five 2-pounders every time you went fishing, he felt you could quit the grind of your day job if you wanted and earn a good living bass fishing.

That notion drove Johnson to research the matter. He checked the recorded weights of tournament anglers, both amateur and professional. The results weren't a big surprise in some ways, but they amazed him in others.

He first found a survey on BassFan that posed this question: "What size of bass do you typically catch when you go fishing?" The categories to choose from were: 1) up to 2 pounds, 2) 2 to 3-plus pounds, 3) 4 to 6-plus pounds, 4) only 7-plus pounders, 5) I only fish for bluegills.

When thinking about his vote, the first one that came to Johnson's mind was 2 to 3-plus pounds, but in all honesty, he knew that's what he "wanted" to catch. The question was: "What size of bass do you typically catch when you go fishing?" He knew he had to go with "up to 2 pounds."

When Johnson got to the results page of the survey, he discovered that 41 percent of the people had voted like him, but 49 percent had said they usually catch 2 to 3-plus pounders. More than 2,500 votes from bass fishermen were cast in that survey.

After some tedious research on BassFan, along with some great help from ESPN Outdoors, Johnson got some results that might get your attention.

The Bassmaster Elite 50s are a good example. This series lasted two years, with four tournaments each year. Five 2-pounders would have netted a first, two 2nds, and then 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.

And for the ultimate crown of professional bass fishing...the Bassmaster Classic...you would have beaten the best gathering of pros in 2005 by a whopping 17-01. Your finish in 2004 would have been 13th, then 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 now, just how big is a 2-pound bass?" as Johnson asked. The answer: Bigger than most of us think.