There is a belief from some quarters that big lures produce big fish. The thought is that only big fish will prey on big bait fish therefore the bigger the lure the bigger the fish.
For carp fishing this is absolutely true – only big carp can physically get a big bait into their mouths. This is what led me to develop the big pig line aligner rig. However carp are herbivores and swallow their food in one gulp. If it doesn’t fit – they can’t eat it.
Pike and other predatory fish are different. They will attack fish far far bigger than they can eat. All they need is the stimulus that the prey fish is in trouble and they will attack.
Therefore, fishing big lures to catch big fish ? Well it can work after a fashion but you will miss a lot of other fish as they are unable to hookup on the lure. I don’t think that there is a difference between the overall size you get on smaller lures just you catch less fish. Do you set out to catch less fish ?
For most of my fishing I use a 4-6 inch lure and may go smaller if there are perch about bit very rarely larger, it’s just not worth the hassle. Think about it, bigger lures need bigger tackle, are harder to cast and more expensive when you inevitably loose one.
The lure that caught this fine perch can be seen in the background it’s a 4inch fox rage lure that has accounted for a great many fish.
This pike was taken 5 mins later on the same lure at the same spot
The Masterblanker 