What Is a Lunker? All You Need to Know

Have you ever heard about lunkers? Do you know what they are? Seasoned anglers may know all too well about lunkers and their reputation. In layman’s terms, a lunker is nothing else but a monster fish that everyone seems to have seen at a specific location, and of course, wants to catch it. For many fishermen, picking such a fish equals the resolution of their lifetime.

If you are interested in calling such a fish among your trophies, you will need an incredible amount of skill and patience. In other words, a lunker is what makes a good fishing story. Here are some more things about lunkers that you probably don’t know.

Is lunker a real word?

While it may sound like something only anglers could have come up with, the Merriam-Webster dictionary proves that the term does exist. According to the explanations offered by this dictionary, lunker means something large in its category, and it mentions that it usually applies to game fish. The Oxford dictionary gives a similar explanation that points out that the term ‘lunker’ applies to fish, and it is used mainly by fishermen.

So, in other words, a lunker is a large fish, you will feel tempted to say. We feel like saying it like this won’t do justice to what a lunker truly is in the eyes of anglers. Assuming that a lunker is a large fish is not enough. A lunker is the absolute, the biggest, the heaviest, the giant of its kind, and you should treat it with the respect that such an explanation demands. You might have to consider getting a new fishing rod and reel just to hunt it down.

Are lunkers nothing but legends?

Fishermen have a reputation for telling stories that are hard to believe. The thing is, while each angler you have met in your life might seem to have a Moby Dick for the Captain Ahab that lives in anyone with a passion for fishing, lunkers are not the stuff common incredible fishing stories are typically made of. They are real, and the explanation for this simple statement is pretty straightforward.

Each species of fish has lunkers. Even in the smallest ponds and bodies of water, there are fish that get to live longer and develop to be larger than the rest. Now, the only thing you need to do is pick a spot and put your expertise of catching fish to the test with a real challenge.

Where can you find a lunker?

We have already given some pointers on this matter earlier, but let’s focus a little on this aspect. Some people use a fish finder to identify patterns in how schools of fish move about, and they might catch something on their devices that will warrant a start of the hunt for a lunker.  When evaluating a fishing spot, there are many different things you need to take into consideration.

For instance, there are local guides that can give you information about fishing forecasts and supply you with information on what kind of fish you can find in the several lakes to which they cater. You might be surprised to learn that a lunker rating is among the parameters that are readily supplied to any angler interested in casting his or her line in a body of water rich in fish.

So, if a lake has a lunker rating of zero, does it mean that your chances to find such a legendary fish there are null? That might seem like the quickest and easiest-to-reach explanation, but we recommend that you don’t jump to conclusions. All these ratings – the lunker rating, just like the density rating – are calculated using a sample, and a testing period.

A lunker rating that is nothing but a flat line should not discourage you. What happens is that during the testing interval, no lunker was caught. And that might mean that your chances of finding one are actually better because the legendary fish just wait to be caught by a skilled angler.

I caught one! But is it really a lunker?

Big fish are rare, but not incredibly rare. So you may catch them once in a while. The big question that arises is whether the specimen you just caught is a lunker or not. Now you open the door to quite a passionate debate.

You can consult the information offered by specialists in regards to size and other parameters of the fish pertaining to the species you are interested in. You may also reach out to forums and other fellow anglers to ask them about the dimensions you should expect in a lunker.

The somewhat relativeness of the size of a lunker is directly related to the location where a particular specimen is caught. Let’s say that you put on your fishing pants, you grabbed your fishing equipment, and Lady Luck made it that you picked a large bass. Now, it seems like a pretty large bass, but you’re unsure whether it is a lunker or not.

Here is an idea to get you started. If your bass is 10 pounds heavy, that is a lunker. It doesn’t matter where you caught it. It is a large fish by any standard so that the term lunker will apply to it.

Is there a strategy you can apply for catching a lunker?

There are a few things you can do to prepare appropriately for catching a lunker, but, in the end, it all depends on luck and skill. Here are the steps you should follow.

First, you need to choose the lake where you would like to try your luck. Also, if the respective body of water has a good lunker rating, you will feel quite motivated to try your luck there. Choose your bait carefully, depending on what the fish species is most attracted to.

Pick the rest of your equipment carefully. On such details might depend your real chance of getting a lunker and brag about it to your fellow fishermen and friends.