I fished for more than 7 years before getting one over 5lbs. Thats one helluva way to come out of the gate. I'll give you a little advice....Work diligently towards mastering finesse fishing and you will be 10 times as successful on the water. Its to the point now that no matter what pattern I'm fishing, I'm doing it with finesse and attention to detail. From swimming jigs to flipping and pitching cranks; hit every angle twice, even three times or more before moving to your next target. If I had a dollar for everytime someone pulled a winning fish from behind me..........