Big bait vs Little bait

[Earl W Story]

 Two weeks ago at a 130 acre lake the fish were taking just a pinch of worm, less than a half inch. This past weekend at a 160 acre lake you needed at least half a nightcrawler to get a bite. Any thoughts on this from your own experiences? 

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I agree with you guys. Speaking of.bluegill, there's a finite size they can fit in their mouth. There's always the random small fish that strikes at a large lure. But if you watch bluegill feed, you'll find an interesting behavior:
They dismember larger food items. They'll pop and slam it with their mouths, coming back around to mop up the pieces. This is how they "steal" bait and its responsible for those half hearted surface hits that every popper man knows too well.
With smaller food, they will watch it for awhile... she take it hard when they commit.

[Tony Livingston]

I think a lot of variables come into play here. I will say however, that I prefer a smaller bait. I find it works the best for me, especially on conditioned, pressured  fish.