405z06

Nice fish, but those pictures are hard to look at, IMO. There is debris all over that fish from it lying and flopping on the ground. I just hate to see trophy-sized fish killed. Personally, I would never jeopardize any smallmouth just so I could get a picture. If i'm not prepared to grab a quick pic and let her back in the water quickly, then there simply won't be a pic taken. It's not worth it. You're mileage may obv vary. Just my opinion, and again, nice fish

I always have my best days in terms of numbers in the summer. The hotter the better. If I am floating, I throw a 1/4 oz white or chart spinnerbait. If I am wading, soff plastic like a tube or texas-rigged 4" senko

I know how you feel, duckmaster. Once I found Ozark stream smallmouth fishing, it was all over for me We are blessed here in Missouri with a ton of options for stream smallies. I spent this past weekend floating the Current River in SE Missouri.The Current is part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozark_National_Scenic_Riverways This was where I slept after I couldn't fish anymore Saturday night:

A lot of guys that river fish for smallies here in Missouri never even really talk weight of the fish, just length. People either tend to exagerate the weight of the fish or they or simply are not good at guessing (I would include myself in the latter group). The beverage cooler I use when in a canoe actually has a ruler built into the top of it, which is cool. Takes about 2 seconds to lay the fish on top, and goes right back into the water. I also carry a small tape measure in tacklebox if I am wading. It's hard to tell from the angle of that picture, but that is definately a nice fish. I bet it pulled like a freight train. But it doesn't look anywhere near either 20" or 4lbs. I'm not sure how your rivers looks in Indiana, but if I am floating down a river I carry 2 rods. The baitcaster is gonna have a 1/4 oz tandem spinnerbait in white or chartreuse 95% of the time. The other rod, a spinning rod, will have a tube or texas-rigged 4" Senko on it 95% of the time.

My river smallie rod is a G.Loomis Bronzeback series. In terms of line, I tried 8# Nanofil for the first time this weekend and was thrilled with the performance. The casting distance is unlike anything I have ever seen. I didn't have any problems with knots as other have reported.

If they still have teeth, the are probably feeding on crayfish. If their teeth are ground down from eating too many crayfish, or they are old and simply unable to eat them anymore because of poor dentures, they are probably feeding on bluegill. Squish their stomach to confirm.

This is the funniest post in the history of internet forums. You couldn't troll better than this if you tried.

Nobody knows the answer to this. Fish are completely unpredictable. We think we understand a little about them, we want to understand, but we realy don't. Think back to your prior fishing experiences. I have been fishing in April after a viscous cold front where the air temp dropped 30 degrees and it was sleeting. The next day the fish were in 2 inches of water and we caught one every other cast it seemed. Same lake a few years later in May on a Sunday: Fish were ON. It was one of those day were you catch so many fish it actually gets boring. The next day, with the same temp, same skies, same barometer, same everything, and you couldn't buy a bite. The poster on the 1st page suggests that big fish feed during daylight hours and most big bass are caught at a certain time. On the other hand, a famous study tracking big bass in Texas found the exact opposite: "Hope also learned that big bass feed predominantly at night, 12 months a year. "Every fish over 7 pounds is a nocturnal feeder,” Hope said. “They may feed periodically during the day. But they do most of their feeding at night, usually in two-hour intervals. They feed for a while and then rest for a while.” http://www.flwoutdoors.com/fishing-articles/tech-tackle-reviews/143706/bass-that-go-beep/ My point isn't to say somebody is wrong, or somebody is right. The point is that we don't understand these fish .0001% as much as we think we do. Go fishing when you have the time and don't worry about the things you can't control like the weather.

Nice! Some wierd coloration there, especially on the tail. I live about a mile from where you are standing, I have never even put a line in that water. May have to reconsider I usually fish smallmouth on the upper 'mec

I live in St Louis and a few years ago got turned on to smallmouth fishing on the Ozark Streams. There are countless creeks to wade and many, many rivers that can accomodate boats of varying sizes and canoes. My personal best smallmouth came out of the Big River less than 10 miles form my house in Fenton. The Meramec from between Steelville and Leasburg is gorgeous and has good smallmouth fishing. Outfitters that will put you on the water in that area include Ozark Outdoors, Blue Springs Ranch, Garrison's, and Indian Springs Resort. If you can get a day off in the middle of the week, I highly reccomend this stretch. There are also 2 creeks that flow into the Meramec that offer canoe rental: the Huzzah and the Courtois. The outfitters are Huzzah Valley Resort and Bass' River Resort. A little further away are the Big Piney, the Gasconade, Jack's Fork, The Current, Eleven Point., etc. All offer outstanding smallmouth fishing. You might want to check out this forum ("Ozrak Anglers") for Missouri fisherman: http://forums.ozarka...rs.com/?act=idx

rarely happens. "Reel down" in this application means maybe 2 revolutions of the reel handle. You reel down to reel excess slack, while at the same time lowering your rod parallel to the water. Then a slow lift of the rod to sense any pressure. Pressure/weight = bass=set the hook. It all happens in less than a second or two

Fenton, MO. I mostlyfish the rivers for smallmouth....upper Meramec, Big River, and the Big Piney occasionally. Also have a couple private subdivision ponds I have access to with nice populations of largemouth.

your probably getting bluegill biting your bait. Bluegill bites feel like machine gun fire...a quick series of 4-5 ticks/taps. A bass won't do that, it simply inhales the bait. IT will be a single-solid thump. You can't really set the hook too soon if a bass has the lure in it's mouth ,so if your missing them, they probably aren't bass. Once you feel something out of the ordinary, take up the slack in your line until you feel pressure, Then set the hook. Don't reel so hard you pull it out of it's mouth, but reel deliberately until you can tell if there is something ther. If there is no pressure when you reel in the slack, it probably wasnt a bass to begin with. Once you catch some bass, you will soon be able to tell the difference between a bluegill bite and bass bite. It will become second nature

I used to live in Bonita Springs, just south of Ft Myers. Like the person above said, the most obvious is Lake Okeechobee which has really made a strong comeback over the last decade from what I understand. You can't hardly walk 20 paces in SW Fla without running into a golf course. Many of those golf course lakes are loaded with unpressured bass, though access can be an issue. Also, there is a park in south Ft Myers called "Lakes Park" on Gladioulis. I used to fish there several times a week using live shiners purchased at a bait shop on US41 on the Estero river. There are plenty of big fish in Lakes Park. They used to rent small boats, but I mostly fished from the bank and from the bridges/piers. Live bait was the key there; throwing artificials seemed a waste of time.

I agree

that's a largemouth

The Big Piney from Slabtown to Ross

Sometimes that is all that is biting. You probably aren't doing anything "wrong". I did a 15 mile float this past weekend on a great Ozark stream. My buddy and I combined didn't catch a single smallie over 15". Same trip last June we couldn't keep the fish off our lines. They can be more moody and finicky than women

I float the Meramec quite a bit. The 2 floats I like the best are the 10 miles from Onondaga (Ozark Outdoors) to Blue Springs Ranch, and the the 10 miles that takes out at Onodaga and starts at a place called "The Bluffs". I usually take 2 rods. While actually floating, I like to throw a 1/4 oz white or chartreuse tandem spinnerbait on 12lb floro w/ a baitcaster. I float solo a lot and it is simply too difficult and too fast to fish a slow, soft-plastic bait effectively. And I can present a heavy lure like a spinnerbait more quietly and accurately with a baitcaster than I can a spinning rig. My other rig I use is a spinning reel with a texas-rigged 4" senko that I throw when I get out to fish a particular stretch more thoroughly. Also, bring a lot of whatever you use. I have had days where I lose 4 or 5 spinnerbaits. It's hard to go after 'em in a canoe & running water. And I won't hardly even throw a Wiggle Wart anymore as fast as I lose them on the river. Actually, anything with an exposed hook that bumps the bottom, you are gonna get hung up and lose quite a bit. You don't have to go get a bunch of new tackle and equipment or necessarily even downsize to go after these river smallmouth. I thought that same thing, too, when I started going after 'em. I started with spinning rods and 6#, but ended up finding that I prefer to use the same equipment and baits that I would use to fish, say, Lake of the Ozarks for largemouth. The Meramec is a beautiful river and a good fishery. Very addicting. You will enjoy it. Good Luck and report back.

It's odd how some people have problems identifying the different black bass species. In this area a lot of people have problems identifying spotted bass (Kentucky bass). And it doesn't necessarily reflect the angler's ability....some people just have a hard time for whatever reason. Though, to be honest, the difference between a smallie and a largemouth is like the difference between a dog and a cat to my eyes. ;D

Yes, on live shiners in Florida fishing from a pier

Every once in a while I will hook a smallie or largemouth with a Spinnerbait or wiggle wart and it will break off. Usually the fish will jump occasionally to try to throw the lure. Have any of you caught a fish with other, broken-off lures in their mouths?

This past Sunday at Lake of The Ozarks in central Missouri, my fishing partner and I each caught 2 big flathead catfish in really shallow water on Wiggle Warts. I don't think I have ever caught a flathead before, but we caught 4 in one day while fishing for largemouth. All of them were BIG. But you knew they weren't bass immediately, as they never come up. I assume it has something to do with the spawn? There were all on main lake points where the main river channel swings close (Osage). Other species we caught this Memorial weekend on LOZ: crappie, white bass, walleye, drum, and carp (snagged with wiggle wart).

Once I started fishing for smallies on Missouri ozark streams/rivers, largemouths and resevior fishing of other species took a distant back seat immediately.

I had never heard of this network until it showed up on my HD Premium Tier (AT&T Uverse). A full-time fishing channel that is all HD? I was like a kid at Christmas! The Mariko Izumi shows are unwatchable, but most of the programs are of high quality, well produced, and all in HD, of course. Highly recommended!