Land That Angry Smallmouth

[basslover12345]

“They all seem to go insane. That's why they’re so much fun to catch,” said Bassmaster Opens competitor Michael Murphy on his description of a smallmouth after being hooked.

How would you like a smallmouth to get so hot and vicious it would be better called a pit bull, or even a bulldog? Some could easily out swim Michael Phelps. If the smallmouth drank Red Bull, Michael Phelps wouldn’t be able to compete against this attitude packed fish.

The smallmouth; the meanest, toughest, bass there is. Smallmouth impress anglers with their muscular build and strength, impressive acrobatics, fiery red eyes, and rod breaking runs. Their acrobatics threaten anglers who pursue them.

But, when this angry fish puts on a show and starts jumping, making one of their last minute runs, you risk never seeing the fish, if your line breaks. A broken line leaves a broken heart, and an uneasy stomach.

This past summer I was out fishing on the small wooden dock by the boat ramp at the East Branch Dam in Western Pennsylvania. Within 20-30 minute I set the hook into something that just didn’t feel right, it turned out it was a smallmouth. That smallmouth took me for a nice long ride with me on the other end with my slider head in its mouth.

As it got closer to the end of the dock, the smallmouth began to pull me, along with my rod, right under the dock I was standing on. Then, after bullying me some more, the smallmouth made his last lunge under the dock. I made a split decision, I flung the fish on the dock with the little bit of line that I had out. Then the impact of this pound smallmouth hitting the dock after swinging it, snapped my line with me about a foot away and left my slider head sitting right there by my prize.

I leaped for the fish, my body never did hit the dock, but I managed, I got the smallmouth by grapping him during a leap, but instead of grabbing his mouth, I grabbed right by his sharp fins, but cut my fingers in the process of trying to pick up this squirming, angry, smallmouth. It was all worth it, even if I almost went for a swim in the ice cold water.

“The warmer the water, the hotter the fish will be getting close to the boat. Explosive, hard runs are a smallmouth trademark when they see the boat,” said former Elite Series pro, Bink Desaro of Boise, Id. It takes skill to hook, fight, and land every smallmouth that bites. These former pros know how to make this fish, less angry and easier to fight, even if the water is boiling hot.

“My biggest smallmouth is 6 pounds, on the Columbia River drop shotting a Robo Worm,” said Desaro. “But, the meanest smallmouth I’ve encountered was on a section of the Snake River in Idaho on Brownlee Reservoir.”

“I was drop shotting in 40 feet and a 5-pound smallmouth hit the Robo Worm. It was work to get the fish up from 40 feet on 6-pound fluorocarbon. When the fish got close to the boat, it jumped three feet and dove to what seemed right where I hooked it.” Discussing his biggest smallmouth with the meanest smallmouth, he’s seen

Anglers know the feeling of getting a bass up to the boat, seeing it hooked by a bit of skin, your heart begins to beat. But, having that attitude with a bass that is hooked solidly, can be beneficial.

“I act like I’ve got it skin hooked with thread, while keeping pressure on the bass, let your rod do the work,” said Desaro. “I back reel, if the bass is big, I’ll take as long as needed to get it in the boat, some feel it’s taken forever to get in,” Desaro had this to say when asked how he acts playing smallmouth.

One of the biggest things which crushes an anglers excitement after feeling a fish hit their lure, only to set the hook and nothing be there. “My hook-up ratio is high because I back reel. For most smallmouth applications, I use a 7 foot 2 power Fetha Styx Spinning rod and an Abu Garcia spinning reel,” he said.

Former Bassmaster Pro Darrin Schwenkbeck of Buffalo, NY has experienced fishing, fighting, and landing smallmouth with spinning reels to baitcasters, from jerkbaits to finesse.

“I choose a rod/reel and line combination for a technique over a species or fight involved. When hooking a fish I consider what combination in my hand and how I handle the fish,” said Schwenkbeck. Most smallmouths are in open water, and light line techniques work well. In open water, fish are less likely to hang up in trees or burry in grass, therefore one can take time fighting the fish. Yes, they will jump,” Schwenkbeck explained how he chooses the equipment to fight these smallmouths.

“After I set the hook, I bring my rod tip down to the water, with tension, to try and get the fish to steer down and not jump,” said Schwenkbeck. “A front drag system is best. I've been known to flip the switch on the back of my reel in deep water and back reel. I picked it up from good friend and fellow pro, Paul Hirosky.”

Most smallmouth are found in deep water, so light line can be an important tool, but can pose problems of breaking off smallmouth which are a little too feisty, no matter what the anglers skills are.

“I’d love to hook every smallmouth on heavy line and boat flip them, but it doesn't work that way. My hook set differs smallmouth fishing because I’m going with light line and a light wire hook. I sweep my rod sideways, instead of a hard slamming hook set,” explained Schwenkbeck.

“When drop shotting I don’t set the hook hard. I lift up on them, letting the bait look natural. When a bass hits close to the boat, I set the hook lightly and immediately disengage the reel and thumb the spool on a bait caster or let the fish pull line from my spinning reel. A shore angler may want to lift the rod high when getting the fish in close to keep from breaking off on something. I adjust my drag to the size line I'm using.”

Bassmaster Opens Pro Michael Murphy has enough experience to be an expert on hooking, fighting, and landing smallmouth. An example is his 3^rd place finish in the 2011 Bass Pro Shops Northern Open #2 Lake Erie - Sandusky, OH, Aug 25 - 27, 2011 where he caught 61 pounds of smallmouth in 3 days.

“Every fish you catch tells you about its aggressiveness. I strive for the upper lip, which indicates a premeditated bite. If I catch multiple fish in the tongue, I change weight, then color if that doesn't help,” Murphy said when asked where he finds he’s hooking smallmouth at in the mouth.

“Line stretch can be good or bad, it depends on the rod and technique. If you use a stiffer medium-heavy to heavy rod, you want something with more stretch. I prefer fluorocarbon because its more translucent. With low stretch, I lean toward a medium action to medium-heavy rod.”

Should anglers go on the safe side with heavier line?

“I prefer 8 pound test with smallmouth. With dirty water and moving baits like dragging tubes, swim baits, or throwing jerkbaits, I will use 10 pound test. If the water is ultra-clear and the presentation is slow, I go with six-pound test,” he said.

As to how much torque (or bend) an angler should keep in his rod when fighting fish, “I like a medium action rod, a Denali medium action Noirwood spinning rod. This allows the angler not over torque the fish. I don’t overextend the rod, as their mouths are small, and so are the hooks. I keep medium pressure and back reel or loosen the drag, especially on a big one. Don’t put too much pressure on your rod, this will make the fish to want to become airborne, increasing chances to lose a fish. Use medium pressure and keep the rod tip downward.”

As to what rod Murphy uses, he takes into account the fight for choosing the rod, because longer rods handle aggressive bass better than shorter rods.

“It depends on the height of a person and what’s comfortable for them. I am 6'5", depending on the technique I go as short as 6'6". I prefer 7'0". For someone shorter, shorter rods may be better. An extra fast tip help doesn’t help your hook up ratio for smallmouth. But, I prefer faster tips than slower with smallmouth, from a castability standpoint of the lures you use for smallmouth which are smaller.”

Hoes does Murphy deal with a Smallmouth's rapid movements and flashing?

“Never give any slack, always try having tension of your rod opposite the direction the fish is swimming. When it comes to hooking a bass with a little line out next to the boat, have your drag set properly. If you break off next to the boat, the #1 reason is the drag on your real is set too tight. I like hearing the drag slip barely on a hook set with smallmouth.”

Anglers know, the time you wait to set the hook can be influenced by what lure you’re using, what type of hook you’re using. But, many bass anglers don’t know that the species you’re targeting can make a difference in how long you wait to set the hook, but also how you set the hook.

“It depends on the bite and the technique. With smallmouth, I wait an extra second or two. They like to play with it more than a largemouth would just engulf it. It’s always been hard for me to change my hook set.

“I compensate with changing the action of my rod, so I don’t have to think of it in the heat of the moment. I set the same I would with anything, quick and tight. People drop their rod to power drive the hook, without realizing the best you can do is get the hook started with that much line out and the hook is actually driven in during the retrieve. “

“Get the hook in quickly and keep steady pressure throughout the fight. I keep my rod tip up and to the side through the hook set, rotating downward as quickly as possible for the fight to keep the fish from jumping. I go one size smaller than that of with Largemouth.”

How light/heavy is the tackle Murphy is using for smallmouth?

“It comes down to the technique and depth you’re fishing. I try to go as light as possible. In shallower water down to 15 feet, I will use ¼ ounce on my drop shots with a #1 or 1/0 hook, in 15-25 foot 3/8 ounce, and 25 feet, or more, ½ ounce. On tubes, 1/8 ounce , or 1/4 up to 15 foot depending on wind, 3/8 or 1/2 up to 25 foot, and 1/2-3/4 ounce in 25 feet or more. Going as light as possible as I can get away with wind or current depending.”

Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Travis Manson of Green Bay, WI scored a 24^th place finish on the Elite Series stop on Lake Michigan fishing smallmouth. He grew up fishing for smallmouth and is knowledgeable on the most important part of the game for any angler, hooking, fighting, and landing smallmouth.

“I let the fish tell me how responsive they’re to the bait throughout the day. Sometimes, a quick set is needed to keep them from swallowing the bait, which causes mortality. I find this true when throwing tubes. Other times they might peck at the bait and you keep moving until they load up on it,” he said.

“I keep it tight setting the hook and I’ll loosen it during the fight. If I’m flipping creature baits with heavy line I'll pull hard and fast to get the fish out of cover and into the boat quickly. If its a finesse deal, I'll let the fish wear down and not cause too much pressure on it.”

One thing that should always be on the mind of any smallmouth angler is the fact that smallmouth jump, and when they jump, they jump high and fast with a lot of power, enough power to break your line or pull the hook out.

“My concern fighting fish is keeping them from obstacles that may get in between the fish and me. I try to keep the fish down so it doesn't jump. I fight them how I would on any type of structure if its just straight rock.”

“Try to get a good hook set and pull them up and away from the structure as soon possible. I’ve run into problems on certain lakes where the rocks have zebra mussels. If this is the case and I’m targeting that structure, I’ll increase my line diameter to prevent break offs which typically occur on the hook set.”

Former Elites series pro Paul Hirosky also has a testament to the smallmouths power, strength, and endurance based on a recent experience on Lake Erie.

“I was out on Erie a few weeks ago and was blown away by the fish. That day it was like this, bite, hook set, the fish is jumping. In addition, that was in 40 feet. It's like they were shot from a cannon. They would hit the water and charge hard to the bottom. It was tough to stay with them. They were fighting hard. Other days they stay down, you just never know.”

“The hardest hit I've ever had by a bass was a 3 pound smallmouth on a spinner bait. I don't even understand how it generated that force, maybe two hit it at full speed, but wow! Now I'm not saying that was the hardest fight, but for a 7 foot. MH rod, the bite was, well I don't know how the line didn't break,” said Hirosky.

[basslover12345]

This article is by me

[hooah212002]

You need to break it up more. Double space to indicate paragraphs. While it is obvious you attempt to break it, it still appears jumbled together, making it difficult to read. Also, indents to indicate separate content/paragraphs would help. More criticism to come later .

[basslover12345]

You need to break it up more. Double space to indicate paragraphs. While it is obvious you attempt to break it, it still appears jumbled together, making it difficult to read. Also, indents to indicate separate content/paragraphs would help. More criticism to come later .

I did all that, just didnt show up when I copy and pasted

[hooah212002]

I did all that, just didnt show up when I copy and pasted

Ahh, I see. i didn't realize this was something you wrote elsewhere. Sorry. Good write up.

i have noticed, though, that this board and the way it handles input of text can be finicky. I haven't tried many browsers, but I've often had the cursor jump around when typing a reply or writing a new topic even without me touching the mouse.

[basslover12345]

Any suggestions for it?

[hooah212002]

Any suggestions for it?

I can't really read it because, like I said, it's packed too closely together. I am at work and fluorescent lighting makes my eyes "fuzzy" and prone to headaches if I need to strain to read text on a computer screen (odd, given that my job is ON a computer lol). Just go through it quick and throw in a few return key strokes where necessary. It will give the reader here a better feel of how you want it to flow.

[mod479]

Nice article bass lover, I replied to your smallmouth questionaire, and it was cool seeing the answers to those questions coming from some pros.

I noticed one spelling error, "Grapping" I'll assume you meant grabbing. Also, in that section, you use that word 3 times in short succession in two sentences, grab a thesaurus and rewrite that section maybe?

I could follow the article easily enough, you have a great draft here. The only criticism I have is your section reliving your first smallmouth. It is a great connection, but it is a bit overworded in some parts, like describing the squirming smallouth.

Otherwise, I am very impressed by your article. Well done!

[mod479]

Well a second read of your article has revealed a few other things I thought I'd point out. Dont take these critiques the wrong way, I'm only trying to help you write a better article. If you have a new draft for me tomorrow, I'll give it another look.

“They all seem to go insane. That's why they’re so much fun to catch,” said Bassmaster Opens competitor Michael Murphy on his description of a smallmouth after being hooked.

How would you like a smallmouth to get so hot and vicious it would be better called a pit bull, or even a bulldog? Some could easily out swim Michael Phelps. If the smallmouth drank Red Bull, Michael Phelps wouldn’t be able to compete against this attitude packed fish.

The smallmouth; the meanest, toughest, bass there is. <- (Not everyone will agree here) Smallmouth impress anglers with their muscular build, and strength, impressive acrobatics, fiery red eyes, and rod breaking runs. Their acrobatics threaten anglers who pursue them. (Consider a different word than threaten)

But, when this angry fish puts on a show and starts jumping, making one of their last minute runs, you risk never seeing the fish, if your line breaks. A broken line leaves a broken heart, and an uneasy stomach.

This past summer I was out fishing on the small wooden dock by the boat ramp at the East Branch Dam in Western Pennsylvania. Within 20-30 minute I set the hook into something that felt ( different ) just didn’t feel right, it turned out it was a smallmouth. That smallmouth fish took me for a nice long ride with me on the other end with my slider head in its mouth. (reword this sentence)

As it got closer to the end of the dock, the smallmouth began to pull me, along with my rod, right under the dock I was standing on. (A 1lb smallie owned you and the gear you were using?) Then, after bullying me some more, the smallmouth (again, try to use smallmouth less, it can begin to sound redundant.) made his last lunge under the dock. I made a split decision, I flung the fish on the dock with the little bit of line that I had out. Then the impact of this pound smallmouth hitting the dock after swinging it, snapped my line with me about a foot away and left my slider head sitting right there by my prize. (A 1lb smallie shouldnt be breaking your line, but anything is possible, like a bad knot or a neglected a re-tie?)

I leaped for the fish, my body never did hit the dock, but I managed, I got the smallmouth by grapping him during a leap, but instead of grabbing his mouth, (grabbing 3 times in succession, too many times, try to re word this part of your experience.) I grabbed right by his sharp fins, but cut my fingers in the process of trying to pick up this squirming, angry, smallmouth. It was all worth it, even if I almost went for a swim in the ice cold water. <---- (your experience is good for your article, but you might want to re write this from scratch.)

“The warmer the water, the hotter the fish will be getting close to the boat. Explosive, hard runs are a smallmouth trademark when they see the boat,” said former Elite Series pro, Bink Desaro of Boise, Id. It takes skill to hook, fight, and land every smallmouth that bites. These former pros know how to make this fish, less angry and easier to fight, even if the water is boiling hot.

“My biggest smallmouth is 6 pounds, on the Columbia River drop shotting a Robo Worm,” said Desaro. “But, the meanest smallmouth I’ve encountered was on a section of the Snake River in Idaho on Brownlee Reservoir.”

“I was drop shotting in 40 feet and a 5-pound smallmouth hit the Robo Worm. It was work to get the fish up from 40 feet on 6-pound fluorocarbon. When the fish got close to the boat, it jumped three feet and dove to what seemed right where I hooked it.” Discussing his biggest smallmouth with the meanest smallmouth, he’s seen

Anglers know the feeling of getting a bass up to the boat, seeing it hooked by a bit of skin, your heart begins to beat. But, having that attitude with a bass that is hooked solidly, can be beneficial.

“I act like I’ve got it skin hooked with thread, while keeping pressure on the bass, let your rod do the work,” said Desaro. “I back reel, if the bass is big, I’ll take as long as needed to get it in the boat, some feel it’s taken forever to get in,” Desaro had this to say when asked how he acts playing smallmouth.

One of the biggest things which crushes an anglers excitement after feeling a fish hit their lure, only to set the hook and nothing be there. “My hook-up ratio is high because I back reel. For most smallmouth applications, I use a 7 foot 2 power Fetha Styx Spinning rod and an Abu Garcia spinning reel,” he said.

Former Bassmaster Pro Darrin Schwenkbeck of Buffalo, NY has experienced fishing, fighting, and landing smallmouth with spinning reels to baitcasters, from jerkbaits to finesse.

“I choose a rod/reel and line combination for a technique over a species or fight involved. When hooking a fish I consider what combination in my hand and how I handle the fish,” said Schwenkbeck. Most smallmouths are in open water, and light line techniques work well. In open water, fish are less likely to hang up in trees or burry in grass, therefore one can take time fighting the fish. Yes, they will jump,” Schwenkbeck explained how he chooses the equipment to fight these smallmouths.

“After I set the hook, I bring my rod tip down to the water, with tension, to try and get the fish to steer down and not jump,” said Schwenkbeck. “A front drag system is best. I've been known to flip the switch on the back of my reel in deep water and back reel. I picked it up from good friend and fellow pro, Paul Hirosky.”

Most smallmouth are found in deep water (Not true, smallmouth are notoriously hard to pattern, and tend to roam, especially this time of year.) , so light line can be an important tool, but can pose problems of breaking off smallmouth which are a little too feisty. , no matter what the anglers skills are.

“I’d love to hook every smallmouth on heavy line and boat flip them, but it doesn't work that way. My hook set differs smallmouth fishing because I’m going with light line and a light wire hook. I sweep my rod sideways, instead of a hard slamming hook set,” explained Schwenkbeck.

“When drop shotting I don’t set the hook hard. I lift up on them, letting the bait look natural. When a bass hits close to the boat, I set the hook lightly and immediately disengage the reel and thumb the spool on a bait caster or let the fish pull line from my spinning reel. A shore angler may want to lift the rod high when getting the fish in close to keep from breaking off on something. I adjust my drag to the size line I'm using.”

Bassmaster Opens Pro Michael Murphy has enough experience to be an expert on hooking, fighting, and landing smallmouth. An example is his 3^rd place finish in the 2011 Bass Pro Shops Northern Open #2 Lake Erie - Sandusky, OH, Aug 25 - 27, 2011 where he caught 61 pounds of smallmouth in 3 days.

“Every fish you catch tells you about its aggressiveness. I strive for the upper lip, which indicates a premeditated bite. If I catch multiple fish in the tongue, I change weight, then color if that doesn't help,” Murphy said when asked where he finds he’s hooking smallmouth at in the mouth.

“Line stretch can be good or bad, it depends on the rod and technique. If you use a stiffer medium-heavy to heavy rod, you want something with more stretch. I prefer fluorocarbon because its more translucent. With low stretch, I lean toward a medium action to medium-heavy rod.”

Should anglers go on the safe side with heavier line?

“I prefer 8 pound test with smallmouth. With dirty water and moving baits like dragging tubes, swim baits, or throwing jerkbaits, I will use 10 pound test. If the water is ultra-clear and the presentation is slow, I go with six-pound test,” he said.

As to how much torque (or bend) an angler should keep in his rod when fighting fish, “I like a medium action rod, a Denali medium action Noirwood spinning rod. This allows the angler not over torque the fish. I don’t overextend the rod, as their mouths are small, and so are the hooks. I keep medium pressure and back reel or loosen the drag, especially on a big one. Don’t put too much pressure on your rod, this will make the fish to want to become airborne, increasing chances to lose a fish. Use medium pressure and keep the rod tip downward.”

As to what rod Murphy uses, he takes into account the fight for choosing the rod, because longer rods handle aggressive bass better than shorter rods.

“It depends on the height of a person and what’s comfortable for them. I am 6'5", depending on the technique I go as short as 6'6". I prefer 7'0". For someone shorter, shorter rods may be better. An extra fast tip help doesn’t help your hook up ratio for smallmouth. But, I prefer faster tips than slower with smallmouth, from a castability standpoint of the lures you use for smallmouth which are smaller.”

Hoes does Murphy deal with a Smallmouth's rapid movements and flashing? (Still have no idea what you mean by flashing, I've seen them roll on the bottom and flash their sides when cruising the shallows, but I dont know what you mean when a fish is hooked up.)

“Never give any slack, always try having tension of your rod opposite the direction the fish is swimming. When it comes to hooking a bass with a little line out next to the boat, have your drag set properly. If you break off next to the boat, the #1 reason is the drag on your real reel is set too tight. I like hearing the drag slip barely on a hook set with smallmouth.”

Anglers know, the time you wait to set the hook can be influenced by what lure you’re using, what type of hook you’re using. But, many bass anglers don’t know that the species you’re targeting can make a difference in how long you wait to set the hook, but also how you set the hook.

“It depends on the bite and the technique. With smallmouth, I wait an extra second or two. They like to play with it more than a largemouth would just engulf it. It’s always been hard for me to change my hook set.

“I compensate with changing the action of my rod, so I don’t have to think of it in the heat of the moment. I set the same I would with anything, quick and tight. People drop their rod to power drive the hook, without realizing the best you can do is get the hook started with that much line out and the hook is actually driven in during the retrieve. “

“Get the hook in quickly and keep steady pressure throughout the fight. I keep my rod tip up and to the side through the hook set, rotating downward as quickly as possible for the fight to keep the fish from jumping. I go one size smaller than that of with Largemouth.”

How light/heavy is the tackle Murphy is using for smallmouth?

“It comes down to the technique and depth you’re fishing. I try to go as light as possible. In shallower water down to 15 feet, I will use ¼ ounce on my drop shots with a #1 or 1/0 hook, in 15-25 foot 3/8 ounce, and 25 feet, or more, ½ ounce. On tubes, 1/8 ounce , or 1/4 up to 15 foot depending on wind, 3/8 or 1/2 up to 25 foot, and 1/2-3/4 ounce in 25 feet or more. Going as light as possible as I can get away with wind or current depending.”

Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Travis Manson of Green Bay, WI scored a 24^th place finish on the Elite Series stop on Lake Michigan fishing smallmouth. He grew up fishing for smallmouth and is knowledgeable on the most important part of the game for any angler, hooking, fighting, and landing smallmouth.

“I let the fish tell me how responsive they’re to the bait throughout the day. Sometimes, a quick set is needed to keep them from swallowing the bait, which causes mortality. I find this true when throwing tubes. Other times they might peck at the bait and you keep moving until they load up on it,” he said.

“I keep it tight setting the hook and I’ll loosen it during the fight. If I’m flipping creature baits with heavy line I'll pull hard and fast to get the fish out of cover and into the boat quickly. If its a finesse deal, I'll let the fish wear down and not cause too much pressure on it.”

One thing that should always be on the mind of any smallmouth angler is the fact that smallmouth jump, and when they jump, they jump high and fast with a lot of power, enough power to break your line or pull the hook out.

“My concern fighting fish is keeping them from obstacles that may get in between the fish and me. I try to keep the fish down so it doesn't jump. I fight them how I would on any type of structure if its just straight rock.”

“Try to get a good hook set and pull them up and away from the structure as soon possible. I’ve run into problems on certain lakes where the rocks have zebra mussels. If this is the case and I’m targeting that structure, I’ll increase my line diameter to prevent break offs which typically occur on the hook set.”

Former Elites series pro Paul Hirosky also has a testament to the smallmouths power, strength, and endurance based on a recent experience on Lake Erie.

“I was out on Erie a few weeks ago and was blown away by the fish. That day it was like this, bite, hook set, the fish is jumping. In addition, that was in 40 feet. It's like they were shot from a cannon. They would hit the water and charge hard to the bottom. It was tough to stay with them. They were fighting hard. Other days they stay down, you just never know.”

“The hardest hit I've ever had by a bass was a 3 pound smallmouth on a spinner bait. I don't even understand how it generated that force, maybe two hit it at full speed, but wow! Now I'm not saying that was the hardest fight, but for a 7 foot. MH rod, the bite was, well I don't know how the line didn't break,” said Hirosky.

[basslover12345]

Well a second read of your article has revealed a few other things I thought I'd point out. Dont take these critiques the wrong way, I'm only trying to help you write a better article. If you have a new draft for me tomorrow, I'll give it another look.

That part about the smallmouth "owning me" was supposed to bring some humor into the article, did it?

[mod479]

That part about the smallmouth "owning me" was supposed to bring some humor into the article, did it?

Maybe if I believed that, or were you using a mickey mouse combo?

I'm joking, but to me, it just makes it seem a little bit too dramatic of a battle with a small bass? Like I said, good connection for your article, I'd just reword it differently.

[basslover12345]

Maybe if I believed that, or were you using a mickey mouse combo?

I'm joking, but to me, it just makes it seem a little bit too dramatic of a battle with a small bass? Like I said, good connection for your article, I'd just reword it differently.

I was using a 6 foot spinning rod, I was trying to make it Ironic (Big Fight turns out to be 1 pound bass)