Is this a smallmouth?

[loudcherokee]

Never caught one before, but was fishing for largemouth today and caught this guy on a senko. My thumb scale says the fish weighed approx 3.5-4 pounds. The bottom jaw did not extend past the eyeball and there was no dark line down the side. The inside of the fishes mouth was also different, almost like there was no tongue or bottom off the mouth.

LC

 

[Bluebasser86]

Looks like one to me. 

[Zachary Nute]

Yes sir!!

[loudcherokee]

Awesome! That's my first ever smallmouth! Put up a good fight. When I got him to the surface at the bank he turned and swam straight down and pulled drag. Very exciting!

LC

[mrmacwvu1]

if that fished weighed 4 pounds you have the biggest thumbs I have ever seen or you need a new scale

just kidding

 

nice fish

[A-Jay]

Congrats on your first Smallmouth bass.

btw ~ you may want to consider having your thumb scale professionally recalibrated.

A-Jay

[loudcherokee]

11 minutes ago, mrmacwvu1 said:

if that fished weighed 4 pounds you have the biggest thumbs I have ever seen or you need a new scale

just kidding

 

nice fish

LOL I'm Only guessing the weight since I didnt weigh the fish. My PB largemouth was almost 6 pounds and this fish was around the same size just not as fat. May have been closer to 3 pounds I don't know.

LC

[lecisnith]

My eye scale says about 2-2.5.  And my eye scale usually runs heavy...

That being said, even a 2 pound smallie is a nice fish.

[Kevin22]

Yep, thats a smallmouth! They are often over-estimated on weight because they fight so hard. Judging by the mouth size compared to an adult man's thumb, and the length of the fish I would put it right at 2-2.5. Looks to be about 16-17" and pretty skinny. If your 6# largemouth was the same length then that would put this smallie at 23" or so and about 8-9#? Don't think so! Or your 6# largemouth was 16-17" long. 

Once a smallie his the 4# mark they look totally different, you hear the term "footballs" tossed around but that is exactly what they look like. They are almost as wide as they are long! A 4# smallie is usually right at the 20" mark and would have a mouth almost twice the size of yours. 

Look at the smallie in my profile picture, look at the mouth size compared to my hand. That fish was 4# 1oz and 20" long. 

[loudcherokee]

Cool! I appreciate the info. I really need to start disciplining myself better and taking measurements and weights. The largemouth in my avatar is my PB I was referring to. If I remember correctly it was just a hair shy of 6 pounds but I didn't have a digital scale, just just a needle one at the time.

I do know with this smallmouth that I could fit my whole hand in his mouth, and i don't have small hands. I hooked him in the roof of the mouth near the back of his throat and tried to remove the hook bare handed before grabbing my pliers.

Next time I'll be sure to get some weights on my catches. I need to start tracking this anyways.

 

LC