Fishing Crisis - goofy Smallmouth?

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

First, I apologize for rambling. I know I'm going to be windy because I'm still wired from my experience yesterday. Second, I know most of you would consider this fish (2.8 pounds) as bait, but I'm just thrilled I got it into my kayak. Finally, as far as I can tell, this guy is either goofy or a heckuva rugged individualist.

 

Anyway, last evening I was fishing for largemouth using a Zoom Ol' Monster (South Africa Special) along a weedy shallow sandbar with nary a rock in sight.  I'd caught a couple of dinks and was pouting because action was slow and other than weedless rigs or topwater toads I was limited in lure selections. Milfoil and assorted floating salad were driving me nuts!

 

Anyway, I chucked a long cast out and instead of the typical "tap tap" I expect from a LMB, my line suddenly took off across the lake. I gave it a second then set the hook and almost soiled me pantaloons when this thing came out of the water! I mean he came seriously out of the water!  Some guys in a pleasure boat even stopped to watch. After four amazing jumps I lost count, but it took me nearly five minutes to land him because I couldn't keep his butt in the lake and the closer he got to the yak, the worse it got! Talk about an adrenaline rush!

 

 I've caught a few small mouths from shore on this lake, but usually it was using Chigger Craws or Craw Fatties around rocks bordering deeper water and none of them jumped like this! My PFD was soaked, I couldn't see out of my glasses, and my hair looked like I just stepped out of the shower.

 

Here's a pic. Compared to most, this guy looks like a deflated football. But for me, he provided the most excitement I've had in years. Thanks for letting me blow off a little steam, but I'm still pumped up.

 

 

 

[J Francho]

I love it when they jump.

[RichF]

You're lucky you got a nice big hook in her, using that worm.  Those turds throw hooks like Dr. J, when they go airborne! Nice catch!

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

@RichF Thanks! Don't have a clue why the fish was even there! Warmest, shallowest part of the lake with no discernible rocky cover. Just a gently-sloping sandbar where LMB tend to move in the evening so that's what I was rigged for.  Probably half a mile from where I normally (albeit infrequently) catch smallies.

[RichF]

The brown ones like to roam for sure.  I've caught several flipping a 3/4 oz jig in huge milfoil beds!

[Gundog]

Good job landing that brown bomber Grumpy. Anybody who's caught smallies knows your feeling of being pumped up by a smallie giving you a fight that would make a marlin jealous. 

[Dwight Hottle]

Smallies will do that to you.

[fishballer06]

My heart skips a beat whenever those big smallmouth jump 2 feet out of the water. Especially whenever I'm in really deep water and I can feel them coming up like a rocket. Nice fish.

[Bluebasser86]

Big smallies are a blast. Don't let their name fool you, they're not afraid to hit a big bait. 

[12poundbass]

I'm 34 and caught my first one last year after about 15 years of walleye fishing in the Bay de Nocs and I'm hooked! 

[Sam]

Nice smallie.

 

They are fun to catch.

 

You did great!

[UPSmallie]

Great work young man 

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

@UPSmallie: Young? Don't I wish! I've got a couple of bird's nests I've been trying to pick out since before you were born! And I got a birth certificate written in Cuneiform to back me up. LOL! (I just crack me up sometimes!)

[NHBull]

Thanks for sharing...I love reading stories like this, as we can all relate.

 

Bet your still smiling today!

[Crestliner2008]

Fine job on that beautiful smallie!

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

Thanks for all the kind comments, Folks. It would have been much more of an achievement if I had actually been fishing for smallies!  But I have no problem catching any bass - especially since I really so heavily on blind luck!  I read, practiced, and analyzed this lake as much as I could to find some big largemouths. This guy wasn't even supposed to be there! Caught a couple largemouths in the same spot, but together they didn't weigh what this one did. Go figger!  The Bait Monkey is prodding me to get some tubes and other stuff to go out seriously for smallies, but so far I am resisting his wiles!

[Spankey]

Nice fish! Stay pumped, go get another. He's no dink or runt. That's a nice fish man.