Largemouth vs. Smallmouth

[Lord Castlereagh]

Caught my first ever big smallmouth today. My did he fight! I was really impressed. Is it my imagination or did he fight a lot harder than his largemouth cousins? Or are they about the same?

[Glaucus]

Smallmouth are much more ferocious fighters.

Years ago I was told that Smallies fight harder because they spend a lot of time in the current. And then years later I fished a SM pond for my first time, and they fought just as hard in water with no current. Up til then I had only fished for them in rivers and creeks. They're hardcore. Love it.

[flyfisher]

Smallies definitely fight harder than Largemouth.  River largemouth fight pretty hard too but i still think Spotted bass fight harder than both of them.

[The Bassman]

I agree.  Day in and day out smallies are much faster and stronger.  That said, I've hooked the occasional largemouth that thinks he's a smallmouth.  One thing that largemouth do sometimes that I've never seen with a smallie is that they'll get they're head out of the water and be basically motionless as you bring them in.  No fight at all.

[Glaucus]

Another thing I love about hooking into a SM is that they don't stop fighting. They fight hard til the end. And keep fighting once they've lost. LM run out of gas after a short time and it begins to feel like dead weight. 

 

Still prefer LM fishing, but SM catching is more fun.

[jbmaine]

Generally speaking SM fight much better than LM, kind of like sedan VS sports car.

[813basstard]

Never caught a smallie..but if they fight anything like Hybrids they gotta be fun!

[Lord Castlereagh]

26 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

Another thing I love about hooking into a SM is that they don't stop fighting. They fight hard til the end. And keep fighting once they've lost. LM run out of gas after a short time and it begins to feel like dead weight. 

 

Still prefer LM fishing, but SM catching is more fun.

SM is more fun, and fight harder, but you prefer LMs??? Why?

[J.Vincent]

Smallmouth Bass are, by nature , slightly more aerodynamic and they are pound for pound a more formidable opponent then Largemouth bass. The Peacock Bass (although not a member of the Black Bass family of fish) are even more formidable. 

[Glaucus]

10 minutes ago, Lord Castlereagh said:

SM is more fun, and fight harder, but you prefer LMs??? Why?

I prefer ponds to rivers and prefer techniques for LM rather than techniques for SM, and I like bigger fish.

[Dwight Hottle]

On a scale from 1-10

the smallie fights like a 10

the largemouth fights like a 6-7

Lake Baccarac bass fight like a 9

[A-Jay]

In my mind, Bigger Bass, both Green & Brown are challenging to hook, fight & land.

However, as the size of the bass get smaller, the brown bass do seem to retain quite a bit more vigor(comparatively speaking) than some of the green ones I've caught.

Not always the case, but generally.

However, if I'm fortunate enough to ever hook a new personal best of either type, I would have no problem at all if it were to calmly swim right into my net - no problem at all.

A-Jay

[moguy1973]

Several times I’ve hooked a 12” smallmouth and thought it was a much bigger fish because of the way they fight.  Definitely one of the best fighting fish pound for pound. Once you hook one you’ll want to catch many more. 

[MassYak85]

Pound for pound I'll take catching smallmouths over largemouths every time. But the lakes I frequent the odds of hooking into a 5lb largemouth are much greater than hooking into a 5lb smallmouth so I'm generally not targeting them. I've always felt smallmouth fight like it's their first time getting hooked, they are fighting for their lives. Largemouth almost seem conceded to the idea of being caught. 

[soflabasser]

The smallmouths I have caught fought harder than a equal sized largemouth bass, but both of these bass fight less than a equal sized Suwannee bass. Peacock bass fight much harder than any black bass species I have caught and they are a species of fish worth adding to one's bucketlist.

[islandbass]

Smallest imho definitely fight harder than their largie counterparts and I love that about them. To me, the large lmbs I’ve might fight hard in the beginning but taper off quickly and almost seem like they’re playing dead. And that is fine because it makes them easier to lip, lol. 

 

I think another reason smallies might seem to fight harder is that we tend to use lighter powered rods. 

 

One story about my dad hooking into a smallie. He got my attention and pointed to his rod tip. Something was nibbling and the tip was bobbing and the slam! The rod tip bent down so hard I thought he might have had 30lb catfish or salmon on. My heart was pumping with excitement as I waited for him to land it. Forget me, me dad was holding on for dear life. Man, it was a smallmouth that was just a little longer than the size of my hand, lol. 

 

We were both laughing so hard and wondered how such a small fish put up a fight like that. 

 

Pound for pound smallies kick phanny over the lmb counterparts in general. 

[greentrout]

River & marsh bass fight hard...our marsh bass are small little football shaped fellas who are pugnacious and attack their prey hard...they are at times competing with specks and reds for the food chain with a changing tide and current...

 

As a side, in the 70's when the Florida strain bass was being considered to be introduced in TX. waters it was not unanimous amongst the fishermen and powers in charge to stock Fla. strain. The northern strain was said to be more aggressive and easier to catch... 

 

good fishing...

[WRB]

Smallmouth bass put up a longer harder fight that includes high acrobatic jumps then either spotted or LMB. Spots are stronger pulling for their size then LMB, FLBM grow 2 times heavier then both Smallmouth and spots. Pound for pound Smallmouth are king for fighting skills.

Tom

[greentrout]

8 minutes ago, WRB said:

Smallmouth bass put up a longer harder fight that includes high acrobatic jumps then either spotted or LMB. Spots are stronger pulling for their size then LMB, FLBM grow 2 times heavier then both Smallmouth and spots. Pound for pound Smallmouth are king for fighting skills.

Tom

so says you...opinion only...

[WRB]

Just now, greentrout said:

so says you...opinion only...

Smallmouth can jump 4' out of the water, no other bass comes close.

Tom

[greentrout]

Just now, WRB said:

Smallmouth can jump 4' out of the water, no other bass comes close.

Tom

that's all you got...

 

[BuzzHudson19c]

For me, nothing beats river smallies. Hard fighters. It never stops amazing me their ability to get loose. You can have both trebles firmly in their mouths and after a good jump they spit the darn thing right out. Frustrating sometimes, but a challenge for sure.

[soflabasser]

Smallmouth bass fight good for their size but there are plenty of fish that fight harder pound for pound. Peacock bass destroy smallmouth bass and all black bass species I have caught when it comes to overall pound for pound power, endurance, and acrobatic ability. Tarpon are even better fighters than peacock bass and give a skilled fishermen a hard time to land. Tarpon fishing days are classified in the following ways; number of follows you get, number of jumps you get, and the ones you actually land. Sailfish are another species of powerful,acrobatic fish but they are not as acrobatic or strong as a tarpon is pound for pound. Jacks and tunas are other species of fish I have caught that are extremely powerful for their size and they will give anyone a decent mini workout, especially when they are over 20 pounds.

[NHBull]

99% of the fish I catch are SM and if you cast a country mile and hook them on the fall, your in for a treat. A day of catching 3 pounders can exhaust you.  This year we have caught a few more LM than normal, and while it is fun to get a larger fish, you can usually tell immediately that it isn't a SM.........it's a totally different fight. The only fish in my lake that fights harder is large pickerel........and they are becoming more abundant 

[jbmaine]

The last SM I caught was on a ned rig in about 25 feet of water. He bent my medium rod over more than I thought it would go, took about 20FT. of line, and when he finally decided to come up, shot out of the water like a rocket. When I got him in the boat he weighted 1.12. Have yet to catch a LM that size that was anywhere near that feisty.