Why are largemouth so much more popular than smallmouth?

[Big Hands]

Not gonna pretend to know why LMB seem to be more popular then SMB. And, it doesn't concern me either. If I was in a place where smallmouth was king, I would just dummy up and enjoy what I have. 

 

We have smallmouth in my home lake, but they came many years after the largemouth that were stocked when the lake was filled, likely because someone put them in there on the sly. They used to be almost unheard of, but now they are pretty common. I don't find that I can specifically target them. When I catch them, they just seem to be mixed in with the largemouth and eat the same baits.

 

Pound for pound, they are harder fighters than their green cousins, and they're even grumpy while you're getting ready to release them. But, I don't think they grow anywhere even close to the size the largemouth do, or at least have in the past.

[mistickslinger]

Availability, just like whitetail deer. Everyone would love a big old elk hanging from their fireplace, not everyone has access to them. Largemouth bass and whitetails have similar distribution, hence why they dominate the outdoor market

[the reel ess]

I'd love to catch smallmouth, but we don't have any. My understanding is they can't tolerate the bathtub water temps we get in the summer. There are some in the western and northwestern parts of the state and in the Broad River basin, but that's a pretty good drive for me. I have largemouth 2 miles away.

[brgbassmaster]

From a social media stand point i completely disagree. On my instagram i have multiple 8+lb largemouth and multiple 25-31lb 5 fish limits of largies but i dont get near the comments, follows or likes from those pictures that a 3-5lb smallmouth gets or a 18-24lb 5 fish limit gets. And my buddies say the same thing about their social media accts when it comes to those species smallies get the love. 

[The Maestro]

4 minutes ago, brgbassmaster said:

From a social media stand point i completely disagree. On my instagram i have multiple 8+lb largemouth and multiple 25-31lb 5 fish limits of largies but i dont get near the comments, follows or likes from those pictures that a 3-5lb smallmouth gets or a 18-24lb 5 fish limit gets. And my buddies say the same thing about their social media accts when it comes to those species smallies get the love. 

When you get bitten.by the smallie bug, it's over for you.

[brgbassmaster]

5 minutes ago, The Maestro said:

When you get bitten.by the smallie bug, it's over for you.

Oh i agree thats why i take leave every year if i can and head home to michigan to chase fat fall smallmouth. And why i put in for orders to north dakota so i can be near these great minnesota smallie waters. 

[Hillbilly Bennett]

As many people on this post have said, I think the reason that largemouth are more popular than smallmouth is that they are more widely spread around the US. Largemouth can live in virtually any type of water and any type of water temp that there is in The lower 48 states. I love to catch largemouth bass and in my area all of the lakes have a high population of them, but if I have to choose Smallmouth are my favorite fish to catch. The acrobatic jumps of the smallies and strong fight they put up makes catching them very fun. Not to mention what could be more fun than floating ir wading a river out in the boondocks and catching tons of bronze backs? There are times when the LMB bite can be very fun too. When you are frog fishing,  cranking squarebills or doing something else to draw reaction strikes from largemouth, the experience can rival catching smallies. 

[The Maestro]

I think another part of the appeal of smallmouth is the element of actually having to fight the fish and play them out which is really a skill in itself. Don't get me wrong I love largemouth but hooking a big smallmouth is a bit of a different experience in that I'm never as sure that I'll actually get it in the boat.

[Dwight Hottle]

23 minutes ago, The Maestro said:

I think another part of the appeal of smallmouth is the element of actually having to fight the fish and play them out which is really a skill in itself. Don't get me wrong I love largemouth but hooking a big smallmouth is a bit of a different experience in that I'm never as sure that I'll actually get it in the boat.

 

I have had a few of those that never made it to the net. 

[The Maestro]

10 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 

I have had a few of those that never made it to the net. 

You could say I've had "a few" as well.

[bowhunter63]

I’m a certified Smallie nut. But Greenies live in Florida and Texas. Big Bass mecas since the beginning 

[BassNut]

Small Mouth Bass are my favorite Bass to target.

Pound for pound, their fight Starts at that first slam of my lure, till

I get them in the boat, or hand when I'm wading for them in the Ct River

in Windsor Locks/ Suffield Ct.

The explosive top water strikes, the enormous air shows.

My Lord, there is nothing better then that.

I do love my Large Mouths, but the pull of a Big River Small Mouth Bass will

have me turning down trips with my Best Bud Mike Allen to one of the Best large Mouth Lakes

on the Ct/Mass line, Congamond Lake. 

I've had many a great battle with my Large Mouths, but nothing like the Big Smallies on the CT River, or my 2nd Favorite Lake Rainbow Res, where both Large Mouth and Small mouth 

call their home.

 

 

 

[Deephaven]

Popularity is based on availability.  That being said for me, I'd rather fish LM on topwater than SM but mostly in slop as I love throwing frogs.  Once I get deep I'd rather fish SM.  Based on where I live I can fish LM by walking to my boat, SM I have to drive.

[John Diamond]

On 1/27/2021 at 10:39 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

 

I have had a few of those that never made it to the net. 

 

And honestly given how surly they can be when trying to remove the hooks, I don't always mind when they throw it after giving me a good fight.  Kinda does me a favor

[ErieCan]

I live on the Canadian side of Lake Erie. I prefer to fish smallies but 2-4 weeks after opener (our season opens the last Saturday of June) they move out of the bays and out to rock shoals of the open lake. It's tough to get to them comfortably on many days, especially if you don't have a good sized boat. Erie can blow up on you quick.  Most people here tend to target the smallmouth early in the season. If they're around, you don't see many guys aren't in kayaks fishing largemouth. 

 

The bays hold Largemouth and can pretty much be fished any time and since they like the warm shallow slop (which there are 100s of acres of), they stay in the bays.  The area is not known for a lot of big largemouth, but large numbers of 1-3lb bass will keep you busy with the odd 4lb+ mixed in. 

 

 

[CM-fisher]

I feel like that if smallmouth were as readily accessible as largies, they would be more popular. A regular 13 yr old kid can catch largemouth in a local pond, but a true smallmouth lake unfortunatley is not that simple. I live in MN, but I still would have to drive maybe 1 hr or more to catch a smallie. (unless Lake Minnetonka has smallies, does anyone know if it does?)

[N Florida Mike]

I would like to catch a smallmouth someday. Until then, I will happily catch largemouth.   I doubt smallmouth will ever take over my passion for LMB, because it’s a very small likelihood that I will ever live up north.

LMB fishing was made popular in the deep south and spread all over because LMB are all over, and get bigger as a whole. I think LMB are just as beautiful as SMB. The LM fight is good enough for me also. They fight better than any other freshwater fish in my area anyway imo. And why would anyone like fishing for something just because its harder to catch supposedly? I reckon for the same reason that Florida strain LM are sometimes very hard to catch but the pleasure of catching them much outweighs the difficulties of being successful in pursuing them.   saltwater  fishing diverts a lot of people away for that reason and others. But there is a mystique about LMB fishing that cant be fully explained , that keeps us pursuing them. I suspect it is the same up there for those who love SMB.
 

[Rpratt]

It's all about location location location!

[Biglittle8]

On 9/7/2020 at 2:24 PM, OCdockskipper said:

.  However, the first time you see an 8lb largemouth break the surface with his big ol' bucket-head and thrash about, mouth open, I guarantee a "Holy S***!!" will come out of your mouth, even if it is a Sunday and you just got back from church

?Ain't that the truth!