Am I crazy enjoying lots of baby smallies?

[Cgolf]

I shore fishing on the way to work so I can’t relocate to find fish. This year I have been on a baby smallie run, no clue what is going on. Last year the majority of the smallies were 16” topping out at 20” and none of the 6-7” fish I am seeing this year. I was almost getting worried the fishery was in trouble, no more worries. 
 

The funny thing is the little fish have been a blast and a lot of them have put up a fight well above their size. Have I lost my mind or did I just reconnect with the part of fishing that hooked me, catching a fish! I did get a nice 16” fish today which was nice to see as well, but it is just fun fishing with no pressure to catch big fish. 
 

Similarly we have been going to a lake for years during the summer and I was pushing myself to catch more and bigger bass each year. 3 years ago we started doing a fall trip and I fished with zero expectations and had a blast despite zeroing one day. I am obviously a slow learner, but I think I need to get back to the mindset of fun fishing.

[Fallser]

I guess it depends on where you fish.  In my local creek, the smallies average between 6 and 10 inches.  If you catch a 12 inch fish you're having a good day.  I'm using a fly rod so even the small ones are fun.

 

I'm looking forward to my trip to Ontario on the 26th where based on last years trip the average smallie will be between 13 and 16 inches with a good chance of catching a 20 inch one.

[Bluebasser86]

Take an ultralite and really have a fun time. 

[Steveo-1969]

If it’s crazy to enjoy catching little smallmouth then I don’t want to be sane! Summer finds me wading shallow rocky portions of my local river where my average smallmouth is about 10”. And just like their bigger brothers and sisters (or Mike Iaconelli) they never give up. Even after I finally grab them. And standing in the water makes it even more enjoyable, especially when I’m trying to keep the fish from swimming between my legs. Bite hookset drag slip pull pull pull pull jump pull pull pull jump getinthecurrent pull pull pull pull drag slip pull pull…

 

It never gets old!

[roadwarrior]

Well, I"m glad I have the opportunity to fish the reservoirs of the Tennessee River

and Bull Shoals. I bought a BFS rig and found I don't like it at all. Little squeakers

are not my thing.

 

                                   

[A-Jay]

Unless the habitat can not support what's living there and the adult fish are 'stunted',

immature bass are the future of that fishery.

I'm not sore lipping them now. 

I have no problem waiting for them to become grandmothers a few times. 

A-Jay

[AlabamaSpothunter]

15 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Well, I"m glad I have the opportunity to fish the reservoirs of the Tennessee River

and Bull Shoals. I bought a BFS rig and found I don't like it at all. Little squeakers

are not my thing.

 

                                   

Not in smallmouth country per say, but a peckerhead is a peckerhead be it a LGM, Spot, or Smallie.   personally, not a fan of catching small Bass for a couple of reasons either.    Firstly, it makes me worry over the fishery, this is many times a canary in the coalmine for a sick ecosystem.    

 

Secondly fishing is like a drug in that it releases dopamine when you catch a fish, then like any other drug you need more of the "substance" to get the same dopamine rush.   So in fishing for myself this means I need a fish that at least gets my heart racing and that feeling of dread/joy over landing/losing it.       Now I wouldn't stop catching 4-5lb LGMs, or 2lb Spots until they removed the fishing pole from my dead hand.   

 

I go fishing for Trout in the Sipsey that never get over about 15", most are 8-12" size........I'd catch those all day long everyday....so I guess species matters significantly at least for me.    For example I have little desire to ever fish for Crappie, or Bream....but I'd fish forever for Shellcrackers....all three are of the same general size.

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Unless the habitat can not support what's living there and the adult fish are 'stunted',

immature bass are the future of that fishery.

I'm not sore lipping them now. 

I have no problem waiting for them to become grandmothers a few times. 

A-Jay

I'd love to know the percentage of Bass of any sub species get to be age 14.

 

Talk about one SMART fish if it survives a decade plus.    Like really big deer, really big Bass don't get that way by luck.    These are genetic anomalies not just in growth rate, but intelligence, and other traits that it must take for a Bass to survive 14 years in the wild. 

[roadwarrior]

Bass live longer in northern waters. In the South a smallmouth bass can reach 4 lbs in 5 years,

but they only live for about 9 years.  In northern lakes, it might take 9 years to weigh 4 lbs, but

they live to be 19.

 

Dale Hollow is a highlands reservoir. The water is crystal clear and cool most of the year. This

is (probably) why the World Record lived to be 13.  

[king fisher]

     Crazy is driving 7 hrs. round trip, and fishing hard for 12 hrs. to only catch 3, 12 inch bass' all the while positive I'm going to catch my PB.  That is what I have done the past four times, I have been bass fishing.

     Walking the shore, catching lots of feisty small mouth sounds like the definition of sanity to me.

[BlakeMolone]

Creek smallies are fun in the summer. I’ve been grinding for bigger fish this summer and it’s been rough, decided to hit a pond full of dinks the other day just to get some easy bites and I didn’t even really enjoy myself though. I guess it’s back to the lakes or maybe even the Illinois river tomorrow to once again try for a big one.

[Jar11591]

A few weeks ago, a buddy and I took my boat up a very small river. 30’ wide at its widest in most parts. We must have caught 200 smallmouth in a few hours. The biggest was 15”, but most were 10” or so. I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t a blast. Now it’s not the kind of fishing I want to do regularly, but reeling in feisty little smallmouth every single cast on light tackle can be a lot of fun. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

18 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Bass live longer in northern waters. In the South a smallmouth bass can reach 4 lbs in 5 years,

but they only live for about 9 years.  In northern lakes, it might take 9 years to weigh 4 lbs, but

they live to be 19.

 

Dale Hollow is a highlands reservoir. The water is crystal clear and cool most of the year. This

is (probably) why the World Record lived to be 13.  

Wonder how many times that fish bite a bait, or broke somebody off......50/50 chance?

[A-Jay]

15 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I'd love to know the percentage of Bass of any sub species get to be age 14.

 

Talk about one SMART fish if it survives a decade plus.    Like really big deer, really big Bass don't get that way by luck.    These are genetic anomalies not just in growth rate, but intelligence, and other traits that it must take for a Bass to survive 14 years in the wild. 

While I can agree with some of that, especially in habitats that get a higher than average level of fishing pressure.  Not exactly sure what the average of that might be.

I think northern bass have a different sort of growth rate that's based on a shorter 'growing season'.

However, I am fortunate in that even though the waters I fish get busy in the peak of 'summer',

during the cooler early & late season, I feel like I'm in the less than average space. 

(Like most anywhere, easy to catch nest guarders take a beating though). 

So when the big girls are shallow and at their most venerable, 

It's just me, myself & I. 

A-Jay

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

7 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

While I can agree with some of that, especially in habitats that get a higher than average level of fishing pressure.  Not exactly sure what the average of that might be.

I think northern bass have a different sort of growth rate that's based on a shorter 'growing season'.

However, I am fortunate in that even though the waters I fish get busy in the peak of 'summer',

during the cooler early & late season, I feel like I'm in the less than average space. 

(Like most anywhere, easy to catch nest guarders take a beating though). 

So when the big girls are shallow and at their most venerable, 

It's just me, myself & I. 

A-Jay

 

Oh yeah in my college days at Auburn we'd sneak into the most remote water puddle of a pond and pull 7-10lb fish out of them that had never seen a bait I'm sure.   Those fish were stupid, really really stupid I think 

[CM-fisher]

48 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Unless the habitat can not support what's living there and the adult fish are 'stunted',

immature bass are the future of that fishery.

I'm not sore lipping them now. 

I have no problem waiting for them to become grandmothers a few times. 

A-Jay

This picture reminds me of when I was in the boundary waters camping earlier this month, and my friends and I kept three 11 inch smallies for dinner but I released my PB 18 incher which confused them a little. I told them it was an old, old fish and important to the future smallmouth fishing of that little backcountry lake. 

[Jig Man]

42 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Bass live longer in northern waters. In the South a smallmouth bass can reach 4 lbs in 5 years,

but they only live for about 9 years.  In northern lakes, it might take 9 years to weigh 4 lbs, but

they live to be 19.

 

Dale Hollow is a highlands reservoir. The water is crystal clear and cool most of the year. This

is (probably) why the World Record lived to be 13.  

Our MDC biologists say it takes 10 years for a small mouth to reach the legal (15”) length on Stockton lake because of the lack of threadfin shad.

[Cgolf]

The smaller fish while being one of the smaller fish I caught is from this year. The larger of the 2 is what was more common last year. I am just glad they are reproducing and I have been able to fish this spot for over 15 years. Oddly the carp, walleye, pike, largies, smallies, and other fish seem to coexist rather well together.

[ironbjorn]

14 hours ago, Fallser said:

I guess it depends on where you fish.  In my local creek, the smallies average between 6 and 10 inches.  If you catch a 12 inch fish you're having a good day.  I'm using a fly rod so even the small ones are fun.

 

I'm looking forward to my trip to Ontario on the 26th where based on last years trip the average smallie will be between 13 and 16 inches with a good chance of catching a 20 inch one.

That's what people think about my home creek, but big girls are there. Ya just gotta know where to look.

[Cgolf]

They are in my waters too, I just only have the time for one or two different spots to stop on the way into work. Sometimes they are there and others not. I only fish for 15-20 minutes in the morning.

[Mobasser]

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Unless the habitat can not support what's living there and the adult fish are 'stunted',

immature bass are the future of that fishery.

I'm not sore lipping them now. 

I have no problem waiting for them to become grandmothers a few times. 

A-Jay

Same holds true for my LM A-Jay. Ive been spending a good amount of time fishing for " grandma" too.

[schplurg]

Yes you are crazy and I think that's a good thing.