I like the fight? Do you?

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Buzzbaiter said:

I used to fish for smallmouth quite often But eventually, I started to figure out how to fight smallmouth effectively, and the explosive runs and jumps became predictable and controllable.

 

Interesting perspective.

After a few decades, I'm still trying to figure that predictable & controllable thing out.

So many of the plus size smallmouth I run into are quite the opposite. 

I don't fish creeks so maybe that's the reason.

A-Jay

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/244312-something-i-noticed-after-my-first-year-fishing-for-smallies/

 

[WRB]

I will go out on a limb and say over 90% of bass anglers use tackle with line that exceeds the weight of the bass by 3X and rods that can lift the bass out of the water.

Few bass anglers actually use the reels drag, they lock it down.

We have a thread discussing Medium - 3 power bass being too weak for bass fishing, confirming everything just stated above. How do you expect a bass to fight against tackle capable of controlling fish 5X the bass being caught?

Some bass don’t fight well do to poor health, big hook injury or wrapped up in weeds. Even trying to fight against tackle 3X stronger then needed to control them they still put up a good fight pound for pound.

The spinning finesse bass angler tackle is more appropriate for bass a high % of the

bass  caught .

But… I flip and pitch in heavy cover and need heavy tackle…60 lb braid…. Not really 30 lb  will work.

Tom

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

56 minutes ago, WRB said:

The spinning finesse bass angler tackle is more appropriate for bass a high % of the

bass  caught .

But… I flip and pitch in heavy cover and need heavy tackle…60 lb braid…. Not really 30 lb  will work.

 

When I fished smallmouth, 6 lb. test was plenty stout enough. Like you, Tom, I fish heavier line (20 lb. braid)  today simply because I'm fishing in weeds for lmb. 

[J Francho]

I dislike any line bigger than 6# Tatsu on a spinning reel. My PB smallmouth was caught using this line on a ML rod, just a couple inches longer than 6'. Before anyone cries foul over catching in open water, it was from rocky, zebra mussel encrusted water in 38' is water and bulldog'd me the whole way up. No jumps, no dancing at the surface. Just held the bottom and eventually came up slowly. If I had lost it, I would have thought it was a huge drum. Not a great fight, but a great catch.

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

10 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I dislike any line bigger than 6# Tatsu on a spinning reel. My PB smallmouth was caught using this line on a ML rod, just a couple inches longer than 6'.

 

Pretty much what I fished too. ML spinning with 6 lb. test. I also fished rocky lakes and so I cut off the first five feet or so and retied every afternoon. That is a gorgeous photo and fish. It's gilded!

[gim]

I prefer the fight of a sizable smallmouth myself, especially in a river.

 

I posted this in another thread recently, but this “slob” jack as my guide referred to it as was the hardest fighting fish I’ve ever caught. Tarpon were up there too but their fight was more aerial-driven.

 

 

 

 

[Buzzbaiter]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

 

Interesting perspective.

After a few decades, I'm still trying to figure that predictable & controllable thing out.

So many of the plus size smallmouth I run into are quite the opposite. 

I don't fish creeks so maybe that's the reason.

A-Jay

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/244312-something-i-noticed-after-my-first-year-fishing-for-smallies/

 

I’m not catching any of the Menderchuck monsters that you are, so that likely factors into it. The waters I fish are rivers and creeks: relatively shallow without underwater hazards like mussel beds or wrecks. I’d probably struggle more fishing in more adverse conditions with bigger fish. But for the average 2-3 pound Potomac smallmouth, you just have to calm down and get to work. Be there no question, I lose plenty of bass. But when it comes to getting me panicked, black bass have a hard time getting me off my guard.

[Swamp Girl]

@gimruis: I'd love to comment on your slob jack, but it's so far beyond my ken, here's all I can say:

[J Francho]

I've done the snook and baby tarpon thing in Florida and those tarpon are about as nuts as stream run steelhead. I have a funny story about hooking a monster steelhead, probably around 12 lbs., in really tight quarters thinking there was no way to land the thing. It promptly launched 7' in the air, into a tree. Fight over, lol. Dumb thing. Let him go so he could get a rebate on the next fight. 

[Swamp Girl]

3 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I've done the snook and baby tarpon thing in Florida and those tarpon are about as nuts as stream run steelhead. I have a funny story about hooking a monster steelhead, probably around 12 lbs., in really tight quarters thinking there was no way to land the thing. It promptly launched 7' in the air, into a tree. Fight over, lol. Dumb thing. Let him go so he could get a rebate on the next fight. 

 

Holy leaper, Batman, that's the greatest fish story I've ever heard!

[Susky River Rat]

I love the fight

[LrgmouthShad]

7+ lber in Texas. This fish went berserk. Jumped three times with a jig in its mouth and started to dig once it got close to the boat. 

My PB was also a great fighter. Ran and bulldogged in deeper water. It never surfaced until it was right next to me and of course the first thing I saw was its gaping mouth. 

 

[F14A-B]

29 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I prefer the fight of a sizable smallmouth myself, especially in a river.

 

I posted this in another thread recently, but this “slob” jack as my guide referred to it as was the hardest fighting fish I’ve ever caught. Tarpon were up there too but their fight was more aerial-driven.

 

 

 

 

Dude, saltwater fishing is where it’s at, I will grow weary of bass fishing and bolt to the GOM. Haha it’s awesome down there. That is a nice fish. 

[T-Billy]

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

After a few decades, I'm still trying to figure that predictable & controllable thing out.

So many of the plus size smallmouth I run into are quite the opposite. 

I don't fish creeks so maybe that's the reason.

👆👍 I've never found them very controllable either, with the exception of flippin gear. The only thing predictable about 'em is, just when you think you have a big brownie whipped, it sees the boat and goes ape all over again. I've lost several really nice ones when they got that second wind and went ballistic on a short line. 

[Bankbeater]

After hooking a bass, landing it is my primary goal.  Fighting it is fun, but secondary.

[gim]

2 hours ago, alonerankin2 said:

Dude, saltwater fishing is where it’s at, I will grow weary of bass fishing and bolt to the GOM. Haha it’s awesome down there. That is a nice fish. 

I’ve only done it a few times. I hope to do it again in the future. 
 

I’m still pretty young and pretty strong but those fish still over powered me at times. There’s no comparison in freshwater.

[WRB]

I used lighter line for bass because of Jason Lucas my advocate as a young teen. 10 lb Dacron braid was my line until Sbu came out with Ambassador reels, the all my bass fishing friends used 17 lb Royal Bonyl mono. The mono changed over the early years from 17 to 10 or 8 lb when the Florida LMB where introduced, they wouldn’t strike anything with heavier line the 10 lb. 
So reverted back. To Jay’s 10 lb buy now mono. Having caught hundreds of big LMB using 10 /12 lb mono the big bass fought hard. My 2 biggest both jumped when hook more then a heart stopping  length out of the water and ran hard and fast, great memories. Nothing lazy about these giant bass. The lighter tackle could handle them if you slowed down and enjoyed the fight.

Tom

 

[crypt]

I enjoy the whole process.....if it is about the fight ya can't beat a Tarpon on a flyrod.....

[Swamp Girl]

I love when @WRB writes about the glory days. 

[WaskaCrank12]

First and foremost I enjoy being on the water - every. minute. of. it.

 

I really enjoy my tango with the small but mighties - they dart, dive, jump, repeat - and challenge me to keep up and endlessly try and guess (virtually always incorrectly) what their next move will be - I love it when they give it their all out effort !

 

With that said I do my best to be a good steward in the process and return them to the water as quickly and efficiently as I am able to - yet this week I got two of the three treble hooks driven in to my thumb by a small but mighty who continued to thrash and fight once in the net/boat - I actually had to put my hand/the fish/the net in to the water again because I was struggling to get at my bolt/wire cutters and didn't want the fish to die - I eventually got the bolt/wire cutters and cut the stems of the treble hooks and then got the other trebles out of the fishes mouth and released the fish (the fish has a little smirk on it's face and I think she said "You, You got me --- but I GOT YOU !!) - the two hooks from the treble were driven deep in to my thumb - and as much as I would like to tell a story of ripping them out he-man style I ended up going back to the dock (and waiting for 45 minutes - due to a Weds. night fishing tournament starting) and eventually to the Urgent Care - the doc had to make small incisions to then get at the barbs and then cut the barbs and get the hooks out - got back out today, thumb all wrapped up - and caught two more small but mighties !   

[Bankbeater]

Man @WaskaCrank12, one hook is bad enough, but two.  Yikes!

[Bird]

I particularly love the fight and while largemouth bass are considerable fresh water fighters, they aren't near the top pound for pound.

 

Fished a lake back in May for a week that was equally populated with largemouth and spotted bass.

Each fish that I hooked left little doubt which specie was on the end of the line.

 

And then there's these guys 😳

[TnRiver46]

Ironically a fight I won’t forget happened yesterday. Luckily my buddy started recording . The fish took a 1/16 oz black marabou jig in clear water, never felt the bite but I saw it flaring its gills and set the hook. The fight was crazy because of the jumps and also the fish buried itself into a rock cave and I had to wade out to free it. You can see it shoot between the two rocks after it comes free and jump yet again. 
 

 

Hardest fighting bass I can remember was a big LM in cold water 2 days after Christmas. I had just picked up my buddy’s rod and made a cast , this fish buried the rod against the side of the boat and I had to push the thumbar and let it take some line or I would have been pulled overboard off the front deck ! 😂. Gotta love it 

[Junk Fisherman]

On 8/24/2024 at 8:08 AM, ol'crickety said:

Clearly I like the fight. Do you too, valuing it almost as much as size, and if so, do you have a story of a mighty fight to tell?

 

I enjoy the fight as long as I get it in the boat.  Using light line makes it difficult with large smallmouth.  You have to let the fish tire itself out and try to keep it from jumping.  As someone who fishes deep water in the Great Lakes often, I routinely give the fish line when it gets close to the boat and you know it isn't ready to be netted yet.  I'm glad these fish don't know that they can break your line by running the line against rocks on the bottom.  But seeing a 2-3 lber jump a foot or so out of the water is so much fun (as long as it's not in a tournament).    

[Swamp Girl]

@TnRiver46 really knows how to live.