Could have caught quite a few yesterday :-l

[Fish Chris]

Got on the water yesterday morning, and it was flat like a mirror ! Very light boat traffic, and no wind. So, I start my high speed sightfishing (fast idling to cover as much shoreline, as quickly as possible)..... and there's a 2.... there's a 2 and a 3.... there's another.... there's another pair.... and on each one of these I'm thinking.... these fish that look 2 and 3 lbs in this gin clear water, could be 3's and 4 1/2's.... plus I'm thinking about some of them > "Oh man... that one looked glued on.... Ahhh... that one would be easy to fish............

And don't get me wrong, it would have been fun to stop and stick some of those fish.... but then the other side of my brain kicks in and says, "So what if I did" ? They are not big enough to take photos of.... or remember catching tomorrow ? .....and more importantly, I could sit there and spin my wheels on a 3 lb'er (which sometimes can give you as much of a hard time, and "eat up" as much of your time, as a big one, when maybe 100 feet down the shore is the lake freaking record !!!

Also, you can't kid yourself and say, "It's only 10am.... I have all day". Ha ! In reality (in these parts anyway) if you have an hour with zero wind and glass flat water, "your lucky" ! And you had better make the best possible use of it !

I guess what it all comes down to is, would you trade a bunch of smaller fish "for a shot at" a big one ? You know what my answer is. But I'm not going to kid you, and say I wouldn't have had fun playing with those 2 and 3 lb'ers.....

Oh.... so for those of whom catching 1 small fish makes the trip "not a skunk" and therefor okay....

Right at the end of the day, I was getting ready to head for the ramp, and I see a decent little female Smallie, maybe 3 to 4 lbs, with a little 2 lb male. So I'm like, "what the heck" :-) I start messing with them with a white Huddlebug, the male was the only agressive one, but he kept grabbing the claws, and dragging it out, and never gave me a reason to swing. So I flipped a crawler out there on the micro-light, and struck him :-) 2 lbs.... on a good day. But beautiful, and his eyes were candy apple red !

Anyway, the way I feel, the difference between a skunk, and one 2 lb'er, is too small to quantify. Either way, I'd call it a "paying the dues, for a big one" kind of trip. And it still beat the heck out of work ;-)

Late start today, but we will see what happens. The big ones eat best at noon anyway ;-)

Peace,

Fish

[senile1]

If you're fishing water with the potential that your waters have, I see why you would pass those fish up.  In waters like those, I would probably pass them up at times as well, but sometimes the fun factor would take over.  Catching a bunch of three lb'ers can be a lot of fun and, many times, they fight just as hard or harder than fish twice the size.  

Good luck looking for that big one today, Chris.  

[Mattlures]

FC I know EXACTLY how you feel. I had those same conditions last week at lake down here and I passed on to 7ish lbers and never found a better fish. Later on I saw boats on both of them. But I didnt go there to catch a 7lber. Mike L called me and had caught a 17.11 the day before so I was hunting. When they get around the 8-9lb mark those are tougher for me to pass up. I know if I do somebody else will be on them later. I make the decision based on the time and lake.

[Tokyo Tony]

I saw an 8 and a 9 yesterday but passed on them in order to catch 6 or 7 0.5 lbers :-)

You guys are crazy...but I do understand what you're saying. I wish I could be in your situation.

[Paul Roberts]

It's kind of like when you go from gun to bow -you see and learn so much more when you slow down and make those limitations. Very powerful feeling.

[Fish Chris]

Thanks guys.

Hey Matt

When they get around the 8-9lb mark those are tougher for me to pass up.

Yea', I agree, but my biggest reason there is, that fish that looks 8 or 9 (especially in very clear water) might actually be a 10 or 11 lb'er ! ....and those count !

Peace,

Fish

[UrbanRedneck]

Must.....catch.....5 lb smallmouth......

[Fish Chris]

Hey buddy, last week I felt like I could do it any time I wanted to. But now I don't freaking know ! I swear they are already winding it up on the spawn over there. But hey, they are still in there, right ?

You need to give me a lesson on the Summer topwater thing for that place again. That 3:16 Junior is looking / swimming pretty sweet.... if I could just get a hit or a follow on the darn thing.

Plus I keep waiting to be throwing the Hud, trying for a DD Northern, and end up whacking an 8 or 9+ Smallie ;-)

Peace,

Fish