Largemouth or Smallmouth?

[BassHunter266]

I live in florida, I've never caught a smallmouth, for any that have, do they fight better thanlargemouths? are they easier to catch? :-/

[Yodie]

Bass fishin is in my blood, I love to catch bass, be it Largemouth, Smallmouth or Spots..I love to catch them.

If i had to choose it would be no contest for me: Smallmouth.

They are,easily, pound for pound, the best fighting freshwater gamefish that I have caught, which to date is 43 different freshwater species....

I live for Smallmouth bass bites.

I have spent many summer mornings sitting in a 14ft. jon boat floating down a local river with the fog still hanging over the water, quietly listening to the soft lap of my in-line buzzer, and then BOOM! an explosion of force takes my buzzer down and the fight is on... hehe..i get goosbumps thinking about it.

But, yea... You should try to make it up to Pickwick or Wheeler sometime and get into a big ole' Bronzeback, it is worth every penny spent and every hour passed.

[DR_Bass]

I feel your pain I've never caught a smallmouth either and I hear so much about how they fight and how agressive they are.  I'll catch one.... one of these days. :-/

[YankeesWin]

If i had to choose it would be no contest for me: Smallmouth.

They are,easily, pound for pound, the best fighting freshwater gamefish that I have caught.

I can't help but agree with Indiana Kid. They are, pound for pound, the best fighting fish of the two. I love to catch the "smallies".

[Shakes]

I can't say that I've ever caught a smallmouth. Are they in the same lakes that Largemouth are in?

I tell you one thing, some of the LMB that I've pulled out I wouldnt trade for anything. Legendary fights.

[BASS fisherman]

Smallmouth put up way more of a fight than largemouth.  I had a touney today, on a river, fishing for smallmouth.  I have never fished for them before today, and I caught 3. Total wieght was 2lb 14 oz.  That may sound like a low wieght, but after the storm season of 2003, and then last year, the small mouth fishing has been bleak on the 3 rivers area, around Pittsburgh.  

[Marty]

Smallmouth put largemouth to shame in the fighting department, in my opinion. I have no way to prove this, but I think smallies are easier to catch if you're on them; they seem to be more pugnacious.

I can't say that I've ever caught a smallmouth. Are they in the same lakes that Largemouth are in?

I tell you one thing, some of the LMB that I've pulled out I wouldnt trade for anything. Legendary fights.

You might trade some of those legendary largemouth fights if you had personal experience with smallies.  

In my area of the world, there are numerous lakes with both species. There is some overlap, but generally the smallies are in somewhat deeper, cooler and more open water.

[Tom Bass]

I'm with Indiana Kid' on this one too. Smallies don't get as big but they sure do fight better that Largemouths. I haven't caught any here in the Carolinas and I sure do miss 'em.

[Siebert Outdoors]

A largemouth cant even compare to the fight of a smallie.  

[Brian_Reeves]

Both are great...but nothing fights like a redfish  ;D  That fish doesn't try to fight you, it tries to rip your arms out of socket.  But between the bass species...smallies fight the hardest pound for pound.

[toothdoc]

Smallies fight more than largemouths, but neither fights like a salmon. ;D

[kbkindle]

indiana kid     come over to lake shafer here in monticello indiana and help me catch those  brown fish.  i'am a lot older than you   like turn your number  around  71 not 17    you probley have fished the two lakes here   shafer and freeman  kb

[Tom Bass]

True...True....Same goes with Carp ;D

The question was in regards to Smallmouth or Largemouth Bass.

[shimanogloomis man]

smallmouth fight better then largemouth but till u catch a hybrid striper u dont know what a fight is

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

Staying on topic, when you have the option, smallmouth might be a better choice.

[boatnik13]

When they are in the same lake > I found them in diffrent sections from each other. The lgm is always bigger and the smb is always fighting the hardest.  I like them equal like that. For Fla. people who never got one > Its like a rockbass(smb) fight VS a bluegill (lmb). There is a diffrent fight all together. To the one who said the fish were small that they caught > Hey! I see them fish contests and the avg. bass is onlt a lb or 2. A 2lb bass can fight and I don't know anyone up north catching a boat load of 5+ lb bass each time out.  

[5bass]

I agree with Marty.....once you get on smallmouth,they're usually ready to blast your baits faster than a largemouth.I like catching both but a smallmouth is definitely the better fighter,seems like they have better cardio training than the largemouth.

Heck,they still fight after you bring 'em in the boat.Case in point,I hooked about a 2.5# smallie on a Pop-R one night.He jumped 3 or 4 times on the way in and then got tangled around my trolling motor.I pulled up the trolling motor to get him untangled and he was steady pulling the whole time.Once I got him in the boat I had the deathgrip over his back (because of the treble hooks) and just as I was about to grab the trebles with my pliers,he started to fight,got free of the deathgrip and ended up stuck to my shirt,still attached to the Pop-R......and he never stopped fighting until he ripped a 3" long tear in my shirt and spazzed out enough to get HIMSELF off the hook,hit the deck and bounce back into the water.

The "toughest" fish that swims in my opinion.

[SBM-RL]

Smallmouth do fight harder and ive caught many largemouth that give up and tire quickly when smallies fight all the way to the boat and while ur taking them of there a pain because there still thrashing around.

This could be way off but in my expeirences id say smallies seam to fight just under a largemouth double there weight my smallie a little over 4 lbs faught about as hard as my 8 lb largemouth some may disagree but thats how its turned out for me and living in Mi and Ma i catch almost equel amounts

[GAMEOVER]

Smallmouth lb for lb fight more out of the two. Largemouth are known to hang closer to shore in shallower water when compared to smallmouth. This doesnt mean Largemouth dont fight at all because ive caught 5-6 lb largemouth that were just going balistic on me. Largemouth do fight and fight hard. Most largemouth wont give you that fight you crave as the smallmouth will but you will occasionally catch that one Largemouth that will wow you. Get one thats ticked off and 5+ lbs and youll see what I mean. Up in here in Michigan though nothing can top the fights (not even bass not even close) you will get off Pike, Muskie, and Steelhead come to Michigan and catch some of them. Tell us about your soar arm or how you got caught off guard while standing on the edge of your boat ;D

[FishinChef]

I am lucky enough to live less than 2 miles from the Susquehanna river in PA; I really enjoy the smallmouth fishing here. Smallmouth habitats are very relaxing for me to wade; small streams, creeks, riffles, eddies,etc.. But the excitement from seeing fat smallmouth launch itself out of the water and fight like the devil is quite the opposite. I catch quite a few in shallow water, less than 3 feet.

[FatBoy]

Man, you're making me jealous.  I've only seen 2 smb in my life and they weren't on my hook.  They were in about 6' of water harassing some bluegill on their beds.  I floated right over them in a canoe, but they weren't interested in the fluke I had tied on at the time.  This lake is the only place I know of in this area that has any smb.  I'll have to hit it hard this fall and next spring and after the smallies specifically.  

[paparock]

If smallmouth got as big as stripped bass you couldn't catch them ;) ;) but boy would it be fun trying!

[bassmasta7]

Smallmouth do fight better than LM but i like catching LM better. When BASS is on one of the northern smallmouth lakes, I turn it off. I think it is boring to watch them catch 1-2lb fish all the time. I guess I like LM better just because they are bigger and I get to catch them more since i live in the south.  

[tipptruck1]

I can catch all sizes of smallies when I fish. I really love to catch them things. I just started  catching a lot of large mouth in a day. The only time largies compare is when you hook them on there sides. I have also notcied that largies are more boat shy. Has any body else noticed this that it seems like large mouth get hooked on the side more offen.

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

I would put smallies the best fighter pound for pound, spots next, then largemouth. I occasionally go smallie fishing in a wade-only pool of the Ouachita River, catching up to 2.5# there. The biggest I know of there is a little over 3# caught on a dry fly.

Jim