smallmouth or largemouth

[kajun]

Which one do you prefer fishing for? And why?

[Marty]

I prefer FISHING FOR largemouth, because I much more enjoy the shallower, weedy water that many of them inhabit.

But I'd rather CATCH smallmouth because they're such superior fighters.

Although there are many good smallmouth fisheries around here, the waters more accessible to me are primarily largemouth.

[AUTgrPilot]

Couldn't have said it better myself.  There are only a few times during the year that I enjoy fishing for smalleys--early spring when it's jerk bait time and late fall when they binge.

Dragging a tube across the bottom of Lake Erie or St Claire is just boring.

[Chris]

Around here i love to fish for smallmouths in the summer mainly because the water level is down and it concentrates the fish. Also the river fish tend to be more active during that time of the year. As far as what i prefer I like to fish for beef so largemouth is what i like.

[roadwarrior]

It's all about opportunities is your region.  Here, in the Mid South, we are blessed with a variety of species which grow to world record proportions. Depending on the river or lake, we can fish for world record smallmouth (TN), crappie (MS), walley (AR), rainbow trout (AR), brown trout (AR), blue cat (TN/AR  (currently TX)) and most of the perch subspecies.  For some reason largemouth only attain state record weights of 13-14 lbs, 10 lbs is considered a monster.  So, back to the question:  I generally fish the Tennessee River  and corresponding lakes.  This fall my fishing partner and I have caught  sixteen  5+lb smallmouth.  I doubt anyone around here has done that fishing for largemouth.  More importantly,  I think smallmouth are 5-10X stronger than largemouth and unlike bucketmouths, smallies NEVER give up.  My vote is for smallmouth, hands down.

[MKYxD]

For me it is largemouth simply because largemouth are  plentiuful where I fish, and small mouths are not.  Either way I am happy when I hook up with either one. ;D

[Bassin_Nutt]

I  just love Bassfishing.  I fish for both and I find on my lake,   Both are wonderful to catch.  Smallies do fight like no other but a good largemouth sets my heart just a pounding.

[squid]

Oh goodie...lol...A subject I like to talk about....had to dig deep into the pages to find this one.

I love to BASS fish, but I really enjoy the catch of the smallmouth over the largemouth bass.  You know you have and awesome catch when you have to net a 2lb'er only cause it fights like a 5 pounder and you don't want to lose it.  Tritonman and I came is 6th place out of 120+ boats with just 4 smallies  2 were over 4lbs, last year we caught 9 and had to cull out 4, had more total weight and only got 9th place...so we do enjoy the smallies more even though it didn't help us much.  We will hit the same honey hole this year too.... ;D

[kicken_bass]

i enjoy fishing for both but the river smallmouths are my favorite. living in the current really makes them strong and they fight like mad. i'm slowly becoming a better largemouth angler. the part i like most is being able to go into a fishes world and fool it on it's own turf into biting.

[roadwarrior]

After reading the Big Bass article in this month's Bassmaster, I might change my mind, move to California and fish only for monster largemouth!

[buzzking]

largemouth because they fit my style of fishing better

[Zaraspooker]

Same as Buzzking. I also like the way a Largemouth looks. Smallies are ugly, lol.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Largemouth because I like the hunt for them.  All of my situations where I have caught smallmouth (not many) have all been in deeper open water.  I just like how fishing for LM you have to make a perfect cast.  I love making a cast back under some thick brush, trees, docks, pathches of grass, etc. and you get the huge strike you were anticipating.

[roadwarrior]

Ugly!  I don't think so.  When it comes to fighting, largemouth, especially BIG ones, give up way too easily- smallmouth never fold.

[Phishn_Phool]

I enjoyed the smallies on the Rivers in MO....but now that I am here in the big lakes of Fl it will be the green fish..I guess a bass is a bass whatever color :-X

[L.D.]

I like to go fishing for any fish, but enjoy the smallmouth most of all. They never give up the fight no matter what size they are.

L.D.

[earthworm77]

You guys can fight over it, I'll work on both....but my real passion is Suwannees!

[roadwarrior]

All right, I'm game: What's a "Suwannee"?

[duncast48TN]

I like em both. I fish for lgmouth primarily. If I catch a sm mouth over 5 lbs. its goin on the wall. Also a lg mouth over 6 is goin on the wall! 8)

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Replicas I hope.

[roadwarrior]

duncast48TN, You don't have to kill them.  Take along a camera, a scale and a cloth (sewing) tape measure when you're fishing.  When you catch that big girl, take lots of pics, measure her length and girth and LET HER GO!  Trust me, the plastics are better than the real thing.

In northern waters it takes about 14 years for a smallie to grow to 5 lbs and can live to be 19 or 20. Here in the Mid South 5s are a prize but not uncommon. Our fish only live for about ten years but have the potential to become 12lb+ fish!

[duncast48TN]

Ill talk to my fav taxidermist about that. Thanks.

[Big_Bass_Rich]

Personally I prefer largemouth, just because I love shallow water fishing. Smallies are great don't get me wrong and I know they can be caught shallow but I guess all my years of watching the Bassmasters has given me this thought in my head that largemouth have more prestige. I just feel more fulfilled catching a nice largemouth.  ;D

[Danarchy]

I can't believe that someone would call a smallmouth ugly! I would much rather fish for smallies than largemouth. In my region, fishing for largemouth can be almost too easy, for me that is, unless I'm hunting for trophies. Hunting for smallies, in my case, usually means fishing a river, and I just love flowing water. It's awesome going to a river, even from the bank, and searching for current breaks and eddies. If it's a nice big rock or a huge stump, with the water boiling over, I get goosebumps before I cast. The smallmouth is, and always will be, pound for pound, the gamest fish that swims. I've caught 9" smallies that put up more of a fight than the 2 and 3lb largemouth that I routinely catch. When you find a sweet spot on that perfect point or drop off, you can catch 20 or more(I've heard of 50+) at the same spot, even if you made the same cast repeatedly; can you catch largemouth like that? I've also caught smallies a few feet away that when I set the hook, they'd go nuts and swim straight towards me or almost jump into the boat or on shore. I would later find out that the smallie that took my bait was actually swimming frantically away from another smallie that was trying to steal it! This level of aggression is probably why anglers have reportedly caught two good size smallies on one lure. I could probably go on for days typing about smallies. I'd like to say that while I love smallies, I still like largemouth fishing. It's just a preference thing, like blondes and brunettes.

[Glenn]

All right, I'm game: What's a "Suwannee"?

It's a unique subspecies of bass that looks very similar to a smallmouth.  It's called "Suwannee" because orginally they were only found in the Suwannee and Ochlockonee river system in Florida.  They've since been introduced into a select few other rivers.

So... they're pretty much a rare breed.