Masshole Mike Posted May 12, 2008 Posted May 12, 2008 those are some massive smallies! i'm in awe... Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted May 12, 2008 Author Super User Posted May 12, 2008 Dwight Hottle, Welcome aboard! Your PB is one of the most beautiful smallmouth I have ever seen. Congratulations! 8-) Quote
Super User Dwight Hottle Posted May 12, 2008 Super User Posted May 12, 2008 Roadwarrior, Thanks for the compliment. Breaking the the 7lb mark has been my goal for the last couple of years. Here is a second shot of the same fish. The biologists say the great lakes smallie population is sufering from the gobies interfering with successful spawning but the extra food source the gobies provide in the food chain makes the existing smallies even bigger & thicker per inch of length. We catch a very high ratio of six pounders to overall fish caught. I keep thinking that yesterdays 6 lber is tomorrows 7lber & todays 7lber is soon to become an 8lber. Quote
FrenchCrkBasser Posted May 12, 2008 Posted May 12, 2008 I typically drift with the wind over structure dragging the jig tipped with golden shinners. Most of the time I work jerk baits. Here is a picture of my long time fishing buddy holding two smallies weighing 13 lbs caught last week. I was wondering about those hair jigs you caught that big guy on. It looks like it is made out of Rabbit Fur. Can you elaborate on the construction of it? Also what kind of Jig head is used on it? Not, asking you to share your secrets, I'm just looking to tie a few myself. thanks Quote
Super User Dwight Hottle Posted May 12, 2008 Super User Posted May 12, 2008 Good eye. The hair jigs I use are made by Jensen Jigs. He does tie some with rabbit fur. Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted May 12, 2008 Author Super User Posted May 12, 2008 Well, I recall an article by In-Fisherman that expressed an entirely different view. The clearing water (zebra mussels) combined with a new and abundant food source (goby) has resulted in a smallmouth population explosion. For the foreseeable future, your numbers will continue to grow exponentially and size should improve. I hope they are right! 8-) Quote
thetr20one Posted May 12, 2008 Posted May 12, 2008 Well, I recall an article by In-Fisherman that expressed an entirely different view. The clearing water (zebra mussels) combined with a new and abundant food source (goby) has resulted in a smallmouth population explosion. For the foreseeable future, your numbers will continue to grow exponentially and size should improve. I hope they are right! 8-) I believe I read a similar article RW. They also noted walleye are the fish that have had trouble adjusting to the clarity because of their supreme vision and light sensitivity . We still catch smaller smallmouth.I have a charter captain friend who books more night charters now than ever. I have read before my time Johnny Carson joked that Lake Erie was the place fish go to die. I am 33 and the first time I saw Erie it wasn't the oily chocolate milk that caught fire but, it was not beautiful. Now it is! At times I would say the most beautiful lake water I have ever seen. I have a book copyrighted 2001 that says water clarity has improved 200% lakewide and as much as 600% lakewide since 1972. WOW. Now instead of seeing 6 inches into the water I can so 600 inches. I think how far you can actually see with your eyes is only limited by light penetration and your eyes. Depth vision changes with wave height, sun height and river runoff. I will try to find or take a pic with an angle good to see the color to post. I think this lake has spoiled me in the way that unless I would have a tournament at another big fish lake in the South or West I really have no desire to travel that far to fish them. Even with the beautiful landscapes surrounding them. Erie has everything from shallow waters around the islands too the deep around Buffalo. Good fishing in every harbor and the best walleye fishing in the world. Conservative areas /Parting areas it's all here. #1 problem IMO. It freezes and gets really cold here. I will take that in trade I guess I do sometimes need motovation to hunt anymore and ice here gets me in the woods. This problably sounds like alot of hype but,all you have to do is ask around. As I sit here typing the local news is on the weather with a shot of the lake and one of its lighthouses and the weatherman says "AND HERE IS A SHOT OF OUR BEAUTIFUL LAKE". I will leave this post there Quote
Masshole Mike Posted May 13, 2008 Posted May 13, 2008 dwight my man, that 7+ is an absolutely gorgeous smallie. congrats on landing a real beaut! Quote
zachvii Posted May 13, 2008 Posted May 13, 2008 Those are some nice fish.....That 7lb smallie is a DONKEY! Quote
Hung up Paul Posted May 15, 2008 Posted May 15, 2008 The size of these fish that I'm seeing is SICK! I grew up on Lake Ontario and still visit family every July. How come Ontario doesn't produce the same fish as Erie? Is it because it's deeper and cooler?? Quote
SPAZ Posted June 3, 2008 Posted June 3, 2008 The size of these fish that I'm seeing is SICK! I grew up on Lake Ontario and still visit family every July. How come Ontario doesn't produce the same fish as Erie? Is it because it's deeper and cooler?? Lake Erie is the warmest great lake and that pretty much has a lot to do with it. The other lakes are still too cold to have Smallies the same size as Erie. Quote
Champ Girl Posted June 3, 2008 Posted June 3, 2008 I fish Lake Erie a lot... most of the pictures i've posted have come from there... here's another picture Erie is awesome fishing! Quote
BassinBoy Posted June 3, 2008 Posted June 3, 2008 The size of these fish that I'm seeing is SICK! I grew up on Lake Ontario and still visit family every July. How come Ontario doesn't produce the same fish as Erie? Is it because it's deeper and cooler?? Erie is also very shallow for its size. I dont know what affect this has on the fish but it makes it warmer too. Quote
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