Small smallies

[Flyty_ryguy]

Trying to target bigger fish with bigger streamers, but doesn't always work with smallies, this streamer(swingin d), is almost 3/4 of this smallies length

 

[flipper]

Bass seem to punch above their weight. Nice.

 

[pcray1231]

Yes, on the skuke a few weeks back (with a spinning rod), with a small jig and curly tail you could catch 6-8" fish like every cast. As in several hundred if you put your mind to it, lol. I put on a bigger stickbait and hook trying to keep the little guys away. Did catch 20 or so nicer ones (10-15" class), but the little ones still hit the stickbait. They couldn't get it in their mouths, but they hit it. It was nearly as big as they were! They'd grab and hold on till you got em close to the yak, the let go. It was rather annoying!

 

[Swattie87]

Guessing the OP’s fish is in the 10” range from the pic? 10” Smallies fished on a 5 or 6wt (I usually use a 6wt) are an absolute riot. I’ll catch them all day long. And rarely will I offer a bigger streamer to avoid them. The bigger fish eat 2” streamers just as fine too, and you don’t miss out on the fun from the 10”ers.

I’ve said this multiple times before. The first Smallie I hook into each Summer after fishing for Trout all Spring feels like a whale. You pull it in and it’s usually about 8-10” long. They are impressive fish.

I know I hear about Rainbows on big water and their ability to run, but frankly I don’t do much of that fishing. Smallies fight very similar to wild Brown Trout, which I do catch a lot of. They both bulldoze the bottom and try to bury their nose under rocks. A 10” Smallie pull translates roughly to a 15” Brownie pull IMO.

 

[Flyty_ryguy]

Guessing the OP’s fish is in the 10” range from the pic? 10” Smallies fished on a 5 or 6wt (I usually use a 6wt) are an absolute riot. I’ll catch them all day long. And rarely will I offer a bigger streamer to avoid them. The bigger fish eat 2” streamers just as fine too, and you don’t miss out on the fun from the 10”ers.

I’ve said this multiple times before. The first Smallie I hook into each Summer after fishing for Trout all Spring feels like a whale. You pull it in and it’s usually about 8-10” long. They are impressive fish.

I know I hear about Rainbows on big water and their ability to run, but frankly I don’t do much of that fishing. Smallies fight very similar to wild Brown Trout, which I do catch a lot of. They both bulldoze the bottom and try to bury their nose under rocks. A 10” Smallie pull translates roughly to a 15” Brownie pull IMO.

I agree completely, I've hooked into smallies that were only a couple pounds but I thought they were pike until I saw them. It's always fun catching a ton of fish, but for me it loses its appeal after catching 10 fish that are so similar in size that it just feels like I caught the same fish 10 times in a row. It took a couple years of smallie fishing to get to this point.

 

[scs]

Whether it’s 10” or 20”, I love catching small mouth.

Steve

 

[Silent Ocelot]

Guessing the OP’s fish is in the 10” range from the pic? 10” Smallies fished on a 5 or 6wt (I usually use a 6wt) are an absolute riot. I’ll catch them all day long. And rarely will I offer a bigger streamer to avoid them. The bigger fish eat 2” streamers just as fine too, and you don’t miss out on the fun from the 10”ers.

I’ve said this multiple times before. The first Smallie I hook into each Summer after fishing for Trout all Spring feels like a whale. You pull it in and it’s usually about 8-10” long. They are impressive fish.

I know I hear about Rainbows on big water and their ability to run, but frankly I don’t do much of that fishing. Smallies fight very similar to wild Brown Trout, which I do catch a lot of. They both bulldoze the bottom and try to bury their nose under rocks. A 10” Smallie pull translates roughly to a 15” Brownie pull IMO.

I know how you feel and agree with your fish pulling power comparison of brown trout vs. smallmouth. I think pound for pound smallmouth are some of, if not thee, strongest freshwater fish. I have caught some 10s that dove under rocks and I thought they were snags, only to go upstream and pull them out of the rocks. I had one instance where I hooked a nice 14 incher at the top of a run and it dove under a boulder. I had to wade out to get it before it severed my tippet on the sharp rock's edge. Very impressive fish indeed.

 

[scs]

This one went straight to the bottom. Thought I was snagged until he started to swim.

Steve

 

[Peyton]

I think I’ve won with the smallest one, I caught some smaller but that’s the smallest one with a pic, biggest was a 10”