hank franklin Posted July 4, 2008 Posted July 4, 2008 Finally joined the 20-inch club. As Al would say, "somewhere on the Meramec." Released, of course.
redbird Posted July 4, 2008 Posted July 4, 2008 Finally joined the 20-inch club. As Al would say, "somewhere on the Meramec." Released, of course. Great looking fish, I bet he gave you a tussle. Im not a Cardinals fan, but I am a Cardinal. If you know me you know what that means.
hank franklin Posted July 4, 2008 Author Posted July 4, 2008 Yeah, it was a fight but fortunately my cousin was right there manning the net. Quick report: Caught him not far off the boat in pretty deep water. Hit with just a slight tap and when I first pulled for an instant thought I was on a log. But then he pulled back and the fight was on. He rose a bit but then dove quickly. He didn't seem too interested in coming to the surface, which was also probably fortunate, as he might have been able to spit the hook had he jumped. But he stayed low and after several runs I managed to guide him into the net. We were also fortunate in that we weren't in heavy current. We didn't handle him long, just enough for a few quick pics. The pics are pretty good but I wish I had taken a few more. If I have any advice from this one it's to settle down and take as many pics as you can. I would've liked a few more. I ws shaking though. My cousin and I have been fishing a long time and never saw one that big. Yes we've seen pictures but it's different once you see him in the stream. It was truly startling when we first saw him come up. When we got him in the boat it was just hard to believe a stream smallmouth can get that big. A true natural wonder, really.
Al Agnew Posted July 5, 2008 Posted July 5, 2008 Way to go, Hank! You're right...a 20 inch smallmouth is a REALLY impressive fish when you first see them up close at the end of your line. I've caught a lot of them over the years, but it still just about takes my breath away when I get that first good look.
joeD Posted July 5, 2008 Posted July 5, 2008 Splendid fish Hank. Very special. A LOT of stream fisherman who've been fishing for years never catch one that big. Plus, if you go to the "poacher" thread in the Maramec Spring Park forum, you'll see just how special your fish is. Guys like him, and I'm sure he isn't the only one, can ruin large stretches of water for EVERYONE. Again, excellent fish.
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