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[Guest]

Dangit, I had a perfectly good thread hi-jack underway.

Just trying to keep things civil. Plenty of big river smallies will use those lakes in the winter.

[Jason R.]

It is, especially if it fits the criteria listed by Cold Water.

I guess it fits- it was from a creek in Arkansas- we only waded about 100 yards from a very well used low water bridge- caught this one right in the local's swimming hole and my father caught this one about two minutes before:

Granted- here is holding it very close to the camera- but it was similar to the one I caught.

[moguy1973]

Here's mine from a super clear stream in mid-Missouri. Right in the swimming hole of a campground on a 4" tube jig. I thought it was big but some of these in this thread make it look like a baby...I didn't measure it but it was probably around 18".

[mic]

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5. grainy photos of fish from the 70's

CWF - Everyone knows that porn from the 70's is the best

[ColdWaterFshr]

As promised, here are my two biggest. Don't laugh at how young I was! Both were caught back in the 1970s.

sma talk098.jpgThis was the 22 incher. Caught on Big River between Mammoth Bridge and Merrill Horse Access. While fighting this fish, another one of about 18 inches got itself hooked while following this one around. Or maybe it was the other way around. At least, I barely saw the fish when it hit, knew it was big, then it went deep and the other one latched on. When they came to the surface it was the first time I knew that I had both on. The smaller fish eventually got off. It was caught on one of my homemade shallow running cranks.

sma talk103.jpgThis was the 21.5 incher that also weighed five pounds. It was caught on the Meramec above Meramec State Park, on the first float I ever made on that stretch. It was also caught on my homemade crankbait.

Al, Al, Al . . . no way that 2nd fish is 21.5 and 5 lbs. This is what I'm talking about . . . the 70's. When I think of the 70's I think of bell-bottoms, Nixon, and Opthamology still in the dark ages. Everything LOOKED bigger because we were all wearing coke bottles. C'mon. 21.5?? and 5 lbs??

[buckcreekmike]

_{I have the picture at home, but my biggest smallie is also my biggest bass period. It was from a Kansas lake and weighed 6.17lbs and was just shy of the state record at the time. It was a little over 20" long, but fat as hell. I let it go. By the way I have been to Canada and caught lots of big smallies, but I didn't have to drive 2 hours to catch my biggest.}

[jdelow77]

In 2007 I caught one on a very small creek in arkansas it was close to 22 inches , closest I've caught since was 18 inches , I've never had a fight like that in my life and don't know that I ever will again!

[exiledguide]

Back in the day the only time we took photos of fish was back at the dock or ramp or in your back yard so if you were commited to catch and release no photos even an Instamatic was to big to carry in your vest. My boat camera was a Cannon AE1 which cost an arm and a leg and a weeks pay and was never allowed in a canoe. Most of the phones and cameras and I phones whatever, most of my life were science fiction. The first cell phone I had after my heart attack in 97 was a bag phone because the smaller phones were unreliable because the battery technology lagged behind. Obviously I didn't wade by myself for a few years.Now we have smaller batteries that are reliable except in airplane use.

[exiledguide]

Al, Al, Al . . . no way that 2nd fish is 21.5 and 5 lbs. This is what I'm talking about . . . the 70's. When I think of the 70's I think of bell-bottoms, Nixon, and Opthamology still in the dark ages. Everything LOOKED bigger because we were all wearing coke bottles. C'mon. 21.5?? and 5 lbs??

Coldwater that was why I married a girl with glasses in 1962

[blue79]

Coldwater that was why I married a girl with glasses in 1962

That was good