Sunday Float-Lots Of Nice Smallies

[Al Agnew]

Just to be clear...I count all bass, but I don't count anything other than bass. I've averaged around 50-55 bass per day pretty consistently over the last couple of decades. Say an average of 8 hour days. So something like a little less than 7 bass per hour. Or a bass every 9 minutes. But that's average, and includes wintertime trips, where you almost never catch more than 25 or so. In the summer, I probably average around 70 per 8 hour day, so 9 per hour, or a bass every 6-7 minutes. I might, however, fish a little more than an 8 hour per day average. But still, certainly no worse than a bass every 8 minutes or so.

And yes, I count accurately. I've done it for many years, keeping a running total in my head of not only total bass but broken down by species. In a stream where I will catch all three species, I just keep those number totals running--smallmouth, largemouth, spotted. So in my head the count goes something like 15-5-6. I catch another smallmouth, it's 16-5-6. The numbers stick in my head as I go along. It's a little harder to keep the running total when I'm fishing with somebody else, because we're talking back and forth, but often my partner helps keep the count.

I will admit, though, that I count small fish that get off when I get them close, I don't have to touch them to count them. Reason for that is that if it's a small fish, I don't play it carefully and actually give it some slack line trying to get it off. I count it if it's close enough to me and I get a good enough look at it to be sure of species and approximate size.

[Guest]

I'm not counting my short fish, so the number could easily be over a hundred between two people.

I keep most of my trips about 4 miles and wade a lot of the time.

Fishing out of a canoe with 2 people isn't my idea of fun.

The canoe is a way to float my cooler and tackle down stream versus a fishing vessel.

The ned rig has been killer on the number of small bass.

Anything that bites has a chance of getting hooked.

Green Sunfish, goggle eye, rock bass, not to mention smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass.

None of them are safe anymore.

This year, I dedicated myself to finesse to generate numbers and boost morale.

That's a stark contrast from the previous decade of trophy hunting, strictly looking for a giant.

Sept. is a prime month to buzzbait for largemouths.

Oct/Nov for the big smallmouth.

[Guest]

We caught 143 fish in 5hrs in a 2 mile stretch of creek.

80% of those were dink smallmouth or rock bass.

My wife caught 85 & I got 58.

Like I said, there were only 20-30 keepers.

[Smalliebigs]

yy

[Al Agnew]

totally agreed Joe......I smell bullshit......show me the proof......who the hell counts a bass 9 inches long as an accomplishment??? I have never counted river Largemouth and Spots as they are sooo stupid and easy to catch what's the point??? I think some of you loose count and make it up as you go to make yourself feel better about what your doing.......hell I don't set the hook if I know it's small....just let them munch and gingerly pull it away from their mouth, I have caught plenty of small bass and really don't need to catch more at this point.

I count 'em all and count all species because I want to know how the ratios change from trip to trip and year to year. Got started doing it when I was keeping count and measuring all bass I caught to give the info to the MDC biologists. It's not an "accomplishment" to catch a 9 inch bass, but it's information. As far as I'm concerned, it's no accomplishment either to catch X number of 12 inch plus bass...I don't start counting by size until they are 17 inches. Usually, in the summer on any good stretch of river, about half the fish I catch, give or take 5 percentage points, are over 12 inches. I don't care how many that is, but I will keep track of the number I catch over 17 inches. (And that's a much smaller number that's easy to remember.)

By the way, I don't find the largemouth any easier to catch than the smallies. Both are easy on a good day, and both are tough on a bad one. I'm more and more appreciative of any big largemouth I catch...a 20 inch largemouth isn't a whole lot more common on an Ozark stream than a 20 inch smallie. I have a love/hate relationship with spotted bass...I appreciate them on the streams where they are native, and hate them on the streams where they aren't. They are generally easier to catch on those streams, though I'm not sure whether that's because they are dumb or because there are so many of them.

[Guest]

totally agreed Joe......I smell bullshit......show me the proof......who the hell counts a bass 9 inches long as an accomplishment??? I have never counted river Largemouth and Spots as they are sooo stupid and easy to catch what's the point??? I think some of you loose count and make it up as you go to make yourself feel better about what your doing.......hell I don't set the hook if I know it's small....just let them munch and gingerly pull it away from their mouth, I have caught plenty of small bass and really don't need to catch more at this point.

SmallBiggs,

Who said it was an accomplishment? Its keeping count...

When did size have anything to do with counting fish?

My intention was to generate bites.

I don't like missing fish.

Its a personal preference, so dont go bashing the numbers crowd.

Its really not that hard to keep count.

Maybe, you naysayers should try keeping count sometimes.

[dennis boatman]

...I caught 4 trout today in 4 hours on the Niangua...it was a GREAT day...and about what I have averaged over the years...

[ollie]

^^ red already? where's the yellow first? What? why did you delete your post?

[Guest]

^^ red already? where's the yellow first? What? why did you delete your post?

I was goofing around and trying to find a funny emoticon when I posted that.

[ollie]

I just always lose count after about a dozen. I just wondered why you deleted it. No big deal.