If You Caught The Smallmouth Of A Lifetime.........

[Mitch f]

Would you release it?

Would you fillet it?

If it was a record, would you sell it to a catalog store?

Get a replica made?

Lie about where you caught it?

Should have conducted a poll.

[Flysmallie]

Take a picture and put it back.

[Ham]

Be really happy. Maybe photograph it. Definitely release it.

[Quillback]

I'd take pics, do some quick measurements, release it, then think about getting a replica made.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Never killed one, never intentionally will. I don't see a lot of value in records anymore. I'll be the first to admit I've evolved and this wasn't always my thinking. I had a LM from Toledo Bend mounted and it didn't take me long to decide it was a waste and i would never do it again.

If I caught a truly big fish I might take measurements and have a replica done, but i would never risk one dying to get it weighed. It just wouldn't be worth it to me personally.

[Smallie Seeker]

When I caught my 22" pb smallmouth it got cpr'd. But that's mainly because I was on a 2 day float and didn't have ice left and wasn't gonna drag her alongside the boat to get tore up. I've never dealt death intentionally to a Smallie.

Now with that being said. Huge smallies are caught and eaten by other animals especially otters all the time and it gets worse during extreme low flow or drought when they get trapped in pools. I've caught really nice ones that have shown signs of being attacked.

And if it's over 20" it has had many years to spawn and spread it's big fish genes. So me keeping 1 hoss sm in my lifetime to put on the wall at some point isn't going to hurt a thing.

I personally think replicas look too fake.

[WHARFRAT]

If i wanted to eat it or have it mounted, I wouldn't have a problem keeping any trophy fish. Of course now a days, if you wanted a mount, they can make a replication with pictures and a few measurements.

But keeping fish and letting it go to waste.......... Not Good.

[Blazerman]

When my wife caught her monster smallmouth last year it was let go right away. And i also let another 20 incher go the year before that i had caught. When i was young we did keep some to eat. But now I don't see me keeping a smallmouth again in my lifetime.

But to suprise my wife I went ahead and had a replica made.

[bfishn]

I guess I've already caught my FOAL, at least until I catch one bigger. I threw it back to see if it would grow. The jury's still out on that. :-(

[Mitch f]

When my wife caught her monster smallmouth last year it was let go right away. And i also let another 20 incher go the year before that i had caught. When i was young we did keep some to eat. But now I don't see me keeping a smallmouth again in my lifetime.

But to suprise my wife I went ahead and had a replica made.

That was a dandy! glad she is still swimming!