Your first "big" smallmouth?

[stlfisher]

Lots of great stories.   Mine was a hair under 18 out of the Huzzah last year.  Nothing different on that day besides the rain and parade of floaters running aground on the same non discript tree in the middle of a benign stretch of water.  With a 50 yard window you would have thought the river navigation would have been better.

Most memorable came from the Mineral Fork.  The sole of my shoe became separated from the rest so I was attempting to walk upstream.  I wasn't really fishing much just kind of slinging around slowly trudging to my car.  Anyway came to a small riffle with a tree crossing over it.  Didn't really cast just kind of dunked my fly in while walking.  Felt the strike, shoe caught in the current, and into the laydown I went.  The water was shallow, but man that hurt.  Caught the fish though and at the time it was my biggest about 16 inches.  Totally not worth it though.

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

Not my biggest or first smallie but Saturday I caught a 17 incher out of my new boat.  My son caught the first fish ever in the boat and it was a small spot.  But hey, he got the first!

Thanks Hog Wally!! 

[Nick P]

I would consider this my first "BIG" Smallie. I had caught several 16"ers and a couple 18's, but had never broke the 18" mark. April 2017 I got on the water at 6:45am in my kayak on the Bourbeuse River. I started the morning off with a Pop'R and immediately had one bust the surface and nail it. I knew this was going to be a good day. Then, for the next 30 minutes not another bite. So I adapted and switched baits. I'm the kind of guy who like to try different water columns before I start diving to much into color. So since starting the morning off with topwater, I figured I would go to my favorite method of fishing and hit the bottom. So, I tied on a Z-Man Hula Stickz with a 1/10th ounce Shroomz head in Watermelon/Red. Within 5 minutes I had landed one. Nothing huge, but a smallie nonetheless. Then after having switched and slowly bouncing the bottom I saw my line starting to move to the right. No Tap-Tap, just sucked it in ever so slight. So I raised up on the rod tip to set the hook and then it was ON! You know how we all know when you have a BIG one, well... I KNEW I had just landed my PB Smallie. I fought her for what seemed like an eternity, which I'm sure was only 45 seconds or so. As soon as I got her up to the surface and she swam by me, my heart started to race uncontrollably. Once I got her to the surface and I lipped her and lifted her out of the water she started to try and make one last shake for freedom. She shook so hard that I almost lost my grip and dropped her back in the water. I then locked down my grip and brought her in the yak with me and took a LONG, DEEP breath to try and slow my heart rate. I put her on the tape and scale, so I would know it was official. She was 19" Long and Weighed 3.5lbs. The only thing I was a little bummed out about, is I was in such a hurry to get her back in the water, that I forgot to get her girth. Now I'm in pursuit of a 20"+

[Smalliebigs]

20 minutes ago, Nick P said:

I would consider this my first "BIG" Smallie. I had caught several 16"ers and a couple 18's, but had never broke the 18" mark. April 2017 I got on the water at 6:45am in my kayak on the Bourbeuse River. I started the morning off with a Pop'R and immediately had one bust the surface and nail it. I knew this was going to be a good day. Then, for the next 30 minutes not another bite. So I adapted and switched baits. I'm the kind of guy who like to try different water columns before I start diving to much into color. So since starting the morning off with topwater, I figured I would go to my favorite method of fishing and hit the bottom. So, I tied on a Z-Man Hula Stickz with a 1/10th ounce Shroomz head in Watermelon/Red. Within 5 minutes I had landed one. Nothing huge, but a smallie nonetheless. Then after having switched and slowly bouncing the bottom I saw my line starting to move to the right. No Tap-Tap, just sucked it in ever so slight. So I raised up on the rod tip to set the hook and then it was ON! You know how we all know when you have a BIG one, well... I KNEW I had just landed my PB Smallie. I fought her for what seemed like an eternity, which I'm sure was only 45 seconds or so. As soon as I got her up to the surface and she swam by me, my heart started to race uncontrollably. Once I got her to the surface and I lipped her and lifted her out of the water she started to try and make one last shake for freedom. She shook so hard that I almost lost my grip and dropped her back in the water. I then locked down my grip and brought her in the yak with me and took a LONG, DEEP breath to try and slow my heart rate. I put her on the tape and scale, so I would know it was official. She was 19" Long and Weighed 3.5lbs. The only thing I was really bummed out about is I wanted to get her back in the water as quickly as possible and forgot to get her girth. Now I'm in pursuit of a 20"+

Very cool.... good for you for getting that hawg back swimming quick.... you just went up 3 levels in my book 👍

[timinmo]

Great job Nick.  We all want to document our big fish but at the same time I don't think any of us would risk the well being of a wonderful fish just to quantify our catch.  Hey whether it was 19 or 19 and 1/4 does not diminish the fish.  You caught a beauty and congrats.   

[snagged in outlet 3]

Yeah that’s a nice one!

[curtisce]

2012  Current river on a 3 day floats with friends. Everybody was catching fish but smaller. In the clear water I see a large fish approaching. Must be a carp I think. Second look no it's a SM. It swims up and goes on the back side of a log in 6 fow. Dropped my green worm to the far side of the log and got a thump. Set the hook it took off downstream. I figured it would head to timber and break me off, I had 8# test on but after one good run the fight was over. Maybe those grandma cant' fight too long. 20" did'nt hace a scale but it was thick.

[Johnsfolly]

On ‎8‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 4:44 PM, Nick P said:

She was 19" Long and Weighed 3.5lbs. The only thing I was a little bummed out about, is I was in such a hurry to get her back in the water, that I forgot to get her girth. Now I'm in pursuit of a 20"+

That's a beauty! Congrats on a great fish and release!

[MOPanfisher]

Not sure about biggest I ever caught but lost one that would sure have like to get my hands on.  Fishing a small creek and hooked and maybe 6 in punkinseed, as it came past and deep bank a huge small came out grabbed it and went back in, never even slowed it down.  A few seconds later it spit the punkinseed back out.  May not have been as big as it seemed but in my mind it has always been as certified monster.

[Terrierman]

I have no pics or measurement of the fish or even the year I caught it.  But it was on the Niangua somewhere above Bennett.  Butch (God Rest His Soul) and I put in for a three day two night float.  First night there was a big rain and the river came up about four feet.  We had to move up the bank in the middle of the night.  Headed on down the next morning on a big muddy river.  I fished a metal lip cray crankbait when I could.  Caught the biggest SMB I've ever had on.  Remember the date, it was the day before black bass opened on the rivers.  Released the by far and away the largest SMB I had ever caught then or since.  Backing up on the calendar, the year was probably 1979 or maybe 1980.  We went home a day early.  Good memory.  Thanks for the thread.