# Small Mouth time!



## fishermanbob (Dec 14, 2011)

9/14-south east of KELLYS 1LIMIT LARGEST 6.15 LBS. DROPSHOT WITH LIVE CRAWS.30 SHEEPS.FISHERMANBOB.


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## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

When you say limit of smallmouth does that mean you got 5?


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## Blackdawg (Dec 31, 2007)

Please return all bass to lake. Eat the sheephead if you must!


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## 444fish (Jul 7, 2017)

LE smallies are gooood eatin


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

He didn't say he kept the fish, but if he did, that is his right within the laws.

Rickerd


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

i'll pray for the souls of those that keep smallies.


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

A lot of our Canadian friends will keep the Smallies and toss back the perch and 'Pickerel'.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

I like to garnish my smallmouth with boiled musky bites. Mmmmm

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## rangerpig250 (Apr 10, 2011)

miked913 said:


> I like to garnish my smallmouth with boiled musky bites. Mmmmm
> 
> Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk


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## FSZ (Mar 12, 2009)

It’s refreshing to see a small mouth report. Fisherman in, Thanks for posting. A 6lber is a nice fish!

When we were routinely pulling 50 fish per person per day in the 90s I discussed c/r only vs keeping the first 6 legal fish with a friend who has since passed. I was in the c/r boat he kept his first 6 legal fish, then quit fishing. His logic was he knows he killed 6 but that was it since he quit fishing at that point. He argued with 10% hooking mortality, I was killing 5 per day, more if I didn’t handle fish right or caught more than 50 (which did happen with regularity). 

I still c/r on all bass. But I think there is a lot to be said for my late friends philosophy. 

From what the biologists say our depressed numbers now are a function of gobies and cormorants eating fry, not harvest of adult fish.


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## Shoguner61 (Oct 2, 2017)

No shortage in st clair. Same chain of water? I think when walleye was in short supply years ago the charters focused on smallies to please customers. They don't reproduce at same rate as walleye or perch


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## Blackdawg (Dec 31, 2007)

Return all smallies to water. Fish artificial's, and the money you save on soft craws, well..........


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## 444fish (Jul 7, 2017)

Yall crack me up coming on here TELLING people what to do


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## Labman1127 (Jul 27, 2012)

May the lord take mercy on your soul for keeping those poor smallmouth!
7 million walleye in Lake Erie right....defiantly no reason to keep smallmouth with declining populations. 


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## loweman165 (May 15, 2015)

Nice job on the smallies. You know what they say; if its legal CATCH IT, CLEAN IT, AND COOK IT!!


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

So good









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## Skip Hoffman (Mar 19, 2014)

If the cormorants are becoming a issue let us start shooting them like diver ducks instead of letting them get out of control like the geese!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## KI Jim (Aug 3, 2005)

Shoguner61 said:


> No shortage in st clair. Same chain of water? I think when walleye was in short supply years ago the charters focused on smallies to please customers. They don't reproduce at same rate as walleye or perch


St Clair smallie fishing (while still decent) is not near what it was 10 years ago. Immense fishing pressure (tourneys every week), massive amounts of muskies and whatever else has greatly diminished the fishery. You get later in the year and it is tough to catch a fish that doesn't have rip lip.


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## Shoguner61 (Oct 2, 2017)

I agree 10 years ago it was nothing to go there and have 100 fish days. Went this year, was still good but not as good back then


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

Nothing like a big brown bass done up on the grill.


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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

I fish st clair probably 15-20x a year.....yes its got a strong population of fish but like stated its definitely declined some. Now Lake Erie it is embarrassing. Unless your using live bait its extremely hard to find the fish....and quality of fish to say the least. Erie isnt a sniff to what she used to be on smallies.
As far as my opinion goes...like stated.....millions of walleye are easily caught and better to eat....keep them....but what law says is you can keep a limit of browns....so law is law. Just my opinion....you have fish you fish for a sport and a thrill and you have fish you fish for to put on the table.....any largie or smallie is for sport imo......white bass or rock bass u can keep em and eat em all u want! Again....my opinion and it aint worth much.


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## BassMagic (Oct 17, 2014)

Labman1127 said:


> May the lord take mercy on your soul for keeping those poor smallmouth!
> 7 million walleye in Lake Erie right....defiantly no reason to keep smallmouth with declining populations.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well said, Labman! We used to catch a bunch of smallies years back off Lorain. But, those days are gone forever! I thought the numbers would return once the state finally put a season on bass on Erie. But, that hasn't happened. The lack of bass boats off Lorain pretty much tells the tale! Yes, gobies do a lot of damage to smallie fry, but there aren't as many gobies as there used to be. So, I don't think that's a primary factor in the decline of the brown bass. I know our netting neighbors to the north have a negative impact on bass. That's not going to change. And yes, it's legal to keep a limit of bass. But, please limit your kill, don't kill your limit!


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## JCsHOOK (Apr 18, 2004)

What is a good rig to use in the Black river for smallmouth? Id like to take the granddaughter there this fall.


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## 82441 (Sep 6, 2019)

Grilled Sheephead are very good on the grill to.


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## hunt-n-fish (Jun 19, 2007)

fishermanbob said:


> 9/14-south east of KELLYS 1LIMIT LARGEST 6.15 LBS. DROPSHOT WITH LIVE CRAWS.30 SHEEPS.FISHERMANBOB.



Where did you get the softcraws?


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## ErieEyes (Mar 22, 2009)

There should be laws against keeping smallmouth but unfortunately that’s not the case. While netting definitely hurt the smallmouth population so did all of the charter boats running double trips back in the 90’s when the walleye fishing wasn’t as good. Why would you keep a trophy smallmouth especially to eat with the amount of walleye in that lake right now.


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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)




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## Alaskan (Jun 19, 2007)

KI Jim said:


> St Clair smallie fishing (while still decent) is not near what it was 10 years ago. Immense fishing pressure (tourneys every week), massive amounts of muskies and whatever else has greatly diminished the fishery. You get later in the year and it is tough to catch a fish that doesn't have rip lip.


St. Clair fishing is as good as ever. Michigan spring fishing was off the charts. Summer has been very good. Fall will be scary if weather cooperates.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Alaskan said:


> St. Clair fishing is as good as ever. Michigan spring fishing was off the charts. Summer has been very good. Fall will be scary if weather cooperates.


Bassmasters is there next weekend!!!

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## fishermanbob (Dec 14, 2011)

hunt-n-fish said:


> Where did you get the softcraws?


RICKARDS 17 NE CATAWBA RD (STATE ROUTE 53).but THEY ARE DONE FOR THE YEAR NOW!


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

smallie populations will probably rebound some. a 4 or 5 lb fish takes 10-15 years to grow, but the damage has been done. and its evident plenty still do not care about conservation...


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Great report fisherman Bob! Congrats on the stringer of fish and enjoy the good eats man!


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## ignantmike (Apr 30, 2005)

Skip Hoffman said:


> If the cormorants are becoming a issue let us start shooting them like diver ducks instead of letting them get out of control like the geese!!!!!!!!!!!!


I would definlity drop the hammer on some of those do do's


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## CrappieKing13 (Jul 22, 2015)

Antonio Brown probably eats smallmouth too.


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## ranger619 (Jul 11, 2013)

johnboy111711 said:


> i'll pray for the souls of those that keep smallies.


I agree it is a waste to kill smallmouth they are great gamefish and poor ea


johnboy111711 said:


> i'll pray for the souls of those that keep smallies.


not good eaters at all. It is their right bud too bad


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## rnewman (Mar 25, 2013)

I ate a smallmouth many years ago that swallows the hook and was going to die.Cooked it up on grill next day and tasted good to me.Meat more dense than walleye.Talked to my buddy today that tried bass fishing on chickinole Tues evening.They did not catch anything as they usually do.


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

johnboy111711 said:


> i'll pray for the souls of those that keep smallies.


Glad that someone is praying for me.


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

Flathead76 said:


> Glad that someone is praying for me.


My nature is to troll people, but I honestly can't in this case. I would in fact release any carp or flatheads I catch as well. I just understand the fragile nature of these fish populations. Regardless, I imagine that if the near total collapse of the smallmouth population (compared to what it was 20-30 years ago) didn't change anyone's mind about consuming a limited resource, there really isn't anything that will change their mind.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

johnboy111711 said:


> My nature is to troll people, but I honestly can't in this case. I would in fact release any carp or flatheads I catch as well. I just understand the fragile nature of these fish populations. Regardless, I imagine that if the near total collapse of the smallmouth population (compared to what it was 20-30 years ago) didn't change anyone's mind about consuming a limited resource, there really isn't anything that will change their mind.


What if the smallmouth numbers are totally fine? Maybe they're just changing their feeding habits and fisherman are failing to change their fishing tactics to adjust for this? 

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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

unfortunately, that is not the case. I wish it was. There is a reason that major tournament series no long go to put in bay for tournaments, limits that were once easy, just aren't so currently. And this may apply more for western basin, but the numbers were charter captains and recreational fishermen were highest now have lower catch rates. This is also backed up by ODNR closing seasons for bass due to the population not sustaining itself as it once would/could. With out typing a college thesis, this it mainly attributed to goby populations eating eggs and young of the year fish and anglers harvesting the trophy class fish that spawned and supported the over all population. Data backs this observation as locations that received lower pressure in terms of harvest rate (ie central and eastern basins that still have a large abundance of yellow perch to harvest) have higher smallmouth populations in terms of suitable habitat. I hope this sheds light on some of the thoughts behind the negative views of keeping bass.

I will add this, both perch and walleye can effectively spawn at a much younger age (1-3 years in lake erie) and they can repopulate the harvested numbers of fish much quicker. In ten years we may see a marked increase in smallmouth populations due to the abundance of walleye. This also may increase perch populations from lack of fishing pressure. I truely hope I am right. And for those who do decide to harvest smallmouth, I hope you consider letting them go to preserve the fishery while we still can.


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

If it’s so bad why do they now allow you to keep one sm bass over 18” on Lake Erie during what used to be a closed season?


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## Morrowtucky Mike (May 2, 2018)

Flathead76 said:


> If it’s so bad why do they now allow you to keep one sm bass over 18” on Lake Erie during what used to be a closed season?


It’s the best time of year to catch one for the wall.


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

Morrowtucky Mike said:


> It’s the best time of year to catch one for the wall.


That part I understand. If the population numbers were so bad the state would not let that happen.


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

Flathead, it's never that simple. That one fish limit has many different levels to it. Many of the levels boil down to $$$. Let me explain the many facets.
1. Without the 18in, one fish limit it would be illegal (and enforceable) to take a photo with the fish. If you do not think this true, see NY regulations and read about the court cases with anglers posting fish on social media out of season. 
2. Previously, bass anglers could not fish for or target bass with out receiving a poaching charge. This limited the number of bass fishermen who would risk fishing for bass. This in-turn caused a loss of revenue for local businesses. The local economies, especially out east rely on the local bass fishermen before the walleye have not made it east yet.
3. This also change also coincides with increases in out of state license fees, bass anglers ( known for not harvesting fish but spending lots of money) now have a spring destination to come to and fish.
4. Bass tournament anglers voiced opinions to the state and helped prompt change. There are now weekly tournaments that allow for teams to bring in two fish. This brings in additional money to businesses in the central and western basins. 
5. lastly, if someone does catch a trophy, they can keep it. At a time when bass are most vulnerable to being caught, it is a compromise so limits of bass aren't removed by those who don't understand the vulnerability of the small mouth and to some extent largemouth fisheries.


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

johnboy111711 said:


> Flathead, it's never that simple. That one fish limit has many different levels to it. Many of the levels boil down to $$$. Let me explain the many facets.
> 1. Without the 18in, one fish limit it would be illegal (and enforceable) to take a photo with the fish. If you do not think this true, see NY regulations and read about the court cases with anglers posting fish on social media out of season.
> 2. Previously, bass anglers could not fish for or target bass with out receiving a poaching charge. This limited the number of bass fishermen who would risk fishing for bass. This in-turn caused a loss of revenue for local businesses. The local economies, especially out east rely on the local bass fishermen before the walleye have not made it east yet.
> 3. This also change also coincides with increases in out of state license fees, bass anglers ( known for not harvesting fish but spending lots of money) now have a spring destination to come to and fish.
> ...


If sm bass fisherman cared so much for their fish they would not want to pull a fish off a nest tournament or not so they could transport it miles away so they could weigh it in.


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

You could honestly say that about any species of fish or angler, yet it happens yearly. Catfish, panfish, bass, ect. I would say it is the minority at lake erie, as most fish spawn deep enough that it isn't easy to sight fish them. The majority of fish weighed in would be pre-spawn and post spawn as they are easier to locate and catch. regardless, the fish that are kept are released to swim away.

Please don't make this another anti tournament post, as that is not the issue. The issue is the keeping of smallmouth bass at lake erie that removes them from the gene/spawning pool forever. Stick to the topic bro!


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

johnboy111711 said:


> You could honestly say that about any species of fish or angler, yet it happens yearly. Catfish, panfish, bass, ect. I would say it is the minority at lake erie, as most fish spawn deep enough that it isn't easy to sight fish them. The majority of fish weighed in would be pre-spawn and post spawn as they are easier to locate and catch. regardless, the fish that are kept are released to swim away.
> 
> Please don't make this another anti tournament post, as that is not the issue. The issue is the keeping of smallmouth bass at lake erie that removes them from the gene/spawning pool forever. Stick to the topic bro!


It’s not an anti tournament post. It’s a post that points out the worst possible scenario that could happen to a big spawner besides someone taking the knife to the fish or chucking it onto the wall. That fish is now miles away from its nest. Anyone who has fished for any spawning fish know that the male is the one who makes the nest and is there for several weeks. The female is there for a couple of days then leaves after dropping her eggs. All three examples mess up the ability of that fish to spawn. I have zero issues with a closed season to protect these fish. I also doubt that it was the release to the grease fisherman that put pressure on the state to make it a 1 fish per day over 18” season. It’s not worth their time, gas, and money to kill one fish for the table for one days worth of fishing.


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

See, we reached common ground. But, if you see the damage of taking one fish can do, then you should be able to see that damage can be done by taking that same fish (or 5, or 10, or more based on the number of fishermen) later in the season.


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

johnboy111711 said:


> See, we reached common ground. But, if you see the damage of taking one fish can do, then you should be able to see that damage can be done by taking that same fish (or 5, or 10, or more based on the number of fishermen) later in the season.


That was my point all along. If I do keep a sm bass on Erie it’s one fish and it will be under 18”. As far as the closed season the fish that I have kept a few of them still had eggs in them. If anything they need to go back to a closed season and extend it. When the season opens up it should be a three fish split limit. One fish greater than 18” and two under 18”. That would keep most people happy. You could still tournament fish and people could still go fishing and have a meal to show for it.


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## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

I would love to even have a catch and release only for smallmouth, that is how extreme I would be willing to go. The Greenfish tournaments up there keep most happy. as far as eating them, Walleye are better!


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