MassBass

So in a small pond without any selective harvest, that will happen. I have seen it to myself. In the case I mentioned, it is what I would consider big water, and it is just smallmouth that are stunted. I have caught a fair share of big quality largemouth, and I have caught decent numbers of smallmouth, but nothing big. Compared to other Atlantic drainage rivers I have fished, I find it unusual. I will consider that for meat fishermen and poachers, big aggressive smallies will be the first to be taken.

The fishery in my backyard, a fairly sizable system, is all stunted smallmouth. Three years here and I have not caught a solid 3lber, or really anything close to that. If you ask locals, you might hear a legend, but as of now I believe the gene pool is stunted.

It's my understanding that the bigger the female, the more eggs are produced, the more likely some will survive.. Fish don't have menopause. There is truth to the theory of big fish genes, and through over harvest of big fish, the gene pool becomes all small fish.

Some Gulf of Maine fishes

Some years are successful spawns, some years are disastrous. Look at the striped bass. New emergency slot regulations to protect the 2015 class, the only robust spawn in decades.

In the end of days the fish will bite with wreckless abandon

Thick smoky haze in Boston yesterday. I believe this is a sign of the end of days

Any pro worth his salt knows that the fish's lateral line, it's "sixth sense" can more than likely pick up on disturbances from sonar, and make it less aggressive. This article is from the other day: https://www.bassmaster.com/news/forward-facing-sonar-and-wary-fish/

How about this one. American Eel:

Herring were in full force Tuesday evening. Couldn't help but snag em on striper baits. Did see a striper show off a log jam for a slug go but it was shy.

Nothing wrong with using a saltwater popper for bass. I would consider size but with Mexican bass probably not an issue. Just replace the big silver galvanized hooks. I use some poppers called Stillwater, made for saltwater but they have caught me many bass. And stripers.

Maybe you that can't accept this are just too comfortable fishing off of, what is bioacoustically, a Navy destroyer. Don't want to know that there is a different approach, where rattles and vibrations hit the fish differently.

Crazy? In my experience it is obvious that the bioacoustics of sonars and trolling motors negatively interferes with the positive, attractive bioacoustics of lipless crankbaits.

Striper fishing turned into getting on a stream bluegill bite to save the skunk.

I think lure choice has a lot to do with it. My local river is loaded with yellow perch. Some bass anglers that just throw senkos, they never catch perch and would never know they were there. @A-Jay, what bass tactic got those big browns and 'bow?

I used to have big smallies follow my raft around. Probably because I dropped down crayfish just to watch them eat it. To be able to dive with bass in clean, clear water is an eye opening perspective that a lot of fishermen don't have. You quickly understand how perfectly adapted the fish is to it's environment, which you can't see if you only see fish on the end of a line and out of water.

An angle no one has mentioned, try firetiger, clown, or other chart. Pattern crankbaits and jerkbaits. This goes against conventional wisdom of drab or natural colors. The reason it works, is the fish can see the bait from far off, and will swim far or high in the water column to check it out more closely, and bite it. Clear water bass are very visual, especially lakes where clarity is always consistent. Smallmouth are more curious and aggressive so this is better for them.

Some other species from a brief weekend trip. Trout was targeted, some nice crappie were by- catch. Both were cooked, the trout was very good.

These are my sentiments as well, If the water is notorious for pike I will be rigging some kind of leader. I might be trying for trout soon with small jerkbaits, with the lakes' potential for big pike I'm planning on using 30# floro leader line for a leader.

There is actually three species of pickerel, the chain pickerel is the biggest and most common. The little pickerels, the redfin and grass, have become very uncommon and are endangered in some of their range, like in Maine. There is still no bag limit on them, which is a relic of the old way of looking at pickerel, when whole ponds were poisoned and every fish was killed. It is a native fish and just as sporting as pike and musky.

They guard fry. I don't think nests are as organized and neat as in a lake without current and fluctuating water levels. The hatch seems to happen quick; If you can find young fry there might be a bass or two guarding them. Usually can see the fry skitting around the surface when you bring a lure through them.

They are a fine fish to eat, but check local regs. for keeper size. Is that a tidal river?

I had an evening on the banks of the Androscoggin last year, probably about 30 fish in two hours. A full day of fishing I think it would have been an 100 fish day for sure. All smallmouth, kind of surprised there was nothing else mixed in. My goals starting the season were to capitalize on the prespawn LM bite, and catch a striper in my local river system. I can only really put in effort once a week, but I have two solid 4lbers, and an almost keeper striper. The striper kind of came as a surprise, as it may have been holding over in this river all winter. Also it didn't hit a 'striper lure', hit a spinnerbait that I made and have been using for bass. That fact may be symptomatic of the fish being a resident holdover, as the longer they are in the river the more they start behaving like largemouth. The conditions and my presentation just lined up perfect for that bite, and now the pressure is off of that goal.

Go far up north, where to the old trout guys, smallmouth bass is your trash fish. They infest the cool water streams, and big schools of juvenile brown fish eat all the flys and nymphs in the lakes.

Do you just fish it slow near the surface?