You guys with avatars of huge smallies tick me off. As I've whined before, I've been chasing these critters near 50 years and my white whale is a 5#

smallie. We just don't make those huge fish out here.

Well, today I thought I put the whole thing to bed, but no--4lb 14oz. Add it to my list of many times close. Didn't even have the camera with me.

Well you are doing great I think. Im at like 1 1/2 - 2# maybe on my biggest SM and your 4-14SM is bigger than my biggest LM. So to me you're one of those "you guys"

Keep at it

That's a fine fish.

Congrats on the 4-14. You are getting close, And we all like your honesty because most guys would just round up to 5lbs,

In a way, I would think that a 4lb14oz fish caught in northern climes is an even bigger deal (statistically speaking) than the lunkers down south. Perhaps not as much fun on the line, but just as (un)likely.

Good for you! If you would have caught that before the spawn...it probably woulda been bigger than 5lbs....

Weight is dependant on when you caught it to some extent so I tend tend prefer length over weight as a measure of a trophy smallmouth. What did it measure?

In a way, I would think that a 4lb14oz fish caught in northern climes is an even bigger deal (statistically speaking) than the lunkers down south. Perhaps not as much fun on the line, but just as (un)likely.

I don't know about Oregon, but 4-5 is common in Erie, St. Clair and Lake Champlain. In the Mid South, 5 lbs is consider

a "good fish". My friends keep a running account of 5+ fish; our best year was 52. There have only been a hand full of

10 lb smallmouth ever reported. I netted one for my friend, Speedy Madewell!

Anyhow, the northern lakes produce HUGE numbers, but we have a better chance of catching a monster.

Greyleg.. 5lb smallie is a heck of a fish still.

I haven't fished it, but Cheqaumegon Bay up in Superior is said to have consistent 5 to 6 lbers. I'd take that all day long as opposed to catching one 9 or 10lber. Not saying I wouldn't love to catch a 10lber.... , but not likely.

I don't quite understand your gripe - a 4 -14 smallie is welcome in my net any day!

Study smallmouth behavior and be on good waters under optimum conditions. That 6 lber. could swim by at any time . . .

I don't know about Oregon, but 4-5 is common in Erie, St. Clair and Lake Champlain. In the Mid South, 5 lbs is consider

a "good fish". My friends keep a running account of 5+ fish; our best year was 52. There have only been a hand full of

10 lb smallmouth ever reported. I netted one for my friend, Speedy Madewell!

Anyhow, the northern lakes produce HUGE numbers, but we have a better chance of catching a monster.

I guess I just meant that, as a percent of the total population, a 4 or 5lb fish is probably closer to the top of the class up here (I'm in VT, so we're latitudinally like OR) than it would be in the south. Clearly we get big/quality fishing up here.

Then again, perhaps that's a wrong assumption. (/ending threadjack)

Nothing wrong with a 4-14 in my book, was still fun to bring her in no? Anyways like someone else said, ~4 months ago, that fish was probably a 5lb bloated beast. You caught the fit and trim summer version Go find her in a month or 2 and she will be fattened up a bit in preparation for winter.

Good for you, I bet the fight was a memorable one! I LOVE those brownies. To me, they are the best fighting fish pound for pound.

Keep trying and when you least expect it, you will hook on a monster!!! Or, if you ever want to catch big smallies (not an oxymoron), come to Southeastern Ontario, where you can hook on a 5-pounder easily on the St Lawrence River.

Cheers!

That's a heck of a smallmouth! They don't make very big ones here either but I've been extremely fortunate to hit the 5lb mark 3 times, each time it has been exactly 5.0lbs. Now I just need to get one bigger than 5 on the nose, but our state record is only 6.88 so they don't get much bigger here