Since this is an old post I'll update my new PB. She weighed 7.47. Funny thing @Lucky Craft Man started this post hoping to catch the elusive 7lber & as of now he has three smallmouth over 7lbs to his credit. I think he did a pretty good job of full filling his dream.

 

 

I saw a guy with a 6 lb 10 oz meanmouth on Saturday, he also had two really nice smallies. And last year he got a 7 lb 11 oz meanmouth

 

heres the 6/10, it was 22”. The 7/11 was 24”

 

9 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I saw a guy with a 6 lb 10 oz meanmouth on Saturday, he also had two really nice smallies. And last year he got a 7 lb 11 oz meanmouth

 

heres the 6/10, it was 22”. The 7/11 was 24”

 

Nice bass but unless you caught them on a spinnerbait, there's no credit applied.

🤓

A-Jay 

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Nice bass but unless you caught them on a spinnerbait, there's no credit applied.

🤓

A-Jay 

He caught it with a shiner haha

Here’s another view of the 6 lb 10 oz, I  cropped the poor feller’s head out since I just met him once haha

 

 

I'm still in search of a solid six smallmouth on St. Clair. Both of my boys never stop telling me they each have one. I've had 5-12, 5-13 and a 5-15 . I caught the 5'-15 this year and it was huge. Weighed it three times with two different scales. 

Our PB was a 6.79 in the spring of 24, prior to that it was a 6.5. 

9 hours ago, SAL321 said:

I'm still in search of a solid six smallmouth on St. Clair. Both of my boys never stop telling me they each have one. I've had 5-12, 5-13 and a 5-15 . I caught the 5'-15 this year and it was huge. Weighed it three times with two different scales. 

Our PB was a 6.79 in the spring of 24, prior to that it was a 6.5. 

I feel your pain man, my wife has caught one too and never lets me forget. She also got a 36 lb striper 

I'm still searching!  6-13 is my PB.

In 2020 I set a goal for myself to break 6 pounds on a Smallmouth. My previous PB sat at 5 pounds 11oz. This last December I landed a fish I thought was going to break it. Put it on the scale...5 pounds 11 oz exactly. Devestating. I persevered and this March I landed a 6 pound 8oz Smallmouth. I know I may have to put in either many more years fishing around home, or many miles covered to get somewhere a 7 plus is more feasible. Enjoy the journey either way bro.

If we could all be this kid!  He'll be chasing this dragon for life!!!!

 

 

https://chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/2025/04/03/young-fisherman-catches-and-releases-likely-illinois-record-smallmouth-bass

 

 

scott

Before Gobies really took hold in Southern Lake Michigan, my home river that I grew up on would get some absolute giant Smallies in the Fall that would come in chasing bait out of the big pond. You could expect to get at least one a year over 7 pounds, without trying very hard. Once Gobies took hold though, the fish virtually ceased from chasing bait into the river in the Fall and those giant lake fish became extremely hard to find. 

 

Been trying to break the 8 pound mark for many many years, what keeps you coming back! 

49 minutes ago, Goby said:

Before Gobies really took hold in Southern Lake Michigan, You could expect to get at least one a year over 7 pounds, without trying very hard.

That sounds amazing. 

Did they have cameras back then ?

A-Jay

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

That sounds amazing. 

Did they have cameras back then ?

A-Jay

 

I learned the fishery from a good Friend that is a legit top tier professional angler, the location was extremely telling, wasn't really something you wanted to share with the World and doing so would have been quite rude to him, this was late 90's early 2000's so it was Nextel flip-phones and I didn't even own a camera.

 

I really don't take many photos of the fish I catch, if I do they are generally in the water pics I use for various articles, etc... not hero shots... 

 

Few Michigan fish... all of these were caught on the fly... 

 

 

 

 

The Largemouth ate a 15" long Musky fly LOL 

I’ve been going to St Clair for 22 years straight.  I can’t count the number of 4’s and high 5’s I’ve caught.  There’s probably a few that made the 6 mark because we weren’t as good about weighing the fish in the early days and even now, it has to look special to get on the scale vs a quick pic and release.  My personal goal is a 7 that would get multiple pictures and measurements for a replica mount.  There was one trip where I hopped boats from my Virginia buddy and jumped in with one of our Michigan pals and he said he would try to get me a 7.  Born and raised on the lake and an avid tournament fisherman, he had some secret spots that he didn’t share with us.  He took me to “the tree” which was an ancient huge sunken tree trunk out in the middle of nowhere.  Third cast in I hooked what ended up being a 5 and as I fought it back to the boat, I saw it was flanked on both sides by 2 smallmouth that dwarfed it.  My buddy commented, “There’s your 7”.  Unfortunately after about an hour of trying, we couldn’t get one of the big ones to bite.  Still eagerly chasing my 7.  

And the Quest for 7 lb Brown Bass continues . . . 

A-Jay

11 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

And the Quest for 7 lb Brown Bass continues . . . 

A-Jay

I think you meant to say the quest for the next 7lb bass continues. Feel free to substitute an 8 for the 7 if your feeling frisky. 

58 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

I think you meant to say the quest for the next 7lb bass continues. Feel free to substitute an 8 for the 7 if your feeling frisky. 

You are correct Sir.

And an 8 lb plus fish does sound so very nice.

A-Jay

On 4/21/2025 at 8:52 AM, Goby said:

Few Michigan fish... all of these were caught on the fly... 

 

That Muskie looks like it ate a Bird of Paradise 😁

4 hours ago, Big Hands said:

That Muskie looks like it ate a Bird of Paradise 😁

 

That is a Northern Pike, this is a Muskie.  I don't throw those massive flies as much anymore, getting old LOL 

@Goby: This pic is one of the best I've seen at Bass Resource:

 

Did not intend to derail this thread, my apologies to the OP, this thread just reminded me of a fishery that has long since disappeared...

 

@Swamp Girl thank you for the kind words, lot of memories in those photos, good times for sure...

 

My personal favorite photo ever taken, my old hound, Jessie Lee, this was how she rolled, bow riding, ears in the wind... She travelled the country with me, ran rivers in at least 20 states, from coast to coast... Miss her everyday!