Even a Blind Hog Gets an Acorn Once in a While (Smallmouth in this Case)

[MuleDeerCrazy]

Smallmouth fishing isn't my forte', but we managed to scratch out a few with a 4#, a couple 3#s, and a handful in the 1-2# range.

[sirfunkeybut]

  very nice!

[bearpaw]

great catch... 

[ShaneTyTrey]

Nice catch.....poor RELEASE!!!

[DOUBLELUNG]

Nice catch.....poor RELEASE!!!

Oh Pleaase - there's not a damned thing wrong with killing and eating fish.  If it's legal, don't piss on the other guy's consumptive sporting practices.

[carpsniperg2]

A nice catch for sure!

[Skillet]

Nice catch.....poor RELEASE!!!

Oh Pleaase - there's not a damned thing wrong with killing and eating fish.  If it's legal, don't piss on the other guy's consumptive sporting practices.

Well said DOUBLELUNG.  In addition, I cannot think of a single body of water where smallmouth bass are at a disadvantage to any other fish.  Being an avid walleye guy, I get really tired of listening the "catch and release police"... a few pics of dead bass does not mean he's a fish hog, disrespectful of the resource, etc.  All it means is that he went out and had a good time, and will enjoy it again when he's eating them.  And it looks like a young'un got in on the fun, too.  Nothing wrong with that.

[Ripper]

I'm an avid bass fisherman and I like to eat a few now and then. Smallies are great eating and there are certainly no shortage of them. Nice job guy's 

[goosegetter79]

Nice catch.....poor RELEASE!!!

I was wondering how long it was going to take for someone to mouth off about keeping some bass.

Nice haul MuleDeerCrazy, some good eating right there!

[TommyH]

 

[rasbo]

yummers,looks like a good day

[ShaneTyTrey]

Nice catch.....poor RELEASE!!!

Oh Pleaase - there's not a damned thing wrong with killing and eating fish.  If it's legal, don't piss on the other guy's consumptive sporting practices.

I was only joking around, apparently a touchy subject.  My bad, you caught them do whatever u want with them

[jjdavis2222]

Shantytrey, it just baffel's me when a hunter would post something like you posted about fishing. There are alot more smallmouth than those turkeys in your photo. If someone is going to eat them whats the big deal!!! We are all out there killing something so we can eat it.

[ShaneTyTrey]

Again I was only joking.  I have never released a fish in my life that I could keep.  I will use better judgement in the future with joking comments, I apologize completely.  Nice catch and enjoy the eats.

[Pinetar]

I'm all about catch and release 98% of the time, however I still like to eat the occasional walleye, halibut or salmon. At the same time, theirs nothing wrong with knocking them on the head either, especially smallies. Not exactly a shortage. Good job MuleDeerCrazy and kudos for taking the kid along, it doesn't get better than that.

[Pinetar]

Shantytrey- way to man-up and apologize KUDOS

[lokidog]

Again I was only joking.  I have never released a fish in my life that I could keep.  I will use better judgement in the future with joking comments, I apologize completely.  Nice catch and enjoy the eats.

That's what this is for.....                                  

  (see?)   

I only release when they are small, or the state makes me.  Or it's a planter trout.....  I like to EAT fish.   

Shantytrey- way to man-up and apologize KUDOS

Nothing to apologize for, he was joking around....  AND, AWESOME FISH!!

[MuleDeerCrazy]

The girls love any kind of fish, figure it's better for them than fastfood.  Anyway, you should have seen the little one when I told her, her first one was too small and threw it back... holy crap, she never let up on me til she finally got a keeper!  I now know none of her fish are to be made fun of, or thrown back!  I guess I've lost my focus somewhere along the way?  I'm bummed out when I get a little fish or buck and my young daughters are totally stoked to get anything.  Nothing like a kid to give you a reality check... always appreciate the little things in life I tell them...

Shanty - I did let a little buck walk last year if that counts, but you're gonna have to throw the daughters fish back... I still can't sit down!

[bassquatch]

YUMMY!!! I ate smallmouth for the first time this year, changed my life! I was one of the guys thet would have busted your balls for keeping a few, now I am all for releasing a few to the grease! 

Besides, as mentioned, they typically take over a body of water by outfeeding everything else! Lake Goodwin is starting to tip that way, fewer and fewer largemouth! Everytime I go there now I keep a limit of smallies if I do well.

Nice work! 

[KopperBuck]

YUMMY!!! I ate smallmouth for the first time this year, changed my life! I was one of the guys thet would have busted your balls for keeping a few, now I am all for releasing a few to the grease! 

Besides, as mentioned, they typically take over a body of water by outfeeding everything else! Lake Goodwin is starting to tip that way, fewer and fewer largemouth! Everytime I go there now I keep a limit of smallies if I do well.

Nice work! 

They don't typically take over a body of water. Any fish can take over a body of water, but the right factors have to be in place. There are a lot of bodies of water where SM should be harvested, same as bullheads, carp, pike, lake trout, walleye, rainbows, pike minnow.....

If it's legal by all means go for it. I'm almost 100% catch and release on bass, especially females, but I'm not going to jump down your throat. And they do eat pretty well, we keep smallies from the river every year for a fish fry.