Largemouth or Smallmouth? 2024

BassHunter266 reply :

I live in florida, I've never caught a smallmouth, for any that have, do they fight better thanlargemouths? are they easier to catch? :-/

IndianaKid reply :

Bass fishin is in my blood, I love to catch bass, be it Largemouth, Smallmouth or Spots..I love to catch them.

If i had to choose it would be no contest for me: Smallmouth.

They are,easily, pound for pound, the best fighting freshwater gamefish that I have caught, which to date is 43 different freshwater species....

I live for Smallmouth bass bites.

I have spent many summer mornings sitting in a 14ft. jon boat floating down a local river with the fog still hanging over the water, quietly listening to the soft lap of my in-line buzzer, and then BOOM! an explosion of force takes my buzzer down and the fight is on... hehe..i get goosbumps thinking about it.

But, yea... You should try to make it up to Pickwick or Wheeler sometime and get into a big ole' Bronzeback, it is worth every penny spent and every hour passed.

DR_Bass reply :

I feel your pain I've never caught a smallmouth either and I hear so much about how they fight and how agressive they are. I'll catch one.... one of these days. :-/

YankeesWin reply :

Quote
If i had to choose it would be no contest for me: Smallmouth.
They are,easily, pound for pound, the best fighting freshwater gamefish that I have caught.

I can't help but agree with Indiana Kid. They are, pound for pound, the best fighting fish of the two. I love to catch the "smallies".

Shakes reply :

I can't say that I've ever caught a smallmouth. Are they in the same lakes that Largemouth are in?

I tell you one thing, some of the LMB that I've pulled out I wouldnt trade for anything. Legendary fights.

BASS fisherman reply :

Smallmouth put up way more of a fight than largemouth. I had a touney today, on a river, fishing for smallmouth. I have never fished for them before today, and I caught 3. Total wieght was 2lb 14 oz. That may sound like a low wieght, but after the storm season of 2003, and then last year, the small mouth fishing has been bleak on the 3 rivers area, around Pittsburgh.

Marty reply :

Smallmouth put largemouth to shame in the fighting department, in my opinion. I have no way to prove this, but I think smallies are easier to catch if you're on them; they seem to be more pugnacious.

Quote
I can't say that I've ever caught a smallmouth. Are they in the same lakes that Largemouth are in?
I tell you one thing, some of the LMB that I've pulled out I wouldnt trade for anything. Legendary fights.

You might trade some of those legendary largemouth fights if you had personal experience with smallies.

In my area of the world, there are numerous lakes with both species. There is some overlap, but generally the smallies are in somewhat deeper, cooler and more open water.

Tom Bass reply :

I'm with Indiana Kid' on this one too. Smallies don't get as big but they sure do fight better that Largemouths. I haven't caught any here in the Carolinas and I sure do miss 'em.

Siebert Outdoors reply :

A largemouth cant even compare to the fight of a smallie.

Brian_Reeves reply :

Both are great...but nothing fights like a redfish ;D That fish doesn't try to fight you, it tries to rip your arms out of socket. But between the bass species...smallies fight the hardest pound for pound.

toothdoc reply :

Smallies fight more than largemouths, but neither fights like a salmon. ;D

kbkindle reply :

indiana kid come over to lake shafer here in monticello indiana and help me catch those brown fish. i'am a lot older than you like turn your number around 71 not 17 you probley have fished the two lakes here shafer and freeman kb

Tom Bass reply :

True...True....Same goes with Carp ;D

The question was in regards to Smallmouth or Largemouth Bass.

shimanogloomis man reply :

smallmouth fight better then largemouth but till u catch a hybrid striper u dont know what a fight is

roadwarrior reply :

Hmm...

Staying on topic, when you have the option, smallmouth might be a better choice.

boatnik13 reply :

When they are in the same lake > I found them in diffrent sections from each other. The lgm is always bigger and the smb is always fighting the hardest. I like them equal like that. For Fla. people who never got one > Its like a rockbass(smb) fight VS a bluegill (lmb). There is a diffrent fight all together. To the one who said the fish were small that they caught > Hey! I see them fish contests and the avg. bass is onlt a lb or 2. A 2lb bass can fight and I don't know anyone up north catching a boat load of 5+ lb bass each time out.

5bass reply :

I agree with Marty.....once you get on smallmouth,they're usually ready to blast your baits faster than a largemouth.I like catching both but a smallmouth is definitely the better fighter,seems like they have better cardio training than the largemouth.

Heck,they still fight after you bring 'em in the boat.Case in point,I hooked about a 2.5# smallie on a Pop-R one night.He jumped 3 or 4 times on the way in and then got tangled around my trolling motor.I pulled up the trolling motor to get him untangled and he was steady pulling the whole time.Once I got him in the boat I had the deathgrip over his back (because of the treble hooks) and just as I was about to grab the trebles with my pliers,he started to fight,got free of the deathgrip and ended up stuck to my shirt,still attached to the Pop-R......and he never stopped fighting until he ripped a 3" long tear in my shirt and spazzed out enough to get HIMSELF off the hook,hit the deck and bounce back into the water.

The "toughest" fish that swims in my opinion.

SBM-RL reply :

Smallmouth do fight harder and ive caught many largemouth that give up and tire quickly when smallies fight all the way to the boat and while ur taking them of there a pain because there still thrashing around.

This could be way off but in my expeirences id say smallies seam to fight just under a largemouth double there weight my smallie a little over 4 lbs faught about as hard as my 8 lb largemouth some may disagree but thats how its turned out for me and living in Mi and Ma i catch almost equel amounts

GAMEOVER reply :

Smallmouth lb for lb fight more out of the two. Largemouth are known to hang closer to shore in shallower water when compared to smallmouth. This doesnt mean Largemouth dont fight at all because ive caught 5-6 lb largemouth that were just going balistic on me. Largemouth do fight and fight hard. Most largemouth wont give you that fight you crave as the smallmouth will but you will occasionally catch that one Largemouth that will wow you. Get one thats ticked off and 5+ lbs and youll see what I mean. Up in here in Michigan though nothing can top the fights (not even bass not even close) you will get off Pike, Muskie, and Steelhead come to Michigan and catch some of them. Tell us about your soar arm or how you got caught off guard while standing on the edge of your boat ;D

FishinChef reply :

I am lucky enough to live less than 2 miles from the Susquehanna river in PA; I really enjoy the smallmouth fishing here. Smallmouth habitats are very relaxing for me to wade; small streams, creeks, riffles, eddies,etc.. But the excitement from seeing fat smallmouth launch itself out of the water and fight like the devil is quite the opposite. I catch quite a few in shallow water, less than 3 feet.

FatBoy reply :

Man, you're making me jealous. I've only seen 2 smb in my life and they weren't on my hook. They were in about 6' of water harassing some bluegill on their beds. I floated right over them in a canoe, but they weren't interested in the fluke I had tied on at the time. This lake is the only place I know of in this area that has any smb. I'll have to hit it hard this fall and next spring and after the smallies specifically.

paparock reply :

If smallmouth got as big as stripped bass you couldn't catch them ;) ;) but boy would it be fun trying!

bassmasta7 reply :

Smallmouth do fight better than LM but i like catching LM better. When BASS is on one of the northern smallmouth lakes, I turn it off. I think it is boring to watch them catch 1-2lb fish all the time. I guess I like LM better just because they are bigger and I get to catch them more since i live in the south.

tipptruck1 reply :

I can catch all sizes of smallies when I fish. I really love to catch them things. I just started catching a lot of large mouth in a day. The only time largies compare is when you hook them on there sides. I have also notcied that largies are more boat shy. Has any body else noticed this that it seems like large mouth get hooked on the side more offen.

guest reply :

I would put smallies the best fighter pound for pound, spots next, then largemouth. I occasionally go smallie fishing in a wade-only pool of the Ouachita River, catching up to 2.5# there. The biggest I know of there is a little over 3# caught on a dry fly.

Jim

MALTESE FALCON reply :

HERE ON LAKE ST. CLAIR WE HAVE LARGEMOUTH AND SMALLMOUTH AND EVERY ONCE IN A GREAT WHILE WHITE BASS. BUT WHEN ONE OF THOSE BROWN BASS IS ON THE END OF MY LINE THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT.

Valascus reply :

I have never caught a smallmouth in my life, but would love too. Largemouth bass are fun and fight better than most freshwater fish IMO, but if everything I have heard about smallies is true, then I need to find some of those somewhere around the Saint Louis area.

Keithscatch reply :

I have caught some smallmouth not as many as some of you all. Maybe 80-100 in my life. All where caught in Colorado. Biggest was about 3lbs. I heard how they where the toughest strongest fish etc. To be honest I wasn't impressed. I mean they fought good but I think people exaggerate how hard they fight. Now maybe the bigger ones fight harder then the ones I was catching? Don't know.

I have also caught Spotted or as some call them Kentucky Bass. In Lake Lanier Spots are king. I caught a 4lb spot there and from my experiences catching spots, I prefer them over Smallies. I think they are prettier, and fight as hard if not harder then Smallies. They attack lures ferociously sort of like a Peacock bass. Top waters are crushed by spots right in the middle of the day. They will smack the lure 2 feet up into the air and hit it 3 or 4 times before they take it.

For me I liked the spots best for all things considered. Smallmouth are fun too.

5bass reply :

Keith,my home lake has a small population of spots and I have tangled with a few of them this year.The biggest one I boated was maybe 2.5# but he fought like a champ and so did the smaller ones.I caught the biggest from a bed,he was really ticked off.....and it didnt take him long at all to bite!

I didnt think the spots fought any harder than a smallmouth but I can see where there is a good comparison to be made.Maybe if I could hook a few 3+ spots I'd change my mind.We'll see hopefully.

I think you'd be impressed if you hooked a 4# smallmouth on say 6# line and a spinning rig.

VABasser reply :

Quote
This could be way off but in my expeirences id say smallies seam to fight just under a largemouth double there weight my smallie a little over 4 lbs faught about as hard as my 8 lb largemouth some may disagree but thats how its turned out for me and living in Mi and Ma i catch almost equel amounts

I was actually going to say the same thing. From my experience that has seemed to be true. Obviously there are exceptions, sometimes you get a really feisty bass (lm or sm) that think they're twice their size. The biggest smallie I've ever caught was about 4 lbs, and he put up one heck of a fight.

kbkindle reply :

indiana kid yes there are about 3 to 1 small mouth in shafer here are acouple from first of week

Keithscatch reply :

Quote
I think you'd be impressed if you hooked a 4# smallmouth on say 6# line and a spinning rig.

Yes sir, I think I would.

56 crestliner reply :

Id have to say small mouth probably cuz i havent really caught many largemouth.

Pa Angler reply :

If you tie a Smallmouth tail to tail to a Largemouth the Smallmouth would drown the largemouth. 8-)

Craw reply :

Smallmouth are great fun to catch and quite a challenge to find sometimes, even in rivers. They're extremely mobile and will travel miles upon miles on a given day. It's all worth it once you find them though cause they really can put up a fight. Here in Va. the largemouth fishing just isn't that great but trophy smallmouth are well within reach. As far as being pound for pound the strongest fish...No Way! I love my smallies but they can't hang with some of the other fish. The body of a smallmouth just can't generate the power of lets say an equal size striper. Smallies do possess a few attributes though that make them favorites among lots of anglers. When they are aggressively feeding they strike viciously and their aerial acrobatics are unmatched. They are my favorite but I feel blessed that we have many other great gamefish to pursue here in Va.

roadwarrior reply :

On a scale of 1-10, I would rate a German brown trout over 5 lbs at 10. Smallmouth over 5 lbs an 8. Largemouth a 4. Spots (Kentucky bass) a 4 and striper a 6. Striper improve their rating in general, because they can be so much bigger.

As an overall ranking, striper might be #1 just because they are so much fun when they get HUGE!

ChrisW reply :

I have caught many LM's in my life, not too many SM's but I hooked into a 22 inch smallie a couple of months ago and that thing was tough and fought very hard. The LM's can get much bigger than smallies but overall, pound for pound, the smallie fights harder and better.

This is not to say LM's are not tough because we all know they are.

Madhouse27 reply :

While both fish are top notch I'd definately choose the Smallmouth. What they sometimes lack in size they more than make up for in muscle and endurance. It's kind of like comparing the athleticism of an offensive lineman to that of a linebacker. The big guy is a bit one dimensional and tends to wear out quickly whereas the linebacker is more versatile and won't quit until the play is over. Generally speaking I also prefer fishing in smallmouth waters. I'll take a cool, clear, rocky northern lake anytime.

fishinyank reply :

Smallmouth hands down, only once in awhile do LM even compare, and Ive caught plenty of both to give a sound judgement. They zig-zag, will charge you, hurl themselves three feet in the air and thats all in the first two seconds. Heres a quick example of their power. I was fishing with my buddy from work, spent the day catching several 2 to 5 pound LMs, had a great time and had some good fights, but hadnt caught a single smallie. So we moved up onto a rocky bar and lo and behold, I can see that black tail fin flickering by a large boulder. I make a cast, and I;m hooked up, and its a smallie. After a series of jumps, it dives under the boat and shoots out the other side heading to deep water. So I swing around to face it and let the rod load up and put pressure on her to stop her, but she keeps going...dragging us with her. Thats a 16 inch, two poundish fish, that towed a 14 foot aluminum rowboat, me(180pounds), my buddy(Id guess 220) and a slew of gear and coolers!! I let her drag us about ten yards and stopped her, turned to my friend and said "thats why I love smallies!" Talk about towin capacity...Ford and Chevy have nothin on a smallie!!!! Oh yeah and I forgot....Ive caught them up to a hair over 4 pounds and have hooked into one (bout three weeks ago) that was probably close to six and have to say if you've never caught one thats 3lbs or more you must....itll make your heart pound out of your chest

Keithscatch reply :

Since some of you mentioned other species, I will chime in with what I think is pound for pound the best; a REDFISH. Striper are fun too but a Redfish will flat out make your reel scream. They have awesome swimming power.

jomatty reply :

i love smallmouth fishing. i think they are beautiful fish and love how aggressive and strong they are. i fish a lot of rivers in va and grew up wade fishing for smallies. i still go to the small river near my house regularly. a one pound smallmouth on a fairly light spinning outfit is a blast. when i was young i went on a drift trip with my friends father. fishing was slow until we stopped and caught some helgramites. then we started tearing em up. i hooked into one that was a bout 3 pounds and he totally whipped my butt. i was only 11 or 12 and he got under the boat and came out jumping and angry on the other side. it was a miracle i landed him and the highlight of my young fishing career. it was so much fun. that may have been THE fish that made me a fisherman. i fish more for largemouth these days but i still think the smallie is number one.

fishingJ reply :

Smallmouth are by far my favourite fish to catch. There nice looking, great fighters, and are just plain fun.

Banor reply :

Smallmouth definately.

ThaSadDaddy reply :

Aint nothin like catchin a huge largemouth down south.

roadwarrior reply :

How 'bout a HUGE smallmouth down south?

bassclown reply :

smallmouth do fight harder but i prefer to fish the locations that l/m tend to hang around. i just love the calmer water, lily pads, grass or whatever. places you need a mh rod with at least 12lb. test. that's why i'm a die hard l/m fan.

Rattlinrogue reply :

Being where I live,there are no smallies.The water is just too hot,and there aren't any really clear lakes.I've always heard that smallies are the fightingnest bass around.I've never had a chance to fish for these most fighting of of the bass species.I fish for Florida strain'bass down here in South MS.They put up a great fight themselves.So,I guess I'm a Largemouth basser,but I'd certainly love to square off with Mr. smallmouth!

BassHunter266 reply :

Wow! I guess smallies are the fighters, but if you tied a smallmouth tail to tail with a snook the smallie

would drown. ;D

roadwarrior reply :

Maybe, but if they were the same size, probably not. Salt water fish are generally in another class, but I've caught speckled trout and they're bigger wuss than crappie or sauger! Great tablefare, but if I never catch another it's still one too many.

Keithscatch reply :

I like em all. They all have things unique about them that I like.

tboydva reply :

I fished a local stream/river recently and caught both SM and LM about the same size (18"). This (and this thread) forced me to think about the difference. From my experience, smallmouth tend to run all over (up and downstream) and as has been pointed out, they don't give up. The LM seem to give a stronger intial pull - steady, and don't seem to jerk back and forth quite like a SM. The LM around my area (VA) usually give 4-5 good runs, then they're played out. Both fish take to the air in shallow water which usually leaves me sitting dumfounded while they shake the hook loose - it's just to cool to watch!

I won't complain about catching either!

10679

Largemouth or Smallmouth? 2024

related General Bass Fishing Forum topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic