Smallmouth, Ugly?? 2025
Bluebasser86 reply :
It seems like every year I read several articles on smallmouth and once in a while the author will mention something like for what they lack in looks a smallmouth makes up for in fight or they're fighters not lookers?? Am I the only one that thinks smallmouth are an awesome looking fish? Granted they can look really plain at times but if you get a tiger striped, bright red eyed smallmouth they're about the prettiest fish in freshwater IMO. What do you guys think? Am I crazy or are these writers just more attracted to bright colors on trout? I just don't think it gets much better than this.
KyakR reply :
I also think smallmouth are a beautiful animal! And that one your holding sure is. Maybe it's because their coloring is more subtle than LMB.....? I think there's as much individual variation, it's just harder to see sometimes. Hey, what was the weight on that gal?
Jrob78 reply :
I'm with you, I think smallies are beautiful fish.
roadwarrior reply :
Ugly?
Try this, courtesy Fish Chris: Put the fish in your livewell, lid shut, for 10-15 minutes.
The darkness will bring out whatever coloration the fish has. Some are better than
others, but even "plain" fish have some stripes, almost always on the head.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 12/7/2013 at 6:57 PM, KyakR said:I also think smallmouth are a beautiful animal! And that one your holding sure is. Maybe it's because their coloring is more subtle than LMB.....? I think there's as much individual variation, it's just harder to see sometimes. Hey, what was the weight on that gal?
I'm not sure the exact weight. I caught it on a day in early November last year fishing with my wife. We caught a bunch in the 17-18 inch range that weighed from 3-3.5 pounds so somewhere in that range.
On 12/7/2013 at 8:10 PM, roadwarrior said:Ugly?
Try this, courtesy Fish Chris: Put the fish in your livewell, lid shut, for 10-15 minutes.
The darkness will bring out whatever coloration the fish has. Some are better than
others, but even "plain" fish have some stripes, almost always on the head.
Fish Chris' smallmouth pictures are some amazing looking fish. They do light up after spending some time in the livewell. The one in my picture was lit up like that when she came into the boat. It wasn't big enough to put in the livewell, they have to be 18" at the lake I caught that one at to keep.
Caylub reply :
I think they are beautiful. I've never seen one in person just the ones you guys share here and some on tv. The tiger stripes are especially awesome. I think if you can't see the beauty you are either blind or you can't see the trees for the forest.
Dwight Hottle reply :
For me all smallmouth are beautiful. It's just some are more pretty than others. The heavy tiger stripes contrast really sets them off. Time in the livewell does help enhance the coloration.
RandySBreth reply :
If someone thinks they're ugly, they must be blind. There are more colorful fish in freshwater, but I really like the way they blend into their enviroment, sometimes pure white on the belly and the color of melting butter on the sides with tiger stripes - pretty cool.
Hi Salenity reply :
I love the Tattoos!
Ironically i have none.
Felix77 reply :
With you 110%
needs2hunt reply :
some smallies are just beautiful ...
and some are just butt ugly...
funny thing is both of these were caught within 50 yards of each other...
Dwight Hottle reply :
These two were caught 15 minutes apart from the same spot.
A-Jay reply :
On 12/8/2013 at 2:20 AM, Dwight Hottle said:These two were caught 15 minutes apart from the same spot.
Something tells me those are not drop-shot caught smallies ~
A-Jay
Hi Salenity reply :
I think those 2 would each beat the Kansas state record.
KyakR reply :
One thing on my bucket list is to get to fish for smallies on Lake Erie! Breathtaking fish! That lighter one has got to be the lightest color smallie I've seen. Against your purple shirt it even looks a bit pink 
Craiger12 reply :
Here's a pretty one I got a few years ago. Too bad she wasn't fatter...
Dwight Hottle reply :
On 12/8/2013 at 4:40 AM, Hi Salenity said:I think those 2 would each beat the Kansas state record.
KS state record is 6.88lbs 21-1/2" long
last fish pic was 6.75lbs 23" long
On 12/8/2013 at 6:28 AM, KyakR said:One thing on my bucket list is to get to fish for smallies on Lake Erie! Breathtaking fish! That lighter one has got to be the lightest color smallie I've seen. Against your purple shirt it even looks a bit pink
That was the lighest coloration I have ever seen as well. About 5lbs as I remember.
Pete-K reply :
Best looking fish in the water.
Pete
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 12/7/2013 at 11:38 PM, RandySBreth said:If someone thinks they're ugly, they must be blind. There are more colorful fish in freshwater, but I really like the way they blend into their enviroment, sometimes pure white on the belly and the color of melting butter on the sides with tiger stripes - pretty cool.
I think that's a big part of what I really like about them. I've fished for them in some small rivers in the Ozarks and it never ceases to amaze me how you can look all over a shallow area and think there's no fish there but you run a fluke or Sammy through and a solid fish materializes out of nowhere to slam the thing. I think it's really cool how you can catch fish off the exact same spot and one will be almost black while the other might be tiger striped or sand colored, not many other fish I know of will vary that much off the same spot.
Thought I'd add another picture of one that was really neat looking I thought. It was really dark overcast and I was fishing clear water. It really looked like she was glowing gold when I was fighting her in, one of most uniquely colored smallmouths I've ever seen.
tomustang reply :
It's hard to beat a smallmouth on looks, what pushes them over the top is when they have brighter red eyes
Siebert Outdoors reply :
On 12/7/2013 at 10:25 PM, Dwight Hottle said:For me all smallmouth are beautiful. It's just some are more pretty than others.
This, I honestly think the colors are cooler then largemouth.
Nice fish BTW.
MarkH024 reply :
X2 . I love the varieties they have.On 12/8/2013 at 10:05 PM, Siebert Outdoors said:This, I honestly think the colors are cooler then largemouth.
Nice fish BTW.
EvanT123 reply :
I'm all about the smallmouth and love the tiger stripes. This is probably my last smallmouth for the year caught last week and one of the more unique ones I caught this year, with the dark belly.
Not trying to hijack the thread but maybe some more experienced fisherman could shed some light on this. Do you think the colors on smallies on more pronounced in rivers or lakes? Is one sex more likely to have the tiger stripes then the other?
A-Jay reply :
Yup ~ Just Plain Ugly - but the Fish are Gorgeous.
A-Jay
Hi Salenity reply :
On 12/9/2013 at 9:12 AM, A-Jay said:Yup ~ Just Plain Ugly - but the Fish are Gorgeous.
A-Jay
^ Jerkbait? I just got a Tatula typeR spooled with braid and a 7'MM rod I'm going to try using braid for jerkbaits...
A-Jay reply :
On 12/9/2013 at 9:40 AM, Hi Salenity said:^ Jerkbait? I just got a Tatula typeR spooled with braid and a 7'MM rod I'm going to try using braid for jerkbaits...
Yes Jerk baits -
I was fishing with Dwight - I'm not allowed to fish anything else . . . . 
A-Jay
RandySBreth reply :
On 12/8/2013 at 2:25 PM, Bluebasser86 said:I think that's a big part of what I really like about them. I've fished for them in some small rivers in the Ozarks and it never ceases to amaze me how you can look all over a shallow area and think there's no fish there but you run a fluke or Sammy through and a solid fish materializes out of nowhere to slam the thing. I think it's really cool how you can catch fish off the exact same spot and one will be almost black while the other might be tiger striped or sand colored, not many other fish I know of will vary that much off the same spot.
Thought I'd add another picture of one that was really neat looking I thought. It was really dark overcast and I was fishing clear water. It really looked like she was glowing gold when I was fighting her in, one of most uniquely colored smallmouths I've ever seen.
I get them like that in sandy areas of the James and Finley rivers - very nice looking.
Brian Needham reply :
if you are into smallies, they a pretty. not that I am saying they are ugly.
Me, I have never caught an ugly Spot. Spotted bass are the prettiest of the black basses to me.
moguy1973 reply :
The thing with smallmouth is they can be the lightest shade of brown one second, get mad and turn the darkest shade, almost black, and then back. They can really change their color to adapt to their surroundings as well as their mood at the time.
Oregon Native reply :
Not only are they pretty but I like their attitude!!
DavidWH reply :
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder! Me, as a previous poster mention, I love their attitude and fight! That makes them beautiful to me!!!! Just like my wife....lol
retiredbosn reply :
I think smallmouths are the best looking fish native to the US period, second would be a native trout during spawn. But one man's trash is another's treasure, I respect other people's right to be wrong. 
pbrussell reply :
Smallies run all over the place. Some of the smallies I've caught are among the ugliest fish I've ever seen (with the exception of drum, they take the cake).
And then on the other side of the coin, I've caught some smallies that are among the prettiest fish I've ever seen.
basshole8190 reply :
On 12/10/2013 at 1:35 AM, Brian Needham said:if you are into smallies, they a pretty. not that I am saying they are ugly.
Me, I have never caught an ugly Spot. Spotted bass are the prettiest of the black basses to me.
agreed. I've never caught a smallie tho but spots and shoalbass are some of the most beautiful things that swim
cbass12 reply :
On 12/10/2013 at 1:35 AM, Brian Needham said:
Me, I have never caught an ugly Spot. Spotted bass are the prettiest of the black basses to me.
I'm a smallie addict, but to me spots are right up there with them. I wish we had a lake where we could consistently catch them around here, closest is Table rock 4 hours away.
pbizzle reply :
Excuse the small size, but it was my first smallmouth. It was huge when I was 8. Not a bad looking fish though.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 12/28/2013 at 4:37 AM, pbizzle said:Excuse the small size, but it was my first smallmouth. It was huge when I was 8. Not a bad looking fish though.
My first smallie was about half that size, and I was still really proud to have caught him.
msk reply :
Love Smallies! My favorite fish to catch.
pbizzle reply :
On 12/31/2013 at 8:36 PM, Bluebasser86 said:My first smallie was about half that size, and I was still really proud to have caught him.
That's sadly my PB smallie. It felt HUGE on a spincast reel.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 1/1/2014 at 7:21 AM, pbizzle said:That's sadly my PB smallie. It felt HUGE on a spincast reel.
It was years before I caught a bigger one, and I had to go to Canada to do that. Since then the state has stocked several lakes with smallmouth so they're now readily available, thankfully
fishindad reply :
pbizzle, you get my vote for best smallie picture! We all have those memories of our "first bass" and your photo is a keeper.
There are so many good-looking freshwater fish - pumpkinseeds, northern pike, black crappie, even bowfin look cool! Don't want to stir the pot but, I have to vote for steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) as best looking freshwater fish. Though my first choice is to chase smallmouth, if I lived as close to the Western MI rivers as I do Lake St. Clair and Erie, I'd probably fish steelhead during fall/winter/spring. Caught this about 25 years ago in WA state and something about that shiny chrome gets me.
As far as fight though, pound-for-pound smallmouth win easily!
simplejoe reply :
Smallies are a great looking fish, I think their sexier than a bucketmouth. Lol. Pound for pound the smallie is better fight. I've caught big largemouth and had no fight all the way back to the boat.
pbizzle reply :
On 1/1/2014 at 10:59 PM, Bluebasser86 said:It was years before I caught a bigger one, and I had to go to Canada to do that. Since then the state has stocked several lakes with smallmouth so they're now readily available, thankfully
I've been saving money to get a guide on Dale Hollow. I'd love to catch some more, but sadly the Chickamauga smallmouth aren't nearly as good as the largemouth. I'm going to try to get my friend to show me how to catch more on the Tennessee River for now.
On 1/1/2014 at 11:51 PM, fishindad said:pbizzle, you get my vote for best smallie picture! We all have those memories of our "first bass" and your photo is a keeper.
There are so many good-looking freshwater fish - pumpkinseeds, northern pike, black crappie, even bowfin look cool! Don't want to stir the pot but, I have to vote for steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) as best looking freshwater fish. Though my first choice is to chase smallmouth, if I lived as close to the Western MI rivers as I do Lake St. Clair and Erie, I'd probably fish steelhead during fall/winter/spring. Caught this about 25 years ago in WA state and something about that shiny chrome gets me.
As far as fight though, pound-for-pound smallmouth win easily!
IMG_0003.jpgI've got to give it to the Sunfish species as the prettiest freshwater fish. Mainly the tiny orange spotted sunfish. Here's a picture I found on Google that matches one's I've caught by the boat docks.
Sam reply :
Smallmouth are OK as far as being "pretty."
Snakeheads are "pretty" too.
If the article's writer thinks smallmouth are not "pretty" then I suggest he take off all of his clothes and look at himself in the mirror. He will then understand what "ugly" looks like.
mod479 reply :
Here's the stripey-est one I have a pic of, she went about 19-20", maybe 4 - 4.5 lb.
Here's the same one right before release...such a nice looking fish, love the ones with red eyes too.
Heres a smaller one from last year, it had nice coloration.
SwimJiggin reply :
I think they are cool looking. I kinda see them as an A-10 Wart Hog. They are built to hunt. I always tell my buddy that the stripes on their faces is war paint. I know it's silly but they are bruisers.
Ratherbfishing reply :
Smallmouth? Ugly? Can one really use those two words in the same sentence? All I have to say is there are some men who think Heidi Klum is ugly but the vast majority do not. I I had a picture of Heidi Klum posing with a 5 lb smallie, I know I'd pin it on my wall.
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