smallmouth or largemouth 2024

kajun reply :

Which one do you prefer fishing for? And why?

Marty reply :

I prefer FISHING FOR largemouth, because I much more enjoy the shallower, weedy water that many of them inhabit.

But I'd rather CATCH smallmouth because they're such superior fighters.

Although there are many good smallmouth fisheries around here, the waters more accessible to me are primarily largemouth.

AUTgrPilot reply :

Couldn't have said it better myself. There are only a few times during the year that I enjoy fishing for smalleys--early spring when it's jerk bait time and late fall when they binge.

Dragging a tube across the bottom of Lake Erie or St Claire is just boring.

Chris reply :

Around here i love to fish for smallmouths in the summer mainly because the water level is down and it concentrates the fish. Also the river fish tend to be more active during that time of the year. As far as what i prefer I like to fish for beef so largemouth is what i like.

roadwarrior reply :

It's all about opportunities is your region. Here, in the Mid South, we are blessed with a variety of species which grow to world record proportions. Depending on the river or lake, we can fish for world record smallmouth (TN), crappie (MS), walley (AR), rainbow trout (AR), brown trout (AR), blue cat (TN/AR (currently TX)) and most of the perch subspecies. For some reason largemouth only attain state record weights of 13-14 lbs, 10 lbs is considered a monster. So, back to the question: I generally fish the Tennessee River and corresponding lakes. This fall my fishing partner and I have caught sixteen 5+lb smallmouth. I doubt anyone around here has done that fishing for largemouth. More importantly, I think smallmouth are 5-10X stronger than largemouth and unlike bucketmouths, smallies NEVER give up. My vote is for smallmouth, hands down.

MKYxD reply :

For me it is largemouth simply because largemouth are plentiuful where I fish, and small mouths are not. Either way I am happy when I hook up with either one. ;D

Bassin_Nutt reply :

I just love Bassfishing. I fish for both and I find on my lake, Both are wonderful to catch. Smallies do fight like no other but a good largemouth sets my heart just a pounding.

squid reply :

Oh goodie...lol...A subject I like to talk about....had to dig deep into the pages to find this one.

I love to BASS fish, but I really enjoy the catch of the smallmouth over the largemouth bass. You know you have and awesome catch when you have to net a 2lb'er only cause it fights like a 5 pounder and you don't want to lose it. Tritonman and I came is 6th place out of 120+ boats with just 4 smallies 2 were over 4lbs, last year we caught 9 and had to cull out 4, had more total weight and only got 9th place...so we do enjoy the smallies more even though it didn't help us much. We will hit the same honey hole this year too.... ;D

kicken_bass reply :

i enjoy fishing for both but the river smallmouths are my favorite. living in the current really makes them strong and they fight like mad. i'm slowly becoming a better largemouth angler. the part i like most is being able to go into a fishes world and fool it on it's own turf into biting.

roadwarrior reply :

After reading the Big Bass article in this month's Bassmaster, I might change my mind, move to California and fish only for monster largemouth!

buzzking reply :

largemouth because they fit my style of fishing better

Zaraspooker reply :

Same as Buzzking. I also like the way a Largemouth looks. Smallies are ugly, lol.

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

Largemouth because I like the hunt for them. All of my situations where I have caught smallmouth (not many) have all been in deeper open water. I just like how fishing for LM you have to make a perfect cast. I love making a cast back under some thick brush, trees, docks, pathches of grass, etc. and you get the huge strike you were anticipating.

roadwarrior reply :

Ugly! I don't think so. When it comes to fighting, largemouth, especially BIG ones, give up way too easily- smallmouth never fold.

Phishn_Phool reply :

I enjoyed the smallies on the Rivers in MO....but now that I am here in the big lakes of Fl it will be the green fish..I guess a bass is a bass whatever color :-X

L.D. reply :

I like to go fishing for any fish, but enjoy the smallmouth most of all. They never give up the fight no matter what size they are.

L.D.

earthworm77 reply :

You guys can fight over it, I'll work on both....but my real passion is Suwannees!

roadwarrior reply :

All right, I'm game: What's a "Suwannee"?

duncast48TN reply :

I like em both. I fish for lgmouth primarily. If I catch a sm mouth over 5 lbs. its goin on the wall. Also a lg mouth over 6 is goin on the wall! 8)

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

Replicas I hope.

roadwarrior reply :

duncast48TN, You don't have to kill them. Take along a camera, a scale and a cloth (sewing) tape measure when you're fishing. When you catch that big girl, take lots of pics, measure her length and girth and LET HER GO! Trust me, the plastics are better than the real thing.

In northern waters it takes about 14 years for a smallie to grow to 5 lbs and can live to be 19 or 20. Here in the Mid South 5s are a prize but not uncommon. Our fish only live for about ten years but have the potential to become 12lb+ fish!

duncast48TN reply :

Ill talk to my fav taxidermist about that. Thanks.

Big_Bass_Rich reply :

Personally I prefer largemouth, just because I love shallow water fishing. Smallies are great don't get me wrong and I know they can be caught shallow but I guess all my years of watching the Bassmasters has given me this thought in my head that largemouth have more prestige. I just feel more fulfilled catching a nice largemouth. ;D

Danarchy reply :

I can't believe that someone would call a smallmouth ugly! I would much rather fish for smallies than largemouth. In my region, fishing for largemouth can be almost too easy, for me that is, unless I'm hunting for trophies. Hunting for smallies, in my case, usually means fishing a river, and I just love flowing water. It's awesome going to a river, even from the bank, and searching for current breaks and eddies. If it's a nice big rock or a huge stump, with the water boiling over, I get goosebumps before I cast. The smallmouth is, and always will be, pound for pound, the gamest fish that swims. I've caught 9" smallies that put up more of a fight than the 2 and 3lb largemouth that I routinely catch. When you find a sweet spot on that perfect point or drop off, you can catch 20 or more(I've heard of 50+) at the same spot, even if you made the same cast repeatedly; can you catch largemouth like that? I've also caught smallies a few feet away that when I set the hook, they'd go nuts and swim straight towards me or almost jump into the boat or on shore. I would later find out that the smallie that took my bait was actually swimming frantically away from another smallie that was trying to steal it! This level of aggression is probably why anglers have reportedly caught two good size smallies on one lure. I could probably go on for days typing about smallies. I'd like to say that while I love smallies, I still like largemouth fishing. It's just a preference thing, like blondes and brunettes.

Glenn reply :

Quote
All right, I'm game: What's a "Suwannee"?

It's a unique subspecies of bass that looks very similar to a smallmouth. It's called "Suwannee" because orginally they were only found in the Suwannee and Ochlockonee river system in Florida. They've since been introduced into a select few other rivers.

So... they're pretty much a rare breed.

roadwarrior reply :

Thanks Glenn.

BassKid reply :

I agree with Buzzking too. But I like'm more because I fish where there is only Largemouth and Bluegill.

(sorry.)

5bass reply :

Where I live I have the best of both worlds.I live about 15 minutes from a boat ramp at Smith Mtn Lake and in the other direction I have the mighty New River and also the James River,both of which turn out monster smallmouth year after year.Generally after the water heats up and the largemouths go deep,I hook up my jon boat and hit the rivers for some summertime smallmouth.Man,some days on the river turn 50+ smallmouth,not all are "keepers" but generally you will catch 6-7 1 pounders then you'll catch a 2 1/2,then 6-7 more 1's then a 3 pounder.....it's always great fishing somewhere in a river because the smallies seem to always be looking to rip something up.

But on the other hand,there is nothing like heading to the lake,trolling down the bank in early spring and catching an eyeful of an 8 pounder laid up on a bed.Oh man,what a rush!!COME ON SPRING TIME !!

abelfisher reply :

I love to fish for both!

Will reply :

All the nearby lakes only have largemouth, but I enjoy catching smallmouth since they never give up and they are very aggressive.

fishrman reply :

I have caught many Largemouth over 5 pounds and would rather catch a 3 pound smallie any day. Unfortunately I have few smallies to chase where I live in SE Iowa and make a trip north every year to Wisconsin to chase my passion, the Smallie. Largemouth are fun but they just do not have the heart a smallie does.

fishrman reply :

Smallmouth and I want to go fishin with Roadwarrior.

GamblerFL reply :

Living in Florida, I dont get a chance for a smallmouth. I have watched tv shows and I would really love to fish for them.

crankbait reply :

Largemouths.......Just is better to fish for them....!

fatbass reply :

I like fishin for smallmouth. Oh, wait largemouth. I mean smallmouth. Or was it largemouth. Wow! I really dig given bass sore lips.

roadwarrior reply :

Got to get out of here early Friday and spent five hours on the Tennessee River plus the whole day Saturday. We caught seven smallies the first day and seventeen Saturday, including a 6 both days!

Sunday it rained, I mean poured, but yesterday things cleared up so I went pond jumping. Caught eight largemouth over a three hour period, but no big guys.

So last week at least, I liked smallmouth on Friday and Saturday and preferred largemouth on Monday.

BD reply :

I enjoy either really.

I just wish it was warmer already here in Ok. :

Fishin4fun reply :

I love fishing for them both. Fishing for smallies is GREAT in the early morning on local rivers. They definately fight much harder than a largemouth does. But fishing for those largemouths at night is my cup of tea!!

Mike H. reply :

Largemouth only because most of the lakes around here only have them. I want to go smallmouth fishing sometime this summer though.

fishrman reply :

RoadWarrior, I am still waiting for my invitation. I am so envious of you!

Chris reply :

Suwannee bass lol good one! Yeah I like those redeyes too.

kayaking_kev reply :

The rivers in my area are full of smallmouth and we have 5 reservoirs that have have both largemouth and smallmouth. I catch way more smallies than large, but that's cuz I usually kayak fish the rivers. But this year I would say it's been about equal, because I've had to fish more lakes due to the rivers being a mess.

As to which one I would prefer to catch, I would rather catch a 5 lb smallie than a 5 lb largemouth. I notice the biggest difference in the smaller ones, the smallmouth fight way harder than largemouth. And, someone said that smallies are ugly, must not have caught too many of them, because I prefer the looks of a perfect smallie over a large any day.

Junk Fisherman reply :

Tough question.

I love catching and fighting smallmouth in the clear Great Lakes more than largemouth fishing. Seeing a 3 pound smallmouth jump a foot out of the water is spectacular. I'd estimate that 80% of my bass over 4 lbs have been smallmouth from the Great Lakes even though I have fished more often for largemouth so smallmouth get the edge for me there. But on the other hand, I enjoy fishing for largemouth more. Pitching laydowns, skipping docks, frog fishing, fishing the edge of lily pads are all more enjoyable than dropshotting or throwing a tube for smallies.

So to answer the question- if I could only fish one for the rest of my life it would be smallmouth.

GeekFisher reply :

I don't have any readily accessible LMB water close by so I started with SMB a few years ago and this is what I am addicted to. All about jumps and fights... Still enjoy catching green lazy potatoes while fishing kayak tournaments though... I also began to enjoy pike fishing more lately. The only thing I never enjoyed catching is walleye. More often than not, it feels like you hooked a perch crossed with a tree branch...

A-Jay reply :

On 12/1/2004 at 12:26 PM, kajun said:

Which one do you prefer fishing for? And why?

I like them both ~ Especially the Fat ones !

btw - 14 years, 7 months, and 5 days

5330 days since the OP.

It's like a piece of Bass Resource History I tell ya . . .

I had so much more hair back then . . . . .

:smiley:

A-Jay

haggard reply :

On 12/1/2004 at 12:26 PM, kajun said:

Which one do you prefer fishing for? And why?

I prefer smallies in deeper open water because

- they fight harder

- they seem to be bigger out deep than in shallow

- less competition/congestion/pressure compared to fishing largemouth shallow/docks/etc

Dwight Hottle reply :

I enjoy catching both species but smallies are my passion. I have been blessed with fishing Lake Erie for about 12 years before moving to FL full time & capitalized on both spring & fall smallies caught with jerkbaits. I have to agree with Roadwarrior that the frequency of 5 & 6 & the occasional 7 lb smallmouth from some of the best fisheries can be mind numbing to the average angler. I could never duplicate my big fish smallmouth numbers from PA waters with largemouth numbers in PA. Plus smallies fight longer & harder & jump more frequently than largemouth in general.

Jleebesaw reply :

I live in new york and the average smallie is bigger than the average largemouth. That's what first got me into fishing them over LM. I fish for both but have never caught a LM over 5lbs. I have caught many smallies in the 5-6.5lb range.

On top of that, I have way to much money in my electronics to not use them. Finding smallies really gives me a chance to put those graphs to work. They are harder to find, that's another reason I prefer them.

soflabasser reply :

Both largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are fun to catch but I rather catch another rare species of black bass to add to my list of species of fish caught.

On 2/3/2005 at 12:29 AM, earthworm77 said:

You guys can fight over it, I'll work on both....but my real passion is Suwannees!

Have caught Suwannee bass they are pound for pound one of the best fighters in the black bass family.

redmeansdistortion reply :

Smallmouth every time. They actually peel drag. Largemouth fight too much like the weeds you catch them in.

NHBull reply :

Wow!

This post started 18 pounds ago!

That said, while a 7lb LM is as big as I can expect in my primary fishery,

I would be happy with 4 pound SM all day long

Matt_3479 reply :

I 100% agree, hooking into a small mouth is way more enjoyable. A fight that is clearly better then most large mouth. But I prefer to fish for large mouth.

NorthForNigthts reply :

Smallmouth are my favourite fish to catch, and largemouth my second, but the gap is big.

Here in Ontario (Canada) I fish mainly Muskoka, Haliburton, the Kawarthas, and Lake Simcoe, and largemouth just don't typically get that big up here, although they are very abundant. Smallmouth on the other hand have quantity and quality. We've got hundreds and hundreds of deep, clear, high dissolved oxygen lakes so they're always nice and healthy. Catching a half dozen 5-6+ pounders in a single outing is normal on parts of Lake Simcoe, for example.

I'm sure if I lived in Texas, or the Deep South I'd like largemouth more...

Matt_3479 reply :

On 7/16/2019 at 1:36 AM, NorthForNigthts said:

Smallmouth are my favourite fish to catch, and largemouth my second, but the gap is big.

Here in Ontario (Canada) I fish mainly Muskoka, Haliburton, the Kawarthas, and Lake Simcoe, and largemouth just don't typically get that big up here, although they are very abundant. Smallmouth on the other hand have quantity and quality. We've got hundreds and hundreds of deep, clear, high dissolved oxygen lakes so they're always nice and healthy. Catching a half dozen 5-6+ pounders in a single outing is normal on parts of Lake Simcoe, for example.

I'm sure if I lived in Texas, or the Deep South I'd like largemouth more...

Wish I knew how to fish simcoe! family has a cottage on the south side and we go up cause it’s only an hour-hour and a half drive but it’s a tough lake to fish. Never had great success

The Maestro reply :

I LOVE fishing largemouth in the weeds. That moment when you detect the bite and then set the hook on a heavy one, the braid squeals and the heavy rod buckles is a visceral feeling that needs to be experienced to understand it.

With that said. I have NEVER had a big largemouth send my adrenaline through the roof the way a giant smallmouth jumping and thrashing like crazy to throw the hook(s) has. It's truly unbelievable to me how adept they are at throwing a mouth full of hooks seemingly at will.

The short answer: Big smallmouth are just gnarly fish. They WILL break your heart and haunt you with feelings of being "that close" to landing a trophy which makes it all the more special when you finally do get one in the boat.

cyclops2 reply :

Put your leather gloved finger into a 5 pound S M B mouth THey can bite hard. Setting the hook is not always done as easily as a L M B in my opinion. They can bite & race to you with slack line . Then release the lure. Pike will do the same thing. It is like they are conning us all the way in. I have had 2 or 3 DIFFERENT S M B hit the trolled lure before I get the rod out of the holder. I am sure they are having fun doing quick test bites. Then saying.

Old 1 eye Loses again. :vrolijk_26:

A-Jay reply :

On 8/2/2019 at 4:38 AM, The Maestro said:

I LOVE fishing largemouth in the weeds. That moment when you detect the bite and then set the hook on a heavy one, the braid squeals and the heavy rod buckles is a visceral feeling that needs to be experienced to understand it.

With that said. I have NEVER had a big largemouth send my adrenaline through the roof the way a giant smallmouth jumping and thrashing like crazy to throw the hook(s) has. It's truly unbelievable to me how adept they are at throwing a mouth full of hooks seemingly at will.

The short answer: Big smallmouth are just gnarly fish. They WILL break your heart and haunt you with feelings of being "that close" to landing a trophy which makes it all the more special when you finally do get one in the boat.

You have to know I can totally relate to most everything in your post until I experienced Lake Baccarac in Mexico. Those fish haunt me.

And I'm referring to the ones I lost. Just Insane.

????

A-Jay

cyclops2 reply :

All this talk about tossing 6 to 9 hook points ???? HA HA HA

And we are equipped with every tool & advantage POSSIBLE ?? HA HA

The S M have a FAR FAR better schooling .

Than we will ever have. :happy-127:

gypsyking reply :

I perfer florida starin lmb to smallmouth, because while they don't fight as hard p4p they get much larger and are more challenging to catch imo.

M0xxie reply :

Smallmouth -- they're just too much fun because they're so aggressive and curious, it's easy to get a bite, and once they do, LOOK out! Also, there's little vegetation around the rocks I like to fish, so I'm not pulling weeds off my lure every cast (not that largies only live in weeds [or smallies live only in rocks]).

Habitat access close to my house is mostly riverine, and I just find fishing current a lot more tactical and engaging than fishing lakes. If I have a bad day, I can walk to the creek and let my cares drift away with the current!

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