Your State- Your Lakes- Your Opinion

JoeMo · Post by **JoeMo** » Thu Jun 20, 2002 1:29 am

OK, Pro Staff- In your State, in your opinion
which lake has:
(a) the hardest fighting Largemouth?
(b) the hardest fighting Smallmouth?
and if they reside in your State:
(c) the hardest fighting Spotted Bass?

Good Fishing, JoeMo

britchie · Post by **britchie** » Thu Jun 20, 2002 4:05 pm

Well Joe, living in Ky I've had the opportunity to fish some good water. Ky & Barkley Lakes have all the species you mentioned and they fight plenty hard enough.
Living on the Ohio River I've caught all.
I'll have to say that these river fish have to fight harder than any I've caught across the country. Simple fact being current, the more current present the harder the fish will fight.

d.mcgarry · Post by **d.mcgarry** » Thu Jun 20, 2002 5:15 pm

Joe,
Hardest fighting Largemouths goes to Lake Champlain.
Hardest fighting Smallmouth goes to Thousand Islands/Lake Ontario
I would love to catch spots but have not. Good Bassin' Dan Bass

JoeMo · Post by **JoeMo** » Sat Jun 22, 2002 2:06 am

Brian- Those river fish are something. My Maine Guide would always hold the boat steady in the current for up to an hour so that we could learn the proper way to fish current breaks, eddies, etc. About the time we were getting pretty good at it, he said it was time to learn how to do it while moving upriver. We did very little holding in current after that. Correction: He would run his boat up on a rock so that we could all take our time checking out an area. (Didn't use any gas) Those Penobscot Smallies have shoulders and the endurance of a Marathon runner.
Brian and Dan- My Sister-in-Law lives about 3 miles from Lake Lanier and great Spots. (Some day...........)
JoeMo

jeffohioteam1 · Post by **jeffohioteam1** » Tue Oct 15, 2002 5:38 pm

The hardest fighting Largemouth have to go to the river fish i catch, Portage and Sandusky rivers. The hardest fighting Smallmouth go to Lake Erie definatly, and the hardest fighting Spotted bass goes to the Ohio river.

johnnie crain outdoors · Fri Nov 01, 2002 8:24 am

JoeMo,
In Iowa, the hardest fighting bass of all is the spotted bass. These fish strike hard and fast and then power towards deeper water. I love spotted bass, but we have them in only one lake, Lake MacBride, near Solon, Iowa. Our spots feed heavily on crawfish and the spotted bass have learned to hit crawfish hard, to try to break their outer shell, then they bulldoze deep so that the larger largemouth can't take their prey away from them. I have great luck on hand painted (gray) or factory painted spring crawfish Wiggle Wart crankbaits. My largest=four pounds even.
I believe the strongest bass in our area have to come from current areas of the Mississippi river. River bass have to be tough just to survive in the rivers often hostile environment, the fish out in the current develope exceptional body strength from fighting the current and they know how to use it. Spinnerbaits, jigs and crankbaits are all effective baits, color choices are dictated by the water color.
Our smallmouth population in Northern Iowa is also in the Mississippi river, these fish, no matter where they are caught are pugnacious fighters. I believe for the same reasons the spotted bass are so tough, but, the smallmouth is more streamlined and faster making it a worthy adversary and a favorite among bass anglers.

dansfishntales · Post by **dansfishntales** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 9:11 am

Joe,
Johnnie is correct about the hard fighting bass of the Mississippi River, but there are also some real good battles from the Illinois stip pits. These, many times deep, clear water fisheries, have some dandy fish.

Smallmouth wise, the generator lakes, such as Heidecke and LaSalle, have some good action. However, the state is trying some of this species in the stip pits, which should prove to be interesting in the near future.

One lake, which is close to my home, is Lake George. This has some very hard fighting largemouth, although sometimes called the "dead sea" by a few anglers. I've been told I hold the lake record, which is somewhere over 10 pounds (it was estimated by someone, and published at 10 pounds, 22 ounces - so go figure).

Although not from Arkansas, it is like my second home, so I'll put one choice for all three fish - Bull Shoals Lake.

Dan

JoeM · Post by **JoeM** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 11:49 pm

Jeff- River Largemouth! Are you referring to rivers that have good current breaks, but not necessarily whitewater? And I do hear that those Erie Smallies give new meaning to the word "fighting".

Johnnie- I've been told by many mid- westerners and southerners that Spots are the "streetfighter" of the bass family. I would guess that you would agree with that, after reading your post.
For those who haven't read how the Spot hits so hard in order to break the craw's shell and then they bulldoze to keep Largemouth from stealing the craw, go back and read Johnnie's post again.

Dan- I remember swimming in a strip pit in southern Illinois too long ago. I wasn't chasing bass at that time. I do know the water was really clear.
10 pounds 22 ounces! Now that one is one for the book! Does that mean it was 11-6? By any measurement system, that was some BIG BASS!!!

To all of you, much obliged. The Pro Staff is the heart of this Website and you prove it with every post. Thanks. Joe