New to the forum from Michigan

[finnicky7]

Hello all!

Great forum, I've read a ton, and still searching.
I am a Salmon fisherman from the UP (Upper Peninsula, MI). I now live in Owosso, MI and recently started smallie fishing some little lakes near-by. Have had a blast catching these little wonders. Anyone near-by fish in Langsburg, Owosso, Perry, St. Charles?

Do any of you eat smallies? If so how?

[ToPwAt'R GuY]

Welcome to the forum. No one really eats smallies where I'm located. They are to valuable of a resource for us to eat.

[keithdog]

Welcome aboard finn. Smallmouth are a blast to catch. I'm jealous. I'm going to go fishing for steelhead tomorrow on lake Michigan. Being a slamon fisherman as you are, thought you might like hearing that, lol.

[finnicky7]

Originally Posted by keithdog

Welcome aboard finn. Smallmouth are a blast to catch. I'm jealous. I'm going to go fishing for steelhead tomorrow on lake Michigan. Being a slamon fisherman as you are, thought you might like hearing that, lol.

Have Fun! They are hitting really hard in the UP. We landed 21 in 2 days, and landed a 15lbs King. Biggest I ve had in 10 years.

[Patrick Krueger, Jr.]

Eating them is frowned upon by the purists. I'm impure and they taste awesome. You're not gonna' hurt a fishery as big as our Lake Michigan by keeping the barely legal ones.

[Bender]

Check http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/index.php for info on Lake Ovid there near Laingsburg. There are a couple of guys that fish that lake a lot, I have only been there once this year.

[catch_release]

Welcome to my fellow Michigander. I've never ate bass either, but I'm told they taste a little like whitefish but better, firmer and sweeter. I think i'll stick to my whitefish. Theres some smallies around where I live, but i have yet to catch one. I've seen a few caught though. Do they fight different from a largemouth?

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum!

Guess I'm one of the purists-I don't eat bass. I'd rather catch them, let them go, and catch them again when they get bigger.

[FlyRod]

Wooooooo-eeee! That thar Miss C.A.Release is cuter'n a speckled bird dog puppy.
Fellow gents, we're gonna have to shave and shower more often now that Miss Release has joined our ranks (which can get purdy rank.) And we's gonna have to quit sayin' stuff like &^%X~! and $#!*^!, and especially !@$*E=Mc2!!!...Ooops, it just slipped out...Sorry 'bout that, Miss R.
Oh yeah, almost fergitted, someone get the tranquilizer gun loaded in case Zooker takes a shine to her.

FlyRod
Voted "Most Adorable", MacArthur HS Class of (never mind.)
and "Most Likely To Be Shot By An Irate Husband", my Senior year in collitch.

[FlyRod]

Originally Posted by catch_release

Do they fight different from a largemouth?

Yais, they dew! Ounce for ounce, a noticeably more determined fight than that offered by a Largemouth, all else being equal. Less prone to jump, at least in my experience, but more likely to so do if hooked in shallow water.
Noteworthy: Considering the fighting qualities of all the true sunfishes (which includes Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, Guadalupe, Coosa bass, etc) on an ounce for ounce basis, if you ever hook a two-pound Bluegill we'll find you three miles from where the fight started.
"Bass", as we call them, are not bass at all, but sunfish. Just in case you aren't aware, the true bass are Stripers, White/Yellow/Sand Bass, and a couple of more obscure types. (Not to insult your knowledge or intelligence, Miss R., but some younger folks are unaware. Then again, some of yew Dangyankees think Walleye are part of the Pike family...they ain't!)
A practiced fisherman, in areas where both LMB and SMB are available, can often tell, almost in an instant, whether the fish he/she has just hooked is a LMB or Smallie. In waters where the Spotted (AKA Kentucky) Bass is part of the mix, one can often tell, sometimes just from the strike, but generally in the initial stages of the fight, whether it's a Spot or LMB.
I once, years ago, bet a partner I could accurately differentiate between Spot v. LMB, BEFORE we saw the fish, no less than 8 times out of each 10 bass hooked (Lake Travis TX). Since we each hooked over 50 bass that day, there was sufficient "material" with which to work. I was correct almost 9 out of 10 times and even guessed what HE was fighting over 70% of the time, just by watching the fight.
Now, go catch enough of each to have fun and develop that skill!

FR

[Bender]

catch_release, I hooked into my first SM bass this year and wow! There is quite a difference.
About this time of year I might suggest you get out onto Torch or one of the neighboring lakes for the spawn. I wish I had time to get up that far north this time of year.
Edit: I just read a report that said the smallies are bedding up there on all but the cold lakes, like Torch. Good luck!