Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)

Species #4

**The picture depicted here may not necessarily represent my first catch of this species. It is simply the clearest and most beautiful picture I've taken of this species. The picture of my first catch of some species may not exist.**

It was the summer of 1996. I saw someone caught a Largemouth Bass at my favourite lake last year. I was 14 and for the past year I was obsessed with Bass. I saw them on fishing shows all the time and they were highly regarded. In my young mind, catching one of these fish would make me recognized as a "real angler".

During my younger year, a fishing trip was a premium. My family only allowed me to fish a few times a year; most of the time during our camping trips in the summer. My buddies, Michael and Andrew, had so much fun fishing at Lake Aquitaine last year that we planned another trip to fish again before school started. Although dating these early entries is a bit of a guess work, it had to have been August 31, 1996. All of us were keen to catch our first bass. Unfortunately, we didn't know where to buy minnows for bait. The only place where we could get small fish at an inexpensive price was the local pet store. Of course, we now learned that using feeder fish as bait is 1) detrimental to native species and habitat and 2) completely illegal. At our young age, no one told us that and I guess I had skipped over the part about bait usage in the regulations at the time.

So we happily bought 50 Rosy Reds from the pet store. I guess it is comforting to reflect upon now that I know Rosy Reds are simply a colour morph of the native Northern Redbelly Dace. It still didn't justify the illegal use at all. It just made me feel a little better.

As a young angler with only 5 fishing trips under his belt, I wasn't very refined with my rig at the time. I tied on a snap swivel because it was easy to change between different hook sizes. Now that I've learned to lessen unnecessary terminal tackle as much as possible. I guess the fish were simply less pressured back then. I put on a #8 baitholder hook and pinched a split shot about 8" from the snap swivel. This similar rig is still a regular technique for me today. It simply works very, very well. I wanted to suspend the bait just a foot above the bottom so a red and white bobber was added. This was the first time I had spent a lot of thought on bait presentation. I hooked the Rosy Red on the nose, just the way the urban fishing booklet had taught me. It was going to pay off.

We were fishing from the concrete lookout since it afforded us the most room and a clear view into the water. The shore quickly dropped into the depth as a steep, rocky slope. It was a much better choice than the dock since that area was now weed choked in late summer. I was the first one to cast into the water as my friends were still setting up their gear. I didn't get a bite "out deep" as the bait was likely sitting too high above the bottom. I was slowly working the bait back toward shore just like I've seen on fishing shows. When the rig finally came close to the base of the rocky slope, my bobber went down deliberately. The hook was set and the fish immediately jumped out of the water! I was very certain this was my first Bass.

It was probably not the best idea to reel the fish straight up in the air from the rather high concrete lookout. Knowing what I know today, the fish could easily wiggle off the hook dangling in the air. But on that fateful day, I finally caught my first Smallmouth Bass. It was only 8" long at best, but just like any credible pro bass fisherman, I said it was "definitely 1lb" and held it as close to the camera as possible. That's what I've seen on the television. I was just doing what I thought was "right".

My friends and I caught many Smallmouth Bass that day with a few "legitimate 1lb fish" in the mix. The Rosy Reds probably stood out like a neon "Eat ME" sign in the water to attract so many bass. But upon returning home, I later learned our baitfish rules and never again used feeder fish again. That was the important lesson to me.

Lesson #4: Always check the regulations to learn what is considered as appropriate bait.

Although I had caught many Smallmouth Bass that day, I still wanted to catch a Largemouth Bass. Of course, I now learned that rocky shorelines isn't always the right habitat for Largemouth Bass. At the time, I simply haven't made that connection yet.

Return to Story List

No comments:

Post a Comment