Although casting would be hampered by a dozen stitches in my right arm, my desire to get out smallmouth fishing during the rising full moon this past week overcame common sense. Marilyn and I headed to s small USACE flood control lake near our home for a moonrise/sunset outing. During the late summer we would usually fish this exceptionally clear-water lake with drop-shot baits in 10 to 18 feet, switching to topwater at dusk. But we arrived to find the reservoir higher than normal with water up to the shoreline grass, and visibility less than six inches - apparently the result of an algae bloom. "Swim jig time" I said to Marilyn, but immediately followed it up with an unprintable expletive when I recalled the swim jig case was left behind. With the only swim jig tied to the G. Loomis NRX 853C, Marilyn elected to fish topwater on another rod while I fished the incredibly lightweight NRX which allowed effortless casting with my injured arm.
Upon landing my second smallmouth (after missing three), I suggested we share the swim jig rod. Within a half dozen casts, Marilyn hooked a lunker bronzeback which measured 21 inches - with a guesstimate weight of 5 pounds. At that point Dr. Marilyn decided my arm would be further injured if I was allowed to cast and fight fish. So in the midst of the best summer smallmouth bite on Woodcock Lake, the balance of the evening I served as net man for Marilyn. However, she figured I wasn't so incapacitated that I could not hold up a couple more of her fish for a photo!
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Getting yourself a 15 lb rated Boga Grip will do much to eliminate the fish weight guess work. I got a cheapie Boga knock-off from my last visit to B.P.S. I don't think they catalog one. I checked its weight readings against some weights from my lab and it was on. The graduations (weight marks) are awfully close together so a 2 lb fish could very easily be from 2.2 to about 2.7 lbs and you would have a hard time telling. However, it certainly will dispel the ridiculous over estimates of 4 and 5 lb fish. Time after time, a 16inch well formed smallmouth from the Allegheny comes in right around 2.2 lbs (1 kg) No 18 inch smallmouth has reached 3 lbs. 2&3/4 is about right. Adding 2 inches contributed about 1/2 a lb. Adding 2 more inches will not contribute 1 full pound of weight. My biggest river smallie in 2 years was a 21 incher. It was just at 3 lbs. We loose credibility when other experienced fishermen see excessive weight estimates.
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