I talked to Fred a while back and he sounded shocked that I caught 2 over 6 last winter on the fly. He agreed that there are few over 6 caught on the fly. He fishes for trophy smallies in 40-60 feet deep water vertical jigging. He even told me that he had 2 over 8 last year but was trolling big 8"-12" muskie plugs when he landed these 2 monsters. This supports my theory that a Smallmouth fisherman will never land the record due to the type of line and tackle we need to catch them in the first place. Muskie fisherman, 7'Rod, 17lb test line, 12" Rainbow Trout Imitation plug in about 40 foot deep over the river channel is my theory of who lands the record. Maybe I should start fishing for Muskie at Dale instead of Smallies........................NEVER!!!! The 3 -4 pounders on the fly is the best fight going and I will take plenty of these all day long.