cland today.... Oh my garsh....big ole brownfish and idiots...

[ryan_ekubass]

well we went to cland today and put in at jamestown... we fished from about as soon as the sun popped up over the hills till we turned on the blacklights to see our bobbers... it was a beautiful day but a tough day of fishing the sun was high and i actually got burnt some on my face.... we fished the fly all day but put it down for a bit to throw a staysee adn a silverbuddy and jig... Well the fishing was tough but the people that ride the short bus was out and about... at 10 or so this mornign as the frost was burning off we seen a person skiing behind a ski boat... then this eve we was fishin in the back of jamestown inside the bouys when i heard a boat coming in a hurry and it was one of them litttle zodiak inflatibles with a 5 hr merc on the back... there was a guy adn his dog and he was doing an S pattern right up the bank behind us.... i looked at terry adn said u reckon he sees us.. shoot i dunno ryan... then the boat comes closer as i cast.... i am up on the trolling motor throwing a staysee adn terry is drinkin coffee and i reel in cause i see what this cat is doing the dude driving the rubberduckie with a motor looks right at me as he comes between me and the bank at about little over half throttle.... well as this is going on all i have tied on is a 1/2 oz silver buddy and a staysee which i was holding... so i look at terry adn he grins and i know i cant hook this Dbag so i wizz that staysee right across his motor about six inches from his nose... it doesnt faze him... he goes on by doing the s pattern still... i could have hit him with my fnf rod but its my favorite one and i didnt want to break it.... but he pulls in on the bank about 100 yards in front of us and lets his dog out to pee then he does circles in the water while fido does his deed.... so i was so mad i was shaking if he came back thru it was not going to be good for this cat... well we leave and he passes us as we are idling and all he does is grin and nod like nothing happened..... well this was a god send for this cat to do this cause we moved and got on a shady bank as the sun was setting and i ended up catchign one that went about 2 pounds and this one below that went over 5.1.... its going on the wall its the biggest i have ever caught out of cland.....
http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture195.jpg
http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/w...Picture194.jpg

[mhall]

I liked your post right up till you said you kept a 5lb smallmouth, ouch. Why not a fiberglass mount they look just as good? Idiots on Cumberland are quite common place I could tell you stories for hours, lol. According to the KDFW it takes about 12 years on average to grow a 5lb plus smallmouth in Kentucky waters and can be as high as 14 to 15 years.

[Chubminnow]

I might get blasted on here but I don't care, I'm with Ryan on this one, if I were him I would have kept that nice 5lb smallmouth too...well, maybe I would have, I probably would have...I guess, I don't know, it all depends on how long the fish was. In Cumberland they have to be 18" so if it was 18 1/4" to 18 1/2" I might not have kept it...I guess it all depends on my mood at the time and how my finances are holding out to pay for a quality taxidermist.

Back in the spring of 07 I caught a solid/true/real 6 lb'r on Dale that was slightly/barely over 21", I think she went 21 1/4". Sure it was a trohy fish and I looked at her and thought long and hard about keeping her but I ended up throwing her back. It took me a long time to catch a fish like that but I was bound and determined that I wouldn't keep a smallmouth out of Dale unless it was at least 21 1/2" to 22", it's like when someone comes in my house I don't want there to be any doubt what so ever that I have a true trophy on the wall. Now the funny thing is...looking back on it now I wished I would have kept that fish. Fiberglass mounts just ain't the same in my own opinion.

Great catch Ryan! What did you catch it on, the silver buddy or the fly?

[HURRICANEBOB]

For the life of me, I just don't understand why you'd want a mounted fish instead of a digital picture framed up as an 8 X 10, or even blown way up to poster size. The picture would show you and the fish and that proves where it came from. The fish on the wall only proves its dead, not who caught it, where or when. Ever seen a mounted real fish after about 10 years? They are usually so faded, dust encrusted, and cob webbed that they become a real eyesore. A replica mount I think is a sham, cause anybody can take a 2 pound fish picture to the fabircator, and have them make it up to be a 10 pounder instead. Guess I'm just too much a techno geek, but ain't no dead animals of any type being hung up on this kid's walls. I think hanging dead fish on the wall ranks right up there with the insanity of having an empty beer bottle collection. If I want to impress someone, they are gonna see my full frig of full brewskis while we play the CD of fishing pics on the 42 inch flat panel. Besides, ya spent money for gas to get to the lake, gas for the boat, ramp fee, money for munchies, a couple bucks on fishing tackle, and maybe some bait money, only to then add to that cost by taking the FREE fish you caught and spending maybe $100 to $200 more to make a wall hanger out of it? Take the digital picture, and use the money not spent on making a dust collector to buy a couple cases of good brew and a good bottle of burbon. After 4 beers and 3 shots of burbon, I guarantee you that fish will look much better on the flat panel than on the wall. PS. The CD of fish pictures can be taken to your friends houses, ya want to spend half a day loading the truck with dead wall hangers to get the same opportunity to display your catch? Just my opinion, I might be wrong.

[mhall]

Didn't mean to bust your chops Ryan and I hope I didn't come off that way. I just as I always have posted how I really feel on a subject, and this one is dear to my heart I suppose. It was certainly your legal right to keep that fish, just consider the replica's as an option. Take care, Mark Hall.

[ryan_ekubass]

i have considered the replica an option but my taxidermist can do my fish for less than half what a replica costs and i just really dont like the replicas either.... i believe in fish conservation and that is the 2nd brownfish i have kept this year... i kept one out of dale that i caught over 5 last feb so i can have 1 over 5 from laurel dale cland and hopefully norris.... but i aint goin to tell ya well the next guy would have kept it because u or i dont know if its true or not.... its like a deer u cant put it back after u shoot it.....ask your self this knowin how people are with doubt and speculation if u caught a big 7, 8 or 9lb brownfish would u turn it back??? but for the record i wont keep another 5 lb brownfish off dale or cland they will all go back now i am working on a 6 or bigger.... i caught it on the fly adn it was 21 1/4 inches...

[mhall]

i have considered the replica an option but my taxidermist can do my fish for less than half what a replica costs and i just really dont like the replicas either.... i believe in fish conservation and that is the 2nd brownfish i have kept this year... i kept one out of dale that i caught over 5 last feb so i can have 1 over 5 from laurel dale cland and hopefully norris.... but i aint goin to tell ya well the next guy would have kept it because u or i dont know if its true or not.... its like a deer u cant put it back after u shoot it.....ask your self this knowin how people are with doubt and speculation if u caught a big 7, 8 or 9lb brownfish would u turn it back??? but for the record i wont keep another 5 lb brownfish off dale or cland they will all go back now i am working on a 6 or bigger.... i caught it on the fly adn it was 21 1/4 inches...

Would not consider mounting one unless it was up to around or over 7lb. I've caught 6 smallmouth over 5lb and one pushing the 6lb side all released in good condition. Even then would probably opt for the replica's, but that's just me. Longest smallmouth I ever caught was from Dale and was 22 1/2 inches long on the nose, and weighed 5lb's and 2oz's. My biggest was from Cumberland and weighed 5lb's and 9oz's. I weighed it about three hours after I caught it and it had blew it's belly contents out. Took it over to Grider dock weighed, photographed and released from the dock, did this because my scales were acting up and I wanted a good pic because I was by myself at the time.

[ryan_ekubass]

Would not consider mounting one unless it was up to around or over 7lb. I've caught 6 smallmouth over 5lb and one pushing the 6lb side all released in good condition. Even then would probably opt for the replica's, but that's just me. Longest smallmouth I ever caught was from Dale and was 22 1/2 inches long on the nose, and weighed 5lb's and 2oz's. My biggest was from Cumberland and weighed 5lb's and 9oz's. I weighed it about three hours after I caught it and it had blew it's belly contents out. Took it over to Grider dock weighed, photographed and released from the dock, did this because my scales were acting up and I wanted a good pic because I was by myself at the time.

thats great.... its like everything else everyone has a difference of opinion and i would say when i am 30 or 40 or 50 i will see things differently and put the fish back....

[know1]

On a bit of a tangent, I don't really understand the appeal of keeping and mounting any fish regardless of the size. A picture is good enough for me. Mounted fish are for bait shops, IMO, but that's just me.

Not judging anyone else here, just stating that I can't see myself ever having a fish mounted.

[cumberlandguy1]

I have to agree with Ryan here even though I did catch and release a 7.3 smallie last year on Cumberland. We were striper fishing, so it doesn't count. LOL. If you want to keep a fish for your wall, or to eat, then by all means do so and don't let anyone make you feel guilty about it. It is your right to keep a limit if you so chose on every fishing trip. You pay for a license every year that gives you the privilege of keeping fish within the state guidelines. Look at the investment that you have in your hobby, boat, tackle, etc. probably close to six figures. As for the replicas, most of them that I have ever seen look very fake. The skin mounts look much better if done correctly.

[chunknwind]

I have to agree with Ryan here even though I did catch and release a 7.3 smallie last year on Cumberland. We were striper fishing, so it doesn't count. LOL. If you want to keep a fish for your wall, or to eat, then by all means do so and don't let anyone make you feel guilty about it. It is your right to keep a limit if you so chose on every fishing trip. You pay for a license every year that gives you the privilege of keeping fish within the state guidelines. Look at the investment that you have in your hobby, boat, tackle, etc. probably close to six figures. As for the replicas, most of them that I have ever seen look very fake. The skin mounts look much better if done correctly.

I agree that our financial investment in this sport has become insane; and I have no problem with anyone keeping a fish that in their minds eye is a trophy. I'll also add that everyone has a particular species that are near and dear to their heart. And while they would never consider keeping that species(we'll call it a smallmouth); they would have no problem laying the knife to another species that others are fond of. Unfortunately for me I never get to have this dilemma for I have yet to have a smallie measure at Dale. I fish mostly with Elwood and his strict catch and release practices have undoubtedly rubbed off on me. I just always assumed I'd get a replica; I didn't know they were so fake looking. I guess I'll cross that bridge if I ever get to it. My trophy sizes are: smallie 6+,
largemouth 8+, kentucky 4+.
Congratulations Ryan, that's a great looking fish.

[BanditMan]

Thats a pretty fish. Good Job.