If I told you that during a bass tournament last weekend an angler weighed a five bass limit that went 26.7 lbs, you would probably assume that the tournament was held in Texas, or Alabama, or even California. You would probably also guess that the sack of fish consisted of largemouth.
Well, you would be wrong…on both accounts.
That’s because the tournament was held in Ohio, and smallmouth bass made up all the weight! Lake Erie played host to last weekend’s B.A.S.S. Open tournament. The event launched out of Sandusky Bay, and the winning three day total weight tipped the scales at an astounding 63.11 lbs of smallmouth. That is an incredible average of 4.2 lbs per fish! Even more impressive is the fact that there were 22 limits that exceeded the 20 lb mark over the three day period.
Lake Erie’s smallmouth population is known throughout the bass fishing world as being one of the best, particularly for giant fish. Five and six pound fish are frequently caught, and the big bass tend to school in large numbers. Most guys catch these fish by targeting offshore reefs, humps, saddles and points. The most common techniques used are dropshotting, dragging or drifting exposed-hook tubes, and cranking.
The Ohio state record smallmouth (pictured below) was caught from Lake Erie on June 16, 1993 by Randy Van Dam (yes, Kevin Van Dam’s brother). The fish measured 23.5 inches, had a 22 inch girth, and weighed 9lbs 8oz. The fish was caught in approximately 24 feet of water on a jigging spoon.
Ohio’s record smallmouth currently ranks 7th out of all the states that documents records for the species, ranking only behind Alabama, California, Idaho, North Carolina, Tennessee (world record 11lbs 15oz from Dale Hollow Reservoir), and West Virginia.
In my opinion, the next world record smallmouth is currently living in Lake Erie. In fact, there are probably a number of fish that would hit the 12 lb mark. Whether anyone will ever be lucky enough to haul in a fish of that size is anybody’s guess. We will have to wait and see. What I do know is that Ohioans are fortunate to have such an incredible smallmouth fishery right in our backyard.
