Have you noticed smallmouth seem to be sparse in the bodies of water they inhabit compared to other species? It seems like they are pretty scattered and isolated in specific areas...

FS Digest

It seems like they are pretty scattered and isolated in specific areas, rather than literally everywhere like rock bass, bluegill, catfish and carp. Do they just produce less offspring than other fish or are there a lot more of them than I realize and only a select few hit my line? I realize they are ambush predators but I almost never see them.

Don Fischer

Well I was reading some stuff from Oregon fish and game and they claim you can generally catch 100 small mouth bass a day from the John Day river but, I've been fishing that river about 30 yrs and have never come close! Most of them in the river are pretty small but from over crowding I think. Fish and game took size limit off them few years ago and took off bag limit, get all ya want. But then a guy can only eat so many 6" fish without getting frustrated!

Eyecrosser Loc: Camdenton Mo. Lake of Ozarks.

Just returned from a trip to Lake Champlain. Both small and largemouth were plentiful in different areas of the Lake. The smallmouth ran in groups. Once located on the sonar, a drop shot, Neko rig or small swim bait would produce multiple fish; some of good size.

agatemaggot Loc: iowa

In the midwest Smallies only spawn successfully once in 7 years and that is under ideal conditions. They have a very slow growth rate under most conditions, around Iowa the 14 inch fish are about that age. If you like catching bigger smallies they are best released ! I got this info from the DNR studies here !

kyle1234 Loc: Roseville. Ca

FS Digest wrote:

It seems like they are pretty scattered and isolated in specific areas, rather than literally everywhere like rock bass, bluegill, catfish and carp. Do they just produce less offspring than other fish or are there a lot more of them than I realize and only a select few hit my line? I realize they are ambush predators but I almost never see them.

If you want to catch a lot of smallmouth out west fish the Umpqua River in Oregon in the summer!

Papa Bear JD Loc: Interlochen, Michigan

FS Digest wrote:

It seems like they are pretty scattered and isolated in specific areas, rather than literally everywhere like rock bass, bluegill, catfish and carp. Do they just produce less offspring than other fish or are there a lot more of them than I realize and only a select few hit my line? I realize they are ambush predators but I almost never see them.

Smallmouth in the Great Lakes are having their nests raided by the Gobies. The fish are larger but the recuitment is way down, and there are fewer smaller fish.

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

Don Fischer wrote:

Well I was reading some stuff from Oregon fish and game and they claim you can generally catch 100 small mouth bass a day from the John Day river but, I've been fishing that river about 30 yrs and have never come close! Most of them in the river are pretty small but from over crowding I think. Fish and game took size limit off them few years ago and took off bag limit, get all ya want. But then a guy can only eat so many 6" fish without getting frustrated!

I'm with you Don. Fished the John Day river a bunch and really good day on small mouth was about 10 or 15 fish. I've heard those stories too.