Are Smallmouth Bass Getting Bigger In Michigan? Anglers Think So

Michigan smallmouth bass fishing is some of the best in the world, but are they getting bigger?

Smallmouth Bass

The smallmouth bass is one of the most fun fish to catch in Michigan. A smallmouth puts on a show when you hook one. There are many Michigan anglers who exclusively fish for smallmouth bass.

👇BELOW: Michigan Fishing: 1900-1943👇

I grew up in Oakland County between Flint and Pontiac and never saw a smallmouth bass until I moved to Indiana when I was much older. I didn't see a big one until a few years ago when my son caught one on Croton Pond while trolling for walleye.

In the last 7 years, I have caught many smallmouth bass, and most have been good-sized fish. I wonder why there are so many and so big?

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Why Are Michigan's Smallmouth Bass Sizes and Numbers Up?

A fisherman posted on the Michigan Reddit page that smallmouth bass are getting bigger in Michigan, thanks to catch-and-release. I think the thread was spot on. Ever since I moved north of Grand Rapids, nearly every body of water I fish is filled with smallmouth, and I've been catching big ones because of catch and release.

I was walleye fishing the Muskegon River during the winter, and caught loads of some of the biggest smallmouth bass I have ever seen. One night I caught 15, and all but two were 3 - 6 pounds.

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My son and I have thrown every smallmouth bass we have caught back so other fishermen would enjoy catching them. Catch and release is working, and I like it.