Am I the only one?

[markkstanley]

Having lived down south (North Carolina) largemouth bass is the just about the only "large" fish commonly available. No pike, very few musky and just a handful of walleye waters. But any depression that holds more than 3 gallons of water seems to have bass in it. Catfishing is big down south but it makes for lousy TV - unless you like to watch a couple of guys sitting in a boat swigging beer waiting for a bite. Remember, bass tournaments and NASCAR both started down south - need I say more?? I can catch the green carp but I do not target them.

[MetroWalleye]

Yeah, I have never been much of a bass-guy, myself...and I really don't understand all the facination with bass fishing. I guess it's just something that you are either born into or have to learn to enjoy. Like someone else said, I enjoy it when a smally hits my lure when I am walleye or pike fishing. Those buggers can sure put on a fight.

As far as the bass fishing shows, I agree that there are WAY too many of those. I wish we could see more shows that are dedicated to walleye or pike fishing. I find Doug Stange on In-Fisherman to be pretty educational.

I know that there are some bass fishermen who like to tell me that walleye fishing is boring.

To each is own, I guess....

[SDbowhunter]

I too get sick of all the bass fishing shows. I'd rather catch bass then hammer handles. On a couple occations we've targeted bass on one specific lake and it is a blast. Catching 100-200 hard fighting fish a day can be alot of fun. But most of the time you'll find me targeting eyes, sunfish, crappies, large northerns, in that order.

[DTro]

I can’t believe I’m saying this:

If you’ve never experienced a smallie bustin a topwater bait on a mirror glass lake with the sun going down, you can’t say you hate Bass fishing.

If you do that and still think the same way, then I guess you don’t know what “fun” is

I appreciate every fish for what it is.

Bass: scrappy fighter willing to bite during even the worst conditions

Carp: sheer strength and intelligence

Musky: fierce striker that has enough wits to make a guy yell at himself

Northern: Good substitue for above

Panfish: the kids need something to catch

Catfish: Nocturnal Pitbulls

Walleye: Good eating

Trout: Pretty to look at

[Sandmannd]

If you’ve never experienced a smallie bustin a topwater bait on a mirror glass lake with the sun going down, you can’t say you hate Bass fishing.

If you do that and still think the same way, then I guess you don’t know what “fun” is

I appreciate every fish for what it is.

I agree with this statement dtro. Getting a bass on top water on a glass lake is a blast. Only thing I've had better than that is a pike that took my hula popper. That was a lot of fun as well.

[HeIsLegend]

fishing walleyes is like pulling up a towel in 20 ft of water with a 6.6" med fast rod, using a lindy rig and a jumbo leech you paid 20 bucks for.

A 6lb smallie from a glacier lake will jump 4 ft in the air and slap you in the face then it will try to knaw off your thumb when you are liping it.

Rag or getting slaped in the face?

hmmm lol

[mainbutter]

I think dtro hit the nail on the head.

"I appreciate every fish for what it is."

There's no such thing as a "bad" fish for me to catch. When I'm out in the gulf of mexico fishing for shark/snook/redfish, I'm more than happy to get a small catfish on my pole. Just throw it in the cooler and it'll be dinner. I've seen plenty of people curse at the "trash" fish simply because they're much smaller than what they were targeting and take their bait.

Something like this(which made a perfect shore lunch):

when you're after this:

Frankly I'm plenty happy to have something nice and tasty to throw on the grill, especially if I'm surf fishing cuz then I can just fillet it right then and there and have a meal while fishing.

Although I love catching 'em, I really don't understand the Midwest's obsession with walleye as #1 popular game fish. Maybe because I don't think of a 10 lb fish as that "big". Maybe because I don't think they're as good eating as often boasted(though still a good dinner). They sure are ugly as heck too! I've always considered walleye and bass to be on equal footing for amount of fun derived from catching. Fairly similar in size, I've never found either to be easier to catch, and both are decent eating.

Dtro's categorization of the common Minnesota fish species is exactly how I categorized them in my head. I have had quite a bit of fun taking my little sister out for bluegill when she was young(still sometimes target panfish for my GF's fish soup recipe), love to get a carp hooked because it's the biggest thing I can catch within walking distance, and nothing is more exciting than seeing a northern or musky strike a topwater.

[Travis1]

I can’t believe I’m saying this:

If you’ve never experienced a smallie bustin a topwater bait on a mirror glass lake with the sun going down, you can’t say you hate Bass fishing.

If you do that and still think the same way, then I guess you don’t know what “fun” is

I appreciate every fish for what it is.

Bass: scrappy fighter willing to bite during even the worst conditions

Carp: sheer strength and intelligence

Musky: fierce striker that has enough wits to make a guy yell at himself

Northern: Good substitue for above

Panfish: the kids need something to catch

Catfish: Nocturnal Pitbulls

Walleye: Good eating

Trout: Pretty to look at

Exactly but I don't think that northerns are just a substitute for muskies. They have their own thing, that being they never stop fighting and they keep going in the boat...gotten trebles stuck in my finger more than once.

We have more species than that though.

Sturgeon: Never caught one but one of the greatest fights in freshwater.

Buffalo: Like a carp except it ain't afraid to go airborne.

Bowfin: Eat your face off if you let it.

Gar: Scariest looking dinosaur alive.

Suckers: Can be found in almost any stream and when they're running can always be caught.

[hhguide]

helslegend so your saying when your fishing for walleyes in 30 ft of water and you set the hook and your rod doesn't move its and I quote " like pulling up a towel in 20 ft of water with a 6.6" med fast rod, using a lindy rig and a jumbo leech you paid 20 bucks for" haha sorry I dont agree with that haha lol I know its all in fun though!

[SnipeZilla]

quite simply, yes you are the only one who hates bass.

[HeIsLegend]

I mean't to say its like a rag that swims. ;-P

I may like short, fat women that love to fight (bass)and you might like tall, skinny, and blonde ladies that perfer $20 entrees(eyes).

hahaha its all in fun. Everyone has a personally prefence. Who cares as long as we are all having fun in whatever we maybe fishing for.

[B@ssmaster]

My buddy Walleye Guy forwarded this link to me knowing I couldn't resist, as he and I banter this subject constantly. Bass are the only way to go! More fun than pretty much anything else that swims in MN IMHO. Setting the hook on a Texas rig at the base of the breakline and having your line head for the surface at Mach II with a 7lb smallie flippin' cartwheels can't do anything but get your heart pumping! Or a massive bucketmouth smashing a Bass-o-reno unexpectedly on the surface on a full moon night right next to the boat can't be beat! Scares the heck of out you. I agree with Dtro, appreciate everything for what it is. To me these babies are the tops in fun. If I want to eat fish, I'll go drag a lindy rig around until I snag one of them walleye type fish that are too dumb to get out of the way....boring, but good eatin! Or maybe I'll get a crappie minnow down for some pannies. But hey, to each his own. In a state full of walleye fishermen and women, that leaves a lot of un-crowded fishing opportunities for us in the "minority". But I also have to agree there seem to be way more bassin' shows than anything else... By the way, I spent 4 days at Lake Vermillion with about 20 walleye fishermen last weekend, and out fished all 3 of my cabin-mates, so these walleyes are not that tough to find if a bass guy can out fish 3 walleye guys in their preferred species...

[SledNeck]

fishing walleyes is like pulling up a towel in 20 ft of water with a 6.6" med fast rod, using a lindy rig and a jumbo leech you paid 20 bucks for.

A 6lb smallie from a glacier lake will jump 4 ft in the air and slap you in the face then it will try to knaw off your thumb when you are liping it.

Rag or getting slaped in the face?

hmmm lol

ha ha good post.

[tamarack]

One of my buddies and I have argued for a while on which species between bass and walleye are the better "sport" fish. Below is an email exchange between me and him a few months ago. My response to his argument that bass is the better "sport" fish is in [brackets]. I thought you guys might enjoy reading! (BTW...The reference to the trophies below relates to trophies that we made up for our annual trips. We have a walleye trophy and a bass trophy for the biggest fish caught during the week. As you will see from my comments, myself and another guy have won the walleye trophy a vast majority of the years, while the bass trophy has been split pretty evenly between four of us. Also, for the record, I like fishing for both bass and walleye...I just prefer walleye fishing)

The #1 sport fish in the USA is the Large Mouth Bass.

[The #1 fish in the U.S. is the LM bass because it is by far the most

populated species of fish in the U.S. You can catch LM bass in just

about every region of the U.S. You can't do the same for walleye]

If you further examine the names on the trophy vs. time spent fishing

for each species I think you will see a relationship.

You probably spend 80% of the time fishing for walleye and the rest of

us closer to 50%-60%, but the number for Rusty, Bryan and Mike will be

higher if we are in your boat. So between you and Rusty I would say he

would be determined to have the most "luck" (not skill) catching

walleye.

[if your analysis was correct, statistically speaking Rusty would catch

roughly the same amount and size of winning walleye fish as you and B.R because

he spends the same amount of time fishing for walleye. It is not even

close. Rusty has by FAR surpassed both of you in terms of # and size of

walleye caught. Plus, you would see a statistically significant

difference between the number and quality bass I have caught vs. you,

Rusty and B.R. You don't.

Also, when 2 or 3 guys are dragging a worm behind on boat you are

basically fishing the same water with the same bait. This is the luck

aspect of walleye fishing.

[the skill is feeling the bite, knowing how much line to let out, how to

set the hook, and playing them right so they don't get off the little

bitty hook. If there was no skill involved, you would catch roughly the

same amount and size of walleye as me when we are in the same boat

fishing walleye together. You don't].

Now 2 or 3 guys fishing for bass in one boat will be fishing the same

water but the lure selection and technique (which is skill) will be

different and will allow the better angler to boat more fish.

[We basically all use the same lures up there. Jitterbugs, plastic

worms and spinner baits. I don't see a whole lot of technique other

than reeling it in or jigging the plastic worms. The person who

normally catches the most bass on a given day is the person that's

riding up front....for these reasons, we have all won roughly the same

amount of bass trophies]

And once hooked, I think it is generally accepted in the (fresh water)

fishing world that pound for pound the small mouth bass has the most

fight.

[Yes, pound for pound they have the most fight. But that is equaled out

when you consider that they often have more than one big treble hook in

their mouth compared, once again, to the one little bitty hook in the

walleye's mouth]

All the bass I have caught I have used 10lb or less in MN. And actually

the only reason walleye anglers used to use light line was because of

the diameter of the line. That is not the case now, may of the pro

walleye anglers use the super lines now. If you have ever seen a walleye

tour on TV you would notice there in no fight they just haul them in and

get to use a net.

[i know for a fact you have used greater lb line when fishing around

lily pads. Plus, if you are comparing pro walleye fishing, I can bet

you the lb line bass fisherman use vs. walleye fisherman use is vastly

different. You don't need a net in pro bass fishing because once again

the pros are using 20lb + line to haul in a fish that usually has two or

more big treble hooks in them. Indeed, I have never seen a pro walleye

fisherman reel a walleye so fast that it basically skims across the

water. [PoorWordUsage] why use a net when the fish is basically flying through the

air. Finally, I will make sure not to use a net next time you catch a

big bass since you don't need one.

Not very sporting.........................

[Thanks for coming. Have a nice

day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[DonBo]

I love to catch smallmouth, but largemouth? Just like hitting the button on a copy machine...pitch a jig under a dock...spinnerbait in the slop...yawn!

They are good fish for beginners though. Kids, women, anybody can catch them.

[Basseyes]

Seriously to target one fish all year long would be mind numbing. Walleyes in the spring time have really opened my eyes to how much I enjoy bass fishing. It has taught me many things about fishing deeper than 5-7' of water. Musky fishing has taught me there are times you can not reel a lure in fast enough to trigger a strike. Bass fishing has taught me on Lake Minnetonka walleyes like rocky points and many times will be in less than 5' of water even in the summer time. Not just the eaters but bigger fish. Fishing Rush the other day after cleaning a bunch of walleyes taught me that walleyes like 2-3" gills. Small mouth fishing has taught me that a big willow leaf spinner bait is at times the ticket for bigger small mouth when they've seen a ton of tubes. Fishing for big gills has taught me that a big bass doesn't have any issue nipping a 1/16 th oz jig. Have fished enough now that I've learned a lot less then I thought I did. The more I form a solid pattern on some thing is about the time the pattern is shattered by thinking out of the tackle box. Have yet to catch a fish I couldn't find some good quality in. For pure fight I love dog fish. Reminds me of a red fish. Red fish a drum similar to our sheep's head which gets little respect. When I was a kid we carp fished off our bikes and you would've thought we were fishing in Canada for 20 pound walleyes. We baited a hook. Tossed it out and hoped. Hoped for a fish to bite our lines and give us a good fight. The Carp never disappointed. Fish never disappoint me even to this day.

[glenn57]

some people like bass others like eyes or muskies or nords or crappies or sunfish or bullheads or sheephead or carp or whatever. just be really happy minn has that many varieties of fish to go after. i tend to target fish i like to eat but if i get something different i say good fight release it and move on.

[Shack]

You forgot catfish

[glenn57]

hey man sorry. didnt know it was considered a fish. ok ok ok i was just kidding. hehehe.

[fadal]

I cant stand bass either boring. I think the reason people love them is because any amatuer can catch them lol.

[fishinlocal]

If in season, I fish for what is biting! Whether it be walleye, carp, sheephead, catfish, sunfish, perch or even bass if they are biting, I will be more then happy to catch it, then release it! I used to focus on a certain fish, and be dissapointed if I caught a different fish. Now if I am catching fish I am happy, even if I am not catching fish, I am learning on what to do and what not to do the next time I fish! Try it, you may just enjoy fishing more!

AMEN! A fish is a fish is a fish is a fish. The only issue I have with Bass is they taste like bASS, but it is great fun when you get a nice big Largie or Smallie on the line.

[Iambjm]

I feel the need to once again defend the lowly bass. After a day of dragging leeches around for the wily walleye, after having lines snapped and bit off by northerns, I relish catching a fish that not only fights good, but that it heavier than a piece of paper. I love pannies, but the bass gives me some excitement factor. Once on Chisago Lake I had a bass slam my hula popper, leap 3 feet into the air and put up the fight of a musky. I love eating fish, and granted the ones I caught out of the warmer water lakes had a strong fishy taste but the ones I have caught out of colder clearer lakes taste great. Of course they are better if they are filleted soon after catching them and rinsed very well, I often put them in aluminum foil with a pat of butter, onions, green peppers and throw them on the grill...Yummm.

Of course not everyone likes to eat them, heck my husband won't even eat shrimp, lobster, or scallops. But to me they are manna from heaven.

[glenn57]

lambjm, your husband is a smart man. i wouldnt eat shrimp lobster or scallops either. why would anyone eat that stuff when here in minn we have all these great varieties of good tasting fish just a hook line and sinker away!!!!!!!!!

[eyebjim]

What's a bass?

[HeIsLegend]

What's a bass?

I play bass in a band. ;-)