Personal Best Smallmouth & More

It's always fun to top a personal best for a kind of fish. To do so two days in a row is even better. The smallmouth pictured above, which I caught today on Lake Erie in Billy McDonald's boat, was the biggest one I've ever weighed (5-11). I can't say with absolute certainty that it's the biggest smallmouth I've ever caught because I've caught a handful in the 5 1/2 range that I didn't weigh. I really don't think any were bigger than that one, though.

Yesterday, while fishing the mouth of the Niagara River with Capt. Frank Campbell, I caught a 9-pound brown trout, which definitely was a personal best.

Of course, that shouldn't surprise me. I've also caught my biggest lake trout, steelhead and coho salmon while fishing with Frank Campbell in the Niagara River on past trips. That's five personal best fish from one region, and I've only fished up here a handful of times.

Just one of many reasons I love fishing in the Niagara River region!