New Indiana smallmoth record

[site admin]

Just saw this today...

[MuskyAddict]

Go get her John Bales.

Ken

[John Bales]

Already own one state record. Tiger Musky 1987. Got broke twice since then. I lost a walleye this year that very easily could have been big enough to beat the Indiana record. I saw her really well and for several days had nightmares about it. It looked like a carp on my livescope and it was 8 feet down over 32 feet of water which is the deepest water in the lake. I thought I had a 20 lb catfish when it first came to the top about 40 feet out and when it swam by the boat, I got a better look at it and it just came off right after that. I will never see a walleye that big again in my life. I caught a 6.80 there the week before and this one made one nearly 7lbs look like a minnow. I didn't know Lake Monroe had smallmouth. I only fished there a couple of times but I am sure Brian knows a lot about that place. The old smallmouth record came about 1/2 mile from my favorite little smallmouth lake. I have fished there a couple of times but the campground won't let outsiders fish there any more. Same thing happened to one of our other favorite lakes where there was a big campground and some of the locals saw us get into a few schools of big bass and that was the end of that too. The locals don't like that. John

[MuskyAddict]

I doubt you’re done getting state records, John. That walleye is still there. That’s a sad story about lakes banning outsiders. When I lived in Indiana the state recognized our freedom. I bristle at these lake associations. Now they can pass rules to keep others out or make it difficult to fish their lakes, and the DNR goes along. However, when they want to spray weeds or dredge out the feeder creeks they come running to the DNR for money and permits.

Sarah is open now. Pulling the boat out of storage tomorrow and hope to get out there Sunday.

Ken