There was some concern at first whether the smallmouth bass would even take to Utah water. Now, many are calling it the fish of the future.

The reason is that while the fish is said to carry a bunch of positive traits, from being more aggressive to being extremely palatable, the most compelling accolade fishermen hear is that it's easily catchable.Early records show attempts were made to bring the smallmouth from its native eastern home to Utah between 1912 and 1914 - without success.

In the late 1960s another attempt was made. Smallmouth were planted in the upper reaches of Flaming Gorge - still without success, or so fish biologists thought. For almost a decade there was no indication the fish had taken hold.

Occasionally, there was a reported catch, but nothing that would indicate reproduction. Nothing, that would lead people to believe that the smallmouth would ever amount to much. The fish that were being caught were believed to be survivors from the first planting, not from a new crop of fish.

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the fish started showing up on hooks in the early 1980s - lakewide. And not just the survivors, but new hatches.

Today, the smallmouth is almost too well suited for the Gorge. Numbers are high enough now that fishermen are being asked to keep fish, especially smaller fish, to stop possible "stunting," or an overpopulation progressively getting smaller as the fish fight for food supply.

In an attempt to shore-up the tumbling largemouth bass at Lake Powell, resident bass fishing clubs went to Flaming Gorge in 1982, caught and then transported adult smallmouth to Lake Powell.

Soon after the fish started to show up. In 1986, fishing pro Dick Gasaway wrote that he returned to the lake a "nice limit of `brownies' (as they are sometimes called), all 12 inches or more."

Wayne Gustaveson, lake biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said a strong planting program was followed from 1984 to 1989.

"What's nice to see is that for years we had a declining population of black bass (largemouth). Now, we're seeing an increase in our bass population, thanks to the smallmouth," he pointed out.

One reason the smallmouth have done so well at the Gorge and Powell is rocks. Both waters have rocky shorelines.

In the case of young largemouth, at the first sign of trouble they'll look for brush or submerged trees. Over time, water destroys this habitat. In the case of young smallmouth, they'll move in among the rocks . . . "So the survival rate is much higher. Smallmouth love rocks and there are plenty of them in both Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge," said Gustaveson.

Also, like largemouth, the smallmouth prefers crayfish as a food source, and here too both Powell and the Gorge are good breeding areas for the crayfish.

"But the thing I like best about the smallmouth," pointed Byron Gunderson of Anglers' Inn. "is that the smallmouth is a good mid-summer fish. Typically, when trout fishing starts to slow in the summer, you can go out and catch smallmouth pretty much any time of the day.

"The larger fish will generally move out into deeper waters, but the smaller fish will stay in along the shoreline during the summer. You can go in, pretty much any time of the day, and catch smallmouth. The secret, as with any fish, is if you don't get into any action after a half-hour or so, then move.

"You'll find that the smallmouth will school up more than other fish. So, once you do catch one then stick around."

Coloration and size are the two distinguishing characteristics between the largemouth and smallmouth. A largemouth reaches weights up to 20 pounds, the smallmouth up to 12. The record smallmouth in Utah is 31/2 pounds; the record largemouth is 10 pounds, 2 ounces. Gustaveson believes that before long a 5-pound smallmouth will come out of Powell. Also, the smallmouth is more brownish in color, while the largemouth is more greenish in color.

The most obvious difference, however, are the eyes. Smallmouth have distinctive orange or red eyes.

The smallmouth, too, is viewed as a nice crossover for Utah fishermen going from trout to bass fishing. While smallmouth will hit most any of the popular bass lures, the more successful are crayfish imitations, such as single- and split-tail grubs on a 1/8- and 1/4-ounce jig heads.

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The technique is simply to cast away from shore, from a boat, raft, canoe or float tube, and bounce the lure along the rocks.

Gustaveson said the main difference between trout and bass is the hit. Trout typically hit a taut line. Fishermen can see or feel the strike. Bass will "pick-up" the lure as it falls . . . "The first indication of a fish is a feeling of heaviness on the line. And, as you would with a trout, you set the hook."

Smallmouth are now firmly planted in Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge. From rearing ponds near Page, Ariz., the DWR is now expanding smallmouth plants. Fish have been put into Deer Creek, Cottownood, Newcastle, Starvation, and the Ogden and Weber Rivers.

Someday, some predict, because of the sporting nature of smallmouth fishing, it could rival trout fishing here in Utah.

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