goota love smallies, my all time favorite freshwater american sportfish, got way more fight in um then a largemouth, ive actually won a junior anglers award for a 23"er out of lake erie but my biggest was much more recently.
a couple of years ago i was up in penny for da summa and i decide to do some light line fishin so i took the 3lb test and threw a small shiner out into the little lake(pinchot i think) within seconds the drag on the tiny reel was screaming like i had a bonita on it or sumthin. i was thinkin theres no way im seein this one

and then whattya know, i manage to turn the fish at the knot and slowly gain on him. soon enuff i got the fish to color and was amazed at the 26in+ smallie on the other end. quickly landed and snapped a pic (back in da film days lol) absolutly the biggest smallie ive ever seen, turned him loose to fight another day. today if i managed to get one of that size it would defienetly be a tank monster!