Quote:
Originally Posted by Godrew1972
rumor has it that NJ stocked smallies in Mercer, that would be great if that works. Central NJ smallies are hard to come by.
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Interesting.. It all depends on habitat.. There are a few lakes that support both species equally, but I have not seen too many, and the ones that do,are large, and have divergent types of habitat..In my experience, SMB respond very differently from LMB... I don't eat many SMB, only 3 or 4 year, but in 31 years here in NY, I have never seen a minnow in a SMB.. Crayfish in every single one I have ever cleaned.. LMB have always had minnows, or small panfish, although I don't eat many of those either. I KNOW of course that SMB will eat minnows, and I know LMB will eat crayfish, but both species are designed a certain way, and they do tend to stick to those habitats that suit their lifestyle... In places where I catch a lot of SMB, I catch no LMB, and vise versa.. Even in the big lakes up here, the SMB and LMB lead different lives, and you seldom catch one where there are a lot of the other.. To be sure they will hit the same lures, and same baits if you use them, but not alongside one another usually.. Always exceptions of course , and I know some guys have spots they fish where they catch both equally, but I also know thats not the norm.. Also, here in NY state where its a LOT colder than central NJ. I often catch SMB right into Dec, and sometimes even have hot fishing for them in mid January and February right from shore if we get a few sunny and mild days.. The SMB are much more cold tolerant than LMB.. My best month for SMB here is always November, after the LMB have pretty much shut down due to cold water,, If Mercer Lake has a lot of open sandy bottom with dense weeds I doubt SMB will do all that well.. SMB are not the ambush predators LMB are. If its a fairly deep lake with herring they may do ok, by going out of character and following schools of bait in open water.. Here in the big lakes in NY state, there is a percentage of bass, both large and smallmouth that do that.. They stop behaving like bass, and become fish of open water, feeding on big schools of bait.. Trollers catch them 70 feet down over 200 FOW sometimes..
NJ DEC is pretty sharp, and I am sure they know the habitat of Mercer Lake. Its not reasonable to think they would stock the lake with a fish that had little or no chance of survival...bob
