New State Record Smallie

[WB Staff]

Montana anglers have been on a record-breaking spree of late. An enormous 32.43-pound brown trout recently shattered a state record that was set in 1966. And now, the state record for smallmouth bass has been bested. The new state record fish caught by angler Theron Thompson tips the scales at 7.8 pounds.

Theron was fishing Fort Peck Reservoir in the northeast corner of Montana on October 3, 2020, with his father Jim Thompson and friend Nate Peressini when he tied into the massive smallmouth. Theron was using a custom ¼-ounce jig that Peressini had made for walleye, and was fishing it deep with a minnow on 8-pound-test line. Once hooked, the massive smallie attempted to go airborne, but its heft prevented it from breaking the surface—giving the anglers their first hint at the size. As soon as Peressini slid the net under the beast, he knew it was a good one.

FULL STORY: https://www.fieldandstream.com/story/fi ... mouth-bass