I don't fish for these often, but had a person that really really wanted to catch some. So we went to a couple lakes outside BWCA. We caught many LGMB and SMB......the largest LGMB was 22", and had three 20", and several 18-19.......I thought that was pretty darn good for up here....but again, not too experienced with these species?

Yup, that's about as big as they get. A 22" is very big in my book.

Those are huge. Where are the photos?

Yup, those are nice fish. Those are large smallmouth bass.

I have never caught a 22" bass in north country or down south, which is why I'd love to see a photo. Here are three 21"+ bass I caught in the last two weeks. They range from 5.74 pounds to 6.59 pounds. Your 22-incher could have weighed seven pounds if she were built like the first of the bass below:

Those are tanks, nice fish!

Boreal - definitely big fish in my book! Glad your trip was successful on the fishing front! We find a lot more smallies than LMB in the bwca but both are fun to catch. My kids especially enjoy the top-water action!

Miss Molly - nice pics! Looks like you are having a good year fishing too. I miss your thread from last year with regular updates on your adventures...any chance you'd start another one with this year's updates?

Hammertime: "Those are tanks, nice fish!"

Thanks! They grow fat in the swamps. Unfortunately, when they hit, they have every advantage, i.e. skinny water with weeds, rocks, and wood everywhere. It's fishin' until you hook one and then it's wrasslin'.

@YetiJedi: Thanks to you too! My quantities are down this year, but my quality is up. Five times, I managed to catch merely one bass. I'm casting bigger lures in the most gosh-awful places. I'll think about a dedicated thread, but in the meantime, here's another six-pounder-plus from about three weeks ago and then a 5.6-pounder from the spring. She was merely 19.5" long, but shaped like a bluegill and black as coal. Appearance-wise, she's my favorite fish of 2023:

Even pro fisherman in the southern states would be very happy with those.
Miss Molly you are spot on with your lengths & weights , a 21" LMB is usually still just under 6lbs but there's always exceptions.
the largest LMB i've seen in person (in my boat) was a 21 3/4" and it was still under 7lbs but impressive.
Late 90's a guy caught a 28" bass out of O'dowds lake in shakopee. now every fish is different , but 28" still could have shattered the state record , but the guy took it home and as he was fileting it up for dinner , his neighbor stopped by and told him he probably had a state record , got it checked out , no,,no,,no 1 filet was off the fish. pic of 21" just shy of 6lbs.

shock: "Even pro fisherman in the southern states would be very happy with those.
Miss Molly you are spot on with your lengths & weights , a 21" LMB is usually still just under 6lbs but there's always exceptions.
the largest LMB i've seen in person (in my boat) was a 21 3/4" and it was still under 7lbs but impressive.
Late 90's a guy caught a 28" bass out of O'dowds lake in shakopee. now every fish is different , but 28" still could have shattered the state record , but the guy took it home and as he was fileting it up for dinner , his neighbor stopped by and told him he probably had a state record , got it checked out , no,,no,,no 1 filet was off the fish. pic of 21" just shy of 6lbs. "

Tw-tw-twenty EIGHT inches? And eaten? Egads!

Your bass is a slab, Shock. Thick from lips to tail. A real beauty. That's a nice way to pose with her too. I mostly fish alone, so I make do with my bump board.

^^^ The guy is Asian , just putting food on the table , maybe didnt even realize their were state records for fish.
yes the pic is of a very good friend of mine , Adam , who passed away last christmas , while on vacation with his family in Norway.
Till we meet again my good friend ! tight lines :)

I've landed two LMB in Oklahoma that measure right at 24 inches. The first went 5lbs 5 oz, and the second 6lbs 3 oz. Not quite as football shaped as the ones up north. Both were post spawn though, so they might have been over 6 and over 7 prespawn (assuming females).

goblu79: "I've landed two LMB in Oklahoma that measure right at 24 inches. The first went 5lbs 5 oz, and the second 6lbs 3 oz. Not quite as football shaped as the ones up north. Both were post spawn though, so they might have been over 6 and over 7 prespawn (assuming females). "

A 24-inch bass is beyond my ken! I look at my bump board and see the 24" mark and try to imagine a bass that would reach it.