If you’re looking for a body of water filled with massive smallmouth, look no further than Dworshak Reservoir in Idaho.
Joey Walton had his sights on a massive smallmouth bass himself, knowing that Dworshak Reservoir was the best place for it.
Walton had caught a number of smallmouth that were just shy of the state record, but he was still in search of making that elusive state smallmouth record his own.
According to Idaho Fish and Game, his dream came true a couple weeks back.
Walton reeled in a big’n, which he measured himself using a measuring board to verify the length of the smallmouth, and it turned out to be 23.75 inches.
He released the smallmouth back into the reservoir, and finally garnered that state catch-and-release record he had been looking for. In Idaho, catch and release records don’t account for weight, just the length of the fish.
With that being said, Idaho Fish and Game believes that the record could be achieved again this year, as the Dworshak Reservoir is experiencing a time period where there’s an abundant amount of food for the fish living in the reservoir, causing them to grow even more. Another massive smallmouth, over 23 inches was caught in May of 2022.
Still, it’s hard to even fathom reeling in a 23.75 inch smallmouth, considering the rarity of that size.
Needless to say, it was the catch of a lifetime for ol’ Walton.
