Smallmouth in Nokomis?

[LazyIke]

Anyone ever caught a smallmouth in Nokomis, or heard of smallmouth being caught in Nokomis?

My father-in-law caught a bass in there this morning that definitely was not a largemouth -- although its markings were not definitively smallmouth-like either (no vertical stripes). But it was much more smallmouth-like than largemouth-like -- mouth did not extend back behind the eye; tail is more forked than rounded.

[goblueM]

pics?

i wouldn't rule out anything in the metro, but i also wouldn't ever rule out mis-identification

[LazyIke]

Here is a close-up of the bass:

[goblueM]

yep, that's a smallmouth for certain

[LazyIke]

Yep, a really dark smallie with no vertical stripes. If I was in a lake known for having smallmouth, I wouldn't have even thought twice about it. I suppose a few smallmouth might make it into Nokomis from Lake Minnetonka, via Minnehaha Creek.

P.S. It was caught in shallow water, gravel-bottom area.

[T-water]

Nokomis is fed by Minnehaha Creek which flows right out of Minnetonka, it makes perfect sense that smallmouth would be in there. Lets get some more!

[HuskerBen]

My two PB smallies were from Nokomis. I've caught quite a few over the last few years. They don't show up on the lake surveys, but they are definitely in there. Maybe from Minnehaha Creek, maybe from some clandestine "private stocking." Either way, it makes for a cool incidental catch.

[Gekhang]

my brother caught this 3lber under the bridge.

and later caught another similar size on the east end of the lake.

[vern]

This is cool to see. I caught a smallie out of Lake Harriet about 30 years ago. I've always guessed that it migrated down the creek from Tonka. The creek was connected to Harriet by a channel under 54th St.

[BrandonJ]

That is news to me. But still pretty cool. Never know what youre going to catch in a mpls lake.

[LazyIke]

my brother caught this 3lber under the bridge.

and later caught another similar size on the east end of the lake.

Thanks for sharing the photo. That's a good-looking smallie!

[TProGuy]

Never fished Nokomis, but find it interesting that they are in the city lakes...my wife caught a 22" smallie out of Calhoun about 8-9 years ago. It took me a couple days of looking at the pictures to really believe that it was a smallmouth, as I was just convinced that they weren't in any of the city lakes.

[vern]

TProGuy, please post the photo! I've fished Calhoun for over 30 years & would love to see a smallie pic from there.

- Vern

[TProGuy]

Vern,

I will see if I can find it...it was long before my first digital camera, so I will have to sift through some boxes of photos to see if I can find it. Apparently they're in there...just not very many. Since my wife caught that one 8-9 years ago, I have shared this story with many avid Calhoun fisherman, and have had a few others share the same experience.

[Da Biggin]

My prize of all my fish came from this lake actually. I took a 6lbs 4oz female smallie off of a bed with a banjo minnow. I took a picture with my cellphone and that same day my phone went in the drink. So not only are they in there but there is one big hog swiming in there if no one else took her.

[Patrick47]

I have no idea where the picture is now, but me & a few friends fished Nokomis a bunch in the mid-late 90's and I remember one of them catching a 13 inch smallmouth right by the Cedar Ave bridge.