A couple Friday nights ago I took a couple of my kids out to the lake to do a little evening fishing. All my kids love to go fishing, but my youngest (a 9 year old) tends to get frustrated and impatient if the fish aren’t biting very well.
The bite was slow, but we managed to catch quite a few crappie and a few bluegill. And she (my youngest) even managed to hook into a 16 inch largemouth. That made her night! My son (age 13) also landed a 17 inch bass as well. They both went home that evening happy and with new fishing stories to tell.
I have to admit, I was a little jealous. I didn’t catch anything bigger than an 11 or 12 inch crappie.
But I did set a personal record that night that could possibly be a state or even a world record! I think I caught the world’s smallest fish on a rod and reel!
How I caught the world’s smallest fish on hook and line.
I was fishing a 1/32 ounce jig head with an 1.5 inch plastic minnow. I was simply casting towards areas I believed there to be structure, letting it sink, and retrieving it slowly adding an occasional light popping action.
At one point I noticed that something was on my lure, but it wasn’t moss or weeds, so I just kept casting. After a few more casts, I decided to take a closer look at this mysterious item clinging to my lure.
I was absolutely shocked! I couldn’t believe it. I still don’t believe it. I had somehow managed to hook a small fry that was maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. Here’s a video I took that will give you a better perspective on it’s size.
I’ve caught fish before that weren’t much bigger than the lure, but never something this small.
But, in Nebraska, all “fish snagged accidentally or otherwise foul-hooked, must be returned to the water immediately.”
So…No official record for me. Bummer.
How about you? What is your smallest fish story?
