Smithy, the enormous catfish ??

[getlinewet]

I decided to go out trolling today in the 3 island area around gills creek trolling top waters for 1-2 hours. Fair results, 2 largemouths and 1 smallish striper. But the action of the day occurred in the channel between gills creek and the 3 island area. A ferocious strike hit my lure causing the board to release. Generally speaking, I set my board releases very tight to help set the hooks and 99% of the time they don't release on a strike.

I only have had this happen (board release) two other times. One was with a 38" striper. The other time was with a fish unknown in approximately the same area of the lake. Both times, then and today, the fish uncoupled the lure from the leader.

Last year I mentioned this occurrence to a girl at Franklin Outdoors. She said it must have been "Smithy" the catfish which swims the channel between gills creek and the 3 island area.

The strike was enormous. I would have liked to have seen that fish. By the way, I tie my leaders pretty darn well, so whatever it was had to be very aggressive and big.

[kicknrocks]

I had a huge(what I can only assume) muskie move on a 5lb carp I had hooked up right around there one time. This thing was HUGE! Every bit of 48" or 50". It was in about 8' of water and spun up when the carp surfaced. Dumb thing missed it by atleast 20". Ive heard they were damn near blind but it was comical how much he missed it by.

[striperjohn]

I had a similar event up near Beaverdam Creek a few years back. We got a tremendous strike and simply couldn't turn the fish until he went over a deep ledge and broke me off. Two days later we hit him again and my buddy got broke off. About two weeks after that a guy fishing a bass tournament caught a 30 something pound muskie in the same area. I'm pretty sure that was the fish that kicked out butts.

[pepegraves]

Ohhhhh, I wanna catch Smithy!!!!!! ...and his sisters and cuzzins LOL...No, WOW...this fish is a legend. I am a new member and total rookie to Smith Mountain Lake fishing...Been out there only a handful of times with virtually no success at all. I get very excited when I hear the stories and see the pics on this forum...There may be hope for me yet...I was just out there last week and the wind blew me back to my truck ..If anyone out there wants to go fishing (teach me how to fish the Smith) let me know. I have boat and  am easy to teach

[Happy Camper]

Wow ,years ago I had a 14" gizzard cut in half around the 3 islands.Cut clean,rod bowed over hard then popped back up,same thing on a board on upper end of Boone with the the most awesome strike I've ever seem,always thought they were muskie.