Hey guys, I said I'd provide a picture of the 19 incher I got out there earlier this year. Here it is. I am standing by the dock next to some other guys boat. I was out wading for panfish when this one bit. Sorry for the quality, the picture was taken with a throw-away camera and scanned onto my computer (also cannot get this thing to not sit sideways - I've edited on my computer and photobucket and it will not correct when pasted into photobucket). Gotta get that digital camera with me on a regular basis

Can't see it.

There were a few caught and weighed in during the frankies tournament. I dont think there is a huge population out there, I have yet to catch one myself. But you do hear of it from time to time.

I wouldn't be surprised in the least bit if every lake in the chain as well as forest and bald eagle have a few smallies in them due to their proximity to the croix. I'm sure lot's of anglers like to pretend they are fisheries biologists and "stock" the lakes at their own discretion. I highly doubt smallies will ever become established in any of the above mentioned lakes however, due to lack of suitable habitat.

Which is quite true.. However, I have yet to hear of a smallie caught in any other CL area lake.. only Green.

But your so right, none of the lakes here have enough sand and rock to sustain a population.

Since we're on the subject...smallies weren't native to white bear or minnetonka were they? I don't have experience fishing either lakes, but they seem to be doing fairly well there.

I was told that through a long chain of events that Green gets to the Sunrise river. Smallies in there would = Smallies in Green. Heck anything can happen.

I used to hit the sunrise hardcare back in the day...north, south, and kost pools. Never caught a smallmouth, but I would imagine they are in there...at least below the kost dam.

I have heard of an occasional smallmouth from Forest, and a few from Big Carnelian. I am sure just about all the lakes in the East Central have had them introduced as JB alluded to. Chances are much slimmer that the Sunrise is introducing smallmouth.

Someone mentioned smallmouth being native. I don't think they are "native" anywhere in the Midwest. Were they not introduced here from the St. Lawrence River System in the 1800s? Don't know for sure.

They are native to the great lakes and mississippi river systems, they might have been native to lake of the woods/rainy river system as well. I know in NE MN they were introduced to lakes by the railroad about 100 years ago. Smallies in north central MN probably found their way into lakes through connecting rivers.