While it's not uncommon for anglers to boat a nice smallmouth bass in Michigan's Huron River, the bass recently caught by David Holston was anything but an ordinary catch. The angler from Dearborn was fishing with his girlfriend Ellyn Lamerato when he landed a rare golden color phase smallmouth that was roughly the same color as your typical pet goldfish. It certainly wasn't the type of catch he was expecting when he headed out that day, and the story of the catch starts off much like any capture of a fall smallmouth in Michigan.
"I threw my bait at the bank right next to a downed tree, felt a good yank on my line and saw my line shoot sideways parallel to the bank," Holston told Wide Open Spaces. "The speed was shocking. When I managed to get the fish within probably four or five feet from the boat, [my girlfriend] and I were flabbergasted as a large flash of orange/gold shot by us leaving a rooster tail of silt behind it from the tail flailing."
David Holston
"My girlfriend shouted 'It's a Koi! Or some kind of carp!'" Holston said.
Based on the extreme coloration of the fish, Holston said he thought she may be right. However, at that same moment, Holston recalled seeing photos online of another golden smallmouth landed a few months earlier in Michigan by an angler by the name of Josh Chrenko.
"I thought there's absolutely no way I have one of these fish on my line," Holston said.
After roughly a minute-long fight, Lamerato, who was sitting in the front of the boat, netted the beautiful golden fish with a single swoop of the net. Holston said he was in utter shock and was speechless upon realizing he had captured a rare golden smallmouth.
It seems likely the fish had some form of Xanthochromism, which is a natural skin pigmentation issue that sometimes causes normally dark gamefish species to take on an unusually bright orange or yellow coloration. Holston said he was using a six-foot Berkley Lightning Rod and Lewis Mach 2 spinning reel loaded with 15-pound Berkley X9 braided line and a wacky-rigged four-inch red flake Yamamoto Senko on a circle hook when the unusual smallmouth hit.
"The smallies around me can't get enough of that worm/color combo," Holston mentioned.
David Holston
Holston didn't get length or girth measurements of the unusual fish, but it weighed 2.11 pounds on a scale. He was concerned about the health of the fish, so after a short photo session there was no question what he'd do next.
"The fish was released back into the Huron River where it was caught in. Kicking, screaming, and full of life," Holston said. "Gave me a little splash in the face actually on take off. I personally only practice catch and release."
As far as he knows, Holston says his catch is only the second smallmouth of its kind to be documented in the United States this year, including Chrenko's catch.
"Part of me wishes I could go back and handle the fish more and take more pictures and videos, but the other part of me is happy I was able to snap a couple pictures and release this special fish back into its home," Holston said.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
