The biggest smallie I've ever caught out of the Little Miami...

So southern Ohio rivers aren't exactly a mecca for smallmouth anglers. Nobody travels from four states away to fish them like people do rivers in other states. Heck what we do here in southern Ohio is go to the New, or the James or the Susquehanna. Or we go to Lake St Clair or Erie or the BWCA. We have some great fish here don't get me wrong, it's just not exactly trophy fishing. But it's home so I fish our rivers a lot. Like 150 to 200 days a year. Every year. And just about my favorite river is the Little Miami. Now the Little Miami isn't even the best trophy smallmouth stream in southern Ohio. I can think of at least three that you probably have a better chance of catching that 20 incher in than the LMR. But I grew up on the LMR, I like to think I know it better than anyone. And over the years I've caught a few 20 inchers out of the LMR. If you fish anywhere long enough you are bound to luck into an exceptional fish every now and then. I just wasn't prepared for tonight's fish.
I actually started out taking the yak to the GMR. And I lost a pig. No drama, no nothing, not even a jump, it just came off. Well it started storming and I didn't want to be on the river in a yak in a bad storm. And I had to be on the other side of town later on so I quit. But that fish ate at me the way only losing a big fish can. And I found myself on the LMR trying to get in a bit of fishing before another storm hit and darkness fell. It's actually an easy spot to get to. But it doesn't look fishy and no one fishes it. But years ago I found out there are some big chunks of concrete at the bottom of this very fast run. I chucked out a pearl with green back curly shad on a 1/4 ounce jighead because the water is fairly swift. Whack! And the fish took off like a big hybrid with the drag screaming. I raised the rod high to clear a big rock which the fish passed at about mach 2 and the fish was in the pool. No jumps just fast hard runs and in a few minutes I landed the fish uneventfully. Oh my goodness. probably 3/4's of an inch longer than any LMR smallie I've ever caught in thirty plus years of fishing the LMR. The fishing god's work in mysterious ways, If I hadn't lost that fish on the Great Miami there is no way I would have fished the Little Miami tonight.