Yea, I'm that young guy in the middle holding the fish! I decided getting older was no fun, so I've now been getting younger. Naw, you can tell by the hat it isn't me, can't you.
24" and 8 lbs even! Upper Niagara River- that's the part before it goes over Niagara Falls. From the pics, looks like around Strawberry Island. Since the tighter pollution laws of the 1970's, Lake Erie and the River have cleaned up immensely and created a boom in the smallmouth fishing! Fish up to 2 lbs are so numerous, they can become a nuisance! 2-4 pounders are not uncommon, 5-6 pounders are not unusual. An 8 pounder is a beauty! I've taken several around the 4-pound mark.
They have a pre-season "Special" in May-early June where you can fish for Smallmouth on a catch-and-release basis, with 1 keeper per day allowed of 15" or better. It's a great fishery! Best---- JoeW