Honestly, I tries cat leeching as it has worked so well for me at home, so I gave it a try at the first likely looking spot to me on that lake (where I am in the pics) & within 5 minutes, whamm-o! That smallie fought like you wouldn't believe, and the aerials were nothing short of the best Bow Rainbow. Truly a huge blast on a 5wt, and a 4wt would have been even more fun. I had to keep moving looking for spots where the lake went from shallow to deep, & each place I tried like that I got a fish on, if not to net. It was tough fishing such unfamiliar water without any guidance at all, but it does show that even when you apply some lessons from home, it sometimes works. I undoubtedly would have caught tons more fish if I had hired a guide, but I didn't have the time nor the fixed schedule so I just went out when I could. It was quite rewarding to catch some fish both in rivers & lakes despite haveing no guidance.
In the end, I would happily fly fish for smallies any day! They are not only agressive, but they fight pound for pound as good as any trout (that I have caught so far). Thanks for all the nice comments from you all, I took a lot of those photos (had my GF take them, that is) so I could show you all what it's like out there.