LAKE ST CLAIR

Lake St Clair has drawn anglers from across North America for years. In decades past the draw was due to its St Clairs fabled largemouth fishery. In more recent decades it has drawn ore attention for the plentifull and beefy Smallmouth. Bordered on the north by Walpole Indian Reserve, the area offers largemouth fans thousands of acres of marsh cuts, deep ditches, ponds, and channels. Brawly bigmouths are taken early in the season on white spinner baits. Into August, purple worms, brown flipping jigs, live minnows, and crayfish account for more fish. Largemouth average 1 1/2 pounds with early season fish commonly exceeding 3 pounds. Fall fish are bigger than average.

Lake St. Clair is presently tops for smallmouth. From opening day in late June, smallmouth can be found along the north sandbar fronting the Walpole reserve. The shallow bar drops quickly into 10 and 15 feet of water, twisting occasionally, creating silted areas with thick weed growth. These areas attract schools of smallies as they move in and out to feed. Local guides troll or drift spottail shiners, hardware enthusiasts cast crayfish-finished Fat Raps, Chartreuse Rattlin' Spots, yellow twister jigs, or white tube jigs. 

Depending on the year, smallmouth action might slow down in August, as fish school and seek refuge in cooler adjoining channels. They always return, however, to the lake's bars in late September and October. Smallmouth in excess of 4 pounds are common, with fall fish often exceeding 5 pounds!

LONG POINT BAY

Like a gaping mouth opening to Lake Erie, Long Point Bay offers the central Lake Erie Basin area's best fishing. Netting controls and sanctuaries have allowed both largemouth and smallmouth to flourish. Never exceeding 10 feet in depth, the Inner Bay is surrounded by thousands of acres of productive marsh. Largemouth spawn deep in the protected marshes, and a portion of them stay all summer. Quietly push-poling into the cattails and gently casting or flipping worms or jigs will bring out these brutes. While the season opener sees many smallmouth still in the Inner Bay, warmer summer days find them migrating to the Outer Bay and Lake Erie, moving back into the Inner Bay only to feed. The Inner Bay has thousands of thick weedlines pointing like signposts towards Erie, and smallmouth use them like highways. 

Live crayfish are the surest bet for smallmouth, while minnows are periodically preferred . Lure anglers use subtle offerings, such as yellow jigs and chartreuse tube baits. Four-inch plastic worms work extremely well. Six-pound line is the key to success here, while a stiff 6-foot rod
has the power to keep bass from escaping into the weeds. 

Throughout the summer, while anglers work weedlines, they're thrilled by numerous largemouth catches. One-pounders dominate. Paying your dues on these numerous fish will reward you with a 3- to 5-pound bruiser about every twelfth fish or so. Smallmouth average 2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg), but range up to 5. Launch from Port Rowan, St. Williams or Turkey Point.  

LAKE ERIE

Big water, big boats, and big bass enthusiasts all love western Lake Erie. If the big water didn't turn away most small boat anglers, this area would be unequaled for bass. It's relatively untouched! The diversified forage base, varying water depths, and numerous rock shoals make the lake a smallmouth factory. 

From opening day in late June, anglers can reach big smallmouth from the launch at Colchester. A hydrographic chart and a depth sounder will guide you quickly to the Mile Marker and Colchester reef. Both these rock shoals can be trolled, drifted, or cast for smallies. Shiners, crayfish, and leeches are live baiters' favourites. Yellow jigs and big-lipid crankbaits also take their share of fish for lure tossers. 

From Colchester Reef, anglers can view the Sister Islands on a calm day. Taking the 15-mile run yields a near-virgin smallmouth fishery. When the bass are holding close to the Sister reefs, they're caught easily by casting or trolling artificial diving lures. Throughout the summer, bass can average 3 pounds, but 6- and 7-pounders are possibilities. As late summer storms pound the waters, bass anglers wait for the calm of the few warm days to venture out for the largest catches of the year. Within a few hundred yards of the beaches near Colchester, schools of big bronzebacks gorge for colder days ahead. The biggest diving lures, such as Mann's 20+ Deep Hog, cast or trolled extremely slow through six- to 10-foot depths, reward anglers best. Retrieve a lure quickly at first, until you make bottom contact, then creed it along slowly. This will turn your biggest bass of the season!  Always-present walleye are a bonus. 

RONDEAU BAY

Rondeau Bay offers anglers a chance to match wits with some of the province's cagiest bass. The dishpan-shaped bottom offers little in structure, except for sporadic manmade structures placed about the bay by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). Rondeau largemouth are referred to locally as nomads, traveling in small schools, using basic structures and sandbars as they move about. A large sandbar preceding the Rondeau mash on the east side of the bay is a known haunt for big bass. Casting a large white spinnerbait on the bar and retrieving it slowly just below the surface accounts for as many bass as does fan-casting the large sand hump in the middle of the bay with silver/blue crankbaits. 

Pay attention to details, such as wind direction, which influences currents in the small opening between Lake Erie and the bay. A strong southeast wind brings bass to the "Eau" to feed on large schools of shad. Lewis Rattle Traps work well, as do large tube jigs, cast and retrieved along the sharp sand break. 

Rondeau marsh is silted to the point that successful bassing occurs only at the outer reaches. Due to shallow water, push-poles and electric motors are necessary. The western shoreline offers anglers better access to subtle underwater structures, such as weedbeds, dock pilings, and trough adjacent to rock and steel seawalls. 

Late summer and early autumn yield the largest Rondeau bucketmouths. All the fish are chunky and well fed, with 1 3/4 pounds being a fair average, and plenty of 3 and 4 pounders 

LAKE HURON 

Along the Lake Huron shoreline of the Bruce Peninsula, Stokes Bay offers excellent smallmouth fishing and solitude. From mid-July to the end of September, bass fans can find good numbers of 1 1/2-pound smallmouth along the rock-strewn bay floor. 

The favourite local technique is to drift or anchor and fish with minnows, crayfish, or leeches. Casting fans quickly appreciate small spinners and yellow twistertail/spinner jigs to bring fish out of their lairs. In the 12-foot section of the bay, let your offering drop within inches of the
rock shelf. Many big smallies are also taken by trolling sinking Rapalas across rocks and boulders, but the biggest bass come on live bait in the
summer. Three and 4-pound smallmouth are available throughout summer, but moreso late in the season. Stokes Bay offers shelter for the small boater and wading areas. South of Stokes Bay and adjacent to the Bruce Thermal Nuclear Development Plant, near Tiverton, is where anglers find smallmouth fishing at its fastest in Bay Du Dore. The area opened up to the public with the creation of an MNR launch site at the end of Bruce Concession 8. 

From opening day, plentiful 1 1/2 and 2-pound smallmouth can be caught in the shallow, rock and sand-bottomed bay. It only averages 4 feet (1.2 m) in depth, but cool Huron water and lush weed growth attract and hold fish. Locals explained to me that boat, shore, and wading anglers can catch bass at the bay. The only time bass leave the bay is when a strong east wind drives the warmer water out. Then the bass are in or near the A and B outflows of the plant. They're accessible by boat only.  

Throughout the summer, anglers prefer to fish with live minnows around the bay's weedy areas. The lightly coloured scrappy bay smallmouth can also be caught by casting small spinners and straight Rapalas. 

Shore anglers delight with summer action all around the accessible bay. Locals say that with a pair of waders, anglers can walk across the entire bay. Wildest action is in the evening, as fish readily rise and strike top-water offerings. Fly fishing is excellent with small surface poppers.

The biggest fish come n fall in the outflows of the hydro plant. Anglers anchor and still-fish with minnows, or drift and cast deep-diving
crankbaits for 3-pound smallmouth. A perch-finished Shad Rap is the top lure.