Smallmouths are a curious breed. When riled up, their inquisitiveness can shift quickly to aggression. Yet, if subdued, getting them to bite is challenging. Seeing a bass scrutinizing a lure is frustrating, but it¹s also an opportunity. The trick is to retrieve the unproductive bait and cast out a n... more »
"You really are a bass guy!" said my friend, as I led another hefty smallmouth to the net. This was 20 years ago when a group of us were walleye fishing on Lake Erie's eastern basin. With downriggers set, we took turns fighting fish. Every time I picked up the rod, though, a smallmouth was on the... more »
Largemouths utilize slop for a number of reasons: food, shade, protection, and cooler water temperatures. Slop can consist of a variety of floating vegetation, but the common components are weeds and algae. Most weeds found in slop beds have been... more »
This is too easy!" I yelled back to Joel Isenburg, a long-time fishing buddy from Richmond Hill, as I slipped another chunky smallmouth into the drink. On that windswept morning on Lake Simcoe, we had battled harsh waves to reach our favourite rocky point. Since the wind made finessing... more »
The mist rises slowly from the chilled water, like an eerie apparition on this Halloween eve, as I cautiously idle the boat through my most productive smallmouth haunts. With eyes trained squarely on the graph, I scan the underwater world from above, searching for the tell-tale signs of baitfish... more »
Largemouth bass are also undergoing change in the fall. Sensing the impending arrival of their winter food drought and near-dormant stage, bass are beginning to feed heavily, bingeing on prey and rapidly building fat reserves. They're also migrating from summer-friendly locations to those that meet... more »
Fishing can be so complicated these days, it seems like you should read an owner's manual before hitting the water. There are rods, reels, lines, and lures to match specialized techniques and situations. Spinnerbaiting is a welcome relief from all the high-tech hoopla. Although developed originally... more »
The idea of flinging a small plastic worm on a jig head was born years ago, but recently it fully spread its wings after gaining a reputation in U.S. tournaments for its ability to produce daily limits of bass. It came of age because of a change to a specific type of jig head and a new way of... more »
They can shimmer and dance and seem to come alive in your hands. They can smell like candy or rancid sardines. And just about every bass angler worth his or her baseball cap has pounds of them in almost every conceivable shape. Some styles come and go. Others have stood the test of time. While... more »
