Looking for trip of a lifetime, giant smallmouth

[Dwight Hottle]

58 minutes ago, 1simplemann said:

What about Rainy Lake? It has a good reputation for numbers and quality.

 

I'll let you know this May. Our group of four have a week planned in May on the Canadian side at Labelle's Birch Point Camp. Infisherman rates it highly. 

[1simplemann]

6 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 

I'll let you know this May. Our group of four have a week planned in May on the Canadian side at Labelle's Birch Point Camp. Infisherman rates it highly. 

Mille Lacs and the Great Lakes have been getting a lot of press the last few years. Rainy Lake might be a sleeper spot for SMB. I've personally never been there but I have always heard good things about that place. On GE, the place looks like SMB heaven.

[FryDog62]

8 hours ago, 1simplemann said:

What about Rainy Lake? It has a good reputation for numbers and quality.

I fish Rainy most every year.  Numbers are good but 2-3 pounds is average.  A 19 inch, 4 lb smallmouth is typically where it tops out.  Anything around 5 lbs is do-able but fairly rare.  If you look at the bag limits and largest smallmouth caught in the annual Fort Frances tournament you’d see much the same.

 

If you’re looking for the biggest smb in Minnesota, Mille Lacs is bigger overall for sure.  But better get there soon, word is out and pressure is becoming an issue.  

[walleye13]

I've fished Rainy for the past 17 yrs, and twice a yr the last 6. Fry Dog is correct. I've caught 5 over 20" in that time, a 20.75" my best that weighed 5-9. My partner last May got a 20" er as did a different partner in Oct '16. They are definitely there, but not a weekly or annual occurrence. That being said, the quantity of 16-19" fish is outstanding. Like Fry Dog said, if you are strictly after trophies, there are bigger fish elsewhere. However, the multi species action on Rainy is also what keeps me goin back. If you spend a week targeting smallies,  better than average chance you will get a 28"+ walleye and/or a 40"+ pike in the process....

 

[FryDog62]

On 2/21/2018 at 11:00 AM, walleye13 said:

I've fished Rainy for the past 17 yrs, and twice a yr the last 6. Fry Dog is correct. I've caught 5 over 20" in that time, a 20.75" my best that weighed 5-9. My partner last May got a 20" er as did a different partner in Oct '16. They are definitely there, but not a weekly or annual occurrence. That being said, the quantity of 16-19" fish is outstanding. Like Fry Dog said, if you are strictly after trophies, there are bigger fish elsewhere. However, the multi species action on Rainy is also what keeps me goin back. If you spend a week targeting smallies,  better than average chance you will get a 28"+ walleye and/or a 40"+ pike in the process....

 

Very true, my post wasn’t intended to be negative on Rainy lake overall.  There are a lot of quality Smallmouth there just not a ton of true trophies.  However that is offset with the multi-species action.  Kind of fun to cast for a bunch of 16-18 inch Smallies and snag the occasional 4 foot pike/muskie!!  Lots of walleyes and huge crappies to eat for shore lunch too 

[PatrickKnight]

If my goal was a 7lb smallmouth I would spend as much time as I could on lake Erie. 

 

I wish I could get up there more often.

[Don Dixon]

Grand Traverse bay is the destination, we have Tony Defilippo  (ex FLW pro) for a guide the first day.  

If anyone has any info on smaller lakes in the area, we're planning some sight fishing, will be down june 2 thru june 9.  I'm told it's prespawn on Lake Michigan so we want some spawning bass in the nearby inland lakes.  Thanks guys, can't wait to post pics.

[52kjhintz]

Traverse City area has some really good smallmouth lakes. You have Green / Duck / Ann to the west and Elk / Skegemog / Torch to the east. Found a geam in Birch Lake, over a dozen 6#s caught.

[8pt172]

If you are going after Memorial Day, I would skip Sturgeon Bay.  The Big Females will be done spawning and out in deeper water recovering from the Spawn. 

 

It is a real late Spring in MN so Mille Lacs will be a late spawn.  They still have 20+ " of ice.  The best time to fish Sturgeon bay is before the big tournament out there in late May.  

 

I was there in late August 17 and we caught a lot of nice SMB and a ton of Walleye on tubes, swimbaits and top water.  The biggest was 6.6lb.  We also caught several nice pike and missed a couple Giant Muskies.

 

I think I read you decided on TC area.  You can always run to Little Bay deNoc in the Upper Penn if you want to try something different.  The bass should be in Pre-spawn and easy to find.  

 

If you go to Mille Lacs, give John a call at Rocky Reef Resort, he will put you on the bite.

 

 

[KHNC]

i would not go to Erie, especially anywhere near Presque Isle Bay. You will read post after post about 100 fish days and huge smallies. Only when you get there, you will find huge waves, tons of boats, hordes of fisherman and very tough fishing. I had high hopes for the last two years for week long june trips. Very let down. Caught 15-20 fish per day anyway, but nothing over 3lbs. I would look at Ontario or Champlain. I dont plan to go North again for a year or two. Made the drive for the last 4 years up that way. Champlain was the best. Near Plattsburg and north. 

[S Hovanec]

I have a buddy that guides on Ontario and Erie.  I have an Erie trip booked with him on Memorial day to look for a 7# smallie.  He gets a couple every year around that time.

[Boomstick]

If you want to go further east, Vermont has amazing smallmouth fishing but probably not the largest smallmouth. First, there is Lake Champlain, but then there's a ton of smaller lakes around the state as well that are largely remote and quiet. Try Lake Seymour, Lake Dunmore, Lake St. Catherine, either Echo Lake to name a few.

 

I caught my PB smallmouth in a small 20 acre lake in southern VT. I didn't have my scale as I was in a boat and traveling lightly, but was a fat hog that was somewhere around 22" long -- using my arm from fingers to elbow which is 18.5" as a base of measurement.

[Don Dixon]

I leave next week for Traverse city, fishing with Tony DeFillipo next Sunday.  Anybody got any Smallmouth updates for the inland lakes around Traverse city?

[8pt172]

10 hours ago, Don Dixon said:

I leave next week for Traverse city, fishing with Tony DeFillipo next Sunday.  Anybody got any Smallmouth updates for the inland lakes around Traverse city?

Buddy is fishing East Bay today, the tournament he bumped into took 26lbs to take first. Water was 60 in close by State Park. Up by Elk Rapids temps were 55.

 

Most fish are spawning right now on the other lakes in the Area, full moon on the 29th. This year was terrible it went from ice out late April to spawning by June 1st. I much prefer a few more weeks of prespawn fishing.

[Ersteman]

Don,

How did you do on your Traverse City Smallmouth trip with Tony?

 

We went July 10th with Tony on the East Bay and landed 35 smallies between me and my 2 brothers.

Most fish were 2.5 to 3 pounds; only caught 2 dinks. Caught about 4-6 fish around 4 pounds as well. 

It was a beautiful calm day; much calmer than average days and Tony put us on quality fish. 

I was amazed at how well we did as these trips are few and far between for me.

Tony said that our fishing day was not a typical day, so I'm really grateful and fortunate at the quantity and quality. 

Needless to say we tipped him very well. 

[RyneB]

Traverse City in the spring. If the Bay is rough, you have several inland lakes to choose from. Hopefully you dont get tired of catching 2.5-3.5 lb smallies on topwater, with an occasional 4 or 5.

[cfrye11]

so did you go??

 

[Further North]

 

 

 

Weirdness...post got all fouled up...