Best Smallmouth fishin in the USA

[waterfoul]

I too have caught some good smallies out of Lake Champlaine... mostly the northern end of it near St. Albans as I have family living there (cheap vacations!!).

In Michigan, the Muskegon River and Muskegon Lake are good, and some of the northern lakes can produce.  I fish Glen Lake in Lelanau county regularly (parent's have a cottage there) and have on occasion caught smallies on the order of 5 lbs.  I normally boat at least one per trip in the 20" 5 lb category.  And man do they JUMP!!!  Hit like a load of bricks and try to rip you out of the boat.  FUN!!  I get these mostly trolling rattle traps in the chartruse or crawfish colors.

[5bass]

I live in Va. and get the pleasure to fish the New River and also the mighty James River.On the James it's usually floating in a jon boat and stopping to wade in certain spots.The smallmouth fishing is great and that is ALL DAY LONG.Those fish pay no attention to how high the sun is,they tear it up all day.It's more of a numbers game rather than size but generally you can catch at least 1, 4 pounder during your trip.75-100 fish days are not uncommon.The New River is bigger and has lots of deep holes and long deep stretches.The smallmouth are bigger there and  are a little harder to catch.But it is not uncommon to pull a 5 pounder during an 8 hour trip.If you get the chance to fish either one,take some 4" Zoom Dead Ringer worms in green pumpkin.....and a tiny torpedo.

[c_ball]

Thousand Island area  at Cape Vincent or Clayton,New York.

[John in NW PA]

We have a lot of fun with the smallmouth on Presque Isle Bay off Erie, PA in the spring.  Soon after ice-out the smallmouth move into the bay following the bait fish, and later to spawn.

[cedar1]

roadwarrior if you havent caught a 4lb. smally on erie you must have never left the dock! I live in NE Ohio and fish Erie out of three different harbors that all have trophy fishing within sight of the docks. At Presque Isle tournaments it takes 15lbs. (three fish) just to think about cashing a check. Im lucky these spots are all with in 1 hour of home. This is sweet because Ohio bass fishing basically sucks!

[johnbr19792003]

we have a lake in vermont where 4 pound average is common but 6 pounds is crazy i dont believe it remember you catch a 6 pounder then a 2pounder its now a 4 pound average.

[fishrman]

Guess I will stick up for RoadWarrior here as he did not say he was fishing in Lake Erie, he said Door County and I think he was referring to Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin which is Lake Michigan I think in that area. I know there is some great smallie fishing in Wisconsin on Lake Superior on  Cheumogan Bay. I know it did not spell that right but would like to give it a try some time.

[cedar1]

my mistake fellas. I read that wrong. You guys really out to try the central basin of erie though, its really amazing and you dont have to run far to catch some REAL toads. It doesnt take alot of research to find them either :-[

[cedar1]

Hey John I had a hard time getting any smallies over 2 or 3lbs last year in the bay, always had to hit the big water. Whats up?

[johnbr19792003]

i dont know if your talking to me and if you are what bay. If your talking st albans bay then yes it was tough, i think its the tourney pressure. Try fishing out by the passage

[cedar1]

Sorry I was talking to John in NW PA

[roadwarrior]

cedar1, Maybe that's the problem, I have never fished Lake Erie only Lake Michigan out of Door County (Green Bay side). The guy I fish with likes catching lots of fish so maybe we aren't fishing the right area for bigger fish. I still have fun, but just haven't caught any monsters up there.

p.s. Thanks for the post, fishrman, you are correct.

[cedar1]

Road Warrior if your ever around western lake erie let me know i have a house on middle bass (free lodging) maybe we can hook up. the trophy fishing isnt as good on that end of the lake but the fishing is still great and we cant beat the price

[roadwarrior]

Thanks for the invite cedar1, my son is in college at Kenyon College in Gambrier, Ohio, near Columbus. How far is that from you?

[cedar1]

thats about 2 hrs from me, and it takes me about 2hrs to get to the bass islands. Sounds like the islands would be on your way to or from Columbus. Your in Michigan?

[roadwarrior]

Germantown, Tennessee. The Great Lakes are a destination for me, they're not on the way to anywhere. I was thinking maybe sometime in the fall. How long into autumn do you fish?

[cedar1]

I fish into november. If your coming from Tennesee I would take you to presque isle. you would be looking at 2hrs from Columbus to my place and another 1 1/2 hrs to there It would be a road trip for you but the fishing is really good both lg and small mouth

[roadwarrior]

Thanks again cedar1, I'll follow-up with you. I usually make the trek for parents weekend in October and will try to arrange a trip with you then. We'll talk later.

So, back to the "Best smallmouth Fishin' in the USA", I'm on my way to the Tennessee River this afternoon for a day and a-half trip. TVA cut our water off last Saturday so I didn't really fish. We probably only have this weekend and next before our smallmouth are in full spawn, I'm sure many are already there. If the new world record is going to be caught this year, it should be tomorrow! Hope to post a picture of that 12 lb fish on Monday. Good luck to everyone and Happy Easter!

[fishrman]

Wow, that is a very nice invitation from Cedar 1 To you RoadWarrior. I went on a charter boat one time on Erie with a 3 other guys. We did well, but I would much rather go out by myself or have someone point me the right direction. That lake can get kind of mean though and not sure my 18 foot bass boat could handle it.

[John in NW PA]

Fishing everywhere around here was tough last spring and summer.  It was cold, and the rain never stopped.  I suspect that since it never really got warm in the spring, they never moved into the bay like they usually do.  We've had another bad winter, with ice still on the bay.  Our club is sponsoring a tournament on the bay on 4/10, and were hoping the ice is gone by then.

[cedar1]

roadwarrrior,  ya, will talk

[Bronze12]

This isn't neccessarily a trophy smallmouth spot most people think of but the fishing and the over all experience can't be beat.....try the boundry waters in northern Minnesota.  Shoot, One day me and my brother stopped counting smallies at about 100 a piece and still had a lot of daylight left.  Granted the biggest were only around 3 lbs and a majority were around the 1 lb mark but we got ourselves a work out that day.  Its canoe only but wow, what an awesome place.  Definately the most beautiful place I've ever been and the fishing is awesome.  My trick for the big smallies up north (I fish minnesota but I'm guessing this will work in Wisconsin too or anywhere else with some nice rocky, clear water lakes) is to go night fishing.  I look for any nice rock bar that meets any kind of reeds or vegetation.  Not just any rocks either, I'm talking boulders.  I wait atleast an hour after its totally dark but normally its closer to two hours before I go out.  I just take my time and cook up something nice over the campfire and fill up after a long day of fishing, and then its back to it.  I'll hit these rock bars and the outskirts of the weeds with shad raps or top water lures (play around with the lure selection) and I tell you what, You'd better hold on.  Some of the most viscious hits I've had came fishing like this.  You won't catch a ton of fish but when you do they are BIG.  

[roadwarrior]

It's Monday, March 28 and this is my report on the Tennessee River: March has been tough! For the second week in a row, TVA shut their generating down. No current, no smallmouth. We made the best of a bad situation and caught a few white bass, but nothing interesting to report.

[cedar1]

road warrior  Man you guys are lucky to be fishing down there wished I lived farther south!

[cgs2004]

I love the Missouri float streams.  Get a jon boat and and some buzzbaits and hit the riffles early in the morning and you'll get into some good smallies.  Gasgonade, Big Piney, Jack's Forks and many others.