The smallmouth bass fishery is very good in this area. You can find some smallmouth bass on most of the lakes here and on some of the lakes, you will find good numbers of smallmouth bass with some very big fish over 20 inches long.
Alder Lake
Alder Lake is a decent-sized lake covering more than 500 acres. It is managed primarily for lake trout. Anglers can also catch walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and perch, but these other fish are here in limited numbers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Birch Lake
Birch Lake is a small carry-in lake that is known for its bass and trout fishing. Rainbow trout, lake trout and brook trout are available here.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Caribou Lake
There are 3 lakes named Caribou Lake in Cook County, Minnesota. This Caribou Lake is a carry-in lake with access by portage trails from Clearwater Lake, Pine Lake and Moon Lake. It is a decent-sized lake covering more than 460 acres. Anglers target walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass. Whitefish are targeted through the ice in the winter.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Clearwater Lake
Clearwater Lake is a Canadian Shield lake with deep, cold waters. It is a large lake that is managed for lake trout and smallmouth bass. Anglers usually come here for lake trout, but you can also target smallmouth bass and perch and expect to catch some fish.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Crystal Lake
Crystal is a medium-sized lake with some deep water and good fishing. It is managed primarily for lake trout. A fishable population of walleye is here too. Some smallmouth bass and northern pike are also caught in Crystal Lake. Panfish are here in low numbers with green sunfish and perch available.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Daniels Lake
Daniels Lake is a decent-sized lake covering more than 500 acres. It is a carry-in lake with lots of deep water. Daniels Lake provides good fishing for lake trout, but there are some smallmouth bass and perch here too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Devil Track Lake
Devil Track Lake is a large lake covering more than 1,876 acres. This lake is managed for walleye and northern pike, however, pike are here in limited numbers. Walleye are more abundant and so are smallmouth bass.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Devilfish Lake
Devilfish Lake is just under 405 acres. It has some good depth, but it is a fairly shallow lake compared to many of the other lakes in the area. Walleye are here in decent numbers, but mostly smaller fish. Smallmouth bass have become abundant here, while most bass will be smaller on average.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
East Bearskin Lake
East Bearskin Lake is a popular lake that provides good fishing. It is a popular entry point for canoeists during the summer. If you’re coming here with a fishing boat, there is a 25 hp limit here since it is partially within the BWCA. It is a good lake for walleye and smallmouth bass. Lake trout, northern pike, perch and some sunfish are here too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Flour Lake
Flour Lake covers 330 acres and it is managed for walleye, lake trout and smallmouth bass. Flour Lake has become one of the better smallmouth bass lakes in the Gunflint Trail area. The special regulation requires that all fish 12 inches or larger must be released, except that one fish over 20 inches may be kept. Walleye and pike are here in limited numbers. Lake trout have been stocked here for many years, but due to a lack of natural spawning, this lake doesn’t have as many lake trout as it could have with all the stocking.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Greenwood Lake
Greenwood Lake is a large lake covering more than 2,000 acres. It has excellent water clarity and plenty of depth. It is managed as a lake trout lake. There are minimal numbers of smallmouth bass, northern pike, perch and brook trout.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Gunflint Lake
Gunflint Lake is a large lake covering over 4,000 acres. It has some very deep water and a diverse fishery. Anglers catch walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and lake trout. Cisco and burbot are here too. Rock bass are the primary panfish, but yellow perch are also here in low numbers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Gull Lake
Gull Lake is a smaller lake covering just less than 168 acres. The fishery consists mostly of northern pike, smallmouth bass and walleye. Panfish are here in small numbers too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Hungry Jack Lake
Hungry Jack Lake is one of the better smallmouth bass lakes in the Gunflint Trail area. There is a special regulation here so all bass 12 inches or larger must be released, except that one fish over 20 inches may be kept. This has helped the bass fishery take off here. Lots of big bass are caught here from spring through fall.
There are decent numbers of walleye here too, but many anglers struggle here with the clear water. Low light conditions are key to catching walleye here consistently. Fish first thing in the morning, in the evening, at night and on cloudy days. Walleye will move very deep in the summer, but many fish will come up shallower to feed during the low light conditions.
This is one of the few lakes that offers good numbers of bluegill with some quality fish too. Perch are here in limited numbers. Pike are here in good enough numbers to target them, but they are not abundant in Hungry Jack Lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Iron Lake
Iron Lake is a smaller carry-in lake that covers a little more than 120 acres. The lake is managed for walleye and bluegill. Anglers can also target northern pike, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
John Lake
John Lake is a smaller carry-in lake that covers 190 acres. It is more of a northern pike and perch lake with some walleye and smallmouth bass in it too. There are some nice-sized northern pike in this lake, but most will be smaller.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Leo Lake
Leo Lake is a small carry-in lake that covers around 100 acres. It is managed primarily for rainbow trout and there are good numbers of them present in the lake. Some anglers do report some catches of smallmouth bass and walleye, but they are here in limited numbers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Loon Lake
Loon Lake is part of the headwaters for the Rainy River system. It discharges to that system via Crab Lake and Gunflint Lake. It is managed primarily for lake trout and smallmouth bass, but it also has northern pike, rock bass, bluegill and other sunfish.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Maraboeuf Lake
Maraboeuf Lake is a long lake that covers almost 860 acres of water. Anglers portage in from Saganaga Lake. You can also canoe in from the other direction via a channel that connects Devils Elbow Lake. Walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass are caught in this lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
McFarland Lake
McFarland Lake covers a little more than 385 acres. There is a DNR-owned public access on the northeast shoreline of the lake. The fishery consists of walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and perch. There are good numbers of walleye and smallmouth bass, but it has good access and it isn’t a huge lake, so these fish get pressured more than many of the portage lakes in the area. If you put some time in and learn the lake, you may catch quite a few smallmouth bass and walleye with some pike and perch mixed in too. The anglers that have more success here tend to stick to live bait more than artificials.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Moss Lake
Moss Lake covers more than 253 acres and is accessible via portage trails. There is a trail coming from Hungry Jack Rd. on the Gunflint Trail and on another trail on Birch Lake. Moss Lake is primarily managed for lake trout and it has good numbers of them. There is a decent population of smallmouth bass as well.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Mountain Lake
Mountain Lake is a large lake with very deep, clear water. It is a typical lake trout lake and these fish are here in good numbers. This lake is a portage lake on the Minnesota side, but anglers fishing it from Canada can launch their boat directly on the lake. Smallmouth bass are here in decent numbers too as anglers report some good fishing here early in the season when they are all over the shorelines.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
North Fowl Lake
North Fowl Lake is a good-sized lake, however, it is very shallow compared to most of the other lakes in this area. The lake has a track record of good walleye and perch fishing with small northern pike and limited numbers of smallmouth bass. It is one of the better perch lakes in the area for size and big fish with 12 inch perch commonly caught here.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Northern Light Lake
Northern Light Lake is a smaller lake that covers 378 acres. It is a shallow lake that is mostly a northern pike and perch lake. There are good numbers of pike with some bigger fish available. Perch are here in good numbers too and there are some quality perch. Smallmouth bass, walleye and pumpkinseed round out the fishery, but they are here in smaller numbers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Pine Lake
Pine Lake covers more than 2,100 acres. It is a large portage lake with lots of deep water and excellent water clarity. It used to be a lake trout, northern pike lake, but it has turned into a very good smallmouth bass lake with some walleye, very low numbers of lake trout, lots of whitefish and some perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Poplar Lake
Poplar Lake is 764 acre lake that is managed for walleye and northern pike. Crappie, whitefish, smallmouth bass and perch are here too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Saganaga Lake
Saganaga Lake is a large lake covering more than 18,766 acres. It is one of the best lakes to fish along the Gunflint Trail, especially if you are looking for big fish. It is known for its walleye fishery with big fish up to and above 28 inches caught fairly regularly. Some fish above 30 inches are caught here too.
Northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout and whitefish are here in good numbers too. Most anglers will catch small to medium-sized pike, but if you come here to target big pike, you can catch some very big fish with pike up to and above 40 inches swimming in these waters. Anglers report good fishing for smallmouth bass with some 4 to 5 pounds caught every year. Lake trout are here in good numbers too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Sea Gull Lake
Sea Gull Lake is a large lake covering almost 4,000 acres. It is a large, Canadian shield lake that has some very deep water. It is primarily managed for lake trout and walleye. Northern pike, smallmouth bass, whitefish and even some crappie are in the lake too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
South Fowl Lake
South Fowl Lake is a large lake with shallow water and some very good fishing. It is a good numbers lake for walleye and perch. There are some good-sized perch here. Northern pike are here in fishable numbers, but most of them will be smaller. Smallmouth bass are available in limited numbers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
West Bearskin Lake
West Bearskin Lake covers more than 509 acres. The water is very clear and there is a lot of deep water here. The lake is managed for lake trout and smallmouth bass. Anglers can also catch northern pike, perch and sunfish, but they are here in limited numbers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
West Pike Lake
West Pike Lake is a medium-sized lake and it is a carry-in lake with portage trails from Pine Lake, Clearwater Lake, East Pike Lake and Gogebic Lake. West Pike Lake is located entirely inside the BWCA. Lake trout are fairly abundant in this lake and there are decent numbers of smallmouth bass too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Best Baits for Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass will eat a variety of different baits. Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for smallmouth bass.
When it comes to artificial lures, you have lots of options. Soft plastic crayfish, twin tail grubs, worms and minnow baits are very effective. Hard baits such as crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinners also work great.
Learn More
Live Baits for Smallmouth Bass
Best Rigs for Smallmouth Bass
With so many different soft plastics to use, you have so many different rigs that work great for smallmouth bass. The drop shot rig, a simple jighead, standup jigheads and scrounger jigheads are some of the best rigs for smallmouth bass. To see our full list, take a look at our best rigs for smallmouth bass page.
Best Techniques for Smallmouth Bass
There are so many different techniques you can use for smallmouth bass since they can be found shallow, deep and anywhere in between. Anglers usually cast for them, but jigging, drop shotting and drifting are also some great techniques for smallmouth bass.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for smallmouth bass page.
Learn More About Smallmouth Bass
Our smallmouth bass fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our smallmouth bass fishing website to learn more.
