There is some good fishing for smallmouth bass in the Grand Rapids area. Most anglers prefer to fish for walleye, muskie or northern pike and bass can often be overlooked. If you target smallmouth bass on the better lakes in this area, you should be able to catch some smallmouth bass with some quality fish too.
Bass Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Bass Lake is a 2,407-acre lake located five miles northwest of Cohasset, MN. The lake has three public accesses and two distinctly different basins connected by a two-mile long marshy channel. The primary fish species on this lake include walleye, northern pike, and panfish. Bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch are the panfish in this lake. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are also present.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Blandin Reservoir – (aka) Paper Mill Reservoir (Itasca County, MN)
Blandin Reservoir is a 449-acre impoundment on the Mississippi River, controlled by a dam at Blandin Paper Company in Grand Rapids, MN. Blandin Reservoir has minimal storage capacity and functions more as a flow-through system, minimizing water level fluctuations. This reservoir has a variety of fish that anglers can target. Fish include muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Bluewater Lake (Wabana Chain of Lakes)
Bluewater Lake is part of the Wabana Chain of Lakes, which are about 15 miles north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Bluewater Lake has been primarily managed for lake trout since 1967. Other game fish in this lake include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye. Panfish include bluegill, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Deer Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Deer Lake is located northeast of Deer River, Minnesota. There is one public access on the southwest part of the lake. This lake has a lot of development on it and it gets plenty of angling pressure. Muskie, walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike are part of the management plan on Deer Lake. It is a good fishing lake for walleye, smallmouth bass and muskie. Many of the area fishing guides will take clients out on this lake. Other fish include largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Johnson Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Johnson Lake is a 492-acre lake located 13 miles north of Grand Rapids, MN. The lake has clear water and it is deep with a maximum depth of 88 feet. There is a concrete public access on the south shore and much of the shoreline is in the Chippewa National Forest. Primary fish species include northern pike, largemouth bass, panfish and walleye. Smallmouth bass are also available. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Little Jay Gould Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Little Jay Gould is a small lake near Cohasset, Minnesota. The lake is relatively clear and appears to support a diverse aquatic plant community. The lake is connected to the Mississippi River via a connection to Jay Gould Lake and it is also connected to Pokegama Lake. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Mississippi River near Grand Rapids, MN
The Mississippi River runs through the Grand Rapids, Minnesota area. The river connects Blandin Reservoir and Jay Gould Lake. Part of the river opens up a little wider in this section. There are a variety of fish that inhabit the river. Anglers can target muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Moose Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Moose Lake is located 5 miles northeast of Deer River, MN. The lake has 3 public accesses and the shoreline is moderately developed. The lake management plan indicates that muskie and walleye are the primary species of management and northern pike are a secondary species of management. Other fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Pokegama Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Pokegama Lake is large, deep and clear water lake. Totaling 6,612 acres at normal pool, Pokegama Lake has a maximum depth of 112 feet. This lake has 6 small inlets and outlets to the Mississippi River, where the US Army Corp controls water levels at the Pokegama Dam. Pokegama Lake is one of the better lakes to fish in the Grand Rapids, Minnesota area. There are good numbers of game fish such as walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. This lake is also known for holding some big fish, especially big walleye. Other fish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Prairie Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Prairie Lake is located about four miles north of Grand Rapids, MN and within the Mississippi River Watershed. This lake totals 1,064 acres and has a maximum depth of 31 feet. There are two accesses, one on the northwest shore and the other on the south end (Lower Prairie). Prairie River passes through the lake and a small hydro-electric dam at the outlet acts as a fish barrier while upstream facilitates fish migration. There are a variety of fish available, but this lake isn’t known for putting out big numbers of game fish. Walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch are available in this lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Trout Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Trout Lake is a large, fertile, class 22 lake located immediately south of Coleraine, Minnesota. Walleye and northern pike are the primary game fish in this lake, but you can definitely target largemouth bass and smallmouth bass and expect to catch some fish. The last time the DNR did a status of the fishery on this lake (2010), they captured a good number of quality sized smallmouth bass in their nets. Other fish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Trout Lake (Wabana Chain of Lakes)
Trout Lake is part of the Wabana Chain of Lakes, which are about 15 miles north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Trout Lake has been primarily managed for lake trout since 1975. Other fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Wabana Chain of Lakes
The Wabana Chain of Lakes is known for its deep, clear waters. This chain of lakes borders the Chippewa National Forest and it includes Wabana Lake, Bluewater Lake, Trout Lake and Little Trout Lake. These lakes have a variety of species of fish to catch. Lake trout, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch are available.
Wabana Lake (Wabana Chain of Lakes)
Wabana Lake is a 2,215 acre lake and it is part of the Wabana Chain of Lakes, which are about 15 miles north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The lake has several large bays and it has connecting channels to Bluewater Lake and Little Trout Lake. Two public accesses are located on the northwest and southeast shores. This lake has a maximum depth of 115 feet with a median depth of 26 feet. With its deep, clear waters, some anglers find this lake tough to fish, but there are definitely some quality fish in this lake. Anglers target walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass to go along with panfish such as bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
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.
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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.
