Most of the lakes in this area have northern pike, largemouth bass, walleye and panfish in them, but there are a few lakes to fish that do have smallmouth bass in them. Take a look below to learn more about the lakes in this area that you can fish for smallmouth bass.
Baby Lake (Cass County, MN)
Baby Lake is a 705 acre lake located near Hackensack, Minnesota that has 11.73 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 69 feet. There is a state owned public access on the southeast shore. Baby Lake is a good multi-species lake with muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass all here in good enough numbers to target them. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Man Lake (Cass County, MN)
Man Lake is a 445 acre lake with a maximum depth of 93 feet. There is no public access on the lake, however anglers using small fishing boats may be able to access the lake through the inlet channel from Baby Lake, which has a state-owned public access. Man Lake is a good fishing lake for a variety of fish. Good populations of muskie are available to go along with largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye. Northern pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are here in good numbers too. Walleye have a history of having low to moderate numbers of walleye, but there are some quality walleye in this lake. Other fish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Pleasant Lake (Cass County, MN)
Pleasant Lake is 1,038 acre lake located near Hackensack, Minnesota that has 10.06 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 72 feet. The lake is primarily managed for walleye and northern pike and secondarily for largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and tullibee (cisco).
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Portage Lake (Cass County, MN)
Portage Lake is 279-acre lake located near Hackensack, Minnesota that has 3.11 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 95 feet. There is a US Forest Service owned earthen boat ramp on the south shore. This lake has good numbers of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass in the lake. Walleye and northern pike are also available. Panfish include bluegill, crappie and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Ten Mile Lake (Cass County, MN)
Ten Mile Lake is a 4669-acre lake located near Hackensack, MN that has 21.8 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 208 feet. There is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) public access on the southwest shore off of County Road 12. Ten Mile Lake is known as a good lake for walleye. The fishing is also good for northern pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Woman Lake (Cass County, MN)
Woman Lake is a 5496 acre lake with a maximum depth of 54 feet. It is one of the better lakes in this area with several species of fish to target. This is a good lake for walleye and northern pike. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, muskie, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch are also available in the lake.
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.
