Sioux Narrows Smallmouth Bass Fishing


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Smallmouth Bass fishing is very good in the Sioux narrows area on lake of the woods.  The area islands, points, bays and channels have plenty of places for bass to call home and there are plenty of rocky bottoms that will hold schools of smallmouth bass.  The spring and early summer is the time to come here if you want to catch them in the shallows.  During the summer and fall, try fishing deeper drop-offs near the points, islands and along the reefs and you should be able to catch good numbers of bass.


Catch Lots of Smallmouth Bass


This might be one of the best parts of Lake of the Woods for catching a lot of smallmouth bass without having to make long runs.  There are plenty of spots on the lake where you can drive miles away from the main areas where you will see boats and you can catch a ton of smallmouth bass in less pressured areas.  In the Sioux Narrows area, you will see plenty of other boats, but you can still come here and put together a 50 to 100 fish day in the spring, summer or fall.  It’s just an unbelievable area for catching tons of bass.


Catch Big Smallmouth Bass


While you are definitely going to catch a lot of smaller bass here, there are some very nice smallmouth bass here too.  You may have to upsize your lures a bit if you want to target bigger bass without having to deal with all the smaller bass.  For many anglers, they will just use the normal-sized lures for smallmouth bass and they will have 50 plus fish days with some 3 to 4 pound bass mixed in.


Fishing the Bays


Some of the best bays for smallmouth bass are in this part of Lake of the Woods.  Lots of anglers will come down here from Kenora to fish the bays for smallmouth bass.  You will find some smallmouth bass around the weeds, but for the most part, fish the rocks along these shorelines and on the offshore structures and you’ll catch a lot of smallmouth bass here.


Fishing the Drop-offs


This area has so much deep water, so it’s not hard to find a nice drop-off to fish.  The problem you’re going to have is figuring out which spots are more productive because there are so many good drop-offs throughout this area.  The nice thing is that most of these nice spots will hold fish, so even if you don’t find the best spots, you’ll still catch plenty of smallmouth bass by fishing the drop-offs along the shorelines.


Fishing the Points


You have some nice points to fish on this part of the lake, so you can easily run from point to point to fish this pattern.  The problem is that you’re going to pass over a lot of fish doing this, so most anglers will fish the points, but there are so many bass here, that it pays to fish the rocky shorelines and islands in between the better points.


Fishing the Islands


You have a lot of islands to fish here and most of them are going to hold smallmouth bass.  The offshore structure tends to be better in the summer and fall, but don’t rule them out completely early in the year because many smallmouth bass will use these offshore structures as they get ready to move in to spawn.


Fishing the Reefs


You have some reefs here to fish too.  You can easily catch tons of smallmouth bass in this part of the lake without ever leaving a shoreline.  Whether it is the main lake shoreline or an island, you will have so much water to fish for bass.  If you want to target the reefs, you will catch some smallmouth bass there as well.  The summer and fall are the best times to target smallmouth bass on the reefs.


Fishing the Rocks


You are going to have so much rocks to fish that you won’t know where to start, so you won’t have to look hard for excellent fishing spots.  Smallmouth bass will be all over most of these spots, so find some rocks and start casting.


Fishing the Weeds


The weeds are great in this area for largemouth bass and northern pike.  Some of the areas with vegetation and rocks will hold some nice smallmouth bass, so don’t rule out the vegetation when fishing for smallies here.  The rocks will be the better pattern, but don’t be shocked if you find some nice smallmouth bass using the deeper weed lines too.


Best Baits for Smallmouth Bass


Smallmouth bass will eat a variety of different baits.  Minnowsnightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for smallmouth bass.

When it comes to artificial lures, you have lots of options.  Soft plastic crayfishtwin tail grubsworms and minnow baits are very effective.  Hard baits such as  crankbaitsjerkbaits and spinners also work great.

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Live Baits for Smallmouth Bass

Lures 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 jigheadstandup 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 jiggingdrop 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.