Smallmouth bass are often overlooked in the bays because of the awesome walleye fishing here, but there is some very good bass fishing here as well. The shallower rocky areas will hold good numbers of smallmouth bass in the spring and early summer. From late summer through fall, the better bite tends to come in deeper water along the drop-offs.
Catch Huge Smallmouth Bass
The Bay de Noc area is a trophy smallmouth bass fishery. It may be overlooked by a lot of anglers, but the anglers that target them will report huge smallmouth bass in the 5 to 6 pound range with some even bigger.
Don’t Miss the Spring Spawn
From pre-spawn through the entire spawning phase, the smallmouth bass fishing can be pretty amazing in these waters. Due to the popular spawning rivers in Little Bay de Noc, most anglers come here to fish Little Bay de Noc in the spring and early summer. However, don’t rule out Big Bay de Noc because there are a lot of big smallmouth bass in that bay as well. Fish the shorelines closer to the river mouths and find rocks, sand and/or wood and you should be able to find some nice bass. There is a lot of water to fish, but once you figure it out, it is pretty crazy how many bass you can end up catching.
Fall is Known as Trophy Time
In the fall, you can find large schools of huge smallmouth bass out on the offshore structure. It isn’t always easy to find these fish when they are offshore, but if you do run into some of these schools, you can catch quite a few big bass in a short amount of time. There is so much bait in the water and these fish really bulk up before the winter, so you may run into some extremely fat fish during the this time of year.
Fish the Rivers
The rivers will hold smallmouth bass from spring through fall, but the better bite is definitely in the spring / early summer since a lot of bass will move into the rivers to spawn. The Escanaba River is a very good smallmouth bass river and you can find quality bass there from spring through fall. Spring / early summer is going to be the peak time to fish here just like the other rivers, but if you like river fishing, you can catch some nice bass in the summer and fall too.
Fish the Rocks
Early in the year, find the shallow rocks preferably with some sand mixed in and you will find some great spawning grounds for smallmouth bass. Most anglers come here to fish for walleye, so if you are here during the spawn, there is a good chance you will have some good shorelines all to yourself. Find the rocks and you should have a good chance to find some bass.
Fish the Weeds
You can find plenty of vegetation in both Little Bay de Noc and Big Bay de Noc. Once summer patterns set in, the deeper weed edges can be very productive spots for catching smallmouth bass. You will most likely find plenty of walleye, pike and perch here too, but smallmouth bass will use these deeper weed edges from summer into early fall.
Learn More About Smallmouth Bass
Our smallmouth bass section is huge with information on the best live baits, lures, where to catch them and how to catch them. Visit our smallmouth bass page to learn more.
