Smallmouth bass fishing in Door County is some of the best in the country. The waters around Door County are loaded with 2 to 3 pound fish and bass in the 4 to 5 pound range are common too.
Catch Trophy Smallmouth Bass
There have been lots of reports of smallmouth bass in the 6 to 7 pound range in recent years. Some of the fishing tournaments out of Sturgeon Bay will have anglers weigh in 5 bass and all of the bass are over 4 pounds. The fishing can be absolutely amazing up here if you’re looking to catch a big smallmouth bass.
Sturgeon Bay Area
Sturgeon Bay is definitely one of the better places to fish, if not the best place to target smallmouth bass in Door County. If you can get up here in the spring, you can literally see hundreds of smallmouth bass in 2 to 6 feet of water if you know where to go. If you’re fortunate enough to have a faster boat, you can cover a lot of water and if you can find the hot spots, you really do have a shot to catch 50 or more bass in a day. If you miss the spawn, don’t expect to have big days like this unless you know how to find smallmouth bass on deep water structure. It is still possible though to catch 20 to 50 bass in a day when they are deep.
Heading Up North
Some of the other parts of Door County that offer some very good smallmouth bass fishing are Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim, Sister Bay, Washington Island and Rowleys Bay. There is a good chance that if you find rocky shorelines or some offshore structure that has rocks in the 8 to 20 foot depths you should be able to find some smallmouth bass. This goes for anywhere in Door County.
Use Light Line
Lighter line will also help entice more bites in the crystal clear waters of Door County. 4 to 8 pound fluorocarbon line will definitely get more bites. Just make sure to not hoarse in big bass when using the lighter line. You are not going to win that battle. When using light line, it may take some patience to bring a big 5 to 6 pound bass to the boat.
Fish the Bays
The bays in the Door County area will fish more like smaller lakes. Even the smaller bays are fairly big here and so many smallmouth bass will move into these bays in the spring and early summer. Some bays will hold smallmouth bass throughout the summer and into the fall as well, however, the spring and early summer bite is what makes Door County such a popular smallmouth bass destination.
Fish the Islands
There are some islands throughout the Door County area and the islands will hold fish. The Sister Islands and Washington Island are the most popular islands to target smallmouth bass here.
Fish the Points
There are some large points that are good spots to target smallmouth bass. Fish the rocks and along the drop-offs around these points and you’ll have success from spring through fall.
Fish the Reefs
The reefs are great spots to fish for walleye, but they are also great spots for smallmouth bass too. Once the spawn is over, the reefs will usually hold quality smallmouth bass from summer through fall. You can find lots of offshore structure in the Door County area. Some of the places you may want to fish are Larsons Reef, Sherwood Point Shoal, Monument Shoal, Dunlap Reef, Hanover Shoal, Horseshoe Reefs, Sister Shoals and Sister Islands.
Fish the Rocks
Door County has tons of rocks and smallmouth bass love the rocky areas that will usually hold plenty of gobies, which have become their primary food source. In the spring through early summer, you will usually find the better fishing in the shallower areas where you can find a rock and sand mixture. From summer through fall, the areas with mostly rock will usually be better than the rocky / sand areas that are so good in the spring.
Fish the Wind Blown Structure
With how big this area is, the wind plays a huge role in the fishing here. The wind can move large amounts of water and change water temperatures drastically. On days with little wind, it may not be much of a factor, however, on windy days, it can greatly affect where the smallmouth bass will be found in offshore waters. If you have a big enough boat to cover some water out here, try fishing the offshore structure that has wind blowing into it and you will most likely find some quality smallmouth bass. This is more of a summer and fall fishing technique. In the spring, you are better off targeting smallmouth bass in the bays.
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.
