Smallmouth bass are very under fished on Lake Nipissing, but they are here in good numbers and big fish are available too. You have plenty of areas to fish for smallmouth bass without having to go out in the main lake. On good weather days, you can go out on the main lake and fish all the rock piles, shoals and reefs. You have a lot of options for smallmouth here, especially if you fish the west end of the lake.
Catch Lots of Smallmouth Bass
There are a lot of smallmouth bass on the lake. If you go out and target them exclusively, you can catch good numbers of them. Obviously the wind can play a huge factor on how many spots you can comfortably fish, but on good weather days, it is common for some anglers to have 20 to 30 bass days out here.
Catch Big Smallmouth Bass
Lake Nipissing is a large lake with a great forage base for all fish and the smallmouth bass can get very big here. Anglers routinely catch bass in the 2 to 3 pound range with bigger fish in the 4, 5 and even 6 pound range being fairly common on the lake.
East End of the Lake
This part of the lake is more open, so expect bigger waves, especially if you are fishing the offshore structure. Early in the year, you’ll find plenty of smallmouth bass closer to shore, but once the summer pattern sets in, you’re going to have a lot more success by fishing the offshore structure in this part of the lake. There are a bunch of rock piles and reefs to fish. With a good map, you can fish a lot of these spots and catch a lot of bass.
West End of the Lake
The west end of the lake offers so many more productive spots to fish without having to worry about big waves. Fish all the bays, points and islands and you’ll run into plenty of smallmouth bass.
Fish the Bays
There are numerous bays throughout the lake and many smallmouth bass can be found in these bays early in the year. From summer through fall, more smallmouth bass will be found on the offshore structure, but you still may find some bass in the bays too, so don’t rule them out. On Lake Nipissing, you can catch a lot of smallmouth bass around the pencil reeds too, so don’t look for just rocks in the bays.
Fish the Islands
There are so many islands to fish on this lake, especially on the west end. Fish the rocks, weeds and better drop-offs around these islands and you’ll find plenty of bass. The wind can definitely play a role in what side of the island you will find the bass, so when the wind picks up a little bit, you may want to fish the wind-blown side of these islands.
Fish the Points
The points will hold plenty of bass too. Whether these are main-lake shoreline points or points off of islands, you have plenty of points to fish. The points with some vegetation, rocks, a nicer drop-off or some wind blowing into it will hold some bass. From spring through fall, points are a great spot to fish for smallmouth bass.
Fish Offshore Structure
There are a lot of offshore rocks on Lake Nipissing and they hold a lot of fish. Many anglers will fish this structure for walleye and perch, but the smallmouth bass are here in good numbers from summer through fall.
Fish the Rocks
Smallmouth bass love rocks and you have a lot of rock to fish on Lake Nipissing. Fish the points or rocky shorelines around the islands and you’ll find some bass. In the summer and fall, the offshore structure with rock piles, shoals and reefs will be very productive too.
Fish the Weeds
The weeds will hold some smallmouth bass on Lake Nipissing, so don’t look for just rocks here. The pencil reeds tend to hold a lot of smallmouth bass and you’ll probably catch some largemouth bass and pike around these types of weeds too. The deeper weed lines can be productive from summer through fall.
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.
