On many of the lakes here, the largemouth bass fishery will be much better, but that doesn’t mean the smallmouth bass fishing won’t also be excellent. It is tough to beat Big Rideau Lake on the Rideau Chain, but there are plenty of other very good smallmouth bass lakes too.
Rideau Chain of Lakes
The Rideau Chain of Lakes is a series of lakes that are connected from the Rideau Canal. The bass fishing on these lakes is flat out awesome for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. The northern pike fishing is very good for numbers as well with some big fish. Panfish such as perch, bluegill, crappie and rock bass are found throughout the area lakes. Walleye and lake trout are here in limited numbers.
Learn more on our Rideau Chain of Lakes Fishing page.
Frontenac Provincial Park
Anglers have lots of options here if they are up for a little adventure. With canoe routes through 22 lakes and over 100 km of looped backpacking and hiking trails, there are so many places to explore. In the lakes throughout the park, you may catch largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, northern pike, lake trout, brook trout and perch.
https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/frontenac
Bass Lake
Bass Lake is a smaller lake very close to Big Rideau Lake. It has a resort and a campground on the lake, but no public boat launch. If you want to fish this lake, you will have to go through the businesses here. The fishing is good on Bass Lake for smallmouth bass and northern pike.
Bob’s Lake
Bob’s Lake is a large lake with tons of awesome fishing spots. There are so many bays, points and islands to fish for a variety of species. The lake has lots of largemouth bass and northern pike to go along with smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, perch, rock bass and bluegill.
Charleston Lake
Charleston Lake is a good fishing lake and it is part of the Charleston Lake Provincial Park. Many people come here to fish, hike, canoe or just enjoy the outdoors. Anglers can target lake trout, smallmouth bass, northern pike, crappie and perch.
https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/charlestonlake
Loughborough Lake
Loughborough Lake is a good bass lake with northern pike and lake trout too. It’s a long lake with over 20 miles of shorelines to fish. Anglers usually come here for the excellent bass fishing. Largemouth bass dominate here and can be found in the shallows around all of the vegetation. Smallmouth bass are usually found in the deeper water along with lake trout.
Lower Beverley Lake & Upper Beverly Lake
These two lakes are located close to some of the better lakes on the Rideau Chain of Lakes. Lower Beverley Lake is considered the better fishing lake of the two. Both lakes have largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike. Largemouth bass are the primary species of fish here.
Other Lakes in the Area
There are so many more lakes in this area that offer good fishing beyond the bigger, more popular lakes. Most of the smaller lakes will have largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, but largemouth bass will usually be the primary species of fish. Northern pike, lake trout and a variety of panfish will usually be found in these lakes too. If you want to come here and do some exploring on the smaller lakes, make sure to bring a small boat to drop in because some lakes will have boat launches and others won’t.
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.
