Smallmouth bass are available in many of the area lakes here. Dog Lake is a huge lake with lots of smallmouth water to cover. Northern Lights Lake, Whitefish Lake, Arrow Lake and Sandstone Lake are just some of the other lakes to target smallmouth bass here. Depending where you fish, you may catch a lot of them and some trophy fish are here too.
Arrow Lake
Arrow Lake is a longer, more narrow lake. Arrow Lake Provincial Park is here, which helps give people access to this lake. Anglers target walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike here.
Dog Lake
Dog Lake is a large lake with over 500 miles of shoreline. There are plenty of bays, islands and reefs to fish here for a variety of fish. The fishing is good for northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye and perch. Whitefish are here too, but they prefer very deep water. It’s a good lake for action and quality fish are possible as well.
Lake Superior / Thunder Bay
Lake Superior provides some great fishing, however, if you don’t have the right size boat, you’re going to need to look at hiring a fishing charter. There are several charters here that target salmon and trout on the bay. In addition to salmon and trout, northern pike, smallmouth bass and walleye are here too. It’s a popular summer destination, however, lots of people that don’t have a boat get to enjoy fishing the bay area in the winter when the ice is thick enough.
Northern Light Lake
Northern Light Lake is a good sized lake with plenty of depth and lots of room to fish. There are some accommodations on this lake and there are a variety of fish here. Anglers target walleye, smallmouth bass, lake trout, northern pike, perch and whitefish.
Sandstone Lake
Sandstone Lake is a deep, clear lake with good fishing opportunities for those that know how to fish clear water. Walleye, smallmouth bass, perch and whitefish are here. Many anglers report tough fishing due to the clear water, but there are plenty of fish here to catch. Just fish during low light conditions and use lighter line with fluorocarbon leaders if you want to catch fish here.
Whitefish Lake
Whitefish Lake is a decent-sized lake about an hour or so from the Thunder Bay area. It isn’t a very deep lake, which makes it easier to fish and it is home to walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass. There are some accommodations on this lake.
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.
