Michigan has some very good smallmouth bass destinations that are featured in the Lake Huron section. In some of these areas, the better smallmouth bass fishing will be on Lake Huron, while for some of these destinations, you have the option to fish the big lake, but it’s the inland lakes nearby that truly stand out for the bass fishing. You can catch good numbers of smallmouth bass plus some very big smallmouth bass can be caught at many of the destinations listed below.
| Alpena, MI | Mackinaw City, MI |
| Cheboygan, MI | Presque Isle, MI |
| Drummond Island | Saginaw Bay |
| Les Cheneaux Islands |
Destinations in the United States
Alpena, MI
Alpena is a smaller city in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It’s an important city in this part of the state as it serves as the commercial hub to this part of the state. Sitting on the shores of Thunder Bay, this area has some fishing charters available and plenty to do if you like getting outside and enjoying the outdoors.
Cheboygan, MI
Cheboygan is a city located at the mouth of the Cheboygan River on Lake Huron. Where the Cheboygan River and Lake Huron connect sits a community far and away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Located on the picturesque Straits of Mackinac, Cheboygan is the gateway to the famous “Inland Waterway” – a navigable series of waterways encompassing three rivers and three lakes and 42 miles of inland boating pleasure. From the mouth of the Cheboygan River into Lake Huron, you are a leisurely boat ride away from Bois Blanc Island and Mackinac Island. It’s a beautiful area known for its outdoor recreation.
Drummond Island
Drummond Island is very unique island in the Upper Peninsula. This island is home to one of the largest closed loop trail systems for off road – ATV / ORV exploration in the United States. If you like the outdoors, you will find plenty to do around the island. Combine that with some great food, excellent fishing and numerous places to stay and you can see why people enjoy coming to Drummond Island. Anglers fish for salmon, trout, perch, northern pike, smallmouth bass, whitefish and other species of fish in the waters that surround Drummond Island.
Les Cheneaux Islands
The Les Cheneaux Islands are home to the villages of Cedarville and Hessel. Located on the shores of Lake Huron and close to lakes Michigan and Superior, this area has great fishing, miles of beaches, small town charm and much more. This area gives anglers so many options with all of the water that is here. Fish the many channels or open water for salmon, trout, perch, northern pike, smallmouth bass, whitefish and other species of fish.
Mackinaw City, MI
Mackinaw City is located on the “Straits of Mackinac.” The Mackinaw Area offers an abundance of things to do for the entire family. This is a beautiful area and a popular summer vacation destination for many families.
Presque Isle, MI
Presque Isle is a small city located on the shores of Lake Huron in Presque Isle County, Michigan. This area is known for its outdoor recreation. The population of the county is around 13,000 people, so this is not a big tourism destination, but you can definitely find plenty of amenities to make your vacation a good one. If you’re looking to find some place to fish away from other boaters, you can definitely find that in this area as well.
Anglers have quite a few options in the area. There are some very good inland lakes to fish for a variety of fish to go along with some good salmon and trout fishing on Lake Huron. The inland lakes are known for their smallmouth bass fishing, but you can also catch walleye, northern pike, panfish and more.
Saginaw Bay
Saginaw Bay is a bay within Lake Huron located on the eastern side of Michigan. It forms the space between Michigan’s Thumb region and the rest of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Saginaw Bay is a large, shallow bay covering more than 1,100 square miles. It is one of the most popular bodies of water in the U.S. to fish for walleye. The bay consists of two bays; the inner bay and the outer bay. The inner bay has a lot of good fishing spots and is home to some outstanding walleye fishing.
Destinations in Ontario
On Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the North Shore are excellent places to be if you want to target smallmouth bass. The smallmouth bass fishery is very good in Georgian Bay for large numbers of fish and big fish too. There are so many good destinations as well, so you have to take a look below to learn more about all these awesome places to fish for smallmouth bass.
North Georgian Bay
French River
The French River system is home to some incredible fishing. Many anglers come here to target the walleye, bass or huge muskie. You can find pretty much everything in here. To go along with walleye and muskie, you will also find northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, perch, sturgeon, catfish and sunfish too. Many anglers come here just to fish the French River, but for the anglers who are coming to fish Lake Nipissing, it’s always nice to have the river as an option when you get windy days.
Killarney
Located on Georgian Bay at the entrance to the famous North Channel, Killarney is part of a world renowned cruising and sailing destination. The Killarney Provincial Park is here and the park draws outdoor enthusiasts from all over. For anglers, there is some excellent fishing in this area. With a lot of protected water, you can find plenty of places to fish even if the wind picks up. Killarney Bay and the area waters are home to some excellent northern pike and smallmouth bass fishing. Walleye, muskie, largemouth bass and panfish are here too.
Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is a huge island in Georgian Bay that is made up of a bunch of small communities. If you enjoy the outdoors and being around water, you would enjoy some time on Manitoulin Island. The fishing is very good around the island and you have a lot of options as far as accommodations go.
Anglers can fish the lakes on the island, along the shorelines of the island or out around the island in a boat. Lake Manitou and Lake Kagawong get a lot of attention inland. Along the shorelines and out in the boat around the island, anglers catch largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, lake trout, rainbow trout, salmon, northern pike, muskie and perch.
Whitefish Falls / Birch Island
The towns of Whitefish Falls & Birch Island give anglers quick access to one of the most protected areas of the lake. You are close to so many good fishing spots just a short boat ride away. It is one of the better areas of the lake to come with a smaller boat as well, however, a bigger boat will give you a lot more options if you want to hit more productive spots. Anglers fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie and panfish.
Central Georgian Bay
Bayfield Inlet
Bayfield Inlet gives you access to some awesome fishing spots around so many islands, in bays, in channels, around rocks and weeds for a variety of fish. Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie and panfish in this part of the bay. There aren’t a ton of businesses here, but there is enough for you to experience an awesome fishing vacation. It is one of the better parts of the bay to fish.
Franklin Island Area
The Franklin Island area is a very large area to fish. There are some smaller towns in this area that give you access to the excellent fishing here. Brooks Landing, Dillon, Wawanaisa, Snug Harbor and Snug Haven will give you quick access to the area’s waters. Anglers fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskie, walleye and panfish in the area waters.
Parry Sound Region
The Parry Sound Region is one of the best destinations on the Georgian Bay for anglers. There is so many others things to do here besides fishing, so it’s an awesome vacation destination for the entire family. If you enjoy fishing, this area is just flat out awesome. You have plenty of places to fish in protected waters, so even if the wind blows, you can find a place to fish. Anglers catch largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, lake trout and more in this part of the bay.
There are also so many other awesome places to fish in the many lakes in this area. Most of them have very good fishing for largemouth bass and northern pike. Some lakes will have smallmouth bass, walleye, lake trout and panfish too.
Pointe au Baril
This part of Georgian Bay is very protected, so you can fish here with a smaller boat on most days and be just fine. With a bigger boat, you have a lot more options here. Fish the long channels, numerous bays and islands and you really don’t have to venture all the way out to the open waters of the bay to catch fish. Stay in the protected waters and fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie and panfish.
South Georgian Bay
Midland
The town of Midland is located on the southern shore of Georgian Bay, just a 90 minute drive from Toronto. Overlooking Severn Sound, the area is part of the 30,000 islands. The bay here has a lot of good weed growth and it attracts lots of northern pike. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are caught in the bay as well. You have access to many other bays and islands to fish just a short boat ride away from Midland where you can target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskie and more.
Honey Harbour
On the southeastern shores of Georgian Bay, just off Highway 400, lies Honey Harbour. This is a busy port community during the summer months. Honey Harbour gives you access to the 30,000 islands region. You will see plenty of boaters here, but there are so many good fishing spots to fish that you should be able to find some spots to have all to yourself. This area has so many bays and islands to fish here that you can easily find a place to fish even on windy days. Anglers catch northern pike, walleye, muskie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish too. Good numbers of fish are available with trophy fish too.
Penetanguishene
Located on the southern shores of Georgian Bay, Penetanguishene is a part of the magnificent 30,000 island region. The long bay is not too far from all the islands that offer such excellent fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskie, walleye and more. Closer to Penetanguishene, anglers catch a lot of northern pike and bass in the bay.
Bruce Peninsula
The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula that separates the Georgian Bay from Lake Huron’s main basin. The entire peninsula and the nearby communities to the south along Lake Huron are located in Bruce County, Ontario. This area is a popular tourist destination for people who enjoy the outdoors. It is a huge area that is home to 2 national parks, campgrounds, hiking trails and excellent fishing.
Anglers have so many options with lots of protected areas on both sides of the peninsula, tons of inland lakes, some excellent offshore fishing out on the main lake basin of Lake Huron and in Georgian Bay and an excellent river for steelhead. Anglers target salmon, trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, perch and more.
Visit our Bruce Peninsula Fishing page to learn more.
North Channel
The North Channel is the body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron that is west of Georgian Bay. Most of the North Channel destinations that we feature are listed on the Ontario side while Drummond Island is the lone destination featured on the U.S. side of the channel. You can catch so many species of fish in the north channel including salmon, trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, perch, whitefish and more.
| Algoma Mills & Blind River | Manitoulin Island |
| Bruce Mines | Spanish |
| Drummond Island | Thessalon |
Algoma Mills & Blind River
Algoma Mills and Blind River are two smaller towns on the north shore of Georgian Bay. There aren’t a ton of places to stay here, but there are enough places to accommodate you if you want to visit this part of the bay. You have a lot of options here with some good inland lakes to fish, easy access to deeper water out in the bay and more protected waters to fish around the many islands here too. You can catch just about everything in this area with salmon and trout farther out in the bay, walleye, northern pike, muskie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish around the numerous bays and islands.
Bruce Mines
Bruce Mines is a small town located on the north shores of Lake Huron in the Algoma District. This part of Lake Huron is known as the North Channel. The population is small with less than 1,000 people. Anglers have access to the area waters and the fishing can be very good out of this area.
Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is a huge island in Georgian Bay that is made up of a bunch of small communities. If you enjoy the outdoors and being around water, you would enjoy some time on Manitoulin Island. The fishing is very good around the island and you have a lot of options as far as accommodations go.
Anglers can fish the lakes on the island, along the shorelines of the island or out around the island in a boat. Lake Manitou and Lake Kagawong get a lot of attention inland. Along the shorelines and out in the boat around the island, anglers catch largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, lake trout, rainbow trout, salmon, northern pike, muskie and perch.
Spanish
Spanish is a small town on the north end of Georgian Bay. The town has a good location for those who want to fish this part of the lake. You have the mouth of the Spanish River and the bay here and it is just a short boat ride to so many islands and bays and you can find a lot of good spots to fish on windy days too. There are a couple of resorts here and a marina. Anglers fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie and panfish.
Thessalon
Thessalon is a small, unique town that is located at the junction of Highway 17 and Highway 129 on the north shore of Lake Huron. This part of Lake Huron is known as the North Channel. It is known for its beautiful beaches, small town shops and outdoor adventures. Fishing is very popular in the area as anglers have lots of options whether they want to stay close to shore to target bass, walleye and pike or go offshore to chase after salmon and trout.