The smallmouth bass fishing is good on these lakes. They aren’t the primary fish, however, if you choose to target them, there are enough rocky areas that will hold them and you can pick off a few fish here and there and you just have to keep hitting some of those similar spots. Smallmouth bass love the rocks, so find the rocks and you’ll find some smallmouth bass mixed in here too.
Shallow Water Fishing
Wabigoon and Dinorwic Lakes are really shallow compared to many of the other popular drive to fishing lakes in Ontario. Combine that with the murky water and you will find a lot of fish much shallower here compared to other lakes.
If you want to stay shallow, you can target smallmouth bass from spring through fall in 10 feet of water or less. There will still be plenty of smallmouth bass that go deeper, especially during the middle of the summer, but there are a lot of fish that stay shallow here all season long.
Murky Water Presentations
The water is murky here on Wabigoon and Dinorwic lakes and because of that, you can have a lot more success by using brighter lures or jigheads depending on if you are fishing with artificial lures or live bait. Smallmouth bass have done well in these murky lakes, but don’t be shocked if you have a lot of bass that bite short when you are using faster lures. Brighten your baits up and slow down at times to give them a chance to see your baits and eat them.
Fish the Bays
There are plenty of bays to fish on these two lakes and you will find a lot of smallmouth bass in the bays early in the year. Once mid-summer rolls around, a lot of bass will move out of the bays and onto the main lake rocky shorelines, points and islands. Find the rocks in the bays early in the season and you can catch a lot of quality fish.
Fish the Islands
You have a lot of islands to fish and smallmouth bass like to use these islands during the fishing season. In the summer and fall, bass can often be found along the shorelines around these islands.
Fish the Points
Smallmouth bass love ambushing their prey around the points and there are a lot of points here to fish. Because of the stained water and rock hazards that you can’t see, many anglers will not run point to point to target smallies. Once you are familiar with the waters here and more comfortable running around the lake, you can fish the points and pick off a few bass here or there and end up catching decent numbers of them by the end of the day.
Fish Rock Humps
There are a lot of rocks on Wabigoon and Dinorwic, so you have to be careful with the stained water. You will need good electronics to help you find some of these offshore rock humps. The fishing can be very good on these spots from summer through fall.
Fish the Shorelines
The shorelines can be very productive all season long, which is a little weird for bigger Canadian lakes. On most bigger lakes, the better bite will be away from shore during the summer and fall for smallmouth bass, but here, you can work the shorelines and catch a lot of bass all season long.
Fish the Weeds
Weeds are usually not the better pattern for targeting smallmouth bass on a lake with a lot of rocks, but you will find some smallmouth bass around the weeds too. Areas with some weeds and rocks will usually hold some smallmouth bass.
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.
