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Smallmouth Bass Fishing:
We are located in the heart of Smallmouth Country. Smallmouth Bass are located throughout the lake systems in Ontario, which are south of the Arctic Watershed. As you go farther north their average size gets smaller because of the shorter growing season and the availability of food. We are just a bit more than an hour's drive from the border and as a result some of the biggest Smallmouth Bass in Ontario have been taken on our lakes.
The Clearwater Lake / Pipestone Lake chain of lakes are rocky Canadian Shield lakes, which are water-filled scrapes in the Earth caused by glaciers during the last ice age. This resulted in erratic shapes and lots of rocky rubble on the bottom, which hides crayfish, leeches, bugs and minnows. This is the prime habitat for Smallmouth Bass and we have 70 miles of it. Along our water system are countless islands, shoals, rocky points, rock ledges and fields of big boulders on the bottom with weeds growing up in between. Smallmouth Bass are virtually everywhere and many times they share their habitat with Walleyes and Pike so you never know what you are going to catch.
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There are three Smallmouth Bass fishing scenarios on our lakes. Smaller bass in the ½ to 2-pound range generally stick together in hunting packs. When you come across one of these schools you can experience non-stop action. Second, Smallmouth Bass in the 2 to 4-pound range will not travel in tight packs but will share a shoal or rocky point so casting in all directions and covering the whole shoal should produce a couple of nice bass. The bigger bass tend to stay on the opposite side of the shoal from where the waves are coming from.
The third scenario is for big Trophy Smallmouth Bass in the 5 to 7 pound range. The big bass are usually older, smarter and travel in mating pairs and can be hard to find. When you find a spot that looks good for Smallmouth and you are not catching anything it could mean a big Muskie or Pike has moved into the area or there is a big pair of Smallmouth Bass and they have been spooked. What you want to do is leave for a half hour and then quietly come back as to not spook them. If you still don't catch a big bass, pull out one of the Muskie and Pike lures.
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It's impossible to predict how many bass you will catch in a day. If you concentrate on areas with lots of smaller bass you could catch between 50 and 80 on a good day. If you keep moving to look for bigger bass, you should catch a couple in a day that are up around 4 pounds and maybe even a 5-pounder. Gigantic Smallmouth Bass over 5 pounds are in the lake but they are hard to catch because they are smart. There is a good population of Smallmouth in the 5 to 7-pound range and during the summer a couple of lucky guests will catch one close to 8 pounds.
Smallmouth Bass already have a reputation for being the hardest fighting fish pound for pound. Many guests comment that our Smallmouth Bass fight even harder. We think the Smallmouth have evolved in our lakes to be extra aggressive because of all the predators and competition for food. It does not matter what kind of Bass fishing you are used to; you will have a blast reeling in bass after bass on the Clearwater Lake / Pipestone Lake chain of lakes.
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If Smallmouth Bass fishing is your focus while at Clearwater Lodge, we definitely recommend you take one of your days and take a short walk into one of our Portage lakes or Smallmouth Bass factories we like to call them. It isn't uncommon for over a 100 Smallies to be caught in under 4 hours. All catch and release in these portage lakes preserves that non stop action that kids and adults love.
Best Smallmouth Lures for Lakes:
Crankbaits, for scanning larger areas of water and locating fish.
Spinnerbaits, same use as crankbaits but can also be fairly weedless.
Topwater/Stickbaits, for when smallmouth can be seen breaking the surface in pursuit of baitfish.
Jigs/Tube Baits, always a great choice for smallmouth! Many anglers switch to these when they have located schooling fish with a crank or spinnerbait.
Best Smallmouth Baits & Lures for Rivers:
Small jigs, such as marabou or grubs tend to work wonders for stream smallmouth.
In-line spinners, such as the roostertail are great for finding fish much like the crankbait in more open water
life-like small plastics, these can be found at many tackle retailers and actively try to mimic small nymphs and crustaceans.
Small suspending or sinking minnow baits, such as a sinking Rapala, work better in moving water as they can be allowed to sink in the current.
Smallmouth Bass Galleries:
2010 Smallmouth Bass Fishing Photos
2009 & Older Smallmouth Bass Fishing Photos
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