Whose got the biggest and best smallmouth fishing in the Great Lakes? - The Hull Truth

SEASWIRL PAUL · 03-06-2008, 09:21 AM

I personally fish for smallies on lake Erie on the u.s side. I find the fishing for bass challenging at best. But, I HEAR that Pelee Island in Canada is the place to be.

How do the other great lakes compare to Erie in terms of smallmouth?

Paul

tamos46 · 03-06-2008, 09:47 AM

I have fished for smallmouth for years on lake erie. We used to launch from Lampey's (spelling) and head for Shades beach. Lot of days catching 30-40 smallmouth apiece. Now we fish out of Ashtabula, Ohio. The smallmouth don't seem as plentyfull but on a good day we get 15-20. Mostly fish for walleye now and their pretty easy to get.

Erieangler · 03-06-2008, 10:49 AM

I think lake Erie is definitly #1 with lake St Clair being a close second. We usually catch some when we are targeting Walleye, and the size is above average compared to the other lakes.

Brad1 · 03-06-2008, 10:58 AM

Quote:

tamos46 - 3/6/2008 11:47 AM I have fished for smallmouth for years on lake erie. We used to launch from Lampey's (spelling) and head for Shades beach. Lot of days catching 30-40 smallmouth apiece. Now we fish out of Ashtabula, Ohio. The smallmouth don't seem as plentyfull but on a good day we get 15-20. Mostly fish for walleye now and their pretty easy to get.

I fish for smallies exactlywhere tamos46 is talking about. Launch at Lampe, and it's about a 10 mile ride up to shades beach. The smallie fishing is great. 20 inchers are not rare. As a matter of fact, Pennsylvania started a new regulation roughly 10 to 12 years ago that only pertains to the waters of Lake Erie. It's called the Trophy season. It allows you to keep one 20+ inch smallmouth before the actual bass season starts. They did this because people were catching would be records before the season started. A few years back I checked the PA Fish Commision website and they have a chart for each species of fish, which lists the 15 largest of the given species, caught (and reported) in the past year. In the chart for smallmouth bass, 14 of the 15 were caught in Lake Erie and in the month of May. I always catch the big ones in May.

tamos46, you might see me launching out your way this summer for Walleye. I launched out of there once (at ARU) back when I kept my boat at Geneva-on-the-lake, Ohio. The last couple years I've been launching at Lampe and running over to the waters off of walnut and elk creeks, butI'm thinking about starting to do the Geneva-on-the-lake thing again this year.

CarpetBagger · 03-06-2008, 12:18 PM

Add another to that list Brad1....

I've fished shades from the cribs to shorewood and that is a very very nice drift or anchor point...On a calm day you can see how loaded the area is with smallies! Live bait and pitching tubes is a blast...You can do very good around the clay banks from walnut creek all the way down to conneaut...

Im more of a walleye fanatic in the area, but its always fun to catch smallies for a day or so....

Dwain · 03-06-2008, 02:09 PM

Long Point on Lake Erie has excellent bass fishing. Rondeau Bay is suppose to have great Bass fishing, but I have never fished there.

SEASWIRL PAUL · 03-07-2008, 10:28 AM

Thanks guys for the info. Anyone fish canada either Pelee or Red or Lake of the Woods or Mille Lacs?

Is the fishin up there worth the drive in the summer?

Thanks in advance.

Paul

Dwain · 03-07-2008, 12:09 PM

Lake of the Woods is suppose to be fantastic fishing. Went there a few years to visit and not fish. Great for bass, walleye and giant muskie. Beautiful area.

GhostShip · 03-07-2008, 12:25 PM

Quote:

SEASWIRL PAUL - Is the fishin up there worth the drive in the summer?

The fishing's GREAT, or at least it was a few years back. Ear Falls area is cool. Take-home numbers are really low.

Oh......IF you're going be sure that no one in your party has had a DUI within the last 10 years. It's a "turn-around-at-the-boarder" IF your "flagged".

greylion · 03-07-2008, 12:50 PM

Quote:

SEASWIRL PAUL - 3/7/2008 11:28 AM

Thanks guys for the info. Anyone fish canada either Pelee or Red or Lake of the Woods or Mille Lacs?

Is the fishin up there worth the drive in the summer?

Thanks in advance.

Paul

I'm going Muskie fishing on LOTW in late August, been at this same resort before and the fishing is fantastic and the area is wilderness, just beautiful. Bill Sandy is one of the best Muskie guides up there.

http://www.blackhawkislandcamp.com/index.htm

RBallou · 03-11-2008, 08:29 AM

Has anyone had good success in catching small mouth bass in the Cleveland area? If so, where and how?

SEASWIRL PAUL · 03-13-2008, 08:40 AM

I have tried the reefs just outside of the breakwall, and the ones off the gold coast. Didn't get any bass but got some giant SHEEPHEAD on the tubes.

But, that could just be the fact that this was summertime and not early spring when I think bass would be at their peak.

I couldn't imagine not getting large and smallmouth using jerkbaits around the extensive inner harbor area of C- Town.

If I get out and try this spring I'll post here. Paul

RBallou · 03-14-2008, 06:54 AM

Seaswirl Paul,

Do you think that the Lakewood Reefs hold any smallmouth bass?

SEASWIRL PAUL · 03-19-2008, 07:05 AM

Yes, I do. But I think you will do better around Avon Point about 12 miles to the west of those reefs. I've done well there when you get a nice east to west drift.

That point and areas to the west and east hold good bass. Way better than the puny lakewood reef. Plus there is a launch there.

Watch the weather though theres no place to hide out of Avon. And the weather can switch in an instant there. Paul