SMALL AND LARGEMOUTH BASS
If you want some of the continent’s hottest action for Smallmouth Bass then a visit to Lake of the Woods is in order. Pound for pound, there is no better fighting fish, so get ready for lots of wild jumping action. Smallmouth Bass prefer warmer rocky areas with lots of shoals and reefs. You can catch smallmouth with the same tackle you use at home, but local favorites include tube jigs and small crank or spinner baits.
Largemouth Bass are plentiful as well. Using a variety of spinner baits or your favorite crank baits, look for largemouth bass among fallen timber or in heavy vegetation near a deep drop off. Both species of bass live longer and grow more slowly in Lake of the Woods as we are at the very northern end of their range in North America.
TACKLE
Floating Rapalas and Rebels
Black backs with silver or gold sides. Use the silver in clear water and the gold in muddier water.
Floating jigs
LOCATION
SPRING
Spawning time. Fish the rocky shorelines with a shallow sandy bottom. In order to facilitate a healthier spawn, bass fishing is catch and release only during the month on June.
SUMMER
The Bass come back into the shallows. Fish are on the shallow reefs which taper off slowly with sandy or sand patches on the bottom. The shorelines with sandy bottoms and slightly weedy patches are also good places to look.
FALL
Start at 10-12 feet and work to deeper water. Fish off reefs and points using a jig and minnow, just like Walleye fishing. The bass will end up with the Walleye at about 30 feet and deeper later in the fall.
