Being from middle Tennessee, I was introduced to many diverse fisheries in my younger years. This area of the country has long been known for great smallmouth bass fishing, as it should be, but in my opinion it can’t compare to the smallmouth fishing in the Great Lakes region right now. I am certainly not bashing the smallmouth fishing down south, but fishing the Elite Series allows me to see some of the best lakes in the country, and the “good ole days” of smallmouth bass fishing on the Great Lakes is right now.
Flowing out of Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River is one of my favorites on our schedule because it fishes similar to the rivers back home. The river has a lot of current, which positions the fish. The water is clear, and you can catch smallmouth from 2 feet deep all the way out to 60 feet.
The St. Lawrence is absolutely full of smallmouth, and 30- to 40-fish days are just another day on the water. In addition to the fishing, the area is also just an awesome place to spend time. Waddington, NY, which is our host city when we go, is in very rural part of New York with lots of cropland and cattle farms. If you’ve not visited this fishery, I strongly suggest you do.
Lake St. Clair is on fire right now. The final Elite Series tournament of the regular season was held there this year, and overall bass weights were absolutely phenomenal. The big smallmouth of the tournament weighed almost 7 pounds.
In the past, tournaments on St. Clair were won by guys who ran to Lake Erie or Lake Huron, but not anymore. It seems now that St. Clair is the place to be. The style of fishing is different than most smallmouth destinations. Lake St. Clair is just a big bowl-shaped lake with a shipping channel running through the middle of it. That’s about the only real contour change on the whole lake. The big keys are looking for clean spots in the grass and finding bait. If that doesn’t fit your style, you can run up the river toward Huron or down the Detroit River toward Erie. Both rivers have plenty of current and plenty of smallmouth.
After fishing a tournament on Lake Champlain this year, it is my new favorite lake in the country. The smallmouth fishing is phenomenal, and you can catch big largemouth, too. The smallmouth hang out on offshore shoals, old bridge blow-throughs and rocky structure around the shoreline. If you get tired of catching them, there is an abundance of milfoil, docks and reeds where largemouth bass are willing and ready to bite. Lake Champlain, in my opinion, has the healthiest population of bass of anywhere I have ever fished, and that makes it fun, period. Plattsburg, NY is a great place to visit, as well, with lots of cool sites to see.
If you make one of these trips, be sure you’re prepared with the right MHX rods, Mustad hooks and Vicious fishing line. Hit Brandon up on Facebook or Instagram with any questions.