The Best Smallmouth Bass Fishing Is In Chequamegon Bay
Mike Yurk
There was the slightest tick on my line when I set the hook. There wasn’t any movement at first, but I could feel thumping against the line. Then the fish exploded, tearing off. My spinning rod was bent double as the fish raced away. I yelled to Doug that I had a big fish. Dropping his spinning rod, he grabbed the net.
Mike Yurk holds the first fish of the day caught at Chequamegon Bay, a 20-inch smallmouth bass.
Doug Hurd is getting ready to release another typical Chequamegon Bay smallie.
Any sinking plastic worm, fished either wacky style or Texas rig with white worked the best.
Smallmouth bass never give up, even when they are in the net.
The drag on the reel whined as the fish pulled off line. I stopped the fish, turning it back toward the boat but only for an instant before it bolted off again. The fish made a couple more runs, but each time I was able to get it closer to the boat. Finally, I had the fish alongside the boat, and as I tried to get it closer so Doug could net the fish, it pulled away.
“It’s a tank,” Doug said. We could see in the clear water the bronze color and football shape of a large smallmouth bass.
I pulled back on the spinning rod. The fish was closer and dove off as the net got near. After a couple more dives, Doug finally got the net under the fish. Pulling up, he was able to drag the fish into the net.
It was the first fish we caught on our long weekend of smallmouth bass fishing on Chequamegon Bay in northern Wisconsin. The fish measured 20 inches. It has always amazed me that sometimes the biggest fish strike the lightest.
Doug Hurd of Eagan, Minnesota, and I left early in the morning from my home in Hudson, Wisconsin, traveling north. We got to Ashland about noon to find the surface of Chequamegon Bay flat. We have made this trip for several years in late spring and never saw the water this calm before. With little wind, clear blue skies and few clouds, the temperatures were in the mid-70s.
Chequamegon Bay is a deep bay coming off of Lake Superior. Ashland is on the lower southeast corner at the back of the bay. Ashland is ground zero for some of the best smallmouth bass fishing on the planet. These waters hold enormous numbers of incredibly big smallies. It is truly a trophy smallmouth bass fishery.
We launched our boat at the landing east of Ashland, heading out into the bay to meet the rest of the group. Jerry Davis from Balsam, Wisconsin, was in his boat and his son, John, from Eagan, Minnesota, was in another boat with his fishing buddy, Ryan Sewell of Apple Valley, Minnesota.
White Is The Right Color
John reported fishing had been slow in the morning but just started to pick up in the afternoon. They tried a number of different baits from jerk baits to plastics, finding plastic worms with some white in them were working best. Water temperatures were in the mid-60s, and they were seeing the first signs of bass on spawning beds.
Doug and I drifted around, fishing from five feet to just a couple of feet as we looked for fish. We eventually found our fish in shallow water, in some cases no more than two feet in depth. Even in that shallow water there is lots of old timber, broken off the old logging rafts, blown into shore by winds from years ago, which has since become prime cover for the smallmouth bass.
We both were fishing 5-inch sinking worms. Doug fished his baits wacky style and mine were Texas rigged. As the day went on, we both were catching fish and didn’t notice any one style more effective than the other. We both were using worms laminated half white with light or dark green colors. Throughout the weekend we noticed any worm worked as long as it had some white in it.
Smallies On Back-To-Back Casts
It was late afternoon and the wind picked up moderately, creating only a ripple on the water. It remained warm and we continued to fish shallow water. Doug pulled back on his rod and the rod tip was plunging. He had a fish! Reeling in my line, I dropped my spinning rod and reached for the net. The fish made a couple of runs, but Doug successfully turned the fish each time and slowly was getting the fish back toward the boat. The fish was putting on the bulldog, never-give-up type of fight we expect from smallmouth bass.
At the boat, the fish dove several times, escaping the net until Doug finally was able to lead the fish into the net. Doug reached in, extracting the fish. It was a 16-inch smallie. Twisting out the hook, Doug slid the fish back into the water. I moved to the rear of the boat, reached down for my spinning rod and was about to make a cast when I heard Doug yell he had another fish.
“It struck just as the bait hit the water,” Doug yelled.
The fish flipped out of water, clearing the surface by a couple of feet. In addition to putting up a strong fight they are known for their aerobatics. Sometime it seems they spend as much time out of water once they are hooked than they do in the water. Like all smallies they fight to the very end and even after netting as they thrash around in the mesh. This fish was no exception. It was about a smallie, about 15-inches and the first fish caught in back-to-back casts for the weekend.
A couple hours later, as the sun was sliding into the western side of the lake, Doug and I headed for the landing. It remained warm all afternoon long and what little wind we had earlier dropped off, again making the surface of the bay glass-like calm. Doug and I had 20 bass ranging from 14 to 20 inches. There was a lot of big fish and a good start to the weekend.
More Good Fishing
Once back in Ashland we met the rest of our group at the Breakwater Restaurant for dinner. While we were eating Jerry mentioned he had seen a lot of bass on beds but it didn’t look like they were spawning yet. We all commented on the fact that many of the big fish were full of spawn and several had marks on their tales from fanning out spawning beds. Ryan had the biggest fish of the day, a 21-inch smallmouth bass. He mentioned it looked like it was swollen with spawn.
If water temperatures remain in the mid-60s, it is only a matter of a few days before the bass will be spawning. The smallies will stay in the shallows for a couple weeks, at least, to complete spawning. Once they complete spawning they move to deeper water staying in breaks in the 10- to 15- foot depths. They will stay there all summer into the fall. Here, crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, and jigs work well.
It was dark by the time we left the restaurant. Overhead the moon was a yellow ball in the inky black skies. The full moon was upon us with the omen of better fishing. If you are looking for the best in trophy smallmouth bass fishing, Chequamegon Bay is the place to be.
Mike Yurk holds the first fish of the day caught at Chequamegon Bay, a 20-inch smallmouth bass.
Author’s notes: There are numerous motels in Ashland with a wide variety of prices and amenities. Doing a Google search for motels in Ashland will give you a complete list. There are two bait shops in Ashland which are happy to provide current information on where and on what the fish are hitting. They are River Rock Inn & Bait (715.682-3232) and Anglers All
(715.682.5754).
Editors Note: Mike Yurk’s column is sponsored by Warner’s Dock in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Warner’s Dock is the premier marine dealer in northwestern Wisconsin. They have a complete supply of new and used boats, motors, and trailers as well as other marine supplies plus a complete maintenance staff for all your boating needs. They can be contacted through their website at warnersdock.com or by telephone at 888.222.3625.