Smallmouth Bass Fishing

My 12 year old daughter landed her first smallmouth bass and it was a pretty nice one. Unfortunately, this one was hooked deep, as you can see. Although, I will say that "she" (I'm talkin' about the fish here) swam away when we released her and, hopefully, she is still swimming around out there somewhere in the Bay.

If you decide to give Grand Traverse Bay a try, not only can you expect to have a great fishing experience but you can expect beautiful scenery as well as lots of activities for the entire family. Traverse City Michigan offers about anything you can imagine. Fishing, hiking, canoeing, camping, boating, and sailing just to name a few. The shore of Lake Michigan is just a short drive away where you can find lots parks and sand dunes. You can also stop at one of the many wineries that you will find along the way and enjoy some wine tasting.

Back to fishing. One thing that amazed me was the limited amount of boat traffic that we encountered while we were there. During our last visit to Grand Traverse Bay, which was a calm, sunny day in late July, we pulled into the boat launch area on West Bay only to find 1 other rig in the parking lot. I could not believe it. I am guessing that the parking lot will accommodate 30+ rigs. It seemed like we had the whole bay to ourselves. It was awesome...paradise found!

- A medium action spinning rod and reel loaded with 6 or 8 lbs. test line
- A medium action bait casting rod and reel loaded with 8 or 10 lbs test line (optional)
- A few lures
- A landing net (not required but highly recommended)
- polarized sun glasses
- camera

Rods and Reels

I use a combination 6 1/2 foot medium action Berkley rod with a Shimano Sedona 2500 reel loaded with 6 lbs test Berkley Trilene line.

I use a combination 6 1/2 foot Quantum Tenacity rod and reel loaded with 10 lbs test Berkley Trilene.

Lures

- Jig heads 3/16 and 1/4 ounce.
- Spinnerbaits. 3/8 or 1/2 ounce War Eagles in white/chartruese.
- Jerk Baits. Rapala X - Rap or Husky Jerk
- Soft plastics. Eerie Darters and Wooly Bugs. Anything that looks like a crawdad or minnow.
- Tubes. Any kind as long as they are brown or watermelon.

All of the above lures will produce fish, but I found the most productive lure to be the Wooly Bug on a 3/16 ounce jig head.

Grand Traverse Bay, West side.

As we were driving along the coast of Grand Traverse Bay, which is beautiful by the way, my daughter made the comment "look Dad, the water is 3 different colors, brown, green, and dark blue." I said "yes it is." I thought that this was pretty observant coming from an 8 year old. The different colors are transition area's. The water near the shore is shallow and brown. The shallow water between 0 and 5 or 6 feet deep has a lot of sand, gravel, and rocks which gives it a brown color. As you move out farther from shore you will see a transition area where the water seems to change colors to green usually between 3 and 6 feet. This is the drop off where the gravel and rock shoals end, the water gets deeper, and the bottom becomes softer. A lot of times you will see weeds in this area. These areas are great places to start fishing. Anytime you have weeds and rocks in close proximity there is a good chance that smallmouth bass will be hangin' around. As you move even farther out from shore you will find another transition where the water seems to change colors from green to dark blue. This is another drop off and the water is usually between 8 and 12 feet deep. This is the drop off that seems to drop into oblivion. We're talkin' 30 to 50+ feet. This drop off, edge, transition area, break, or whatever you like to call it is a great place to fish also. You will find weed beds galore and a lot of times you will just find fish cruising along this break even if there doesn't seem to be a lot of cover/weeds. You will also find isolated weed patches and rocks in between the transition area's. These isolated weed patches and rocks can be very productive as well.

In summary, I would like to say concentrate on the edges of the transition area's as well as the isolated rocks and weed beds in between the transition area's. Make long casts with a spinnerbait or jerk bait and make sure you bump the rocks or weeds on the retrieve. If the spinnerbait or jerk bait isn't producing make a long cast with a soft plastic or tube bait on a jig head. The strikes are usually very subtle when using tubes or soft plastics so if you feel a slight pull or something feels different than normal, set the hook and hang on. If you have never done battle with a 3 or 4 lbs smallmouth bass on light tackle I can tell you, you are missing out. This is why I recommend bringing your net if go to Grand Traverse Bay. It is a definite adrenaline rush.

Photo courtesy of Google Images, Grand Traverse Bay Real Estate.

You don't need a big water boat (I don't own one) out on Grand Traverse Bay but it can get rough out there. Please keep an eye on the weather forecast and take the necessary precautions. Another amazing thing about Grand Traverse Bay is that you don't necessarily have to make a long run to find fish. You can if you want too, after all that is part of the fun, but you can literally start fishing as soon as you launch your boat. We have had some of our best success in the harbor where the boat launch is on West Bay. In fact, the biggest smallmouth bass that I have ever landed (a 4.99 lbs brute) was caught 200 - 300 yards from the boat ramp and only 50 - 100 yards from shore.

If you do decide to make a long run, as I mentioned before, be careful. Stay out in the dark blue water if you are on plane. There are lots of rocks, shoals, etc. out there and they seem to come out of no where if you are moving fast. The water is so clear and the depth can be very deceiving. Keep an eye on your depth finder if you have one and stay in the dark blue water. I know a guy that busted up the lower unit of his 200 hp Mercury pretty bad by not following this simple tip... This type of incident could definitely ruin a nice vacation or fishing trip.

Stuff can and will happen so be prepared. Follow all the safety rules, laws, and regulations. Expect the unexpected. Bring a camera.

Enough of that, let's get back to fishing. I mentioned expect the unexpected. Another, and perhaps unexpected bonus that you can expect while fishing on Grand Traverse Bay is that not only are there smallmouth bass roaming around, but carp, salmon, steelhead, and northern pike, just to name a few, can be found roaming around out there as well. You just never know when one of these bonus fish will strike your lure so be ready and bring a net. On a trip to West Bay in July of 2008, I was fishing with a friend who landed a beautiful steelhead while we were smallmouth bass fishing. This was exciting to say the least. Unfortunately, we did not bring a camera...

This is a picture of a friend who caught a 5+ lbs. smallmouth bass while fishing on Grand Traverse Bay.

Okay, I'll ask again. Where is the best place to go smallmouth bass fishing? I can honestly say that I don't know. I am certain that there are 100's if not 1,000's of great places to catch smallmouth bass. However, if you are looking for a place that has unlimited activies for the family and great fishing opportunities with a chance at a trophy smallmouth bass, as well as, a bonus steelhead, salmon, or northern pike, then Grand Traverse Bay, near Traverse City Michigan, gets my #1 vote.

More links and other info. coming soon!

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