FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Lake of the Woods  –  Trip of a Lifetime

Lake of the Woods Smallmouth

I got this question from Billy Ray, and I will do my best to help him and his group out.  It is a big one and requires a little more than a one word answer. (Like I can stop at one word anyway.)

Stumble across your site looking for information on Smallmouth Lake of Woods and really like your articles, very enjoyable reading thank you.
My Church group is making a Fishing trip the 3rd week of June to Sioux Narrows Ont.
Will be fishing at the head of long Bay in the Yellow Girl Bay area. What can you tell me about Smallmouth fishing in this area? What would recommend we throw and any suggestions. Is this in the approximately of Black Bear Bay that you have mention in previous articles? This is our first time in this part of LOW and any tips would be greatly appreciated.
To serve others is to serve Him
Bill Ray

First lets talk about lures.  It is really important that you consider the group, their abilities, and the equipment they will be using.  The thing that makes LOW what it is is the great variety of fish.  A trip there, as you know if you have been there, easily includes smallmouth, walleye, pike, and muskie.   So first lets consider lures.

                                                  Bear Bay smallmouth.

There is no way shape or form I would be caught dead on LOW without several Rapala Husky Jerks.  It catches smallmouth to beat the band, and everything else that swims.  The model I prefer is the smaller 3 hook, which I believe is #12, and also the next smaller size which is the 2 hook model 10.  Be sure you look them over to get the right size.  And we like any color, as long as it is the GOLD!  And as you can see above the fish on the right was caught on a Smithwick Suspending Rogue, which also works fine.  They like the Red Bream color, last trip it was the hot bait on several lakes we fished.

Clyde with a Bear Bay flyrod smallmouth caught on a popper.

Not being sure what equipment your folks will use, it needs to be thrown on at least a 12# test, again because it catches everything else in the lake.  And a wire leader, it can be a light one, is mandatory unless you like giving them up to toothy critters.  Now this bait is a jerk bait, and that is exactly what you do.  Throw it out there and jerk it under, let it sit as it will suspend, jerk it, let it sit, all the way to the boat, there is usually no doubt when you get a bite.  But I can not stress enough, take at least 2 or you might live to regret it.

And as far as topwater goes I would not want to forget 2 types of topwater.  First is a popper like a PopR or the Rapala Skitter Pop.  Easy to fish, fun to fish, this may be the easiest topwater to use as it is real apparent when you get a bite.  Like when it disappears in a toilet flush!  And to go along with that, a topwater Bagley Bang O Lure minnow in the 5 1/2″ is a sure fire killer.

The channel at the mouth of Bear Bay.

After those baits there are several options, again depending on skill level and tackle.  So lets talk about an easy bait.  One of the most popular baits up there, and down south, is a wacky rigged senko or stick worm.  It truly is a do nothing bait, just toss it out there, let it sink, and then twitch it, stop it, and hold on.  Green pumpkin is very popular, and I like watermelon red.  If you shop a little you will find that there are several brands that sell that do nothing stick worm, and  you can find bags of 8 or 10 for around $3 or $4.  Trust me in this department buying the more expensive ones get you nothing, they all work.  One of the problems is they get torn up but there is a way to minimize that by buying some O rings that fit them nice and tight, placing them in the middle of the worm, and putting your hook through there.   A weedless hook is an option but not a necessity.  It can be fished on everything from a push button Zebco to a $300 Shimano by all skill levels.  And of course tube jigs have been a staple on smallmouth there so are an option.

If you have some “fishermen” in the group with good equipment a buzzbait is great, and fun to fish.  White or chartreuse is fine, you just need a little faster retrieve reel.  And one bait that has appeared on the scene the last couple of years is the Whooper Plopper, a totally different hard bait style of buzzbait.  It is expensive but it catches big smallmouth, along with some ridiculous massive strikes from muskie and pike.

The entrance to Bear Bay.

Bear Bay is one of the greatest fishing spots on the face of this earth, and I really mean that.  The 3 times I have been there it was smallmouth, smallmouth, and more smallmouth.  Isolated and pristine, it is not only great fishing, it is an adventure to get there.  It is about a 50 minute run launching from Sioux Narrows.  Now please take this with a grain of salt – I do not have a clue how to get there.  We followed Clyde the first time and the other trips we had it on the GPS.  It is near Yellow Girl, and can be found on a map, it is actually close to a main channel marker.  The opening is small and easily missed but it is well worth the trip.  So the best I can tell you is find it on the map near Yellow Girl Bay.

My bucket list Muskie from Lake of the Woods.

And when you go in be careful, idle slowly as you pass through a couple of really shallow shoals until it opens into Bear Bay.  And there is a spot where I have seen folks cooking shore lunch on the left as you come in, if your group makes a day of it.  Really, between the 2 boats on past trips we caught a couple of hundred (And that is conservative!)  smallies a day.  It is not that large, I would call it a large pond or small lake, not a great place for a bunch of boats, but there is the smaller lake on the way in that also has largemouth and pike.

I hope this in some small way helps you out.  If you have any more questions please let me know.  And if you can, drop us a note and let us know how your trip goes.  I will not make it this year as there are other trips in the works, but just writing about it has me wanting to hitch up the boat and get on the road.  Have a great trip!

Good Luck and Tight Lines