BOOK EXCERPT—- Hawaii– sun, sand beaches, sea breezes, snorkeling, palm trees and tourists everywhere, right? For that reason it was never high on my list of “must see” places… until I discovered Hawaiian jungle smallmouth. Hawaii. Sun, sand beaches, sea breezes, snorkeling, palm trees… and tourists everywhere. These jewels in the Pacific sure have plenty […]
BOOK EXCERPT– This wasn’t good. I was coughing and spitting water, and I could see blood—mine– below the surface… Let’s start at the beginning. It was late summer on Lake Michigan years ago. My wife and I had reached the lake shore via a little county road in Hiawatha National Forest. From there we tossed […]
North America’s largest bodies of water, the Great Lakes are difficult to imagine if you haven’t seen them. Like freshwater oceans, they encompass tens of millions of acres with far distant shorelines invisible to the eye. For smallie fans used to little meandering rivers, you might think a body of water like Lake Michigan sounds […]
In fishing there’s no such thing as “Fall.” There are actually 3 different falls. “FALL FISHING FRENZY! SUPER FALL ACTION!” Over the decades, I’ve seen a multitude of magazine articles with titles like these, raving about fall smallmouth bass fishing. And it’s true. At times, fall can offer some of the most spectacular fishing of […]
Every year dozens of brand-new critters flood the tackle shops and catalogs. But small finesse worms often outperform many of the newer baits. During the past decade there’s been an explosion of soft plastic baits. Every year it seems that dozens of brand-new critters in every size, shape and color imaginable flood the tackle shops […]
Using some simple techniques and looking for certain things you can still enjoy productive smallmouth bass fishing. One of the most challenging situations for the smallmouth bass fisherman is when streams and rivers get low and extremely clear. The hot, dry days of summer can take their toll, causing stream flows to drop off significantly. […]
In prime smallmouth bass hotspots, it’s often best to fish on foot, to thoroughly cover the area and cast to all the active smallies. Many anglers truly enjoy wade fishing, too, includng fly folks coming from stream trout backgrounds. But on bigger smallmouth streams, floating by watercraft is often the best way to really cover […]
Rocks and smallmouth bass . . . they go together like lily pads and bluegills, right? Not necessarily. While rivers generally need lots of rock to have high numbers of smallies, river sections with only a little rock can have more big smallmouth bass than many realize. There are a couple key reasons why some […]
Great Fishing! This probably seems like a no-brainer. But it’s true. A lot of places beyond your home waters offer truly high quality angling, with plenty of big fish and/or high numbers of smallmouth. Some may say they don’t care about fish sizes, but it’s the rare fella who doesn’t get awfully excited when they […]
With just a rod, some lures, and a set of legs you can head out and fish. This is truly simplified angling. It was a warm July afternoon and I was waist deep in a gravel-bottomed stream. The warm water felt good, since wet wading is a little like swimming while you’re fishing. More important, […]
