Category: small mouth bass

Hi Italo, hope you are doing well. We are going to lake manitouwabing end of July for the weekend. Have you ever fished this lake and if so can you give me any pointers as far as bait choices and what to look for structure wise especially for walleye and bass. Thanks in advance

Posted on June 14th, 2023

I have fished it using live minnows and caught lot’s of smaller Smallmouth Bass. I know it has good size pike but I did not target Walleye. I would suggest you fish jigs/plastic grubs or jigs tipped with a minnow or nightcrawler and fish the structure breaks off points and especially island where the water goes from 5-20′ in depth. Try anchoring right on the middle of the breaks at around 10-14′ and fish your rigs vertically just off bottom…God bless you.

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Hi Italo,On June 17th I will be fishing the Ontario Kayak Balsam Lake tournament. Can you please stear me in the right direction as to where I can find some bass. I have never fished Balsam before, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have been a fan of yours for a very long time and enjoy watching you shows and reading your articles.Cheers and tight lines! 😀Ray

Posted on June 8th, 2023

Hi Ray, Glad you have been a fan for years and enjoying out TV shows and articles. Balsam Lake has clear water and can be challenging to find good quality Bass. I would suggest that you fish around Hog Island and Hog Rock on the 8-16′ drop-off using jigs/plastic grubs and even twitching a Rapala Husky Jerk for Smallmouth Bass. It’s a large area to cover and can produce some quality Smallmouths.

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Good morning Italo and happy family day. I’ve really struggled as of late to catch bass up in the Algonquin highlands and with fishing season going to be here before you know it I’m looking for some help. These deep shield lakes (halls,big hawk,little hawk) seem to have fish 15’ deep and deeper during summer time. I really haven’t gotten confident dragging anything along bottom or fishing vertically so I fishing reaction baits a lot. Now I’ve taken a beating the last two years out there so any help I could get I’d really appreciate. God bless!

Posted on February 20th, 2023

Hi Cameron, nice to hear from you. Sorry to hear you are struggling to catch Bass in those highland, deeper-water lakes. I really enjoy fishing those same lakes since the bass are usually in the top 15′ of water and even shallower during the open-season months. I usually start by “twitching’ either a Rapala Husky Jerk #14 or the Rip Stop. I stay out about 50′ from shore and cast right up tight. I work the twitch-baits back keeping an eye for fish that come up after them. If I spot a Bass that doesn’t strike I quickly pick up a rod rigged with either a 4″ tube or a Ned jighead with a 4” soft-plastic grub or one of my favorite a “wacky-rigged” Wacky Jack bubblegum color from Fishing Compete rigged with an “O-ring” on a 1/8 oz weighted hook like a “shaky-head”. I work the area and usually get the Bass to strike.

I also like casting & retrieving crankbaits that have a tight wobble and dive down to 10′ like the Shad Rap #7 and even the Jointed Shad Rap. As you probably know Bass like to hang around in schools, especially in deeper lakes where they have limited shallower-water where they like to feed. So if you find one, you should find more in the general area…God bless you.

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Hi Italo, I enjoy bass fishing ,and was wondering if they are in the area of the large breakwall rocks along the shore line at the mouth of the port credit river,I would be fishing from a boat.I know it’s a trout and salmon area, but looking to change it up. Thanks and God Bless.

Posted on January 22nd, 2021

Hi Russ, Smallmouth Bass move into all the Lake Ontario tributary mouths in the spring and go right up the tributaries and hold in the deeper pools by July. You should be able to catch Smallmouth Bass around any of the rocky structure and if you can get inside the boat-basin where there are weeds you should also be able to catch Northern Pike & Largemouth Bass….God bless you.

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On tv this morning , the fishing pro was on Lake Michigan , and catching smallmouth bass , he says routinely weigh in at 5 to 7 pound range and we saw his catches . I thought that Northern cold water lakes dont allow this size fish , any thoughts ? The pro says that Michigan s unique habitat allow for bigger fish of all kinds . Peter

Posted on December 19th, 2020

Hi Peter, that pro was correct. Smallmouth bass don’t mind colder water and they can feed well from April – Dec. of each year. If there is a good food supply like baitfish and crayfish, they can put on weight fast. With the introduction of invasive Roundheaded Gobies, Smallmouth Bass have had a major addition to their buffet of shad, shiners and crayfish. Also, in colder water temperatures there is a decreased chance of fish picking up viruses and other ailments that can occur in more abundance in warmer waters which may decrease a Smallmouth Bass life….God bless you.

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Hi italo hows everything? Just a quick question how fast do bass grow ? Its been extremely quiet and i fish from shore, then bang this weekend hooked up a hole bunch of small mouth 6–8 in range where these born in spring? How old is good 4-5 lbs bass

Posted on September 1st, 2020

Hi Adrian, I’m good. Well done on the Smallmouth. A 3-4 lb Smallmouth in southern Ontario is probably around 5yrs old. In northern Ontario where water is colder, warm season shorter and less food for them anywhere from 6-8 yrs old. Fish with a Passion. God bless you, Italo

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Thanks for the info!Just one other question. Could you tell me where I should look for Smallmouth bass in the North end of the lake.

Posted on August 10th, 2019

Hi Don, wolcome! They will be in their summer pattern which means they will be shallow and all over the shorlines early and late in the day and then moving to the nearest deeper water between 6-12’…God bless you.

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Hi Italo, my question for you is can you recommend me a few spots within 1-2 hour drive of the gta where i can take my kayak fishing, ideally for bass, and where there will be a clean beach for my family to swim/ play in the sand, and i can row from the beach to fishing areas. I am having trouble finding a good spot as my wife does not like weedy/ muddy beaches. I have a few weeks off work, if you can suggest a few spots for us to go, that would be great. Thank you Italo!

Posted on June 30th, 2019

Hi Alex, I would suggest Crystal Beach, ON on Lake Erie. There is a nice beach area there and you can launch your boat off the beach or at the Crystal Beach boat launch. You can fish starting right at the mouth of the bay or paddle out to 15-20′ water and fish 4″ tubes along the  bottom or you can fish a drop shot rig with either a soft plastic grub, nightcrawler or leech near the bottom. You should be able to catch smallmouth bass and freshwater drum there…God bless you.

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Hi ItaloA few days ago i went to lynde shores in ajax/ whitby and tried fishing, i tried live worms from a bobber and on bottom, i tried lures, plastic frogs, wacky rig, tubes and some rapalas, i didn’t get a single bite or see any fish other than a few carp. I tried where it meets the lake and all the little spots from the top down, a total of 8 hours. I was wondering if you know anyone who has had luck there in recent years? Or if you have any current/recent info on what may be there? or is it nothing but a few carp. There is lots of bass looking cover but no bass to be found. Its a walk from my house so i am very interested. All the reports i can find online look very outdated. Thank you Italo

Posted on June 19th, 2019

Hi Ryan, sorry to hear you did not have any luck on gamefish. I used to catch smallmouth bass right in the channel where it goes into the lake and pike along the inside shorelines using a float and live minnows only fishing about 2-3′ leads. I would suggest you try fishing right in Whitby harbor. There should be freshwater drum there, some smallmouth and also some pike. Try casting a Vibrax #3 spinner and also fishing a jig/plastic grub along the bottom.

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l seen on your show today a new soft plastic bait,when you’re fishing for smallies Who is the maker of the bait..

Posted on June 9th, 2019

Hi Gerry,  I use a lot  of Lunker City Fishing soft-plastics. Not sure  which one you are referring to specifically. Best if you go to their website, click on “soft baits” and you should see it…God bless you.

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