Smallmouth Grub Fishing

Catching smallmouth bass a treat from a kayak

Anglers rarely get free transportation. But at the moment, Schultz was getting nudged northeast by a significant something on his line.

The transportive force revealed itself in due course. As it knifed through the gin-clear water, dark stripes showed on its side.

Then the fish broke the surface, shaking its head and walking on its tail.

After another minute, Schultz worked the 4-pound smallmouth bass to boat side. In another few seconds, it was released.

Many of the angler-friendly features of Schultz's 17-foot kayak were obvious, including rod holders and tackle bags.

But the advantages of having a foot-controlled rudder were becoming more apparent.

"There's no fish in the world like a smallmouth," Schultz said, smiling from beneath his double-billed hat. "And no better way to fish for them than in a kayak."

Schultz, 59, began making regular fishing trips to Door County in 1995. He has logged about 150 days on the water here since then, with an average catch of more than 25 smallies a day.

Door County has long been a popular vacation and fishing destination. It was once listed by Money magazine as a top 10 vacation destination in North America.

And in the angling world, the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan offer an unsurpassed variety of fishing for smallmouth bass, walleye, musky, trout and salmon.

From the flats in Sturgeon Bay to the harbors on Washington Island, most of it is very high-quality smallmouth water.

Scott Hansen, Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist in Sturgeon Bay, said the smallmouth population of Door County waters is looking as strong as ever.

"We had some concerns with VHS fish disease and the influx of round gobies," Hansen said. "But our surveys in recent years are very encouraging."

Hansen said the DNR has conducted traditional fisheries assessments as well as some new surveys to track smallmouth populations.

Many feared the gobies, known to raid nests and eat fish eggs, would significantly harm smallmouth reproduction.

But fall snorkeling surveys have found good numbers of 3- and 4-inch young-of-the-year smallmouth in Little Sturgeon Bay, for example. And though gobies have been in the area for at least five years, the number of 2- to 5-year-old smallmouth found on surveys remains excellent. Smallmouth appear to be making the best of the invasive species: Gobies are now a common forage for the bass.

Some VHS-positive smallmouth have been documented in Door County. But the condition of the population overall is very good, Hansen said, and no large die-offs have been observed.

Fat Boy's Outdoors: Finessing Largemouth Bass

I really try to be a versatile angler when I'm bass fishing.  I usually start off using bass fishing tactics that are fun and also have the ability to find fish fast and put big fish in the livewell.  I always say, "I love the buzzbait and topwater bite", or "There's nothing like a spinnerbait bait", or "I love the way those bass slam those lipless crankbaits".  Yeah, I love that stuff.  However, when the fish aren't active and refuse those offerings, there's only so much beating the water unproductively that I'll do before I go to my " go to" finesse wormin'.  I have so much confidence in finesse worming techniques that I could reduce the amount of tackle weight that I bring to the boat by literally bringing only a handful of plastics and terminal tackle to do the job, and I can do that on just about any day of the year.  Sometimes I get mad at myself for almost being narrow minded and catching fish the way that I always do. My logic is that they're biting and I'm putting fish in the boat, why change?  Then, while I'm catching fish, I think that maybe there's something else that would work even better?  So, I pick up another rod rigged with a spinnerbait or jig and give it another whirl and put down the rod with a set up that's working and change to a power presentation just because I want to catch fish on something else.  If fish don't hit, then I question why am I beating the water with something that's not productive, especially when I know I would be catching fish the other way!  I guess it's kind of a nice problem to have, huh??? One of my goals yesterday was to pitch jigs and catch fish with my new fathers day present (flippin rod and reel). Well, I met half the goal and got some pitchin' in, but didn't get a fish on it. I think that cold front conditions, clear water, and that we were fishing lots of areas that were devoid of the type of cover you'd like to pitch to contributed to that.  I'm satisfied that I gave it a good effort. I know that big fish tactics like that pay off as they have for me in the past, but yesterday it was not to be.  We made several passes down a particular productive lake shoreline, found fish and knew they were there.  Each time we worked that stretch of shoreline we caught fish while finesse fishing, but other normally productive techniques didn't even draw a strike.  This is how finesse fishing techniques for bass can really make your day when fish just seem that they don't want to bite your usual stuff.

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