Northern Minnesota's Bass Bonanza
By Arnie Nichols
It was a warm spring morning with no wind and the call of the loons
echoed through the stillness. The canoe
slipped quietly from the shore, through the reeds toward the outer edge of the
structure. A father was taking his son
bass fishing for the very first time.
As they glided along, the father instructed his son as to where to cast
and how to retrieve the Hula Popper. The
youngster would pop the lure and then let it sit, pop the lure and let it sit.
All of a sudden the water exploded, the Zebco screamed and the fight was
on. That was 45 years ago, on Loon Lake
just west of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, when my father and I began our outdoor
adventures together. I was "hooked" on bass fishing from then on.
Today I fish for bass on a competitive level. I have fished in local bass clubs, the Minnesota Pro/Am Bass Tour
as a professional, the Gander Mountain Pro/Am Bass Tour as a professional and I
have fished as a pro on the national level, fishing the FLW Everstart Series
Northern Division. I have fished lakes
throughout Minnesota, in Iowa, Missouri, Texas, Florida and all the way to New
York. Although I have fished some great
bodies of water, I can tell you without a doubt, we have more tremendous bass fishing
opportunities in Itasca County than anywhere I have fished.
When asked about my favorite lake in Itasca County, it is a challenge
to pick just one. Pokegama Lake, located in Grand Rapids has tremendous
largemouth and smallmouth bass. It is
common to catch 3 to 5 pound bass. I
know of an 8-pound and a 9-pound largemouth that came from this body of
water. The 9-pound largemouth was
caught by my nephew one week before bass season or would have been the new
state record. Pokegama Lake is a clear
water lake with a large variety of bass structures. You can fish points, coves, rocks, cabbage, reeds, lily pads and
wood. You can also enter the
Mississippi River via channels through big and little Jay Gould Lakes.
Deer Lake, north of Grand Rapids, is a gin clear lake, which reminds me
of Lake Erie or Lake Champlain in New York.
Deer Lake is a great smallmouth lake but you can also catch some quality
largemouth bass. With water this clear,
one needs to make long casts and use lures that look as natural to the forage
base as possible. I also like to spool
my reels with a fluorocarbon fishing line such as Berkley Vanish for most of my
clear water applications.
There are 1007 lakes in Itasca County. You can catch bass in almost
anyone of these lakes. You can fish
lakes, rivers, ponds and old mining pits.
Here are some tips and techniques I use when preparing to fish a new
lake.
PRE-TRIP PLANNING:
The first thing you want to do is get a good topographical map of the
lake with contour lines. This will help
you pinpoint likely underwater structure such as points, drop offs, inside
turns and mid-lake humps. A good map
will tell you water clarity, bottom
TACKLE SUGGESTIONS:
There are so many different rods, reels, fishing line and the variety
of tackle available is overwhelming. I
will try to simplify this area by providing you with some basic information to
help make your day on the water the most productive without having to bring the
whole store with you.
When considering what type of fishing rod/reel combo to use, you need
to consider the structure you are fishing and the lure or lures you with be
using. The most versatile bait casting
rod/reel combo would be a medium action rod either 6 ½ or 7 foot in
length. I like to use a reel with a
gear ratio of 6.2:1 for most of my applications. This is a fast retrieve reel which works great for burning a
spinner bait through the water but I can also reel it slowly when I want to
slow roll the spinner bait. This
combination is also great for crank baits, plastic worms and jerk baits. If you are fishing thick cover and want to
get the fish out in a hurry, you would want to use a heavy action rod with a
fast tip and lots of backbone. I will
spool my reels with 14 to 25 pound test Berkley XT fishing line, depending on
the structure I will be fishing. I also suggest you have a couple spinning·rod/reel
combos, 6 ½ to 7 foot in length in a medium action. One reel I would spool with 10 pound Berkley FireLine, which
works great for fishing top water· lures such as poppers. The other spinning reel I would spool with
10 to 12 pound Berkley XL. I like to use this combination for fishing small
crank baits, jig worming or finesse fishing. If you are fishing in gin clear
water you may want to use Berkley Vanish as this line virtually disappears
under water.
We all know that there are tons of tackle on the market to choose
from. When you need to travel light it
can be a huge challenge trying to decide what tackle to bring. Here are some suggestions. White, chartreuse and red (or a combination
of these colors) are my primary choices for spinner baits. I like to have both ¼ oz and ½ oz sizes for
early in the season but may go up to ¾ oz in the fall. I will have some with Colorado blades, some
with Willow Leaf blades and some with a combination of both. These colors also work well for buzz baits. I will have deep diving and shallow running
crank baits in shad or crayfish colors.
Plastic baits (worms, craws and tubes) in green pumpkin, watermelon,
june bug and red shad colors are all great for any body of water you are
fishing. I like to use a 3/0 Gamakatsu
hook and a brass worm weight when fishing a Texas rig. You will also want to have a variety of jigs
for fishing thick cover or wood. Both ¼
and ½ oz lures will be sufficient for most
applications. Key color choices would
be black/blue, crawdad, green pumpkin and watermelon. With these basic lure selections you will have everything you
need to fish any structure you encounter.
Now that you have reviewed your lake map, made your tackle selections
and have your rods ready to go it's time to layout your game plan. Your plan needs to be developed around what
time of year you will be fishing but more specifically, what the bass are doing
at that time. Another factor to
consider is weather patterns such as cold fronts, wind velocity, wind direction
and is it sunny or cloudy. So lets look
at the potential location of bass given the time of year you will be fishing.
When the water temperature reaches 45 to 55 degrees most bass will be
in the pre-spawn phase. Northern shorelines and bays with dark bottoms warm up
first so look here for the first concentration of fish. They will be staging on points or drop offs
next to or near spawning areas. Good
search baits are spinner baits, swimming jigs, rattle traps and crank
baits. The key is to cover a lot of
water to locate active fish. Once you
locate fish, you can slow down and try for the less active fish.
SPAWN:
When the water reaches the mid 60's, the majority of females will be on
beds. Spawning areas are generally
flats with a sandy/gravel make up. Find
clumps of weeds, rocks or wood in these areas and chances are there will be a
bed next to the structure. Once the
water reaches about 65 degrees, the female has about one week to carry the eggs
before they hatch. A 4 or 5 pound bass
is considered the most successful spawner in terms of egg viability. The female may lay 4,000 to 6,000 eggs every
two week for a six-week period. A male
may have up to 40,000 offspring to protect.
If you do catch fish during this period, it is important to release them
as soon as possible. Remember, not all
bass spawn at the same time and when the spring is cooler than normal, spawning
can last for several additional weeks or even months. Last summer, I actually saw spawning smallmouth the last weekend
of July while fishing on Trout Lake in Coleraine which is just east of Grand
Rapids, MN.
POST -SPAWN:
After the spawn, bass will move to the outside of the flat and bunch up
on points close to deep water.
Generally, when the water reaches around 70 degrees, bass are in a
post-spawn phase. The males guard the
fry until the fry move off on their own.
The male will then look for food in the shallows, as he hasn't been
eating much while guarding the nest. There is an abundance of food in the
shallows, so the males will stay in the spawning flats before they move to
their summer homes in deeper water. As
the water warms and the female's metabolism returns to normal, she will begin
to feed. You can find these fish in
deeper water and they are generally in their summer-like patterns.
Early in spring, you will want to start out fishing with smaller lures
and gradually increase the size as the water warms and the season
progresses. After the spawn, strikes
are once again triggered by hunger and reflex action. Use lures such as worms, jig and pig combos, or suspending
baits. During cold-water periods, I
like to use suspending jerk baits such as the Husky Jerk by Rapala. This is a tremendous lure for smallmouth
bass in the spring. I have also had
great success using top water lures such as Zara Spooks or poppers. The key to remember during cold-water
periods is to use smaller baits and work them slow. In some cases, you will want to let the lure sit with no movement
at all. I recall fishing a bass
tournament on Wabana Lake just north of Grand Rapids. The only way I could get the smallmouth to bite was to cast out
with a Berkley power bait and let it sit for as long as two to three
minutes. If the fish did not take the
lure, I would move it forward about two to three inches and then let it sit
again. In most cases, you would see
your line moving as the fish swims away with your bait. Watch your line closely because if you wait
too long, the fish may swallow your bait.
If this happens and you want to release the fish, cut the line above the
lure. The hook will dissolve in a
couple of days.
Bass are much more active during warm water periods. During the summer, when the water is warm, a
bass's metabolic rate is high. They
digest food faster, use energy faster and therefore must eat more often. You will want to find areas that hold a lot
of bait, which in turn will hold bass.
A large flat with a variety of cover such as weeds, rocks and wood is an
excellent place to start. You will also
want to check, inside turns, mid lake humps, points and the vast variety of
shoreline structure. Structures such as
reeds, lily pads, wood and rocks. Look
for structures that are close to deep water.
Start by throwing search baits such as a spinner bait, a rattletrap or a
crank bait. Don't forget to try buzz
baits or other top water lures during low light conditions.
Once the weed growth has reached the surface of the water it becomes
easier to locate potential hot spots within the larger structure. If you locate a large lily pad field or a
large weed bed, look for open areas within the main structure. These are an indication that there is
something different about the bottom makeup.
The "hole" could represent a rock, a stump, a deeper hole or a
sandy spot within the weeds. You should
always check these areas out. Start by
fishing a surface lure over the open area.
If you do not get a blowup, switch to a worm or jig and pig combo. Cast beyond the opening and drag your lure
to the clearing. If there is a fish
there, you'll soon find out. You will
also want to fish any points or inside turns along the outside of the weed
edge. If the fish are not on the
outside edge or all you are catching is northern pike, move to the inside weed
edge. The inside edge pattern is best when you are fishing low light
conditions. During bright sunny days,
bass will position themselves in shady spots and ambush prey as it swims
by. I look for thick clumps of weeds,
trees or logs in the water. These are
all good ambush spots.
As the season progresses, the size of your bait should increase also.
In the fall I like to fish a Berkley 12" power bait. I have had tremendous luck catching big bass
with this lure. I will also use bigger
spinner baits such as a half or three quarter ounce lure. These larger lures tend to work the best in
warmer weather. If a cold front comes
through, bass are not going to aggressively chase a bait. You will want to slow your presentation down
to a crawl. You may also want to
decrease the size of your offering after a cold front comes through. Many times I have had to drop down to a
4-inch Berkley power worm or a 2-inch power grub on a mushroom head jig. This is also a great choice for springtime fishing
when the water is cooler or when fish are less active.
If you use some of these tips, you will definitely increase the number of bass you catch on an unfamiliar lake. Versatility is the key factor when looking for some great bass action. If you are not getting bit in the first 15 to 20 minutes, move to another area. Change the lure size or color as well as your retrieve. If you catch one or two fish on a point, you can bet that there are more bass in this area. When they stop biting, change your bait and give them something new to look at. If you want to use live bait for bass fishing there are several to consider. Minnows such as shiners or suckers work well. You can fish these under a float around cover such as pads, cabbage or even next to docks. I have caught bass using live frogs, grass hoppers and night crawlers. No matter what your choice of bait is, you can find tons of hungry bass in the Grand Rapids area, ready to take your offering and give you a fight you will not soon forget.
