Nortrhern Smallmouth, where to ??

[Bleed Blue]

I have been to St Clair for the 4 years, 5th visit coming in a couple of weeks. Looking for new scenery for 2025. We spend 3 days on the water using a guide each. Any recommendations or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

[NW.Ind.Basser]

Sturgeon Bay is supposed to be fantastic. Lake Champlain should be on everyone's bucket list

[yanknbass]

Thousand Islands and Lake Ontario, Lake Erie.

[Phoenix Jim]

We go every May to rainy lake Canada and catch over 100 smallmouth a day. Awesome trip every year!

[BassinB]

Rainy lake

[jdwo2212]

Another vote for sturgeon bay. I do pretty well when there in the spring!

[castforcash]

Depends on what you're after?!? Numbers or 5 and 6 pounders with a chance at a 7? I'm almost to the point that I don't enjoy LSC anymore. I'm 55 and been fishing it since I was 5. It is getting ridiculous with how crowded it is. As I (we) age, we tend to get a little smarter and change a little. I would personally rather go somewhere with little pressure, beautiful scenery, and 50 to 100 fish days of 2 to 3 pound smallies. Rainey or Georgian Bay will be a trip I make sometime soon and I live a quarter mile from LSC, closest launch is 2 miles. I also want to go to Champlain and 1,000 islands just for the scenery.

[tcesni]

Rainy Lake or if you are more adventurous go for the BWCA/Quetico.

[BigDaddyBassNJ]

Champlain

[Fireball]

One of the few places that you can catch size and numbers in Lake Erie near Buffalo. If you need a guide let me know.

[MikeF]

We go every May to rainy lake Canada and catch over 100 smallmouth a day. Awesome trip every year!

What time frame in May?

Thanks

[MI bassassassin]

Depends on what you're after?!? Numbers or 5 and 6 pounders with a chance at a 7? I'm almost to the point that I don't enjoy LSC anymore. I'm 55 and been fishing it since I was 5. It is getting ridiculous with how crowded it is. As I (we) age, we tend to get a little smarter and change a little. I would personally rather go somewhere with little pressure, beautiful scenery, and 50 to 100 fish days of 2 to 3 pound smallies. Rainey or Georgian Bay will be a trip I make sometime soon and I live a quarter mile from LSC, closest launch is 2 miles. I also want to go to Champlain and 1,000 islands just for the scenery.

My son was out in the U.P. yesterday fishing for his month long kayak tournament and caught over a 100 smallmouth and his best 5 went for 104” and 29.5lbs and the best part was there wasn’t another boat on the water. We’re lucky with northern Michigan being a smallmouth Mecca and very scenic.

[Phoenix Jim]

What time frame in May?

Thanks

we time it to right after ice out

[Bass Cat Boats]

It all depends on what your looking for.

Sturgeon Bay is just beautiful, and Little Sturgeon is hidden around the corner. For you and your bride, as a couples trip, the Door County area is almost unbeatable. It has cultural shopping, a bit of nostalgia, the cherry industry, crafts, wines, cheeses and more. Ramps all along to coast of Lake Michigan that can put you on either side if the weather allows it. Tucked away communities with ea.tries catering to both local and visitor flavors. Even a drive in movie theatre if you want.

Thousand Islands or Sackets Harbor present a similar vibe for tourists and angler trips. The Saint Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Chaumont Bay and others give you plenty of access points. A trip over the Canadian border to Gananoque was a good day stop for visitors, if CoVid hasn’t changed that. The battle history at Sackets Harbor is pretty neat and the coast of Ontario has all sorts of 1812 history. Plus you can slip out to islands, or stay in the harbor if it blows.

Champlain is one everyone brings up, then there are smaller retreats dotting the eastern coast like with lake like Winnipesaukee. And there are several you can mix in on a eastern coast run for multiple stops.

There are lots of spots in Washington and Idaho border area that are gems like Coeur de’Alene, Priest, and Pend O’, then there’s the Columbia River.

Then you have all sorts of large waters in ND, SD areas that offer great variation from your norm. Or you can jump over the border to Minnesota and Leech, Winni’, or Mille Lacs are handy.

Last, Fort Peck comes to mind as a destination. It’s not for the tourism aspect, just a smallmouth fishing hot spot.

There’s you some options as we trekked the country chasing anglers, events and markets.

[basscatlildave]

I've only been north one time BUT Thousand Islands was awesome.

[AndrewM-Fishing]

If you are willing to hop the border... Lake Simcoe is absolutely fantastic.

https://joefordfishing.com/lake-simcoe

[paul40269]

St. Lawrence is one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see, and it's loaded with big smallmouth.

[castforcash]

My son was out in the U.P. yesterday fishing for his month long kayak tournament and caught over a 100 smallmouth and his best 5 went for 104” and 29.5lbs and the best part was there wasn’t another boat on the water. We’re lucky with northern Michigan being a smallmouth Mecca and very scenic.

And that's rare that we have open water fishing this early in da U.P. I need to get back to Drummond one of these years.

[MNJ]

Depends on what you're after?!? Numbers or 5 and 6 pounders with a chance at a 7? I'm almost to the point that I don't enjoy LSC anymore. I'm 55 and been fishing it since I was 5. It is getting ridiculous with how crowded it is. As I (we) age, we tend to get a little smarter and change a little. I would personally rather go somewhere with little pressure, beautiful scenery, and 50 to 100 fish days of 2 to 3 pound smallies. Rainey or Georgian Bay will be a trip I make sometime soon and I live a quarter mile from LSC, closest launch is 2 miles. I also want to go to Champlain and 1,000 islands just for the scenery.

I agree with this completely. It is nice to have some seclusion when on vacation. Ive gone up to the thousand islands the last six years and seen it go from hardly seeing a bass boat on a given day to hardly being able to get a parking place at the ramps anymore. i sure hope the pressure doesnt have a negative effect on that fishery.

[MI bassassassin]

And that's rare that we have open water fishing this early in da U.P. I need to get back to Drummond one of these years.

Agreed, have you ever been to Hardy Dam the first couple weeks of May, it’s one of my favorites for lower Michigan and very scenic? The bonus is there’s a fair amount of state land around with morels.