Detroit Lakes Smallmouth

[syndrome_34]

I live in Fargo and I am headed back down to Detroit Lakes this Friday and I am thinking about trying to get into some smallmouth. I have been a largemouth fisherman my whole life and I need some advice. What's a good lake for the smallies? What am I looking at as far as presentation? I mainly throw spinnerbaits, jigs, cranks, and soft plastics. But since I moved up here I haven't even accidentally caught a smallmouth The only time I have ever been smallmouth fishing is in Northern Wisconsin and we were throwing nightcrawlers on cribs so it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

[STEVE81]

While i have never been to the Detroit Lakes, I am starting to get the hang of this smallmouth fishing. I would imagine that these lakes have good visibility so there's two ways that I attack smallmouth. The first is by burning baits like jerkbaits (hard and soft though a hard jerkbait is probably better this time of year), crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. Smallies love a chartruse spinnerbait with painted blades for some reason.

The next way is to finesse them. I only go this route if the speed technique doesn't work. In this type of fishing, all you really need is a tube jig in any color that is natural for the lake and a drop shot.

This time of year, I would try flats close to deep water in the first half of the creeks and start working my way back. Kinda sounds like largemouth fishing, huh?

For both techniques, it vital to stay off of the fish and make a long cast to them. Its fun to see the fish but really frustrating when you watch them swim by your bait. If you make a long cast to to them, they will crush it because they don't know you are there.

Good luck on your trip!

BTW, there's tons of great smallmouth fishing in ND. I don't know if there is around the Fargo area but there's a ton within an hour or two of Bismark. If you ever feel like getting up this way or even anywehere near Bismark, hit me up. I'd be more than happy to show you around.

[GetReel]

There are supposedly some good smallie lakes in the DL area, although, I have had a tough time fishing them this year. I've traveled to the cities, (Minneapolis) Alexandria, Brainerd... All with the same outcome, start fishing smallies and end up fishing largies. I did hear that on Cormorant lake some guys were fishing walleye on a drop off and slaughtering the smallies, vertical jigging a 4" sucker minnow... Nothing but 15" and bigger and they were hammering them. I hardly ever fish that lake so I haven't gone at all.
This is just what I heard from my buddie who was told that by a very reliably customer of his.