Finding Smallies on Big Water

Fishing deep northern lakes for smallmouth can present the proverbial feast-or-famine scenario. Erie, St. Clair, Ontario, Champlain; these all-stars, along with many other brown fish favs, offer vast ranges of productive bottom structure. It all looks "fishy," but quickly comes that ageless question: "Where to start?"

No doubt, a lot of fishing often comes down to a lot of looking, and while the shallow migration of spawning season puts lots of fish in more predictable locations, the rest of the year finds them scattered across the lake's deeper structure. Investing sufficient search time is assumed, but the ill-prepared can float...