Smallmouth Bass Fishing In Canada

Duck Bay Lodge is the best place to go for smallmouth bass fishing in Canada. Our location on Lake of the Woods means the waters are jumping with smallmouths most of the year, giving you an exceptional opportunity to capture one of these trophy fish for yourself. Read on to learn more about the best way to go about Lake of the Woods smallmouth fishing throughout the year.

Smallmouth bass fishing is great for light-tackle enthusiasts and catch-and-release fishing because they don’t have any teeth, meaning you don’t have to worry about your fingers. Ranging in size from 14 inches to more than 18 inches, they also make for a great selfie opportunity. Bass season is open all year-round, but it is catch-and-release only during the month of June.

Springtime is the spawning season for smallmouth, which means they’re highly aggressive and will go after anything that comes close to their beds. After spawning, they’ll tend to hang around shallow, rocky areas such as islands, points and shoals. If you don’t see any in the shallows, try moving deeper until you run into them. The best baits for Canada smallmouth fishing during the spring include crankbaits, top-water baits and anything that resembles a worm or leech. If you have any baits that have the same colour as crayfish, you’ll stand a better chance of landing a bass.

As the temperatures rise, smallmouths beat the heat by moving off into deeper waters during the day, typically off the reefs. In general, they tend to hang out in depths of about 10 to 20 feet. This means jigging is your best chance of catching one, and where there’s one there’s bound to be plenty more. If you’re out in the early morning or evening periods, however, you might be able to find them in shallower water as they feed. Use a top-water bait and watch them practically jump right out of the water and into your boat!

As they chow down on minnows and crayfish in preparation for winter, smallmouths you see in the fall are as big as they’re ever going to be. The biggest tend to congregate in stump fields, weed beds and rocky areas. For the best chance of reeling one in, you should try rattle traps, cranks or jigs. If you’re interested in catching a trophy-sized bass, we recommend choosing one of our guided fishing trips led by one of our Lake of the Woods experts. They know the water and every species in it as well as anybody and can help you find where the smallmouths are hiding.

If you’re looking for the best Canada smallmouth fishing trips, Duck Bay Lodge offers you the best possible experience. You’ll have access to premium boats and equipment along with some of the most comfortable accommodations at our Ontario fishing cabins. The unmatched beauty of the area is just one of the many reasons why guests come back to take advantage of the best bass fishing in Ontario. Duck Bay Lodge gives you so much more than what the outdoors have to offer, so get in touch to book your trip with us today.