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
makeup, vegetation and may even provide you with information as to
where to fish for different species. If the water clarity is clear,
you will want to use natural looking lures and lighter lines, as a
bass can see a long way under water. They depend more on their
visual abilities than they do their other senses. If the water is
dark or muddy a bass will utilize their sense of hearing and smell
to locate food. In this situation, you would want to use vibrating
or rattling type lures to get the attention of the bass. The use of
a scent added to your lure can also greatly increase the number of
fish you catch. You should also check with the local bait and tackle
store for up to date fishing reports. Another source of valuable
information is the Internet. Visit the Northern Minnesota League of
Guides web site for great information on fishing in the Grand
Rapids, Minnesota area.
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.
PRE-SPAWN:
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.
Arnie Nichols
classicbass.com Field Staff
