So I've seen multiple people around here talking about catching 100 smallies in a day being relatively in the norm. I'm no expert boundary waters fisherman, so I'll settle for 20 or so. If you guys wouldn't mind sharing some tips with someone who's not very familiar with fishing for smallmouth I would be quite grateful. I'll be on Insula the first week of July, and any tips on technique, tackle, and most of all what kind of structure/areas to fish would be fantastic. Thanks!

Rise before first light. Cast F-13 orange Rapalas at shorelines and over reefs. When they stop hitting, hang a leech over the side. Quite by ten. Repeat starting at six, starting with leeches and then fishing on the surface. I fish north of the BWCA where there's less pressure. It's rare to have to share a lake with anyone.

I've had good luck fishing for smallies at rock piles, submerged islands (rock piles), right up against shear walls, and where a river runs into the lake (eddy spaces). You can catch SMB all day long where the Kawishiwi pours into Insula. Best luck has been leech and a bobber setup. Absolute best SMB fishing I've ever had was on Jackfish Bay (Basswood) late in the day just off a rock pile at the south end of the bay. 4 of us caught over 100 smallies in 45 minutes. Several of those were 2.5 - 3.5 lbs range. All were catch and release (we already had walleye on the stringer for dinner).

Send an email to me at queticomike@yahoo.com requesting fishing info. and I will send you back a couple of articles I have written about fishing up there.

quote missmolly: "Rise before first light. Cast F-13 orange Rapalas at shorelines and over reefs. When they stop hitting, hang a leech over the side. Quite by ten. Repeat starting at six, starting with leeches and then fishing on the surface. I fish north of the BWCA where there's less pressure. It's rare to have to share a lake with anyone."

F-13's huh? Wow. That's a pretty sizeable mouthful for a smallmouth. Do you retrieve it slowyly just under the surface or crank it down to max depth?

Oh yeah, and before I forget; here's an article for MissMolly from BassPro.com Note the mention of the 27-inch 8-lb smallmouth :)

27-inch Quetico Smallmouth

quote Boarstalker: "

quote missmolly: "Rise before first light. Cast F-13 orange Rapalas at shorelines and over reefs. When they stop hitting, hang a leech over the side. Quite by ten. Repeat starting at six, starting with leeches and then fishing on the surface. I fish north of the BWCA where there's less pressure. It's rare to have to share a lake with anyone."

F-13's huh? Wow. That's a pretty sizeable mouthful for a smallmouth. Do you retrieve it slowyly just under the surface or crank it down to max depth? "

I like the longer lure because I can cast farther. I fish six-pound mono for that reason too. I've caught a lot of smallmouth who hit within a second of the lure hitting the water. I twitch. Pause. Retreat. After ten or so twitches, I retrieve. I catch a few on the retrieve, but most fish strike the first three twitches.

Thanks for the link.

I've become so good at catching smallies on those F-13s that I don't use them much anymore. I want to be versatile. This summer will be primarily soft plastics.

quote missmolly: "

quote Boarstalker: "

quote missmolly: "Rise before first light. Cast F-13 orange Rapalas at shorelines and over reefs. When they stop hitting, hang a leech over the side. Quite by ten. Repeat starting at six, starting with leeches and then fishing on the surface. I fish north of the BWCA where there's less pressure. It's rare to have to share a lake with anyone."

F-13's huh? Wow. That's a pretty sizeable mouthful for a smallmouth. Do you retrieve it slowyly just under the surface or crank it down to max depth? "

I like the longer lure because I can cast farther. I fish six-pound mono for that reason too. I've caught a lot of smallmouth who hit within a second of the lure hitting the water. I twitch. Pause. Retreat. After ten or so twitches, I retrieve. I catch a few on the retrieve, but most fish strike the first three twitches.


Thanks for the link.


I've become so good at catching smallies on those F-13s that I don't use them much anymore. I want to be versatile. This summer will be primarily soft plastics. "

You are going to catch the biggest smallies of your life this year, the big lazy ones that hang out near the bottom and gobble up soft plastics, especially 4 inch black powerworms on 1/8 ounch charlie brewer spider slider heads :-)

quote Basspro69: "

quote missmolly: "

quote Boarstalker: "

quote missmolly: "Rise before first light. Cast F-13 orange Rapalas at shorelines and over reefs. When they stop hitting, hang a leech over the side. Quite by ten. Repeat starting at six, starting with leeches and then fishing on the surface. I fish north of the BWCA where there's less pressure. It's rare to have to share a lake with anyone."

F-13's huh? Wow. That's a pretty sizeable mouthful for a smallmouth. Do you retrieve it slowyly just under the surface or crank it down to max depth? "

I like the longer lure because I can cast farther. I fish six-pound mono for that reason too. I've caught a lot of smallmouth who hit within a second of the lure hitting the water. I twitch. Pause. Retreat. After ten or so twitches, I retrieve. I catch a few on the retrieve, but most fish strike the first three twitches.



Thanks for the link.



I've become so good at catching smallies on those F-13s that I don't use them much anymore. I want to be versatile. This summer will be primarily soft plastics. "

You are going to catch the biggest smallies of your life this year, the big lazy ones that hang out near the bottom and gobble up soft plastics, especially 4 inch black powerworms on 1/8 ounch charlie brewer spider slider heads :-)"

Oh, man, I HOPE so!

Don't forget the topwater you can have alot of fun anytime of the day but particularly morning and evenings. I like baby torpedos, zara spooks, rebel pop R's, rapala skitters. Leech under a bobber can't be beat or on the bottom with a floating jig head just off an underwater hump or around downed timber, good way to pick up a walleye too

Excellent advice...I might add SMB, LMB< Walleye are all "ambush" feeders. Low light, weeds(cover)...SOMETHING that gives them the edge, take advantage of that.
There are "fish of a lifetime" in the Bdub These fish do not see the fishing pressure of Mille Lacs...Toledo Bend, Ft. Gibson(Okla.)...be ready. good knots, fresh line, sharp hooks
There are a jillion things that go into BOATING a trophy...are you ready??