Fishing Articles & Pro Fishing Tips

Over the span of his professional fishing career, Author and Outdoor Educator Joel DeBoer has authored many, many top-notch articles on the "How To's" of becoming a better angler. On this page you will find just a sampling of some of his articles and tips - we hope you enjoy!

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Scoring on Summertime Smallmouth in Rivers
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Behold the glory of summertime - campfires under starlit skies, the simple pleasure of an ice-cold glass of lemonade, and some of the fastest fishing action of the year.  Wisconsin is home to arguably one of the greatest collections of sport fish in North America.  From the raw power of drag-stripping King Salmon to the simple charm of beautifully adorned Brook Trout; from the majesty of the mighty musky to the exquisite table fare of the walleye, as residents of this fine state, we are privy to a host of outdoor experiences on the water.
 
Dr. James A. Henshall in his historic text, Book of the Black Bass (1881), described one of Wisconsin's more popular fish species, the smallmouth bass, "Inch for inch and pound for pound, the gamest fish that swims."  While this sentiment is not shared by everyone to have ever picked up a rod and reel, it is gospel to the contingency of anglers who passionately pursue this bronze-backed adversary throughout the open water season.  Perhaps one of the finest times in which to connect with smallmouth bass, especially in river systems, is during the summer months.  It's simple physiology really, being cold-blooded creatures, as the water temperatures increase, so does the smallmouth's metabolism - and with it, the need to consume more food; all this adds up to fine action and excellent angling opportunities for the summertime smallmouth angler.

I am fortunate to spend a great deal of my time fishing on Wisconsin's hardest working river - the Wisconsin.  The Wisconsin, while a virtual musky and walleye factory, is also some of the premier smallmouth bass water in the upper Midwest.  While the bulk of my river smallmouth fishing has been done on the Wisconsin, the same trends, tactics, and techniques have produced fish for me from a myriad of other Wisconsin rivers including the Flambeau, Rib, St. Croix, and Eau Claire Rivers.

The key to finding summertime river smallmouth is to first identify main river structure.  Sand bars and humps, undercut banks, snags, stumps, and blow-downs, wing dams, and even weeds will all draw fish to them during the balmy months of summer.  The best structure tends to be in close proximity to the main river channel, due in large part to the current available there as side channels and backwaters experience the reduced current flow so often experienced during summertime on Wisconsin rivers.   During times of stable, even reduced flow, smallmouth will tend to scatter along these structural elements, forcing anglers to search aggressively in order to locate fish.

Searching for smallmouth bass entails utilizing lures that not only cover water quickly, but that bronzebacks find irresistible; fail-safe options include lipless in-line spinners, crankbaits, buzzbaits, and spinnerbaits.  My personal favorite, due to its versatility and ability to cover water quickly and consistently score on smallies is the in-line spinner.  The Mepps Aglia, Aglia Long, and Black Fury are my "go-to" baits when conditions dictate smallmouth bass are scattered.  I use the Aglia in shallow water, the Aglia Long for reaching deeper depths, and the dark-colored blade of the Black Fury during low-light conditions.

When current increases, be it from storm run-off or gates opening at a dam, smallmouth activity tends to increase and fish concentrations on or near these structures quickly grows.  Look for the bulk of the fish to be on the up-current side of structural elements, with smallmouth positioning themselves to face into the current.  The same "search" lures can now be utilized to get presentations back in the strike zone as quickly as possible, allowing multiple casts to aggressive fish within a short period of time.

Summertime smallmouth bass spend a fair amount of their time feeding aggressively; however, situations such as increased fishing pressure and cold fronts can certainly slow the bite down and make fish less aggressive and more finicky.  When this happens, a change in lures and tactics is in order.  For starters, retrieve speeds need to be reduced and more high-speed, commotion-oriented offerings should be substituted for slower, more subtle lure styles.  Swimbaits such as the 3 ½" Mister Twister Mister Shad rigged on a Mustad Powerlock Plus are not only extremely snag resistant, but deadly on bass; tubes, such as the Mister Twister 4" FAT Tube or 5" Tubo are also exceptional choices for eliciting strikes.  Tubes can be rigged either weighted or unweighted, depending on the depth of the water.  You want to use the lightest weight possible to ensure the maximum delay in your bait descending to the bottom, yet still landing on target and not getting washed downstream by the current. 

Another fine choice for targeting less aggressive fish is popper or chugger-style topwaters.  The beauty of these lures is that they can be fished incredibly slowly; work multiple pauses into your retrieve and let the fish tell you what cadence they require.  I have had days when I have waited well over 10 or 15 seconds between twitches of the rod tip - do not attempt to impose your will on the fish, let the bass tell you how they want their dinner.

In addition to increased current flow, insect hatches can be absolute catalysts for increased fish feeding activity.  Although short-lived in the overall picture of summer, hatches offer exceptional windows in which to find large numbers of active aggressive fish in concentrated areas.  Topwater lures tend to work wonders during hatches as due lures which attempt to "match the hatch" such as dry and wet flies, and in-line spinners like the Mepps Thunder Bug.
Equipment for summertime smallmouth, outside of the lures mentioned prior, include medium-light to medium action St. Croix spinning rods in the 7-7 ½' length coupled with a quality spinning reel such as the Abu Garcia Cardinal series.  Spool the reel with 6-12 pound test Sufix Elite monofilament fishing line, depending on the size of the fish available and the amount of cover you will be fishing in proximity to.  Nets, while often scorned in the bass community, are valuable asset tools to both the fish and fisherman.  Products such as the Frabill Pro-Formance and Conservation series not only make it easier to land a large, unruly bass, but also fish that are lightly hooked, or have multiple hooks protruding from their mouth area as is often the case in crankbait fishing.

Summertime is a time of beauty, and few things are as picturesque as a boldly marked smallmouth exploding from the water, your lure in its mouth.  Enjoy the heat, enjoy the bass.  I'll see you on the water…

Joel DeBoer

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