When it comes to smallmouth bass, this year makes the grade

I recently found myself with a few hours of free time, so I dug out my fishing journal so I could take stock of the good and bad moments on the water.

This year rated an A-minus. It didn't get a full-fledged A simply because my angling season was cut short in late August as the result of medical issues.

The crappie action exploded days after the ice left us in the early spring. The ponds and a few lakes were giving up slabs like it was a slot machine on a gambling boat going crazy with hefty payouts.

I managed to find over a dozen spots loaded with jumbo fish, including walleye, bluegill and crappie. Deep Lake came through as expected with a mixed bag of you-name-it.

West Loon Lake surprised me with an early bass bite that was the best in years, while East Loon was cooperating as well with decent bass and panfish.

I cannot do this column justice if I excluded the Fox River. Every year the numbers and sizes of the smallmouth bass inch upward.

I was greatly interested in more smallmouth angling this year. And before late August I kept stealthily exploring the Fox River, stepping ever so carefully on the sand and gravel bottoms. I did my best not to rile up the bottom and create mud chunks to flow into fishy holding spots.

I managed to find some southern Wisconsin streams that favored me with somewhat good smallie action. But it was those usually hot lakes further to the north that held the promise of excellent smallmouth fishing. And once you get above Wausau, you're in the right neighborhood.

Every year friend Paul Melchior takes a group of people to the Menomonee River, where the smallies are always ready to go nose-to-nose with anyone. In my book the smallmouth is one of the toughest freshwater fighters, and the brutes in the Menomonee perhaps have few equals. Well, maybe the smallmouth in Deer Island Lake near Watersmeet, Mich., Little Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and Grindstone Lake near Hayward are just as tough.

By the way, Melchior runs an outdoor booking agency in Northbrook (847) 272-3195, and I know first-hand this guy knows his stuff.

He probably loves flyfishing a tad more than me, but on a couple trips he staked out his territory with spinning gear and small spinnerbaits and clobbered bonefish and rainbow bass.

Paul and I know that even though it's a healthy drive from this area, the smallmouth fishing will definitely leave an indelible mark on one's psyche.

The same thing can be said about the St. Croix River north of Stillwater, Minn. The smallies are a bit smaller, but the action is hot and heavy. I made it there just one time this year.

I got to the Kankakee River just once this year as well. I wasn't disappointed with my catch. Even though almost all the fish I caught were 1½ pounds, the fly rod action was tremendous. And despite the smaller fish, the drive was easy enough to allow five hours of fishing and a drive back home without much pain and strain.

Some of you would be surprised over the number of negative e-mails I get from area anglers complaining that fishing “stinks.” I keep trying to convince the naysayers that they should not give up on the local scene if you come up dry one lake. There's always plenty more to try.

Ÿ Mike Jackson can be reached via e-mail at angler88@comcast.net. His radio program is once again live-streamed on the Internet at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com, and you can catch it 6-7 a.m. Sundays at WSBC 1240-AM.