Smallmouth Bass Fishing

by:  Bill Schultz,  Smallmouths.com Contributing Writer

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I’ve always wanted to fish for smallmouth bass in Door County. I’ve heard it’s world-class!” Then you think, “But I don’t know where to go, or where to stay, or where to launch, or where to fish, or what to use.” Then, finally you decide not to give it a try.

Almost 20 years ago I began hearing about the great smallmouth bass fishing in Door County. But, it wasn’t until May of 1995, when I hired a guide that I had the opportunity to fish this tremendously productive and beautiful fishery. That outing gave me the confidence to fish it on my own. Since that day I’ve fished the waters in Door County over 125 days, catching and releasing hundreds of smallies.

Hiring an area guide is one way to gain the confidence to give this smallie supermarket a shot, but for various reasons, this isn’t for everyone. This article is for those of you who may not be interested in the guide route or for those who just want to add to your knowledge base about the Door County smallmouth bass fishing. I’m going to tell you about some great fishing locations, what’s helped me catch large numbers of fish, where to launch and even a good suggestion for where to stay.

Also, this isn’t an article just for the guy with the big bass boat or deep-V. Wind and waves can be a challenge on Green Bay, but there are plenty of great locations for enthusiasts with smaller fishing boats, canoes, kayaks and even those who like to wade. How to Get There and Where to Stay Sturgeon Bay, the gateway to Door County, is easy to reach from anywhere in Northern Illinois or Wisconsin. It’s 43 miles northeast of Green Bay on Hwy. 57. It’s 141 miles from Milwaukee, 175 miles from Madison and 233 miles from Chicago. From my house in the Milwaukee area I can be on the water and fishing in three hours. I’ve made it a day trip, but usually try to go for at least two or three days. This area is a top tourist location and has plethora of places to stay. My criteria for a hotel are simple: clean, quiet, comfortable, a place to plug in my battery charger and if there’s a free breakfast, that’s a bonus. The past few years I’ve enjoyed staying at the Maritime Best Western (920-743-7231). Be sure to ask for the corporate rate, especially in May and June when you’ll find the best smallie fishing. Your rate for this very nice hotel will be under $60, a bargain in Door County. If you like to camp, Potawatomi or Peninsula State Parks are the place for you. For more information on Door County and a complete guide to all accommodations and much more, go the Door County Chamber of Commerce web site at www.doorcountyvacations.com

Where to Launch

There are a multitude of great launches in and around Sturgeon Bay, and in each of the communities as you go up the peninsula. The county launches are outstanding and are only $5 or $6, with most of the town launches in Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim and Sister Bay about $10. If you have a state park sticker both Potowatomi and Peninsula State Parks have tremendous launches. On the Lake Michigan side you have the Bailey’s Harbor Yacht Club and Buys Point launch on Moonlight Bay.

Where to Fish

The reason we’re in Door County in the first place is to catch smallmouth bass. I’ve enjoyed concentrating on several spots. To the west of Sturgeon Bay on Green Bay you’ll find Little Sturgeon Bay, Rileys Bay and Sand Bay. The Flats are north of town on the east side of the shipping channel between Sunset Park and the Stone Quarry launch. Sawyer Harbor is north of town on the west side of the channel. I’ve had some great success at various locations between Egg Harbor and Fish Creek Also, from Ephraim and Eagle Harbor north past Sister Bay and even farther up the peninsula. These are only some of the great spots to fish in Door County. Try exploring. You may be very surprised with what you find and what you catch. There is great habitat from Sturgeon Bay to the end of the Peninsula and after July 1 at Washington Island. And, from mid-peninsula to the tip on the Lake Michigan side.

In May and June I’m usually fishing in two to eight feet of water with the fish relating to the abundant bottom structure of rocks and boulders, as well as some vegetation. The fish will also relate to the variety of piers, jetties and other man-made rock structures. Be aware of the water depth. As soon as I’m in shallower water I slow down, my engine is tilted up, I have one eye on the depth feature of my locator and the other eye on the bottom. Polarized sunglasses are an essential piece of equipment and I won’t go on the water without my H30 polarized sunglasses. They’re comfortable, look great and have interchangeable lenses for varying light conditions. In the crystal clear water and the shallower depths I fish most often, watching the bottom is the best way to spot the structure the fish are relating to.

It’s important to pay attention to the wind at all times, especially in shallower water. I always make sure my trolling motor battery is charged. I wouldn’t want to get pushed onto a rocky shore. In recent years with my 80 pound thrust Minnkota Terrova and Optima Batteries, this is not a worry for me. There will be many times on Green Bay when the wind is blowing you perfectly along a shoreline you want to fish, but you’re being pushed too fast. Instead of using your trolling motor to slow the drift, you may want to consider using a drift sock to slow you down. I use the Drift Control Sea Anchor.

What to Use

For most of my years fishing Door County, swimming a grub on jig is a presentation I’ve used on a somewhat regular basis. It is one of the easiest of all presentations. You cast it, let it settle for a second or two and then retrieve it slowly. I use St. Croix 7’ medium-light and medium action rods. With the ultra-clear water, long casts are important. That’s why I use the 7’ rods, and for the first time this year tried a 7’6” medium-light, which has been tremendous. I’m using reels suitable for 4- and 6-pound diameter line. Some examples of what I’m using are Shimano 1000 and 2500 size reels, Daiwa 2000 reels, the Abu Garcia Soron STX10, along with Pflueger Supreme XT and President XT in the 30 size.

In recent years I’ve been using Berkley Fireline and Stren Microfuse in four-pound diameter, 10-pound test (10/4) and six-pound diameter, 15 pound test (15/6), along with Power Pro 15/4 and 20/6. I like the strength and sensitivity. In the ultra-clear waters of Door County, I utilize a fluorocarbon leader, which is also strong and sensitive, but can’t be seen in the water. I began utilizing the 8- or 10-pound test fluorocarbon leader when friend and longtime Door County guide and owner of Howie’s Tackle, Tim Dwidiuk, explained how his numbers have always been better with the fluorocarbon leader. Based on my experience in 2008, which was my first using the fluorocarbon leader, I agree.

Has swimming a grub been my “go to” presentation in Door County? No, it was one of a variety of presentations I’d use. It is now my “go to” presentation, and over the past two seasons has truly produced some impressive results. For years, I used a variety of grubs I received directly from a few companies, which were mostly 3-inch versions. Most of these had a smaller profile body and fairly narrow tail. Again, listening to Tim Dawidiuk and a few others, I began using the Kalin’s Lunker Grub in June of 2007. I wish I wouldn’t have waited so long. I’ve had very good success with both the 4-inch and 5-inch versions in a variety of colors, including Ed’s Smoke, Blue Pearl Salt & Pepper, Avacado/Green Salt & Pepper, Pumpkin Salt & Pepper, Pumpkin Salt & Pepper/Green Flake, Green Pumpkinseed/Purple Flake and Smoke Salt & Pepper. I’ve also have had good luck with the YUM Muy Grande 4-inch Grub in Smoke Salt & Pepper, Glimmer Blue Pepper, Green Pumpkin, Pumpkin Pepper/Green Flake and Green Pumpkin/Orange Flake.

I feel the key to the grubs I’ve mentioned is the full-body profile and long wispy tail. You will hear you should swim these with the tail pointing opposite from the hook point. Actually, this is the way the Kalin’s were designed. I rig them tail opposite the hook point. When the grub gets a little beat-up, I bite off a half inch and reverse the tail direction. I have not noticed much, if any, difference. The smallies still seem to like it. It’s very important to line the hook shank up with the seam so that the grub swims straight.

The jig is a very important part of this presentation and the standard “bargain bin” jig usually won’t do. You need to use jigs in the 1/16, 3/32 and 1/8 ounce weights with a longer hook shank. Ideally, jigs with 2/0 and 3/0 hooks, which allow you to bring the hook through the grub body and out near the end of the body portion. In the past I was using a good ball head jig, but after reading about the Mushroom Head jigs from Gopher Tackle in In-Fisherman magazine and having some sent to me by a friend from Illinois who has attended my seminars, I thought I’d better give these a try. Now that I’ve had a number of days on the water with great success, I know I’ve found a super jig for swimming plastic grubs. Gopher’s Big John’s offers an eyelet that is not only flush with the jig head, but also crossways and at an angle. Another jig that has worked well for me is the Bait Rigs Slo-Poke GrubMaster Jig in the 1/16 and 1/8 sizes. These were designed with the Kalin’s Grub in mind and also have the eyelet crossways and straight out the front of the jig. Unlike a traditional jig, the weight is distributed along the hook shank.

As I noted earlier, retrieve the grub slowly in all water temperatures. Swim it just above the bottom. If you touch rocks, speed up your retrieve. The smallies seem to hang close to the bottom in the two to eight feet of water that I’m usually fishing in May and June. This tendency may also be enhanced as gobies have become a major food source for the Door County smallies. They don’t have a swim bladder and live on or near the bottom.

On my first trip to this area with the guide we used tubes exclusively, and this continues to be a great pattern today. With the clear water there is some scum on the bottom, which can cause you to have to clean your tube jig often. Tubes should be fished slowly off the bottom. The traditional method with the jig inside the tube works fine, but I’ve also had luck Texas-rigging the tube with a light Xcalibur tungsten bullet weight and 2/0 or 3/0 VMC worm hook. In recent years I’ve been using the YUM 3” and 4” tubes in natural colors. I fish tubes with a 6’6” or 7’ medium St. Croix rods with the same reels I use for swimming the grubs.

I have also had good luck with Zoom Super Flukes and YUM Dingers. I fished both with the 7’ St. Croix medium action rods with similar line and reels that were mentioned earlier. With the Super Fluke I prefer a light color like rainbow shad or silver rainbow, and instead of rigging it traditionally, I nose hooked it with a 1/0 or 2/0 VMC worm hook. I simply cast it, let it sink for a few seconds and retrieved it slowly, twitching it during the retrieve.

YUM Dingers come in 3”, 4” and 5” lengths and depending on the conditions I use all three sizes. I Texas-rig or Wacky-rig with no extra weight. This can be a great presentation for finicky fish. Simply cast, let it settle to the bottom and with slow twitches, retrieve it. Sometimes almost no movement works best. YUM Dingers can also be nose hooked and recently I read that threading one on a jig and working it along the bottom is a great smallmouth presentation. Ozark Smoke and various natural colors work best, but you might need to experiment.

Two other lures I enjoy using are Booyah spinnerbaits and the Xcalibur XR50 lipless crank/rattlebait. I use 1/4 and 3/8 ounce spinnerbaits with chartreuse, white and chartreuse/white skirts. I fish these with a 6’6” and 7’ medium action St. Croix baitcast rods with low-profile Pflueger and Bass Pro Shops baitcast reels. I spool the reels with 10 and 12 pound Silver Thread Excalibur line. I’ve also had great luck with braid, and use the new Fireline Tracer Braid 30/8 and 40/10. I also like Power Pro in the same pound test to diameter sizes. Both presentations are very easy as you simple cast and retrieve. The speed with which you retrieve the lure depends on water depth and how active the fish are. This is something you should be able to figure out quickly.

One other pattern that can be a fun is using topwaters on calmer mornings or evenings. Fishing in two to eight feet of water, I cast lures like the Excalibur Pop’n Image, Pop-R, Super Spook Jr., Zara Spook, Smithwick’s Devil Horse, a Heddon Torpedo or Booyah Buzzbait. This can be an exciting experience.

The Door County smallmouth fishery is strong, but with more and more anglers making the trip, practicing catch and release is more important than ever. Properly handling the smallies you catch is critical and I don’t intentionally target bedding fish.

What if I Don’t Have a Big Boat or Any Boat?

The Sturgeon Bay area isn’t just for those who have bigger boats that can handle the wind and waves. There are many opportunities for those of you with smaller boats, canoes, kayaks and even those who like wading, something I enjoy doing.

Even when it’s windy, which is often, you can usually find a sheltered shore that will give you plenty of opportunity to catch fish. For kayakers, canoers and waders, there are a number of paved drives to safely park and enter the water on Little Sturgeon, Riley’s and Sand Bay. Potawatomi and Peninsula State Parks are also great places to launch non-motorized watercraft to fish Sawyer and Eagle Harbors. As a new member of the Wilderness Systems Kayak Pro Fishing Team, I can’t wait to get on the water in my Tarpon 140 Angler. If you come to Door County on vacation with out some type of watercraft you can call Bay Shore Outfitters at 920-818-0431 and rent one of the Wilderness Systems sit-on-top fishing kayaks. You’ll love it.

I love to wade and walk rivers for smallies. All of my favorite spots in this article also offer great wading possibilities. The water is clear and most of the shoreline has a gradual slope. Along with the areas I’ve already talked about, try Rowley’s Bay where the Mink River enters Lake Michigan. In spring and early summer this spot not only holds numbers of fish, but also some big fish. But, “please” be careful to release the fish you catch in this area that I wish was protected.

If you’ve never fished smallies in Door County, I hope this information will give you the confidence to give it a shot. For those of you who have fished this area I hope you’ve picked up a few new tips. If you would feel more comfortable hiring a guide, I would suggest calling Brett Alexander (920-851-4214); Gary Nault (920-743-1100); Andy Bushman (920-246-1827); Chris Johnson (920-734-6596) or Dale Stroshein (920-743-5731).

The waters of Door County offer tremendous smallmouth bass fishing. Have a great time, and if you decide to go and practice CPR. Catch, Photograph and Release!

Bill Schultz lives in New Berlin, WI (Milwaukee area) and is a contributing writer for various outdoor magazines and websites. He is a popular seminar speaker and since 2001 has presented many times at the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel Sports Show, Bass Pro Outdoor World Fishing Classic in Chicago, Chicagoland Outdoors Show, Madison Fishing Expo, the Illinois and Wisconsin Smallmouth Alliances as well as numerous fishing clubs. Twice he has been featured in Bassmaster magazine articles as well as Outdoor Life, Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, Wisconsin Sportsman and a variety of other publications. He has also done segments for Fishing the Midwest with Bob Jensen and Outdoor Wisconsin. Bill is primarily a smallmouth bass enthusiast, but also enjoys fishing for largemouth and heading to Florida for butterfly peacock bass.