Canadian Smallmouth Bass Fishing
Do you agree with me when I say that smallmouth bass are pound for pound the toughest fish in the world? Do you love hooking a bronzeback on light tackle and watching him jump all the way out of the water? If you do then you need to fish for smallies in Lake Erie near Port Colborne, Ontario. I’ve been fishing this area for 30 years and I’m not kidding when I say I’ve caught over 100 smallmouth in a day many times.
My parents have had a summer home at Sherkston, a resort community about 10 miles from Port Colborne, for over 30 years. The lake is so crystal clear that you can see the bottom when you’re in 20 feet of water. I don’t have a boat so unless I can hitch a ride, I have to fish water I can stand in. Luckily, there is an ideal place to go wading and fish for smallmouth. About a mile from shore there is a wreck of an old barge. During World War II when the price of steel went way up, the authorities decided to salvage as much of the wreck as they could. They constructed a coffer dam to dry the lake bed from the beach to the barge. Then they built a road and were able to salvage most of the wreck. When they took down the dam and flooded the road, they left behind a fantastic smallmouth fishery.
During most summers, the old road is covered by 1 – 4 feet of water for the first half mile or so toward the remains of the wreck. From the edge of the road, the water immediately drops off to a depth of 5 – 8 feet. This is where the smallmouth patrol looking for food. I’ve found that top water baits with no weight work fantastically for the first hour after dawn and an hour before dark. For the middle of the day I like to use a shallow diving crank bait. I’ve yet to find a time of day that you can’t catch these bass. Most of the fish I’ve caught while wading toward the wreck are between 10 and 15 inches long and the biggest one I caught was 21 inches long. These fish taste fantastic so don’t forget your bbq tools and cook them up.
The resort at Sherkston is made up of a combination of seasonal and daily use campers. Most people live in small cottages that are can be bought or rented but there is also an area where you can pitch your family camping tent. Besides the great smallmouth fishing, you can swim either in the lake, the deep, cold quarry or in the pool. There are water slides, miniature golf and an arcade for the kids and there is a fully stocked camp store where you can stock up your picnic coolers.
Sherkson has grown up a lot in the 40 years since I started vacationing there. Some of the development is good and some I wish had never happened. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the amazing smallmouth bass fishing. I hope you get a chance to get up there and check it out.
Similar Fishing Advice info:
- Late Fall Lake Erie Walleye:Catch Trophy Walleye From The Shore! NEVER BEFORE REVEALED Walleye Fishing Secrets Click Here! In late...
- Learn Best Bass Fishing Techniques Sure there are lots of different bass fishing techniques that...
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Tips For Hooks and Lures photo credit: OakleyOriginals Smallmouth bass are fish that are...
- Inflatable Fishing Boats Quality It may be the time for you to have a...
- Bass Fishing Techniques To give yourself a better chance of catching more bass...