Summertime weather and bass fishing just go hand in hand in northwestern Ontario. The warming water and the hot sun get smallmouth bass active and on the feed. My two favourite techniques for catching summer bass in northern Ontario are via topwater lures and crankbaits. Here is a guide to using them.
Topwater
For sheer thrills and pure angling fun, it’s hard to beat topwater fishing. The sight and sound of a smallmouth bass smashing a lure off the surface is one of the greatest thrills in freshwater angling. The key to a consistently good topwater bite is having water that is flat. Early morning and late evening are often prime times to use topwater bait, for this reason.
I like to use subtle topwater baits to start. Some of my favorites include the Chug Bug, the Rebel Pop-R, and the Rapala Skitter Pop. Throw the topwater onto the surface of the water and let it sit until the ripples dissipate. Then, with a jerk of the rod tip, make that lure talk. The concave mouth of a popper will spit out water and make a commotion on the surface. That splash and action is often enough to trigger a big bass to come up and eat the bait. If you don’t get a strike instantly, let the lure sit. Once the ripples dissipate, give the lure another pop and then reel in some line. Often, the second or third time that happens, any bass in the area will commit. I’ve had bass hit poppers that were sitting motionless on the surface, so don’t be in a rush to bring the lure in.
If the surface of the lake has a little bit of chop on it, or the wind is coming up, I’ll often use a topwater lure that has a little more action. Some of the best are the prop baits that include the Rapala Skitter Prop, Whopper Plopper, and the Berkley Choppo. Any lure that has a prop on it will stir up quite a bit of commotion on the surface. There are different ways to fish with prop bait, but one of my favorites is to just start reeling very slowly and let that prop work on the surface. You can also pop the bait like you would a chugging lure, and intersperse it with a stop and go retrieve. The strikes on prop baits are often explosive, as they really trigger bass. They work especially well on bass that are feeding on herring and minnows that are near the surface.
The final kind of topwater bait is a spook-style bait. These lures are used in a technique called “walk-the-dog.” Spook baits are based off the classic Zara Spook. This lure type lacks a concave mouth and has no prop. It has a pointy head and swims on the surface with a silent, side-to-side motion. To make the lure work really well, you need to work the rod tip down and then reel in the slack that will make the side-to-side motion happen. There are times when a spook-style lure will attract bass when other types of topwater baits won’t. Bass will sometimes miss these baits if the retrieve pauses, so keep the spook bait going with a steady retrieve.
Crankbaits
As much fun as topwater lure fishing is, crankbaits are probably the most effective way to fish for smallmouth bass in the heat of summer. The best crankbaits to use are known as jerkbaits, and this family of lures includes the Rapala X Rap, Rapala Maverick, and the Lucky Craft Pointer. The best jerkbaits for smallmouth bass will be neutrally buoyant, which means when you stop the retrieve, the lure holds in the water column. As often as not, bass will hit the lure when it stops, just before you twitch it again. You can use a jerkbait in a number of situations, but usually the best time is when the wind is blowing in on a shore or on a point. Throw the lure up into the shallows, crank it once, let it sit for a bit, reel up your slack, and then with a downward stroke of your fishing rod, get it going again. Strikes on jerkbaits are often strong and the bass is usually in the air seconds after the hookset.
I’d be remiss not to mention the lipped, diving crankbaits like the Rapala Shad Rap, and Fat Rap. These lures get down a little deeper and can imitate a crayfish or minnow. You can reel them down a rockpile, drop off, or even a downed tree along a shoreline. These diving crankbaits are also quite effective when trolled, and when casting is not catching bass, this is a good trick to have in your pocket.
The best colours for crankbaits mimic what the bass are eating in lakes where there’s a lot of crayfish—orange, red, or even blue will be very effective. In lakes where the bass are feeding on baitfish or smelt, you’ll want to use a white or silver crankbait.
One final note: I recommend using a high-quality metal clip to attach both topwater and jerkbaits. The clasp allows the lure to have more action, but also makes it easy to change baits on the fly. When the bass are popping and you are looking for the right lure, you don’t want to be retying.
Make sure you give bass a shot this summer. You will not regret the time spent chasing these awesome fish.
