Smallmouth Bass

[GravelBar]

From what I've read on this site in order to do my part to help the Walleye population I need to start targeting Smallmouth Bass. Two questions. First, is casting cranks in the rocks the most productive way to catch smallmouth bass? I've caught and cleaned Smallmouth Bass in the boundry waters. They were full of parasites. How does the bass on Mille Lacs Lake look?

[pushbutton]

Cranks, plastics, beer cap with a hook on it. Leeches are like crack to them, minnows work too.....they eat pretty much anything. You will find them in rocks, weeds, best is rocky pockets withing the weeds. Never kept one out of Mille Lacs. Used to keep a few out of green in spicer just for turds and giggles.....just to see the look on peoples faces after I told them they just ate a bass. Never came across any worms and such. Cooler water is better though.

[thatoneguy]

Have you tried trolling?

[GravelBar]

I have never targeted Smallmouth Bass. I've fished Mille Lacs for 40 years and love the lake. If pulling a couple hundred bass out of the lakes helps then I'm ready to give it a go.

[mainbutter]

From what I've read on this site in order to do my part to help the Walleye population I need to start targeting Smallmouth Bass.

No one knows if the smallmouth bass population is impacting the walleye population, we simply don't have the data to come to any kind of conclusion. Correlation does not imply causation.

The walleyes of ML are probably facing problems from many fronts. Between competition with other species, increasing water temperatures, and the non-static nature of ecosystems, combined with human pressures.. it could be a perfect storm to hurt the population numbers, size, and growth rates.

I typically don't associate zebra mussel lakes with good walleye fishing, but do associate it with good (and sometimes great) bass fishing. I've always wondered if this was coincidence, or if there is some kind of relation.

Don't go out of your way to slaughter SMB, but if you have a hankering to eat a few (and they ARE delicious out of cold water), cast any kind of mouth-sized morsel 1-5'' long where they can see it. Bread some skinless fillets and fry in a pan, squeeze some lemon juice.

Don't keep the big ones, it doesn't work out for controlling pike and it doesn't work for controlling SMB.

[bassfshin24]

You can only keep one smallie 21" and over. All smallies under 21" must be immediately released.. The smallie population as nothing to do with the walleye population!

[Stick in Mud]

Have you tried trolling?

Don't tell anyone, but I put together a very consistent pattern for BIG fish last summer pulling leadcore on the deep rocks. Probably caught 10 bass for every walleye.

[skocsuhs]

oh geeze lets not start some ignorant hysteria thats its gotta be the smallmouth...

some walleye folks never cease to amaze me how they love to point the finger at everything, gotta be the pike, gotta be the mussels, gotta be the cormorants, gotta be the smallmouth, gotta be the pelicans, gotta be the muskie...could never be the human element, no way no how not on any lake anywhere it has to be anything & everything but...

just stop the madness already sheesh...

[bassfshin24]

+1

[JBMasterAngler]

Actually I'm pretty sure the human element is the #1 reason to blame for the mille lacs walleye situation...it's just not of the angling element that people point out

[thatoneguy]

I believe it, Carmike. On a local smallie lake, if all else fails (or as a quick "cheater" way to locate the active fish), a spinner rig with a crawler or leech is a great way to find smallies.

But I was referring to the other method of "trolling" employed by the OP

[GravelBar]

You can only keep one smallie 21" and over. All smallies under 21" must be immediately released.. The smallie population as nothing to do with the walleye population!

The smallmouth population has to do with the decline in the perch population. We wonder why we're catching 28" Walleyes that weigh 6 pounds or less. No forage left in the lake. The DVR had better be planning on changing regs for smallmouth bass.

[bassfshin24]

Or how bout they change the regs on netting? Or change the regs on muskies? Just not a good argument to say the smallies are doing the damage to the eyes population.

[RawHog]

Ecosystems change and adapt.. maybe millelacs as better suited for smallmouth

[GravelBar]

I sure didn't want to imply the smallmouth bass are the entire reason for the walleye decline. I do however believe their regs are a contributing factor.

[Stick in Mud]

I believe it, Carmike. On a local smallie lake, if all else fails (or as a quick "cheater" way to locate the active fish), a spinner rig with a crawler or leech is a great way to find smallies.

But I was referring to the other method of "trolling" employed by the OP

Ah, gotcha.

[Juan Grande]

Fishing pressure, hooking mortality and netting are what's hurting the walleye population on Mille Lacs. Go C&R only or close walleye fishing for five years and the numbers will come back strong like they did on Red after it was over harvested.

There are so many factors involved, blaming the walleye decline on smallies is short sighted. Opening up the smallie limit from essentially zero to six will make Mille Lacs a bad walleye AND a bad smallie lake.

[CaptainMusky]

Fishing pressure, hooking mortality and netting are what's hurting the walleye population on Mille Lacs. Go C&R only or close walleye fishing for five years and the numbers will come back strong like they did on Red after it was over harvested.

There are so many factors involved, blaming the walleye decline on smallies is short sighted. Opening up the smallie limit from essentially zero to six will make Mille Lacs a bad walleye AND a bad smallie lake.

Red only came back strong due to the extensive stocking efforts on behalf of the DNR and the tribe. Just closing the season or catch and release wouldnt have brought them back as fast.

All of the things you mentioned contribute to the walleye decline, but considering how much smallies eat they undoubtedly are one of the largest reasons. Mille lacs doesnt have a tremendous crayfish population so what do smallies eat? Other fish and many of them are YOY walleyes.

If you only look at the harvest of walleyes as the single "solution" to the lake, you are short sighted. There are other factors contributing in a large part and one of those is smallmouth bass.

[Juan Grande]

Over harvest is not the only factor, but it is the biggest factor in my opinion. Of course it would take a rigorous stocking program in addition to angling restrictions to bring the walleye population back.

Smallies have always been in the lake. Why are they just now having this devastating impact on the walleye population? I know they haven't always been protected, but according to many of the walleye fishermen on this site, nobody would keep them even if they weren't protected.

I'm sure smallies do eat some of the YOY walleye, but the fact that there's far fewer males in the lake (because of over harvest and netting) has a much greater impact on the walleye spawning success and resulting YOY. I bet 90% of walleye caught under 17" and over 13" are kept and a lot of those fish are males.

[TRZ II]

Smallies have always been in the lake. Why are they just now having this devastating impact on the walleye population? I know they haven't always been protected, but according to many of the walleye fishermen on this site, nobody would keep them even if they weren't protected.

I'm sure smallies do eat some of the YOY walleye, but the fact that there's far fewer males in the lake (because of over harvest and netting) has a much greater impact on the walleye spawning success and resulting YOY. I bet 90% of walleye caught under 17" and over 13" are kept and a lot of those fish are males.

[bassfshin24]

"Mille lacs doesnt have a tremendous crayfish population so what do smallies eat?" ---are you serious? There are crayfish every where in that lake. Where do you find smallies in Mille Lacs....mostly on the rocks..where do you find the crayfish in mille lacs..mostly on the rocks.

The main forage for smallies in Mille Lacs is crayfish!

[Juan Grande]

Maybe we'll find out smallies eat zebra mussels!

[pushbutton]

Pumpkinseeds and sheepies do......lets stock and protect them

[river rat316]

Smallies first appeared in angler catches in the 1980's, they were not at fishable poplulations till the 90's and have become a real factor in lake biomass in the 2000's. I like smallmouth, but a lake can only hold so many pounds of biomass. Like it or not walleye are the cash cow, smallies make the area very little $ compared to walleye. If it becomes a smallie only lake, most if not all resorts will close. Bass open later, close earlier and don't bite in the winter.

I can whole heatedly disagree with the money statement, the shops and resorts would have to change who they market to, but I can guaranty you that if the smallie was made king on Mille Lacs that bass guys spend about 5 times the money walleye guys do in the pursuit of their sport. Yes live bait sales would dip but tackle sales would go way up, probably ten times what it is now, out of state license sales would quadruple as well as lodging for the out of staters, there would still be eyes in the lake and they would still get that business but letting the word out on a world class smallmouth fishery in a beautiful part of the country would be a good thing for the area. The best thing for that area right now would be to allow a major tournament like bass to hold a tourney there, the area would flood with new revenue and I can tell you from years of experience in the bass fishing industry that bass guys spend money.

[CaptainMusky]

I spend a hundred hours or so on the lake each summer and catch tons of smallies and only a few times have I ever seen then puke up crayfish. Cruising shallow rocks I have seen a few crayfish but nothing close to other lakes know for smallies.

[skocsuhs]

I can whole heatedly disagree with the money statement, the shops and resorts would have to change who they market to, but I can guaranty you that if the smallie was made king on Mille Lacs that bass guys spend about 5 times the money walleye guys do in the pursuit of their sport. Yes live bait sales would dip but tackle sales would go way up, probably ten times what it is now, out of state license sales would quadruple as well as lodging for the out of staters, there would still be eyes in the lake and they would still get that business but letting the word out on a world class smallmouth fishery in a beautiful part of the country would be a good thing for the area. The best thing for that area right now would be to allow a major tournament like bass to hold a tourney there, the area would flood with new revenue and I can tell you from years of experience in the bass fishing industry that bass guys spend money.

you know very well that makes waaaaaaaay too much sense to be an actual consideration

[river rat316]

the two times I was up there this last year fishing, there were areas the crayfish were like a blanket on the bottom, there is a ton of crays in Mille Lacs and yes it is their preferred forage, it is why tube jigs and jigs are a go to. Crays make up a large part of their diet, but bugs are a larger part, minnows are a pretty small part of a smallmouth's diet

[tom fellegy]

the word is out and has been out for a long time about the smallmouth on mille lacs. roland martin has been coming to mille lacs for years smallmouth fishing. if he knows about it, all the other bass guys know too.

[river rat316]

its not out on the national scene, I can guaranty that, hold a B.A.S.S. tourney there and see what happens. Just because some big names come and fish it doesn't mean it is on the map.

[Craigums]

its not out on the national scene, I can guaranty that, hold a B.A.S.S. tourney there and see what happens. Just because some big names come and fish it doesn't mean it is on the map.

How do you propose they have a B.A.S.S. tournament out there when the possession limit is 0?