By Joe Picotte
When most fishermen think of the St. Mary's River, thoughts of walleyes, Atlantic salmon or pike and musky typically come to mind. While these species get the most attention, there exists another corner of the fishery that can provide hours of action and the opportunity to land a trophy sized fish for the wall. These fish are underappreciated, have very little fishing pressure in the area and put up a fight that brings those who pursue it back year after year…the smallmouth bass.
The St. Mary's River holds an incredible smallmouth population, some of which grow to trophy sized proportions due to the lack of attention they receive. These fish are throughout the entire river system and the chance to land one for the wall is rather promising. Certain areas like the rock shoals surrounding Drummond Island and DeTour, plus the Lake Nicolet portion of the middle river, hold better populations of large fish due to the abundance of forage and conducive habitat they provide.
Once you locate a group of fish, you're likely in for steady and fun action casting to them. The best day I've personally had chasing smallmouth was in June 2022 with the company of my 2-year-old daughter, Clare. We launched our boat on a glassy calm sunny 70-degree morning and motored out to a familiar rock pile surrounded by weed beds on the inside of Munuscong Bay. We landed on an incredible bass bite, catching over 40 smallmouths between 2 and 6 pounds. We left after only an hour and a half, my left thumb shredded from holding over 3 dozen fish by the lip and my back sore from lifting them into the boat…what a great problem to have.
My favorite method to locate these fish is to search out shallow rock reefs or gravel beds especially those that border a reed bed. These areas tend to hold warmer water, which in turn attracts baitfish and provides shelter for crayfish, the smallmouth’s primary forage. Once these areas are located, you can sometimes spot fish cruising along searching for their next meal. Care must be taken when approaching by boat as these fish spook easily in clear and shallow water. To target these fish, try soft plastic baits such as crawfish tubes or Senko worms in natural colors like brown, green or white, rigged to slowly sink and flutter across the bottom. Simply dragging or hopping these baits across the rocks or along the edge of pencil reeds provides a lifelike crayfish imitation which smallmouth find hard to pass up.
This style of fishing is great for beginning anglers and young kids to learn. A basic 7 foot medium light rod rigged with 8 pound monofilament is all that's needed and virtually any rod and reel setup will work.
For those without a boat, these fish can easily be targeted from shore. Donning a pair of waders to walk the shorelines gives the advantage of accessing areas boat anglers cannot reach. The thump of your bait being inhaled by a fish, the dead weight when the hook is set and the acrobatic jumps of a 5 pound smallmouth make for a fun day on the water, especially on those double digit fish days. I highly encourage you to get out and give this world class fishery a try. Chances are you'll have the area to yourself. It's another way to get out and enjoy quality time in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, God's Country. Good Fishing!
Raised in Cedarville, Joe Picotte served eight and a half years in the United States Coast Guard and now resides in the Les Cheneaux Islands area. A lifelong outdoorsman, he credits his dad and grandpas with starting his love of hunting, fishing and trapping. Now Joe and his wife Mary teach outdoor skills to their 4-year-old daughter Clare and nine-month-old son Leland.