There is a place in Algoma Country that is very affordable to most anglers. It’s a drive to location and has been nick-named Trophy Alley. Why? Because the smallmouth bass here are immense. There is another bonus, bass season is open year-round. This means you can be on the water shortly after ice out when the fish are cruising in the shallows, and are very hungry.
I was joined on this trip by the Producer of The New Fly Fisher show, Colin McKeown. I travelled from Hamilton, Ontario and Colin travelled from Ottawa, Ontario. It took us about the same amount of time (7 hours) to reach the resort.
We are staying at Big Basswood Lake Resort, a family-owned and operated seasonal trailer park on Big Basswood Lake. Located about 1 hour east of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The resort has 28 serviced trailer sites and four cabins that are rented out weekly. We booked in the off-season (springtime) when cabins are readily available. The cabins are clean, comfortable and warm.
Our cabin was equipped with 3 bedrooms, (1 Queen bed, 1 Double bed, Twin bunk beds), a fully equipped kitchen, a living room and a 3-piece bathroom. Although we fish most of the time, there is a television and DVD player in the living room. You have your own fire pit, barbeque, and picnic table. We brought our food, bed linens (or sleeping bag), and pillows, and washcloth and towel. Looking out from the cabin on the lake, in the morning, and watching the mist rise is stunning. Algoma Country is beautiful.
The wildlife in the area includes Moose, black bear, Lynx, Bobcat, bald eagles, owls, otters, and loons. I particularly like seeing birds of prey. They have always fascinated me. There have been over 95 confirmed species of birds that live in Algoma during different times of the year. Algoma Country is a birdwatcher’s haven.
Because we were visiting just after ice out, water temperature is paramount. Bring a thermometer. We are looking for water in the 55- to 60-degree F area. We fished back bays and shorelines that had solid rock. The rock will warm in the sun and in turn, warm up the water. The shallow bays also are first to warm up in the spring. This will attract baitfish and that will bring in the bass.
We ran into cold weather when we first arrived, and the fishing was tough. The one really convenient thing about fishing in this area is if you aren’t producing fish in one lake, there are other lakes within a 20-minute drive. We fished all the places we thought the fish would be, but we couldn’t find warm enough water. We only produced a few fish in the first two days. But, at this time of year, one day of bright warm sunshine can raise the water temperature enough to turn the fish on. We got that day! On day 3 the sun was high and bright. This is the one time I want bright sun when bass fishing. It was at about noontime when the water temperature began to rise and like a light switch being turned on, the fish started feeding heavily. We found the fish in about 12 feet hugging close to shallow water. This is where sonar is very important. You can see the drop-off easily. Slow presentation is what you want at this time of year and near the bottom.
The fish are still a little lethargic because they have just come out of winter. Colin was using an intermediate sinking line on a 6-weight 9-foot rod. I was using a sinking tip line on a 9-foot #6 weight rod. We both had 4 feet of straight 8lbs test monofilament as tippet then the streamer. Flies that worked best were streamers, such as black woolly buggers, Clouser minnows, crayfish patterns, and the most effective fly was Scotty’s McFly. (Visit The New Fly Fisher YouTube channel for Scotty’s McFly tying instructions) Bring some poppers with you in case the spring is warmer and the fish start rising. Other years I’ve been here the fish were rising to poppers.
Once the bite started it was non-stop till we got off the water at about 6:00 pm. Many 4- and 5-pound smallmouth were taken, along with Colin catching one that was close to 6 pounds, and also landing a decent lake trout. I was lucky enough to land a behemoth of close to 7 pounds. The fishing was so good our cameraman was allowed to fish (this is rare) and he was catching 4 pounders.
Pre-spawn smallmouth bass fishing is exciting and your chances of a big fish are good in this area. Fall is also a great time for smallmouth here. Contact Big Basswood Lake Resort for reservations and rates.
