FISHING
COLUMN
BIG
BASS
QUEST
LEGEnD oF THE norTH
o
FOR SEVERAL DECADES, STEVE CLAPPER HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT
OF TROPHY SMALLMOUTH FISHING ON THE GREAT LAKES
JoE BALoG
joe balog is an accomplished
tournament fisherman from
the upper Midwest who relo-
cated to Florida to scratch his
lifelong itch to chase trophy
largemouths.
photos by jody white
30
ver the last two decades, the concept of trophy bass fishing has expanded
to include the smallmouth. it’s no surprise, as bronzebacks of heroic sizes
continuously pop up across much of the Great lakes and beyond. in fact,
many northern fisheries now give anglers a legitimate shot at a smallmouth bass
of more than 7 pounds, which was once only possible across a small section of
the Mid-south.
no one is more qualified to tell the story of the evolution of northern small-
mouth bass fishing than steve Clapper.
nearly every smallmouth angler has heard of Clapper. everyone who’s ever
fished a tournament on lake erie has feared him. reefs are named after him. in a
career spanning more than 40 years, Clapper has fished nearly every trophy
smallmouth water in existence and helped spur possibly the greatest renaissance
in all of bass fishing: offshore structure fishing on big water.
it’s likely no other angler has been more influential in the advancement of this
style of fishing, over a longer duration, than the original Great lakes guru.
water Temperature and Location
according to Clapper, at no other time are the giants of the species more vul-
nerable than during the most extreme cold-water periods, including early spring
and late fall. this is when the fish are heaviest and when they gather in large,
dense schools, assuring Clapper he’s putting his bait in front of the biggest fish in
the lake. in the Great lakes, the magic water temperature range is 38 to 42
degrees.
i’ve often contended that the principle of bass dormancy during winter, espe-
cially for bass in the north, is a myth. both Clapper and i have witnessed aggres-
sive, feeding smallmouths beneath the ice, and we’ve found the most robust fish
immediately after ice-out.
“they could be feeding throughout the winter, really,” says Clapper. “we just
can’t get to them.”
FLwFISHInG.com I wInTEr 2020