“ OFTEN , THE BEST PORTION OF THE WATER COLUMN IS FAR FROM THE BOTTOM .”
smallmouth sPECTACULAR
Jonathon VanDam targets suspended smallmouth bass with finesse baits . These often overlooked fish are positioned high off the bottom .
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
Nelson insists that to excel in today ’ s advanced age of ultra-precise electronics , an angler must be equally precise . Utilizing forward-facing sonar , he picks out specific fish on targets and keeps his distance . Long casts are the name of the game , and often with a multitude of lures .
“ I use a lot of jerkbaits and spinnerbaits ,” he continues . “ And then there ’ s tubes and drop-shots and jigs . I use Silver Buddys , big swimbaits , spybaits , and glide baits as search lures , and a bunch of different Ned rigs . Topwaters when it ’ s calm can be a big deal . You better have a boatload of lures .”
By staying back and diversifying his offerings , Nelson shows multiple options to pressured fish , resulting in more bites . He also notes that both larger and smaller lures seem to be producing better than the standard smallmouth offerings coming in around 4 inches .
Jonathon VanDam follows the same theme — but for different reasons .
“ The fish have gotten bigger ” he posits . “ It ’ s taking 25 pounds or more to win tournaments .”
For that reason , according to VanDam , top anglers often swing for the fences right from the start .
The Michigan pro rattled off some of his favorite mega-mouthfuls .
“ Googan ’ s 5-inch Saucy Swimmer . [ Strike King ] KVD 300 jerkbaits . The 10XD crankbait ; all of these are real players for me ,” he says .
The big fish VanDam targets are regularly eating large forage , including meaty gobies and perch . His big lures simply cull out the smaller fish that are unnecessary to place well in tournaments . But it ’ s not all big all the time . “ There ’ s more pressure than ever , too ,” he says . “ More fishermen are traveling to the Great Lakes , and rightfully so . There ’ s no place you can have a better shot at a trophy smallmouth .”
Legions of anglers have created wary bass , occasionally resulting in a need for further finesse .
“ Small swimbaits — the 2.75- to 3.3- inch models — are ideal ,” VanDam adds . “ And I use a black marabou hair jig in 1 / 16 ounce .”
Often , the best portion of the water column is far from the bottom .
“ Suspended fish get missed a lot ,” he says . “ I pay close attention to my depth finders and fish finesse baits way up off the bottom .”
If Nelson and VanDam and all the others are to be believed ( and they certainly are ), bass fishing on the Great Lakes is again undergoing a renaissance period . Anglers are targeting fish with a far larger array of methods than they did just a decade ago , often focusing high in the water column rather than strictly near the bottom . Immediately , I ’ m reminded of the way ledge fishing techniques expanded in the early 2000s .
The old guard is finding it necessary to adapt as well . Steve Clapper now credits many of his catches to a variety of swimbaits fished at various water depths and speeds .
What a stark contrast to the times when a single rod did all the damage . But with this expansion comes the chance for discovery , always the allure of big-water bass fishing .
60 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | JUNE-JULY 2021