Photo by Ron Sinfelt

It's always a tough choice. Every year we have to come up with a list of great places to fish smallmouths in Minnesota, and it's hard to settle on just 10 waters. That's because even though we have only a few hundred smallmouth lakes and rivers, many of these are absolutely first-class. Pristine northwoods lakes, fertile farm-country waters and urban honeyholes -- our state's diverse bronzeback hotspots offer excellent numbers and sizes of fish, often in scenic settings.

Whatever type of smallmouth bass fishing you prefer, one of these places is sure to fulfill your desires.

BURNTSIDE LAKE
Burntside Lake near Ely in northeast Minnesota seldom gets mentioned as a bronzeback hotspot, although numerous nearby lakes are well-known smallmouth destinations. Maybe it's because Burntside's excellent lake trout angling overshadows its smallmouth fishing.

Whatever the reason, the smallies don't get much attention, and this sprawling 7,100-acre lake has plenty of them. A recent Department of Natural Resources netting assessment showed good numbers of smallmouths and also an improving fish size, now nearly a 14-inch average. This is a full 2 inches larger than the average size in past surveys.

Anglers also catch a lot of smallmouths from Burntside. A creel survey a few years ago found that smallies make up a significant percentage of the lake's catch, including plenty of outstanding 16- to 18-inchers. Increasing fish sizes may have two causes: more catch-and-release and more smelt. Releasing rather than killing smallmouths is obviously beneficial, and Burntside's abundant smelt may enhance growth rates by giving the smallies a high-protein food source.

Though much of Burntside is deep -- over 40 feet -- it also has over 50 islands, three dozen small bays and 75 miles of shoreline, offering plenty of smallmouth habitat. Target rock/rubble shorelines and offshore humps where depths are less than 25 feet. The north side of the lake has the most undeveloped shorelines, plus some smallmouth-friendly bays. There are six boat ramps spread around the lake.

Contact the DNR Tower office (218-753-2580) for more info, and the Ely Chamber of Commerce (www.ely.org) for amenities.

CLOQUET RIVER
Here's another little-known northwoods smallmouth destination I love.

The beautiful Cloquet River tumbles quietly and largely unnoticed through the forests of St. Louis County north of Duluth. It's only large enough for canoes and other small boats, but those willing to put in the extra effort to fish this stream will find plenty of smallies. Nearly 30 miles of the lower river from the Island Lake Dam down to the St. Louis River are rocky and fishy. The Cloquet's low alkalinity keeps most smallmouths under 15 inches, but bonus catches of pike, walleyes and channel catfish should make up for the smallies' lack of size.

Wade-fishing is possible around Highway 53 and Highway 7, but be sure to wear felt-soled boots because the river's smooth, black boulders are very slippery. Floating by canoe is the best way to reach the Cloquet's more remote sections. The 10 miles of river from Highway 53 to the St Louis River is one good stretch. Upstream, a nice eight-mile trip is from County Road 48 to County Road 15.

In northern rivers like the Cloquet, many smallmouths and other species concentrate in head-of-pool areas just downstream of rapids and riffles where food sources are the highest. Both spin-fishers and fly-rodders can really score at these hotspots by using jigs or flies in black or chartreuse.

The Cloquet is one of the 100 top smallmouth destinations described in the new book, Smallmouth Fly-Fishing, which is available from www.SmallmouthAngler.com.

TURTLE LAKE
Turtle Lake is a north-central Minnesota beauty. Clear, clean and forest-fringed, 2,000-acre Turtle is in Itasca County just north of Marcel.

Turtle has long had a local reputation for producing hefty smallmouths, and both recent DNR surveys and angler reports show that fine smallies still swim in the lake. Nearly 30 percent of the bass surveyed were over 15 inches, and anglers occasionally catch lunkers over 19 inches.