Even though Wabana Lake is very clear, nice smallies can be caught on fly tackle in the mornings and evenings. Photo by Tim Holschlag.

Smallmouths!

For an increasing number of us, that single word conjures up exciting images of heart-stopping strikes, spectacular jumps and supercharged runs. Best of all, these visions can easily become reality in many places across Minnesota. All over our state from huge lakes to small streams, big and brawny smallmouth bass are ready to do battle.

Here are 10 great smallie hotspots for you to try this season.

RAINY LAKE
It's hard to talk about great smallmouth bass destinations without including one of Minnesota's biggest bronzeback waters. Rainy Lake is a staggering 220,000 acres, and much of it is good smallmouth habitat. And even if you just consider Minnesota's 54,000 acres of this mega-lake, you have a lifetime of water to explore, with hundreds of miles of shoreline and countless islands.

Similar to many lakes this far north, smallmouth reproduction in Rainy isn't consistent year to year, but some of the very large fish that successfully spawned many years ago are still available. These 4-pound-plus lunkers are numerous enough that a competent angler has a good chance of hooking genuine trophies.

One way to up your odds with these heavyweights is to use brighter, more obtrusive lures for Rainy's stained waters. Plugs in fire-tiger finishes are good, and suspending thin-minnow crankbaits in that color are especially effective. And when the surface is flat and water is less then 10 feet deep, topwaters that pop or chug can produce heart-stopping strikes.

Boat landings on the west end near International Falls allow easy access to as far as Soldier Point. To fish the east end of Rainy, accessing via Kabetogama and Namakan lakes is better.

For information on Rainy Lake lodging, guide services and houseboats, contact the International Falls Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-325-5766, or visit www.rainy-lake.org. Voyageurs National Park maintains many primitive campsites on Rainy. For a map of the park that marks campsites, call the U.S. Park Service at (218) 283-9821.

WABANA LAKE
Itasca County is home to a bunch of fine smallmouth waters, one of which is 2,200-acre Wabana Lake north of Coleraine. In fact, local Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor Chris Kavanaugh rates it as an excellent smallmouth fishery. He said there are numerous hard-bottom substrates, thus allowing the species to populate many areas of Wabana. DNR surveys back this up, finding good numbers of fish, plus a good size structure.

But since north-central Minnesota has so many die-hard walleye fans, the lake's abundant smallies get little attention from local anglers. You can find these unmolested bronze brawlers off Wabana's numerous rocky points and on the edges of its steep dropoffs. The water is quite clear, so using smaller jigs and small finesse plastic worms is a good way to fool fish during midday. The topwater bite can also be good early in the mornings, with small propeller surface lures being hard to beat.