BLACKDUCK LAKE
Tucked away in the woods a few miles east of Highway 53 in St Louis County is a lake that doesn't get much media coverage. Though it's overshadowed by nearby big-name waters like Vermilion, Kabetogama and Rainy, 1,200-acre Blackduck offers good smallmouthing. Yet despite its high numbers of smallies, most anglers still target Blackduck's walleyes or bluegills rather than its bass. So those of us who know a good thing when we hook it can have some fine fishing!

Because Blackduck is relatively shallow compared with many other northern lakes, much of it is suitable for smallies. This is especially true of the eastern half of the lake, which is less than 20 feet deep. Its four islands also have good potential, and so do all the shorelines that have fist- to head-sized rocks, which are considered rubble. In fact, the DNR fisheries office in International Falls said all this favorable habitat means smallies are "extremely abundant," and some of them reach 20 inches.

With a secchi disk reading of 10 feet, Blackduck clarity is about average. This means the morning and evening bite is generally better than midday fishing, but crankbaiting and jig-fishing at noon will still produce plenty of fish.

There's a good boat landing on the north side that usually isn't crowded. But the lake sees increased usage whenever nearby Kabetogama is too windy to fish, causing some of its walleye seekers to head to Blackduck.

For info on local services, go to www.orrminnesota.com.

THUNDER LAKE
Here's a lake that can add a real spark to your smallmouth fishing.

Thunder is one of the bodies of water in Minnesota where smallies seem to have significantly increased over the past 15 years. While smallmouths were occasional catches in the past, nowadays a savvy angler can consistently hook bronzebacks from this 1,300-acre Cass County lake. Recent DNR nettings back up this claim. The survey found that smallmouths were 50 percent more abundant in Thunder than in similar lakes. Even better, many of these smallmouths are in the 15- to 18-inch range.

However, Thunder Lake smallies aren't always pushovers. Water clarity is very high and the lake is along Highway 6, with 250 homes on it. With the high clarity and the fish seeing plenty of hooks every season, they can be wary during midday. Of course, the easiest way to counter extra-clear water is to fish during low-light periods, like mornings, evenings and rainy days. Then dandy fish can be caught in less than 8 feet of water by targeting the shorelines that contain boulders or bulrushes. During bright-light periods, it's best to move out to 12- to 20-foot depths. Then working jigs close to the bottom is the ticket to success.

For more info, call the Remer Junction Bait Shop at (218) 566-2390.

OTTER TAIL RIVER
The Red River watershed is outside the smallmouth's historic range, but nevertheless, some western Minnesota rivers have become good smallmouth fisheries in recent years.

One stream that's causing me to look west is the Otter Tail River in Otter Tail County. Smallmouths were first introduced in the Otter Tail a dozen years ago. The fish have greatly benefited from catch-and-release regulations and habitat improvement, and now this midsized stream supports a fine population of smallies.