Thanks to catch-and-release ethics and a number of other factors, Minnesota fisheries are producing more -- and bigger -- bronzebacks. Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

It's getting close. It is nearly time to hit the water for those super-charged smallmouth bass. I've pursued this great species across North America, but it's awfully hard to beat Minnesota for superb smallmouth fishing. As catch-and-release becomes more and more prevalent and global climate change lengthens the growing season, smallmouths have been increasing in both size and numbers in many Minnesota waters. Not only are the smallies big and numerous, they bite well all summer. Just as nice is the fact that you'll often have these great fish to yourself as others pursue more popular species.

To help narrow your choices of where to tangle with the mighty smallmouth, here are nearly a dozen diverse lakes and rivers to consider. Some are large and well known, while others are smaller, overlooked gems. All are great places to battle bronzebacks.

RAINY LAKE
Let's start with one of our largest smallmouth honey holes. Rainy is an impressive 220,000 acres, and much of it is excellent smallmouth water. And even it you just focus on Minnesota's 54,000-acre portion, you have several years' worth of water to explore, with hundreds of miles of shoreline and dozens of islands. All these islands, points and bays also mean there is generally some protected water to fish on Rainy, even when winds kick up.

Saginaw, Hitchcock and Kempton bays are all fairly wind-protected, and they have good smallmouth water. Many of the numerous islands farther out in the lake also have excellent smallmouth habitat around them.

However, many Rainy Lake bronzebacks are more mobile than they are in other lakes, due to the pelagic (open water) forage on which they often feed. This means you'll need to move around to find active fish; don't automatically expect to catch smallies in a spot just because it was good last week, or even yesterday.

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 it via Kabetogama and Namakan lakes is better. For information on Rainy Lake lodging, guide services and houseboats, contact the International Falls Chamber of Commerce (800-325-5766 or 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 (218-283-6600).

BASSWOOD LAKE
This beautiful wilderness lake is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, though much of the U.S. portion is open to motor use and can be fished by day-trippers. And at 22,000 acres, Basswood has plenty of water to explore. The lake has miles of rocky shorelines and dozens of islands and bays that support good-sized bronzebacks. Two large bays, Pipestone and Jackfish, were historically known for their big pike, but they are also productive smallmouth water nowadays. The numerous reefs between Washington Island and United States Point are also excellent. Because Basswood has both ciscoes and rusty crayfish, many summer smallies will be found 20 to 30 feet deep pursuing ciscoes, while others will be in shallower rubble areas feeding on the abundant crayfish.