By Tim Holschlag

It's that time again. Every spring I offer Minnesota Sportsman readers 10 great smallmouth waters to try. The trouble is, with Minnesota's multitude of blue-ribbon smallie destinations, I always have trouble narrowing it down to just 10.

Wild northwoods lakes, close-to-home haunts, big rivers, scenic streams - our state has so many excellent bronzeback locations. Of course, part of the problem is the fact that I never met a smallmouth lake or stream I didn't like. Put a smallie in a body of water and I'm interested, real interested. Even if it requires hard paddling or a long hike through the woods, I want to try it.

And I'm not alone. Thirty years ago, my passion for smallmouths made me an odd duck in the land of walleyes. Nowadays, I have plenty of company, with more and more people loving the power-packed smallmouths. It goes to show that today's anglers know a good thing when they hook it. And no matter whether you're a veteran or a rookie smallmouth angler, these waters offer something for everyone.

A sprawling 40,000 acres, with dozens of islands and miles of shoreline, Vermilion affords anglers plenty of room to roam. Long a popular walleye destination, and more recently famous as a muskie hotspot, this lake also has good smallies. But Lake Vermillion smallmouthing is often overlooked, leaving plenty of water and fish for the serious smallmouth fan. And right now bronzeback populations in Vermilion are looking good. Excellent reproduction in the mid- and late-1990s means plenty of hard-fighting midsized models - 12- to 16-inchers - in the lake along with some 4- to 5-pound lunkers.

Because Vermilion is so large, with two distinct basins - separated by Oak Narrows - it's best for newcomers to concentrate on a single section of the lake. In the west basin, one area definitely worth trying is Wakemup Bay, especially the bay's many reefs and rock humps. On the east side near Tower, the islands between Stuntz Bay and Armstrong Bay are good. Even Vermilion's growing number of docks hold nice smallies. Jigheads dressed with 4-inch plastic worms are consistent producers during the spring and summer seasons.

Numerous resorts and guides operate on this big lake. For lodging assistance, call the Lake Vermilion Resort Association at 1-800-648-5897. For general information, go to www.lakevermilion.com

The author loves fly-fishing for smallmouth bass, especially hard-fighting 20-inchers like this one on Lake Vermilion. Photo courtesy of Tim Holschlag

Almost surrounded by Voyageurs National Park, "Kab" offers over 25,000 acres of beautiful wilderness water, plus dandy smallmouth fishing. And like many waters in our land of walleye mania, only a small core of anglers seriously pursue Kab's bronzebacks. Instead most anglers inadvertently catch the occasional smallmouth while targeting walleyes. But serious smallmouthing will pay off on Kabetogama. Last year's Department of Natural Resources survey found robust populations of the species, and Kab smallmouther Don Stevens says he consistently lands hefty bronzebacks up to nearly 5 pounds.

In the spring and early summer, Stevens targets spawning fish in gravel/rubble bays on the east side of the lake. In late June, Stevens moves to midlake islands and humps with rubble/sand substrates. He says the western end of the lake has a lot of clay bottom areas that hold more pike than smallmouths. But the humps around Sugarbush, Cutover and other islands are consistent smallmouth locations. In the summer, these shallow areas often develop weed growth. Stevens recommends working the weeds with topwaters and shallow runners early in the day, then moving deeper with deep-diving crankbaits as the day progresses.

To obtain a map and camping information on Kabetogama and Voyageurs National Park, go to www.nps.gov.voya. For local businesses, go to www.kabetogama.com or call the International Falls Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-325-5766.

As its name implies, this is a trout lake - lake trout to be exact. One of several Minnesota lakes named Trout, this 1,900-acre jewel is in Itasca County, two miles east of Highway 38 and near Wabana Lake. Though it's locally famous for its deep-water lakers, Trout Lake also has some fine smallies swimming along its shorelines and around shallow midlake humps. And good fishing isn't this lake's only attribute. In fact, Trout's smallmouth populations aren't as high as in some northeast waters, but its beauty and tranquility compares favorably to Minnesota's most remote lakes. In the heart of Chippewa National Forest, Trout Lake is clear, quiet and forest-fringed with little development.

To find Trout Lake's smallmouths, focus on the 10- to 20-foot depths and skip the 80 percent of the lake that's deeper. Besides staying in the shallower zones, it's also critical to target wood cover or rubble, as in fist- to football-sized rocks. Covering water quickly with deep-diving crankbaits is a good way to find productive locations. Working that spot with a tube jig is a way to coax an extra fish or two from that location.

For local services and information, contact the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce at www.grandmn.com and Ben's Bait and Tackle in Grand Rapids at (218) 326-8281.

I've released smallies up to 20 inches in the Big Fork and heard of guys landing muskies over 44 inches. To find the smallmouths, skip the areas with clay or sand bottoms and concentrate on rocky head-of-pool areas and eddies below islands. Due the to the fine-particle clay soils of the area, the Big Fork can run very turbid after a rain. Fishing is best if it's been dry for at least a week.

The DNR offers a handy map of the Big Fork and the other rivers highlighted in this article, because they are also designated - though seldom used - canoe routes. These river maps are available through most local DNR offices and from the central office in St Paul (1-888-646-6367). For the Big Fork, the closest sizeable town is International Falls. For more info, call 1-800-325-5766.

The Cloquet is a beautiful boulder-studded waterway winding through the woods northwest of Duluth. A major tributary of the St Louis River, the lower 30 miles of the Cloquet downstream of Island Lake is great smallmouth water. Don't expect many lunkers, because the river's low alkalinity keeps fish sizes on the small side, but high-jumping 10- to 13-inchers are plentiful. My friend Greg Breining likes to float the 10 miles of stream below Highway 53 because it's filled with rocky riffles and holds high numbers of fish. Breining advises, however, that the Cloquet's smallmouths are heavily concentrated in specific habitat. Slackwater pools may look appealing but they hold few fish. Instead, look for fish to be bunched in riffle/rapids areas. He says working these fast-water areas with black or brown jigs or flies, then quickly moving to the next spot, is the ticket to success.

Upstream of Highway 53 the Cloquet also holds plenty of smallies, along with a surprising number of channel catfish. During midsummer, low water may require pulling the canoe over a few shallow riffles, but overall the river from Island Lake down to its junction with the St Louis is floatable by canoe. A half-dozen bridge crossings serve as assess sites. One easy day float is the 8 miles from County Road 48 down to County Road 15. For local services, contact the Cloquet Chamber of Commerce at www.cloquet.com.