Kawartha Lakes is a smallmouth bass paradise
GEOFF COLEMAN Writer-at-large
Smallmouth bass are members of the sunfish family, and that is an apt designation, because there is no fish more co-operative in the dog days of summer than Micropterus dolomieu. They bite readily on a variety of baits, give a fight that always makes you think you have a big one regardless of the actual size, and they love the warm days of our summer vacations, becoming very active when August weather arrives. Kawartha Lakes is blessed with incredible opportunities to catch smallmouth. Lakes like Balsam and Sturgeon are known across the province as destinations for both their large numbers of fish, and the chance of getting a trophy-sized catch. In a normal year, numerous professional tournaments are staged on these lakes with literally millions of dollars in boats, motors, electronics, gear and tackle hitting the water in search of bass. Luckily for most of us, largemouth and smallmouth don’t care what kind of boat you are fishing from. And while a larger boat is safer on big lakes, there are bass in smaller lakes and ponds perfectly suited for canoes or kayaks, and they should not be overlooked.
At the end of the last portage we confirmed our one rule governing camp life: if you complained about how someone did a job, you took over that responsibility. Then we shoved off. For years, an ancient mounted fish hung in a Kinmount convenience store. It was dusty, and cracking like aging skin mounts will do. It also was the largest smallmouth bass ever caught in Ontario, and, it came from a small lake just a good cast away from Kinmount. Caught in 1954, it weighed 4.46 kg (9.84 pounds), and had a girth of nearly 46 cm (18 inches.) Yes, girth. That is the length of a nice smallmouth. The length was whopping 61 cm (24 inches.) (The average size smallmouth bass is 15-18 inches.) CONT’D ON PAGE 24
Advocate writer Geoff Coleman shows off a smallmouth bass
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