. : Jon Bondy's All You Can Catch : .

Part4
Smallies!

丂丂Hello again, anglers of Japan! I have decided to share with you some of my great experiences with a very popular fish here in North America. This particular fish, known for it's strength and fighting ability, attracts anglers from around the globe who what to experience catching them first hand. The species which I am referring to is the smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) .
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丂 I am very fortunate to live right on one of the best smallmouth lakes on earth, Lake St.Clair. This shallow, clear, current filled lake is home to a very strong population of these fish, and while we do have some largemouth bass here, the smallmouth outnumber the largemouth by about 10 to 1. The lake is about 24 miles by 26 miles in size, and the entire shoreline all the way around is shallow sand with scattered rocks. That is why the lake is so full of fish, because the entire perimeter is suitable for spawning. During spawning season, a bed can sometimes be found every 10 yards. This makes for an incredible fishery.

丂 Legally, there is a closed season until the second week of June. When the season opens, a few fish are still on the beds, but most have finished spawning and are hungry. Myself, being a full time fishing guide on the lake, I have come to know where the traditional spawning areas are located, so that's where I start my fishing. In mid June, popular baits are spinnerbaits, tubes, rattle traps, and jerkbaits. One of my favorite lures this season was a plain grub or twister tail on a jig head with a open hook. I would instruct my customers to simply cast it out and just reel it straight in, up near the surface with a steady retrieve. That was a simple and effective way of catching them, with my clients boating over 100 bass a day on several occasions.
丂 As the season progresses, the fish move from their spawning depth (4-10 ft) on out to the deeper waters to spend the hot days of summer (12-20). There we catch them mainly by dragging a tube jig, in many different colors, as the wind blows the boat across main lake rocky areas. Lake St.Clair is pretty flat, so when you find any rise in the bottom, even if it is only half a foot, more than likely you will find fish there.

	Part6 KVD Interview 2004/05/20

I called up a long time friend of mine, Kevin Vandam for an interview with time. It seems like he likes Japanese bais like I do.

	Part1 Fishing on Lake St. Clair 2002/03/09

Hello. My name is Jon Bondy of Wondsor, Canada. I am a full time fishing guide on燣ake St.Clair, and today I start off my column on basswave.jp.

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	Part2 With Mickey Bruce 2002/06/13

I had a time to fish with Mickey Blues, a long time friend of mine and a famous Tour compeditor. We caught tons of bass and stripers.

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	Part3 Walleye, another great game-fish 2002/07/15

Walleye is one of the most popular types of game fish in North America, but they don't live in Japan. I thought I should introduce a walleye story a little bit.

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	Part4 Smallies! 2002/08/28

When you wish to fish smallmouths, I bet St. Clair is the best choise. Thanks God, I live near by. So, I tell you how fun to fish smallies here.

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	Part5 Monster Fish 2004/03/12

In Japan, I heard big long muskie lures are used to catch monster sized bass even though muskies don't exist over there. I will introduce how brual a real monster muskie can do.

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丂This lake is also one of the best in world for a large predator fish called muskellunge or just 'muskie' (Esox masquinongy) This fish, which I am including a picture of, have many razor sharp teeth and will often grow over 4 ft long and attain weights of 30 to 50 pounds! On one occasion this season, I was fishing with a client from Japan, and he got to witness first hand how vicious these fish are.
丂As I was reeling in a smallmouth about 1 1/2 lbs, I looked down to see a muskie about 4 ft long chewing on it. This 30 lb+ fish had grabbed ahold of my bass, and was trying to make it an easy lunch. My client from Japan was very excited to see this but soon the big predator fish let go. We both continued to watch as I left the bass back down there for a second and the big fish came around once more and grabbed it near the surface for a another attempt at a free lunch! We both had a clear view of the situation. Eventually the big fish gave up, and I reeled in a chewed up smallmouth, which as you can expect, didn't live very long. My Japanese customer told me that it reminded him of fishing on the ocean in Japan.
丂At the time of this writing, we are approaching the end of summer. The days are getting shorter, and the weather a bit cooler, with a few cold fronts moving through the area. This is the beginning of one of my favorite times of the year, the fall. As the water cools down, the fish will leave their deep water summer haunts and head shallow, sometimes even shallower than where they spawned.

丂If we get a few nice warm days in a row, especially in mid sept to late oct, the fish will really gang up in 2 to 4 ft of water, and we routinely catch 100 or more in a day! You need a certain set of conditions for this to happen however, and it is not an everyday occurrence.
丂 The fishing is good until December, when it gets quite cold here. The further you go into the fall, the more the fish gang up, so it gets harder and harder to locate them, but once you do, they are usually loaded up in one tiny spot!

丂 I will be on the road for most of this fall, fishing the Bassmaster Northern Opens in the U.S. I am taking pictures as I go, and my next article will likely be on my experiences, both good and bad. Be sure to log on to basswave again soon and good fishing to all the anglers of Japan.

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