Northwoods Bass Fishing Adventures

09/14/2026

TOP LURES FOR THE EARLY FALL TRANSITION -

Here's what I'm throwing these next few weeks if I had a choice -

The early fall transition’s fishing expectation is lots of searching and burning some gas. This window is short, lasting only a few weeks, and bites can change daily as a result from cooling water temps, water clarity, changing weather, timing of the migrations and importantly the status and approach of fall turnover. Most fishing strategies should be shallow(er) water casting with horizontal search lures and reaction baits to help trigger both species of bass.

Regardless of where we stand in the summer to fall seasonal transition, one or more of these scenarios should apply. Cool mornings, lots of bass relocating to the shallows and low fishing pressure creates memorable trips. Be mindful of the seasonal triggers and prioritize a few of, or all, of these search lure strategies.

READ STORY HERE - https://www.northwoodsbass.com/top-lures-for-the-early-fall-transition/

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09/01/2026

FISHING ALGAE BLOOM LAKES -

Green water shortcuts to finding and catching trophy bass. Algae bloom waters are my destination for big late summer largemouths.

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Clear in spring and green by late summer, algae blooms are an annual occurrence throughout the north - most common to the highly fertile and vegetation-rich flowages, drainage lakes, and eutrophic lakes. And although its stench and green color can be gross, blooms can create advantageous opportunities for the finest bass fishing of late summer.

In recent years blooms have intensified across the Northwoods and occurring with more frequency.

It can be nasty to be on lakes that are blooming. Many anglers look at these conditions and immediately talk themselves out of fishing them. But if you are on the right fisheries, find the right spots, and fish properly, blooms can produce the summer’s most consistent largemouth fishing.

Blooms are an annual occurrence from late July through August, and we use their reduced visibility to aid us when targeting big largemouths. And we often have the lake all to ourselves.

As with most bloom patterns, connect the dots between blooms and the lake’s topography and personality. The lakes that have the heaviest blooms each have expansive shallow w**d flats and are warmest and most fertile compared to lakes that don’t bloom. Most are drainage systems too. The bloom enhances fishing and helps concentrate fish in predictable locations.

READ STORY HERE - https://www.northwoodsbass.com/fishing-algae-bloom-lakes/

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08/27/2026

The August 2026 (early September) Newsletter is hitting inboxes and spam boxes later this morning.

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08/26/2026

SMALLMOUTH GRIND-OUTS -

In this August 2026 edition of Bass Class, we take a look at unique crankbait and chatterbait programs we have for triggering smallmouths on a tough summer bite.

Conditions will tell you when to grind smallmouths like this, and the fish will tell you also. So far, we’ve experienced great fishing on warm unseasonable days with strong winds, and on gloomy coldfront days with wind. Wind has been a common theme. Benefiting the crankbait and chatterbait programs are the vibration both lures generate, which gets smallmouths going. They’re easily detectable and trackable for fish in wind and under any light level, and that’s why they engage smallmouths so well.

The grinding game is to annoy, aggravate, and get smallmouths pi**ed off to strike. The crankbait and chatterbait are unparalleled tools for triggering structure-oriented smallmouths who are on a tough summer bite.

READ STORY HERE - https://www.northwoodsbass.com/smallmouth-grind-outs/

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08/25/2026

Here’s a sampling of how dry we are and how this year’s drought is affecting seepage lakes.

Backyard is about 4 to 5 feet down and I haven’t seen it this low since 2006.

During the high water years we had (2013-2024’ish) everything near shore - wood, plants, brush - here became submerged.

An influx of fertility and nutrients gave the lake life. The pets fed, grew, and spawned with proficiency.

During the high water years I kept dropping limbs and branches left behind from ice storms and spring cleanups. My brush piles for pets. During these years we also had an explosion in emergent vegetation - pads.

Bass, crappies, bluegills, pike each made this littoral zone habitat their home and became super important for spawning and the awesome year classes we had.

And now with the low water, everything will dry out and retreat out to the open. Spawning might suffer some. The lake might not produce like it recently did. Hopefully this doesn’t last too long but it probably will. Last drought cycle went for about 10 years.

Haven’t been around much this year to check out other lakes but know several other seepage lakes are starting to look like this too. Might be challenging getting a boat into some of them.

All that elite shoreline cover and habitat of these lakes will be gone.

www.northwoodsbass.com

08/24/2026

In my former life I wouldn’t have bothered to leisure fish with the north winds and strange weekend we had. But when I got the weekend off I gotta go when I can.

Not much to talk about. Not liking the low water and severe drought either. Seepage lakes were last low like this in 2006 and that prior drought cycle lasted to 2011.

Anyways, did catch both bass species. Strikes and bites very light and lethargic, unusual for an August weather change. Total grind.

Water temp still very warm. 73-74. I’m used to seeing a 67-70 range for end of August. Got a ways to go.

Caught fish on swim jig to lipless cranks, dead sticking tubes, and drop shotting with the FFS (the latter is for desperate times).

Some largemouths up shallow, others 10-15’, and every smallmouth this weekend between 15-20’

Thought fishing w**d choked and bloomy water would be the solution on largemouths. And that visiting an aquarium lake on smallmouths and largemouths would have saved the weekend. Neither was a winner.

More fishing is in the calendar these next coming weeks and few months.

Lots of new stories now posted on the website, by the way. Next newsletter rolls out this week. Maybe tomorrow.

www.northwoodsbass.com

08/18/2026

I find it extremely unfortunate that Facebook now restricts linking on pages, and censors pages from
directing readers to their own external websites.

After reaching a 2 per month quota, I can no longer share links on this page all because of this new bu****it.

No, not paying for a new service to have my website’s links be shared.

If you visit this page frequently and visit website frequently, just be sure to bookmark my site URL and access it weekly to check in on recent developments

This suppression and restricting is beyond infuriating for the small business owner and persons relying on web traffic to survive.

🖕you Meta and Mr. Zuckerberg.

08/18/2026

Baby bass is helping dad write new stories this week, now available to digital subscribers at Northwoods Bass website.

Baby bass is also 9 months old now 🤯

Dad needs to fish again also, but our office time together and childcare is way more important.

08/17/2026

SMALLMOUTHS IN DARK WATER LAKES -

Everything that we’ve been taught about smallmouth bass habitats and fishing likely hasn’t included a complete lesson plan on water clarity, taking advantage of those clarities, and the adaptability and tolerance smallmouths can have on underwater visibility.

Dark water lakes are the few remaining untapped Northwoods smallmouth fisheries. Big fish thrive and hide in concealment beneath the surface, and few anglers are fishing for them compared to everywhere else.

The dark water is such a turnoff to smallmouth snobs that they wouldn’t dare visit them. But we are.

These dark brown, tannin-stained lakes hold surprisingly robust populations of trophy smallmouth bass and other gamefish species. Though the dark water deters anglers, stained northern natural lakes and low-land flowages protect smallmouths from heavy sun pe*******on and excessive fishing pressure, concealing their exceptional trophy bass potential and other hidden lake secrets.

Elite genetics, dark water to hide the fish, concealment from prey, and high rusty crayfish densities are the ingredients to these fisheries.

In this August 2026 Bass Class we profile and discuss them, and how to fish them - commonly consisting of tannic colored flowages and drainage lakes.

A recent filming day with Midwest Outdoors sent us to a dark water lake where we got to do some new magic tricks.

Links to story and video below -

READ ENTIRE STORY - https://www.northwoodsbass.com/dark-water-smallmouths/

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