Five Tips for French River Bass Fishing

With higher waters this season on the French River Delta, many guests who have an interest in bass fishing have been asking where to go and how to fish these waters in Northern Ontario.
 
Here’s our quick and dirty five tips and tricks for both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass:
 

Spinnerbaits are hard to beat.

Spinner photo provided by Cabela’s

They provide anglers a near perfect bait with a lot of movement and flash to cover large areas quickly and effectively.

Largemouth are in or on the edge of weed beds.

 
This is especially true for backwater bays where fewer fishermen have gone to fish.

Smallmouth prefer rocky structures to provide cover.

Whether it be shelving or rock rubble, smallmouth are known hang out amongst the hard structures and on occasion strike wondering bait fish. As a bonus, they also love current. Finding these two conditions together would be prime spots to catch trophy sized smallmouth.

If what you are doing is not working, do something else.

These changes could be as simple as trying a different colour of lure, changing the speed of lure retrieval and the cadence of bait on display.

Don’t waste time on unproductive water.

If you’re not catching fish within 5 minutes of an area, move on.

By Joe Barefoot
Tips provided by Art Barefoot, Owner and French River Guide