After the tragic drownings of the two kayakers on Washington Island recently, PLEASE, no matter your skill level or the conditions, wear your PFD (life jacket)!
I have been chasing smallmouth bass in the waters of Door County since 1995, with many days spent in one of my Jackson Kayak fishing kayaks. Summer can be a tough time to find the big smallies, but it is still a fun time to be on the water! Door County is a beautiful place to fish for smallmouth bass, even though the numbers have been on the decline over the past 10 or so years. This can be due to a variety of factors, including more fishing pressure. Even though it hurts the fishery, many anglers still try to catch males while they are doing their natural thing in shallower water, guarding nests in the spring!
Even with the numbers somewhat down, there are still lots of smallies and some big ones to be found. In summer and into early fall, I would suggest fishing shallow — 15 feet and under — and throwing small swimbaits on light mushroom-head jigs. Also, in that deeper range, fishing a tube jig or Ned rig very slowly on the bottom can be productive. As I have found the past few weeks, there are still many smaller bass out there, especially around permanent piers protected by boulders. Smallies love to hang around structure like this.
For the presentations I mentioned, I am using medium-fast and medium extra-fast-action St. Croix rods in the 7-foot to 7-foot-3-inch range and a 2500-size spinning reel spooled with 8- or 10-pound-test braided line with a 3- to 4-foot, 10-pound-test fluorocarbon leader. The Ned rig is a tremendous presentation, and my tip is to use the buoyant Z-Man Finesse TRD in Green Pumpkin Goby, which is what I use almost all the time. Tubes should be the 2.5-inch version, and the well-known local bait shop sells the style I use.
As I have mentioned before, I keep it very simple with my fishing kayaks, whether paddle or pedal. I have two flush-mount rod holders, two external rod holders and a box with additional rod holders in the tankwell behind my seat for gear and lures. I am usually out with four or five rods and a small net. The one item I could use but have never added to my fishing kayaks is a fish finder. This would be helpful for water temperature, water depth and bottom structure. With the clear water and the many days I’ve chased smallies in Door County, I know my spots very well! I’m a 100% catch-and-release angler, and I’d suggest you do the same.
If you have any general kayak or kayak fishing questions, please email me at kayakfishingwisconsin@gmail.com. I’d be very happy to email you the PDF of my Kayaking & Kayak Fishing Door County, WI talk I gave at Canoecopia this year.
