Mille Lacs Lake: One of America’s Best for Smallmouth Bass
Jim DaRosa – a former tournament fisherman, certified fishing guide, and founder and co-host of the Fishing and Outdoor Radio Show – says he “absolutely fell in love with Mille Lacs Lake.”
“One of my dreams was to live near a great lake for smallmouth bass,” DaRosa said, “and I bought my retirement home on Mille Lacs Lake. I was a tournament fisherman for over twenty years, and have fished some of the best smallmouth bass lakes in the United States. I’d say this is one of the top five lakes in America for smallmouth bass.”
Mille Lacs Lake is Minnesota’s second-largest inland lake (at one hundred and thirty-two thousand surface acres), and is popular for fishing year-round. The lake is home to a variety of fish including walleye, northern pike, muskie, jumbo perch, tullibee, and large and smallmouth bass. Mille Lacs Lake has been ranked one of Minnesota’s top ten lakes for walleye fishing by CBS and the Star Tribune, and one of Bassmaster’s top hundred bass lakes in the United States. Bassmaster’s top hundred bass lakes takes both large and smallmouth bass fishing into account, but in a list of the best places to fish for smallmouth bass, DaRosa says Mille Lacs Lake is definitely Top Ten.
According to DaRosa, on a typical day you can catch twenty to a hundred smallmouth bass in the three to four pound range on Mille Lacs Lake, with the occasional five and six: it offers both quality and quantity. “Mille Lacs is known as one of the best walleye lakes in Minnesota,” he said, “and that walleye reputation overshadows the world class smallmouth bass fishery that we have here on Mille Lacs. My clients come from California, New York, and from the southern states to fish for smallmouth bass. It’s one of the best kept secrets of bass fishing world and should be promoted more.”
When fishing for smallmouth bass in Mille Lacs Lake, DaRosa uses tube jigs and topwater baits. However, he says there are “no magic lures or tips” for a successful fishing trip. “My best tip is to get out and do it. Go fishing every chance you can. There are a lot of tips on how, when, and where to fish online, but it still boils down to getting out there and getting to know your lake.”
For more information, or to book a guided smallmouth bass fishing trip, visit www.fishsmallmouthbass.com or call Jim DaRosa at (320) 630-4792.
Photo courtesy of Jim DaRosa.
Tagged: Mille Lacs County , Aitkin County , Minnesota Counties , Minnesota Tourism , Four Score
