This was Fish’n Canada’s first lodge shoot of the season and one that Ang and Pete were really looking forward to.

“There’s a couple of reasons that Ang and I were pumped for this one,” says Pete. “First, our home base was Lake Lauzon Resort, which is a drive-to Northern Ontario lodge. Easy access. Secondly, along with the usual Walleye and Pike in the lake, there’s a fantastic population of Smallmouth Bass with some real giants in the mix.”

“Let me add one more,” says Angelo. “There’s no closed Bass season in this area. Since this shoot was in early June, it was perfectly legal to fish.”

Ang and Pete know the scrutiny of a television audience, they’ve lived it for over 30 years.

“We realize that fishing for any species during the spawn is not good policy,” adds Pete. “However, these fish were mostly in the pre-spawn stage. Perfectly legal and ethical. We don’t recommend people go fishing for Bass on the beds. There’s always fish in pre- and post-spawn mode along with spawners, so ethical fishing is available.”

PRESPAWN SMALLIES

Above are two classic examples of early season prespawn Smallmouth Bass areas. The left image of the boulders is a shallow point where fish move up on and spread out to find their spawning areas and feed. The right image is a classic deep water point where fish stage before they hit the shallows.

With that in mind, the boys thoroughly scanned the clear shallows of Lake Lauzon looking for “cruisers” as they call them—fish that have moved in from the depths and are now into a crush-everything feeding mode.

“Lauzon is a gorgeous smallie lake,” says Ang, “with enough structure to fulfill every Bass angler’s dream. Although we wanted to concentrate on the shallows, there are so many deep or close to deep spots that it would take an eternity to hit them all. Certainly not in our allotted time frame.”

When all was said and done, Pete and Ang did manage to tie into some beauty Lauzon Smallmouth and had the absolute bonus—or should we say pleasure—of witnessing a pair of pre-spawn muskies that were cruising in very shallow, clear water.

“We thought that this pair of muskie were actually one big fish until we got closer and saw two of them almost glued together,” Pete says. “They looked like synchronized swimmers, it was one of the highlights of our season!”

BAITS AND TACTICS

As per usual, dropshotting worked extremely well for Ang and Pete on this trip. Small 3 – 3.5-inch baits in natural colours were the deal. 6-8 lb fluorocarbon line on spinning gear was their choice for this.

They also got a few fish on jerkbaits—a really good choice in cold water. For this type of fishing, the guys prefer baitcast gear with either fluoro or braid.

3-inch tube jigs on light line spinning rounded out the kit.

LAKE LAUZON

Lauzon Lake is situated in the district of Algoma, Ontario. It has a surface area of 5,540 acres. Its perimeter is 46 miles and has an average depth of 52 feet and a maximum depth of 270 feet.

Water flows out of the lake via a dam at Lauzon Creek.

Lauzon’s major fish species are Smallmouth Bass, muskie, Pike, Lake Trout, Whitefish and Yellow Perch.

Along with minnows and panfish, Lauzon also contains a population of Smelt, giving it a very good food base for gamefish.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Lake Lauzon Resort is open all year long for superb fishing, camping and beautiful scenery. They accept bookings for Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. They’re located on beautiful Lake Lauzon, halfway between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, conveniently on the TransCanada Highway 17.

They have an array of accommodation options, including the Bed & Breakfast guest rooms with direct access to the main ground-floor deck overlooking Lake Lauzon, cozy cottages near the water, and ample lakefront space for tent and trailer camping. Free WiFi is available in the main lodge.

GUIDES

ADAM VALLEE – ANGLING ALGOMA – Adam is a full-time guide and tournament angler who started in the region of Algoma at a very young age. When not travelling for tournaments across Ontario and the U.S., he spends his time guiding and promoting his home waters of Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma.

TYLER DUNN GUIDING – Algoma’s #1 fishing guide, Tyler Dunn, offers unique fishing adventures along the shores of Lake Superior, on the St. Mary’s River, as well as many different lakes and rivers found in the Sault Ste. Marie area. Explore Algoma with Tyler and enjoy the endless fishing opportunities.