by Dan Small

Southern Wisconsin is gradually becoming known as a great smallmouth bass venue. Some waters, such as Geneva Lake, Green Lake and Lake Mendota, remain perennial favorites of Badger State brown bass enthusiasts. Other waters have come on strong in recent years to provide not only fast action for battling bronzebacks, but also great potential for trophy fish. These locations include the Milwaukee River and Harbor, and the Winnebago Chain, including Lake Butte des Morts and the Wolf River.

Let's take a close look at a handful of these waters that will provide good smallmouth action this season.

When the season opens May 5, look for big smallies on the rock reefs that dot Mendota. Some of the best reefs are located off Governors Island, Tenney Park and the University of Wisconsin. Weedlines are also productive spots, as are shallow hard-bottom areas close to deep water. Gene Dellinger, owner of D&S Bait on the lake's north side, says 5-pounders are showing up in greater numbers every year.

"Our smallmouth fishery has been overlooked by anglers who concentrate on Mendota's panfish and walleyes," Dellinger says. "But fish in the 16- to 20-inch class are quite abundant, thanks in part to the 18-inch size limit."

Dellinger likes crankbaits early in the season. As smallies move deeper, he drifts weedlines with tube jigs or live bait, then works dropoffs with heavier jigs and plastics. Come fall, when bass move back into shallow weedy areas, he switches back to crankbaits.

For bait, tackle and guide service, stop at D&S Bait, 1411 Northport Dr., (608) 241-4225. D&S also has a fishing hotline: (608) 244-3474. Lee Tauchen guides out of the store for smallmouths and other species.

Many of the bars have extensive sandgrass beds that extend out to the 15-foot depth, where smallies feed on crayfish and shiners. Diving crankbaits that imitate either will take bass here, as will jigs and plastics. Brian Gates -- who owns Geneva Lake Bait & Tackle, located at the intersection of highways 67 and 50 just north of Williams Bay -- says the smallmouth fishing just keeps getting better because most serious bass anglers release all the fish they catch.

"You can see down 25 feet or more, now that zebra mussels have invaded the lake," Gates says. "Look for clean patches of sand and gravel. Rip jigs in shallow water and sparse weeds early in the season, then move out a little deeper and fish with fatheads or crawlers weighted with a single split shot. In really warm weather, go to 25 feet or so and use a crawler or leech."

Smallmouth hotspots include both shorelines of Geneva Bay, the north shore at The Narrows, the north shoreline west of Conference Point and the military academy shoreline between Fontana and Black Point on the south shore.

The season here opens May 5, and normal inland regulations apply. For bait, tackle, information and guide service, call Geneva Lake Bait and Tackle at (262) 245-6150. For lodging information, call the Geneva Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-345-1020 or (262) 248-4416.

My dad and brothers are still talking about a Memorial Day weekend trip to Big Green several years ago, when Dad turned 80. We trolled for lake trout and white bass for a day with Mike Norton, then fished for bass the next day with Joel Baranowski and John Walker. Gravel bars along the north and south shores produced smallies up to 2 pounds or so on leeches and fatheads. The bass were just at the outside edge of sparse weedbeds in 10 to 15 feet of water. We also took a few legal walleyes and some big rock bass in those spots with the same tackle.

Rocky points produce smallmouth action on crankbaits and jigs earlier in May, while later in the season the bass are found near deeper structure. Steep dropoffs, like those at Sugar Loaf Point on the north shore, can produce big bronzebacks in fall on dark-colored jigs tipped with plastics.

Several free boat landings serve the lake, including one at the marina right in town. For bait, tackle and guide service, call North Bay Sport at (920) 294-6462. A major resort area, Green Lake offers plenty of tourist accommodations, excellent golf courses and several fine restaurants. For info, call the Chamber of Commerce at (920) 294-3231.

At 137,000 acres, Lake Winnebago is our state's biggest inland lake. You could spend a lifetime getting to know just this lake. Smallmouth anglers quickly learn to concentrate on rocky structure, which eliminates most of the lake, leaving a few thousand acres of shoreline and reefs, mainly on the lake's west side and north end. A few rocky areas and piers on the east shore also hold smallmouths. When the west side of the lake is too rough to fish, work the east shore or move up into the Fox River at Oshkosh.

Baitfish numbers have increased in the past few years, providing a lot of food for Winnebago's walleyes and smallmouths, according to Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Art Techlow. Zebra mussels have cleaned up the lake's water, improving conditions for bass, and the result has been a veritable explosion in the smallmouth population.

"Walleye anglers are actually complaining about catching too many smallmouths," Techlow says.

A nice problem to have if you're a bass fisherman. Work the windy side of any rocky structure with live bait, jigs or crankbaits. To keep the walleye "nuisance" to a minimum, throw large spinnerbaits. Guide Chuck Demlow of Adventure Guide Service tipped me off to this smallmouth pattern several years ago on Green Bay. I was amazed to see big smallies hammer spinnerbaits designed for pike and largemouths.

Lake Butte des Morts, just up the Fox River from Oshkosh, is another good smallmouth lake on the chain. Here again, the savvy smallmouth angler will stick to rocky points and eliminate a lot of empty water.

Lake Poygan also harbors some smallmouths, but not as many as Butte des Morts or Winnebago. Try the rock bars off Old Indian Point or riprap and the channel at the Wolf River mouth. If you're up for some river fishing, though, you can motor up the Wolf from Lake Poygan and find smallies all the way to the dam at Shawano. Demlow likes to fish brushpiles, points and shoreline riprap with those big spinnerbaits.

Numerous boat landings provide access to the Winnebago Chain and the Wolf River. Fishing HotSpots maps show them all and also give Global Positioning System waypoints for much of the offshore structure, making it easy to find for first-timers who have this technology. For information on Lake Winnebago bass, call Fox River Bait & Tackle in Oshkosh, (920) 233-7409, or the Appleton Gander Mountain store, (920) 731-0940. Several resorts offer lodging and guide service in the Fremont and Lake Poygan stretch of the Wolf River. For accommodations on the lower stretch, try the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Center at (920) 424-0282. To book a trip with Demlow, call (262) 306-9781 or check out his Web page at www. fish-wisconsin.com. Joel Kunz also guides on the Wolf. Reach him at (920) 982-7399, or check out his Web site: www.walleyeonthewolf.com.