Stand-up smallmouth
Zona opens door to new world of northern bass fishing
STURGIS, Mich. — When you get stood up by a smallmouth bass, you can tell immediately. It not a tame puppy that would gladly jump right into your lap, it's a freight train steaming out of the county and all you can do is stand up and hold on.
As I drove the twisting roads of the backcountry of Michigan on my way to Mark Zona's house, my stomach twisted with nervous anticipation of the day and a half to come. I would be fishing with two of the best smallmouth bass anglers in the country: Zona, host of the World's Greatest Fishing Show, and his friend Donnie, both of whom have spent most of their lives chasing the acrobatic brown fish that would be our target come sunrise.
The plan was to hit a variety of small lakes in northern Michigan, looking for big smallmouth bass, one of the more exciting freshwater fish to battle. I had caught smallmouth before, but nothing approaching the size of what lurked in the clear waters of Michigan. Water temperatures were warming, and although still cool, Zona and Donnie both expected the fish to be cruising the shallows (a.k.a. easy to catch).
Our trip up was uneventful and I found myself going to bed early that night with a fire in my stomach. I wasn't sure if that was because I was excited to get out fishing the next day, or if that burning had something to do with the handfuls of Cajun peanuts that we had consumed prior to bedtime, courtesy of Zona's trip to a farmer's market the day before.
The first morning greeted us with overcast weather and a prediction of heavy winds, typical spring stuff. That wouldn't stop us from heading to the lake, or the fish from biting.
The scenery reminded me of trips that my family used to take into northern Wisconsin. Clear, untapped fisheries nestled in an endless expanse of forests and blue skies. My parents would take a canoe out with me snug in the middle seat looking for great blue herons and loons and they would let me make a few casts to catch a bass or one of the many small sunfish that roamed the fertile waters.
This trip reminded me a lot of those days, with Zona as my big brother and Donnie playing the part of eccentric uncle with decades of fishing wisdom to pass down. Being there was part catching fish and part experience.
The experience part of that crashed headlong into the catching fish part when Zona and I both doubled up with monster smallmouth — the boat turned to chaos.
My mind was half on Zona's beast and half occupied in desperate concentration, trying to hook up with my own fish. I didn't want to be outdone when the smallmouth were chomping, even if was by someone as talented as Zona. I distinctly remember watching his smallmouth making powerful surges, while I gave slow pulls to my jerkbait. The next few moments were a blur.
All I remember was something ripping the rod nearly out of my hands and tearing my concentration away from Zona's fight, newly focused on the bronze demon that had just breached the surface at the end of my line. The fish jumped, but its considerable girth prevented it from completely clearing the water, wallowing instead and trying to shake my jerkbait that had been t-boned across its face.
At that point we had a double, two giant smallmouth hooked up and both seemed in control. Now Zona had caught big smallies before and he knew what was going on, but I was just standing on the front deck of the boat, letting the smallmouth get the best of me. A few more heart-wrenching jumps and I seemed to gain some control over the fish, it was tiring, a good thing because I had become slightly week-kneed with the latest display of acrobatics.
Finally, I was able to pull it alongside the boat and grab my glistening trophy. As I hoisted the monster into the air, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Here I was, fishing in beautiful northern Michigan and I had just caught the biggest smallmouth bass of my life after an incredible fight. We snapped a few photographs of the two fish, Zona did a few Twitters about them and then we released those beauties back to swim another day.
We all fell soundly asleep that night, tired from battling big bass and big winds, but we all looked forward to the next day, which promised to bring something new: bedding smallmouth. I had been told that bedding smallmouth were easy to catch, but what I was about to discover was downright unfair.
The three of us had half a day to find and terrorize into biting as many bedding smallmouth bass as we possibly could. I was about to find out that terrorizing them into biting would not be necessary. First, let it be known, that bedding smallmouth fight even harder than jerkbait smallmouth, if that is possible. Second, bedding smallmouth are the easiest fish to catch.
Our day basically consisted of dropping a lure onto a bed and hooking up with a fish immediately. After that came the difficult part when the smallie went berserk and tried everything in its power to release itself from the end of my line. Jumping and diving into underwater obstacles were just part of the display of strength these ferocious fighters employed to try to break free. Sometimes it worked and sometimes not, but each battle was exhilarating.
Top that off with 30 mph winds and we were all beaten down after only a half day of fishing. Zona and I headed back, reluctantly leaving Donnie to continue catching fish. By the time I got home, I was tired, beaten and mentally weary, but I would gladly do it all again, just to experience the fierce tug of the fiendish fish known as the smallmouth.
There's probably one biting right now, for someone like me who had never had the experience, and they too will leave forever changed and looking forward to going back.
For more on Mark Zona:
• World's Greatest Fishing Show: Be like Z | Mark Zona outtakes
• The Bassmasters: Schedule and descriptions
