Roger LaPenter poles his flats boat while Carolyn Swartz casts a fly for smallmouth bass on Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay. Photo by www.dansmalloutdoors.com.

I first got interested in bass fishing many years ago. During a Christmas break from college, I found myself bored one evening, so I went down to the basement where my brother kept every fishing magazine he had ever received, and I started going through them.

Inside one magazine was an intriguing story of a man sitting in a tavern "up north." Into the bar came a stranger talking about big bass -- "bass as large as your thigh." He told stories about being the only person on the lake, stories about the tricky walk through the wilderness to get there, and stories about 6-pound bass he caught cast after cast. Yet, the man couldn't get the stranger to tell him the name of the lake. After several hours and many beers, the stranger finally revealed that the lake was in the shape of a parrot. Depressed, the man left the bar. But then, several years later, the man was looking at a map, and there in front of him was a wilderness lake with an outline like a parrot! He found the honeyhole!

While this may sound like a fish story, many people now know that Wisconsin has some of the best bass fishing in the nation. Our Great Lakes smallmouth bass fishing can arguably be called the best in the country -- and I'm not kidding. Not just some smallmouths, but plenty of trophy smallies, and in good densities. If you prefer largemouths, you can also find them present in good numbers in many northern Wisconsin lakes. In fact, I saw the biggest largemouth bass of my life last summer after my husband caught it while we were on vacation in Douglas County.

But before I get to that largemouth outing, let's start this story off with Wisconsin's best water to catch huge smallmouth bass.

CHEQUAMEGON BAY
"Chequamegon Bay is possibly the best smallmouth fishery in the country," said Roger LaPenter, a well-known guide in Ashland and owner of Anglers All (715/682-5754). "The bay is an excellent smallmouth fishery, with 4-, 5- and 6-pound fish. And I don't mean just a few, but lots, and they are very aggressive."

The best place to start in the summer is the east end of Chequamegon Bay. Cast toward shore in 4 to 8 feet of water, which can be very clear, so it's likely you will see the bass before you feel the strike.

"Remember that it's a catch-and-release season until the third week of June, then you only get one fish over 22 inches," LaPenter said. "It isn't required that you use barbless hooks during the regular season, but we sure recommend it."

Move into deeper water as summer progresses. Look for deeper breaks and deeper weedbeds. Fall is the prime time for a trophy fish.

"Bring a full tackle box with mixed gear," LaPenter said. "Grubs, tubes, crankbaits and spinnerbaits all work well. I'd recommend a medium-action rod with 6- to 8-pound-test."

Chequamegon Bay is a large expanse of Lake Superior, so you need to be prepared before you head out.

"There are eight different boat landings on the bay," LaPenter said. "But before you launch, you should pay attention to the weather, have a GPS on board and check all the safety regulations for Lake Superior. We can fog up really quickly."

WASHINGTON ISLAND
Will Krueger is owner of Kap's Marina (1-888-847-2640) and Ship's Wheel Restaurant in Detroit Harbor on Washington Island off the Door Peninsula. He knows just how good smallmouth bass fishing can be around the area's islands.

"Our bass average 5 pounds, with the occasional fish going 6 to 6 1/2 pounds," Krueger said. "Some of the top anglers have refused to write about the fishing up here, but slowly the word is getting out."