Eagle Lake is a rocky Canadian Shield Lake. Where you have lots of rocks you have lots of Crayfish and the Smallmouth Bass are in there feeding on them.

Eagle Lake is not swarming with millions of small Smallmouth Bass like many lakes. You do not see the large hunting packs of ½-pound bass swimming along the shore. The most probable reason is they get eaten. In a lake stuffed with Muskie and Pike, it's hard for a Smallmouth Bass to reach maturity. As a result, the Bass that do survive to maturity have less competition and get big and fat.

If you specifically fish for Smallmouth Bass in the summer, then you should get a couple at every rocky point or shoal and as the day progresses you should be able to catch between 20 and 30 good size bass. In the spring, Smallmouth Bass fishing is a hit or miss affair. Smallmouth Bass leave the rocks and seek out sandy bays with dead logs on the bottom. This is a prime spawning area. They lay their eggs in the sand and decaying logs on the bottom help regulate the alkalinity of the water thus helping the survival rate of the eggs. In the spring, if you hit the right bay, you could run into the best Smallmouth Bass fishing you can possibly imagine. We have had guests report catching 20 large bass in the same bay in the spring. You can also go into a bay and catch nothing. You have to keep mobile until you find them. Don't waster time in a place where you are not catching lots.

Smallmouth Bass are common in the 2 to 4 pound range. There are lots of Smallmouth Bass in the 4 to 5 pound range and once in a while guests run into a 6 or 7-pound bass but they are rare. Smallmouth Bass in the 2-pound area are the best eating. Once cooked, it's hard to tell the difference between Smallmouth Bass and Walleye.

Another point to remember is on Eagle Lake, the really big trophy Smallmouth Bass travel in mating pairs. If you hit a spot that really looks hot for Bronzebacks and you do not catch anything, it could mean a big Pike or Muskie has moved into the area. If you do catch a really big bass and then nothing else, come back to the spot an hour later. The big bass are in pairs so you can catch the second bass after things have settled down. Just be gentle and let the fish go without injury.