If I could only catch one more fish in my life, I’d want it to be a smallmouth bass. Pound for pound, smallmouth fight harder than any other fish I’ve ever tangled with, and they live in some of the prettiest waters to explore

Since last week’s column, I've fished for redear sunfish five times. Readers are wanting to know what local lake I’m fishing while others have guessed it. Lots of folks are fishing this lake and the easy pickings are all but gone. Since my last column, I have learned a lot more, however, my new knowledge has evoked more questions.

Last week I wrote about the amazing sense of smell and taste catfish possess. Salmon swimming the open ocean follow the subtle scent trail of the river in which they were born to home in on the exact location of their birth when they mature and make their own spawning run. Catfish possess a sense of smell as much as 100 times greater than salmon.

For stream fisherman in this part of the country, it would seem that smallmouth bass are the only reason for existence. This writer is often guilty of such angling narrow-mindedness. However, while the bronzeback is the undisputed king of the creek, the black and green prince is hiding among the rocks and roots, ready to offer good fishing even when the smallies are sulking.

I’m not a trained marine mechanic, but I’ve been a boater all my adult life and have spent more time in less than perfectly maintained boats than ones that are checked and spit-polished by trained technicians on a regular basis. Most of the time, everything works. Some of the time the day starts at a standstill. The motor won’t start.

April and May offer some of the best smallmouth bass fishing of the year but it also offers some of the most contrasting fishing conditions of the season.

One day might be perfect, with nice water and great weather, while the next day might bring muddy high water, thunderstorms and sometimes snow. This means that even more than lake anglers, springtime river bass fishermen must stay adaptable to the changing conditions.

Kim Titchener began working with black bears and grizzlies at Banff National Park while attending university. Her lifetime experience has been critical in providing vital information to improve bear safety. From personal accounts from friends and survivors of bear attacks to immediate response to fatal bear incidents in the town where she lived, Kim is passionate about helping everyone enjoy the outdoors and do so safely. 

A catfish’s sense of smell (and taste) is so great they are likely capable of perceiving their entire universe with their sniffers. Much the same way we observe four separate pine trees on a hill, catfish can likely smell four different carp swimming alongside a distant brushpile. 

While food plots remain a popular land management method for deer hunters to provide nutrition to the landscape and attract deer, a more successful approach involves improving the quality of the overall habitat located on their property. As iSportsman covered in the recent article, Manage Your Land to Minimize Coyote Predation, time and energy spent on trapping predators is often better directed into improving the overall landscape so wildlife has a better mix of forage and hiding cover.  

“I don’t fish for bass,” a guy mentioned last week as we discussed this spring’s fishing bonanza at a local boat ramp. “Besides, there is no way I could afford it,” he said gesturing towards a glistening metal-flake bass boat loaded with rods, boxes of lures and mysterious electronic gadgets. “It can get too complicated and too expensive,” he added.