Our region’s anglers are fortunate to be in relative close proximity to Lake Erie, which furnishes world class fishing for a variety of species.

Among them is the smallmouth bass fishery, in this case the waters of the western basin off the northern shore of Ohio.

“I like South Bass Island,” noted Travis Hartman, who is both the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s head Lake Erie fisheries biologist and an avid Lake Erie angler. “South Bass Island sits southwest to northeast. That northeast tip, where there’s shallow water and then that small island – Buckeye Island – can be excellent.

“Right across the channel is Ballast Island. That whole area features a lot of rocky, shallow area. It’s a big area.”

South Bass Island sits due north of Catawba Island (which is actually shoreline connected). Anglers will find boat ramps on Catawba. South Bass Island is developed, so you also have the option to secure lodging there in the case of a multi-day trip. Put-in-Bay is where most of the commerce is located. There is also a ferry service that runs between Catawba Island and Put-in-Bay.

As Hartman said, one of the key areas associated with South Bass Island is the long, extended shoal that juts out from the northeast tip of the island. This shoal connects with Buckeye Reef and then transitions into a deeper channel that separates it from Ballast Island.

Across the channel, a long rounded, smallmouth-gathering point comes off the south end of Ballast Island. Channel edges are marked with navigation buoys.

A word of caution is appropriate here: The same rocky areas that attract smallmouth bass to these spots also pose a navigational hazard. Some of these points get extremely shallow rather quickly, such as the Ballast Island point.

Keep a sharp eye on the depth finder and be aware of any wind wanting to blow you into the trouble zone. These areas are also productive due to current, which funnels though the passages surrounding the islands. But be prepared for heavier current and waves within these passages when the wind picks up.

“Beyond that North Bass Island can be good,” Hartman continued. “Also, the north bay and eastern shore of Kelleys Island. It seems like with Kelleys the north bay is exceptionally good during the spawn, but not so popular post spawn. Also, along the east side you have Airport Reef and that long northeast tip and all the current and rocks associated with it.”

A key area to explore along North Bass Island is the narrow point that extends into the lake from the southeastern tip. There is a more rounded point at the southwestern corner. The entire southern shoreline shallows of North Bass Island – in between the mentioned points – has the turns and inside cuts that can hold summertime smallies, particularly early in the season.

As Harman mentioned, on Kelleys Island look to the eastern side of the island to find the best smallmouth cover. This includes the long narrow point that runs to the northeast. Its tip is marked with a green can buoy. Along the same general heading sits Kelleys Island Shoal, a submerged shoal marked on its western side with a green can buoy.

Airport Reef sits along the eastern side of Kelleys Island. This entire area is rich with irregular contours that provide the character to hold smallmouth bass not only early in the summer, but well into the warmer months as well.

Perhaps due to the dramatic increase in the largemouth bass fishery, which utilizes the near-shore main lake area, Hartman said he sees little smallmouth presence associated with this zone in recent years.

“It seems like most of the smallmouth action, at least early in the summer, takes place out on the island areas,” he noted. “I can recall just six years ago catching both largemouth and smallmouth in those areas. But now, it’s mostly all largemouths.”

Hartman surmises that the Western Basin’s largemouth bass fishery, in early spring, seeks out the warmest water in which to spawn. This would be in harbor areas, including the extensive estuary provided by Sandusky Bay.

As the main lake warms, many of these same fish move out to occupy near-shore areas of the main lake. He said an increase in aquatic vegetation and overall warming water temperatures are likely driving the upswing in green bass numbers.

The Western Basin’s largemouth bass fishery includes plenty of quality-sized bass. If wind or unstable weather makes venturing out to the island areas unsafe, one could do much worse than to target largemouths.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle