Cloutier says main-lake weedlines are often overlooked, yet cough up some of Champlain s biggest largemouth. Fours and fives are caught regularly and sixes are not uncommon. 2 RICE LAKE, ON This shallow, weedy fish-factory, south of Peterborough, has long been considered one of the finest largemouth bass lakes in the country. And sevens aren t out of the question in fact, Wayne Izumi caught one a few years ago during a tournament. Although most of the wild rice beds have disappeared, largemouth still have excellent cover to choose from.
Docks can yield trophy largemouth.
Or try casting spinnerbaits across weedflats early in the season. A dramatic metamorphosis occurs around mid-August every year, when much of the lake is transformed into a thick blanket of algae. Tournament anglers keep catching largemouth consistently by using their push poles to poke holes in the algae and thick weeds to create visible feeding areas for monster largemouth. Choose bassy hangouts especially the ones that produce prior to the algae bloom. Dunk a plastic worm in the hole, shake it in place and wait for the fish to come investigate.