By Jeremy Smith | Lindner’s Angling Edge
Video: Jeremy Smith and his son Crosby take a father-son trip to Ontario’s Superior Region and encounter numbers of giant smallmouth.
There are fishing trips you plan for months… and then there are the ones that remind you why you fish in the first place. This one was both.
My son Crosby and I had been counting the days leading up to our first trip together into Ontario’s Superior Country, and as soon as we pulled into Ole’s Adventure Resort on Whitefish Lake, I knew this one was going to stick with us for a long time. The excitement level was already off the charts — Crosby barely slept, was on the dock before we were even organized, and had already spotted pike cruising the shallows before we ever made our first cast. That’s usually a pretty good sign.
Whitefish Lake is one of those places that immediately feels different. Clear water. Vast shallow flats. Bulrushes, weeds, scattered rock — the kind of habitat that just looks fishy. It’s not the deep-water Canadian structure people often picture. Instead, it’s a shallow, sprawling system where anything different becomes a fish magnet, and that’s exactly where our day started.
First Spot. First Casts. Big Fish.
We hadn’t even gotten settled into a rhythm yet when it happened.
Our very first fish of the trip was a thick, shallow-water walleye, caught in just a couple feet of water. That alone would have made for a great start. But then something even better happened — Crosby started seeing smallmouth following his bait. Not just any smallmouth… big ones.
That’s when things escalated quickly.
Within minutes, we were into five-pound-class smallmouth, the kind that don’t just pull — they test your composure. Watching Crosby battle his first truly giant Canadian bronzeback was one of those moments you don’t forget. The fish bulldogged, surged, and jumped, and when it finally slid into the net, we both just stared at it.
A 5.5-pound smallmouth, over 21 inches long — on the very first spot of our first trip together into Superior Country.
That’s not normal fishing. That’s special.
Sharing the Deck — and the Moment
One of the things I love most about fishing with my kids is how quickly roles reverse. One minute you’re teaching, the next minute you’re handing over your rod because the bite is too good not to. That Rapala Mavrik 110 jerkbait? It became Crosby’s rod for the rest of the day.
And he made the most of it.
Fish after fish, Crosby kept connecting with absolute tanks — thick, golden-brown smallmouth that looked more like footballs than bass. The average size was staggering. These weren’t “good” fish. These were the kind of bass people travel thousands of miles hoping to catch once.
And in between the bass? Big walleyes, cruising shallow rock and weed edges, crushing jerkbaits and paddle tails in broad daylight.
Why Whitefish Lake Is So Special
After spending time on the water, it became obvious why this lake produces what it does. As Tammy from Ole’s Adventure Resort explained, Whitefish Lake supports trophy fish across multiple species — walleyes pushing past 30 inches, northern pike over 50 inches, jumbo perch, and a smallmouth population where a 21-inch bass isn’t a unicorn.
That combination of shallow habitat, clean water, abundant forage, and minimal pressure creates a system where fish simply grow big — and stay aggressive.
Simple Tactics. Smart Decisions.
From a fishing standpoint, this trip reinforced something I believe strongly: keep it simple, but fish with purpose.
We relied heavily on:
- Suspending jerkbaits like the Mavrik 110 and X-Rap
- Paddle tails when fish wanted a little more movement
- Boat control using Spot-Lock to slow down and thoroughly work productive stretches
Instead of drifting past fish, we positioned carefully, let Crosby hit prime cover up shallow, while I worked slightly deeper edges. That slow, deliberate approach made all the difference — especially in the wind.
Electronics mattered, too. With much of Whitefish Lake unmapped, using GPS, custom mapping, and waypoints to identify weeds and rock transitions was critical. But at the end of the day, it still came down to finding good habitat and making quality casts.
The Real Win
Yes, we caught incredible fish. Yes, the numbers and sizes were off the charts.
But the real win was watching Crosby experience Canadian fishing at its absolute best — learning, adapting, making decisions, and building confidence with every fish. When I asked him if Canada was worth coming to, his answer was immediate:
“Yeah. One hundred percent.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Trips like this are why we do what we do at Angling Edge. They’re about more than techniques and gear. They’re about time together, shared experiences, and memories that last long after the last cast.
Superior Country delivered in a big way — and Whitefish Lake gave Crosby and me a fishing trip we’ll talk about forever.
