Minnesota is home to game fish aplenty, among them lake trout, muskie, northern pike and of course walleyes. All can be exciting to catch. But perhaps no Minnesota fish provides the adrenaline rush, or is more sporting to pursue, than the smallmouth bass.

This is especially true when smallies are sought in rivers, in part because quests in the Mississippi, St. Croix, Rum or a few score other Minnesota waterways often occur in shallow water. This encourages hooked smallmouth bass to jump even more than they otherwise would.

Additionally, river current makes landing any smallie challenging, adding to the excitement of the overall angling experience, especially when the angler seeks these fish using topwater flies or baits.