3. Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin -- Few waters have the classic look of Sturgeon Bay for smallmouth bass. Shallow, rocky substrate dominates points, humps, and shorelines around the Door County Peninsula and its many islands. Sturgeon Bay is about 100 miles by 30 miles of awesome smallmouth habitat. Huge rocky flats pocketed with reefs and rock piles extend the entire length of the Peninsula, including the Lake Michigan side. And literally every foot of shoreline is inhabited by smallmouths at one time or another during the year, creating one of the finest bass fisheries in the world.

“Catching 100 bass a day is easy during a good bite,” according to professional guide, Dale Stroschein. “And several of those fish could weigh over 5 pounds, with a dozen or so over 4 pounds. The tip of the peninsula is lightly fished, and smallmouths are everywhere.”

Located straight north of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sturgeon Bay smallies generally spawn in June, which is a good time to visit. Natural reproduction has been exceptionally high the past several years, according to biologists, who report numbers good. Divers report images of reefs carpeted with bronze. September is another good time to visit, when big walleyes and smallmouths chew crankbaits along rocky breaks in 10 to 15 feet of water.

Water is so clear that at times it’s possible to spot fish in depths exceeding 10 feet. Every retrieve might lead in a bronze convoy.

Guides: Dale Stroschein (lodging, too, at Sandy Bay Resort), 414/746-9289; Tim Dawidiuk, 414/746-9916. Fishing, lodging, and guides: Door County Chamber of Commerce, 414/743-4456.

4. Pickwick Lake, Tennessee -- Bill Dance loves Pickwick Lake, and not only because it’s 11⁄2 hours from his driveway. “Pickwick’s smallmouth fishery is fabulous,” he says. “It’s right on the southern boundary of the smallmouth’s natural range, with a high-protein forage mix. It’s not a Lake Erie for quantity, but it’s world class for quality. I’ve caught only three smallies over 8 pounds, and two of those came from Pickwick.

“It’s a year ‘round fishery, with peaks in spring and fall,” Dance says. “For a monster, go between the end of February and the end of April, when fish are moving shallower. Deep fish are always available in spring, too. What makes Pickwick unique is the water quality, the forage base, and even though it’s a noted smallmouth lake, it keeps producing monsters.

“In spring, locate prime spawning banks, where small chunk rock mixes with pea gravel, shale, and red or tan clay. Biologists say Pickwick smallies over 2 pounds key primarily on shad, so I tend not to fish smaller lures. Even in spring, I like 5-inch grubs and crankbaits like the Fat Free Shad in 5 to 11 feet of water. When fish are down to 17, I vertically jig a spoon or jig-n-pig. I like the lightest jig I can possibly use, which usually is 1/4 ounce. I match it with big pork, to keep the profile large and the drop speed slow. Deeper, I might go to 1/2 ounce.”

Threadfin migrate into creek arms during fall. “It’s one of the most dependable patterns I know,” Dance says. “A white spinnerbait-pork combo whacks ‘em where they set up, about 1/3 of the way into the creek arms. Key spots are turns in the creek channel adjacent to bluff banks. I catch most of my fish from slopes with a change in soil composition, where limestone gives way to clay, or something.”

Dance is protective of his pets. “Smallies must be released,” he says. “These fish are a prime commodity. Big ones have survived some tough times, and we’re the deciding factor determining if and how great fisheries like this survive.”

Guide: Steve Hacker, 205/383-1058. Lodging: Key West Inn, 800/833-0555. Information: Hardin County Chamber of Commerce, 800/552-3866.