Advanced Fishing Education

Scott Dobson's St. Clair Smallmouth Outfitters

Scott Dobson’s St. Clair Smallmouth Outfitters is a premier full-service guide fishing experience on Lake St. Clair and connected waters. With over 28 years of experience on the Great Lakes, all efforts are dedicated to catching trophy smallmouth bass.

St. Clair Smallmouth Outfitters

Scott Dobson’s St. Clair Smallmouth Outfitters is a premier full-service bass fishing guide experience on Lake St. Clair and connected waters. With over 28 years of experience on the Great Lakes, all efforts are dedicated to catching trophy smallmouth bass. Teaching emphasis is on the “where and why” of fish behavior, guaranteeing continued success. All fishing is done from a current model, high-performance Phoenix bass boat featuring the latest in forward-facing sonar technology. Top-of-the-line Douglas rods, Daiwa reels and artificial lures round out the tackle selection. Lodging is also included, featuring a fully-furnished, walk-out apartment for two guests.

Fishing Guide Trips Available

Trophy Smallmouth Hunting

Chase down your personal best smallmouth bass

Chase down your personal best smallmouth on Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, Detroit River, St. Clair River and Saginaw Bay. These waters are loaded with fish over the 5 pounds. A chance at 7 pound class fish is not uncommon, and my personal best on St. Clair is an 8.25 beast. Dedicated trophy hunters will spend the day covering as much water as we can targeting the biggest fish in the lake.

This experience is for out-of-state clients / non-tournament anglers.

2 person maximum
Monday through Friday dates only from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Weekend dates available April, May, September, October and November.
Discount rates for multi-day bookings.

$1,000.00 *

* Rate is for 9 hours - lodging included / lunch provided

Head to Head Tournament Experience

Experience the thrill of a full 8 hour tournament

Ever had the desire to experience the thrill of a full 8 hour tournament? On this experience, 2 fully rigged tournament boats with 1 client in each boat will go head-to-head in a catch-weigh-release format using interactive scales with real time scoring. Jump in the boat with myself and another tour level pro on the waters of Lake St. Clair to feel the rush of a competition day. Challenge your best friend, tournament partner, client, or anyone you want to have bragging rights over.

This can be a 5-fish format or every fish counts.

Monday through Friday dates only from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Weekend dates available April, May, September, October and November.

$2,000.00 *

* Rate - lodging included / lunch provided

Smallmouth Guide Trip

In-depth educational experience for smallmouth bass fishing

In-depth Smallmouth Bass Guide trip or Master Class educational experience to work any aspect of smallmouth fishing the Great Lakes, or inland lakes in Michigan. Do you struggle with pre-spawn or post-spawn fishing? Maybe you have trouble finding schools of open water fish in the summer, or fishing current in the rivers. Or perhaps you want to work on a specific technique or master the use of forward-facing sonar. On this 8-hour experience, take what you’ve learned and put it into fish catching results. Targeting more numbers over quality of smallmouth but will still have a great opportunity to land the smallmouth of your dreams.

Monday through Friday dates only from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Weekend dates available April, May, September, October and November.
Seasonal Smallmouth pattern techniques
Technique specific ( jerkbait, Spybait, hair jig, mayfly hatch, tube, swimbait, drop shot, blade bait, A-rig, chatterbait )
Sight Fishing
Coaching – High School and College anglers
Electronics
Forward Facing Sonar
Map Reading
Tournament Prep
Current Fishing
Open Water Fishing

$750.00 *

* Rate is for 8 hours - lodging included / lunch provided

Cancellation Policy: All trips require a $200 deposit at the time of booking. A 14-day notice is required for a refund. Trips cancelled after the 14 day grace period will result in a loss of the deposit. Weather related cancellations are my decision and a full refund will be issued or deposit can be rolled over to another available date. Trips will not be canceled due to rain.

About Scott Dobson

An MLF Tour pro since 2001, Dobson has a long list of accolades that include 2 MLF Toyota Series wins, the 2019 MLF Series Northern Division Angler of the Year title, six BFL wins, 4 BFL AOY titles in the Michigan Division, 68 top 10s in MLF competition and earnings of over $765,653.

A dominant figure in the Great Lakes tournament scene for 28 years, Dobson is regarded as one of the best smallmouth bass anglers in the country.

To back that up, he’s won over 59 regional events throughout the North, amassing over $300,000 in cash and prizes along the way. In addition to his tournament success, Dobson is a U.S.C.G licensed and insured fishing guide on the Great Lakes.

Through tournament success over the past 28 years and a deep knowledge of the sport and of bass behavior, Dobson has become a go-to source of smallmouth expertise. In addition to enjoying respect among his peers, Dobson has a long-standing relationship with the outdoor media, and has experience working to promote fishing and his sponsors in print, on the web, social media and TV.

Sponsor Links

Media

What to Bring

Valid Fishing License – Michigan / Ontario, Canada
- https://www.mdnr-elicense.com/
- https://www.huntandfishontario.com/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2FSales
Clothes for the weather (sunscreen, rain gear*, winter jacket, hat)
- * Rain gear required regardless of forecast
Snacks, beverages
Any tackle or equipment that you would like to use but not required
Polarized sunglasses
Camera

Airport Info

Flint, Michigan – https://www.bishopairport.org/
Detroit Metro – https://www.metroairport.com/

About the Fishing

Aireal image of the lake: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia23234-lake-st-clair-us-and-canada

Lake St. Clair, located between Michigan and Ontario, is renowned for its exceptional smallmouth bass fishing. Anglers flock to this beautiful lake to experience the thrill of catching these feisty bronzebacks. Here’s a guide to help you make the most of your smallmouth bass fishing adventure on Lake St. Clair:

Spring Fishing
- During spring, many bass are shallow, making it an excellent time for reaction baits like lipless, crank and jerkbaits. Trophy smallmouth eagerly bite these lures. Pre Spawn occurs from ice out through late April, and the main spawning window is May through Mid-June.
- As summer approaches, fish move offshore. Effective baits include drop-shot rigs, tubes, Ned Rigs, Swimbaits, and spybaits. June through July is a transition time when bass can be caught shallow as well as deep. This is also the time of the year that the lake experiences massive mayfly hatches, providing incredible topwater and hair jig action.
Summer Fishing

The summer bite runs from late July through September, and giant schools of bass roam the main basin open waters of the lake chasing down baitfish, perch and crawfish. Presentations will include drop-shot rigs, swimbaits, Ned rigs, and deep diving crankbaits. Covering large amounts of water in specific areas of the lake is the key to success. The fishing also heats up in the connected rivers of the St. Clair River to the north and the Detroit river to the South. Targeted casts to particular current related areas yield explosive action from generally shallow and often times visible bass.

Fall Fishing

Shorter days and colder nights bring the onset of fall, bass begin to transition back to the shallows as the water cools and demolish any food in their path. September through early November provides outstanding shallow water action as the bass gorge for upcoming winter. A Rigs, Tubes, swimbaits, bladed jigs, spinnerbaits, and blade baits are the go-to presentations this time of year.

Exploring the Lake:

Lake St. Clair has a shallow, sloping bottom even miles away from the shoreline. The 10 to 15-foot zone is popular for bass.
Move quickly until you find fish, then replicate successful depths or areas.

Enjoy the Adventure:

Lake St. Clair offers a mix of big water, waves, and abundant fish.
This world-class fishery promises excitement and memorable catches.
Trophy smallmouth in the 5 to 6 pound class are fairly common and my personal best was an 8.25 lb beast.