Finding Gull River Smallmouth Bass – Kawarthas Kayak Fishing with Worms and Senkos

New September 22, 2026 1 views
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Spent a weekend at a riverside property on the Gull River chasing smallmouth bass — and it took almost two full days to actually find them.

Day 1 dawn started slow: float fishing a worm under a bobber off the dock, working every depth and drift line I could think of. Nothing. Day 2 wasn’t much better at first — even brought my daughter out for her first-ever kayak trip (worth it just for that alone) — but once I found a stretch downstream where the current slowed and the water got a bit deeper, everything changed. Switched from the bobber rig to a Senko and started connecting, including a solid keeper bass. When the bite died on the Senko, a Rapala crankbait picked up the slack with a bonus rock bass.

Gear used:

• 8lb mainline, 6lb leader
• Bobber rig with worm (Nightcrawler)
• 5″ Watermelon Senko
• Rapala Fire Tiger Jointed Minnow

About the spot: The Gull River runs through cottage country in the Kawarthas — slower, deeper bends off the main current are where the smallmouth were holding once the sun got higher.

If you’re new here, I post beginner-to-intermediate fishing content around Ontario — techniques, honest breakdowns of what worked and what didn’t, and real trips like this one. Subscribe if you want to follow along.

#fishingontario #kawarthalakes #smallmouthbass #kayakfishing

Music credits:

Music: Mint Leaves
Musician: Jeff Kaale
Listen to Jeff on Tidal: https://tidal.com/album/332622998/