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Date: June 17, 2018 Body of Water: East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Smallmouth Bass Time: 7:45 AM - 2:30 PM Conditions: Hot! Air temperatures from 75 to 95 degrees; cloudy but clearing. Fairly strong wind from the south at 10 - 15 mph, but calming in very late morning. Water temperatures 64 degrees F and very clear; some bass still spawning, but many empty nests. Up at 4 AM; at the ramp at 7:30 AM; and looking for my first bass of the day by 7:45 AM. Conditions featured flat lighting and too much wind; but I could see that there had been additional bedding activity during the week. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to be home, and in the first hour of fishing I saw only a single bass, missed my bite, and decided to look elsewhere. If only to minimize my exposure to the wind, I headed to the very southern end of the bay. I've heard the stories, and I've seen the crowds searching for bedding bass here. Personally, I've never had much luck. I scouted a large area, located some more (empty) beds and burned up some more time. Most boats seemed to be working depths greater than 10 feet; but I've no experience out there in this area, and could not see well enough to warrant the time exploring. I hit another spawning pocket on the west side of the bay, but still found no fish present. Based on the lack of visible fish and predominantly empty nests, I decided to switch to targeting post-spawn fish. I spent the next hour jerking water from 10 to 22 feet deep; I devoted this time to an area where I've pulled bass up from the depths on jerks before, and which features some scruffy weeds. I located a school of perch; but that was it; no bass showed themselves. By now, it was past 11 AM. I convinced myself that it was less windy and a bit brighter. In fact, it was; and when I returned to the marina/channel area on the east side of the bay, I noted much better sight-fishing conditions. I marked a couple of potential beds with my trusty buoys, and soon the first bass of the day (15 inches) was in the net! It had eaten a Ned Rig (Real Deal) in about 7 feet of water. I quickly caught a 16-incher with the same pattern/presentation. I was hitting my stride! But that was it for this area; I couldn't locate any more bass, despite cruising 5 to 9-foot depths over a widening expanse. At about Noon, I relocated to the sand flats outside my "pet" rocky reef area. I worked over eight or more nests in about 7 feet of water before I connected with 16- and 18-inch bass on consecutive casts. Unable to find more bass, I expanded my search area. I caught a couple of short bass while blind-casting to the rock edge of the reef. These were not the bass I was looking for! Unfortunately, the next group of bass that I found on beds further outside (8 or 9 feet of water) were short, too! I finished my day to the north, fishing transition edges and boulder fields. When the wind came up, I went Big with a spinnerbait, but nothing ever chased or bit. The opportunity cost of this was that I ran out of time to act on The Sure Thing; I never found the last, nest-guarding bass that would have completed my virtual limit for the day. What do I have to say about this? This trip was a bit of a gamble, because I knew it was going to be windy. But I also knew that this might be my last chance at sight-fishing for shallow bass. I also thought the previous week's heat might have flooded the shallows with new bass. Not wanting to miss out on that, or have to wait another 11 months or so to sight-fish smallies again, I decided to throw the dice and go! All in all, I am glad I did so. My catching wasn't great; but, facing a skunk, I worked hard for the bass I did catch. Moreover, I didn't have to think about what I might be missing out on! Sight fishing with Ned Rigs can be super productive, but it does make pursuing other options difficult. In a way, I welcome the change in seasons. The bass will move deeper and I will have to use my imagination a bit more to find them. I welcome the challenge! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: June 9, 2018 Body of Water: East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay Boat: Numenon With: A Target: Smallmouth Bass Time: 10:45 AM - 4:15 PM Conditions: Generally overcast and 65 - 70 degrees with easterly winds at about 10 mph. Water was very clear and 58 - 59 degrees F. A few bass were up on beds on the eastern side of the bay. Flat lighting and a bit of wind made sight-fishing difficult at times. We crossed the bay to the vicinity of the rock reef that had produced my fish during the last trip. With water temperatures still shy of 60 (58 - 59 degrees F), I expected pre-spawn conditions with some fish, perhaps, visible. I stopped short of the reef to prepare a cranking rod for A. I expected to either jerk or drag a Ned Rig, but when I observed the round, blue indications of a spawning bed in about 7.5 feet of water about 100 yards off the reef, I immediately picked up Ned. I almost immediately scored a nice, 17-inch smallie with a "Real Deal" Ned Rig. I didn't sight-fish this bass, but it ate on the very edge of an incipient bed. However, cruising the area presented few additional targets or opportunities; and so I nosed up to the edge of the reef. Soon a scrappy 15-incher ate Ned; again, I hadn't sighted the fish, but was rather fishing the visible rock/sand interface in about 5 feet of water. Neither of us had any further action inside, over or around this small reef, and so we relocated several miles to the north. This area has provided good fishing in the past, and offers a mix of depths, sand, gravel and boulders. Cruising and looking, the shallows seemed barren of fish or fish activity, while depths of 11 to 15 feet seemed to offer targets including boulders and possible bass nests. While A cranked or dragged a jig/crawler combo about, I alternated a rattle bait and a jerk bait with Ned. This proved to be a frustrating hour or more, as we connected with zero fish. I felt seriously out of synch, as I wanted to feed my confidence by seeing fish and targets; but without having received any positive feedback, here. I also found that I was fishing the jerk and rattle baits without confidence; and so I resolved to find more visible targets to fish! We moved farther south to the vicinity of a maintained channel, around which, in the past, I have observed bedding bass. I also believe this channel might provide the means for the bass to travel from the depths, across the huge flat, to their spawning locations. It didn't take long to find a few targets in about 7 feet of water; but these beds seemed to be barren, and I was struggling with the wind a bit, too. I decided to go as shallow as I'd ever been on the bay and drift out, across the flat and through these targets. Perhaps that stealthier and more comfortable approach would yield better results. I was pleased to see a glowing blue nest in about 4.5 feet of water, with a blackened bass visibly on post as we proceeded into the shallows. I was super pleased to find out that this nest was just one of several in this immediate area. Having marked the first nest with a buoy to let it rest, I slowly identified a handful of additional targets within easy reach. Thus commenced the easiest and best fishing of the day; the next hour or so produced a half dozen bass between 15 and 19 inches. All ate my trusty Ned Rig; I didn't even bother trying anything else! Now, the day was even a fishing success; and so I went searching for additional bass. Expanding our area, I identified several more bedding areas; but with diminishing returns. There were definitely more beds closer to the channel than further away; and these beds were more likely to be near 5 feet of water than 7 or 8. We finally relocated to our original starting point. Again expanding my search area, I confirmed a few more targets. But not many; with the upcoming new moon and another week of warming temperatures forecast, perhaps the bass will arrive en mass, soon. I hope to be there, too! What do I have to say about this? This was a pretty big day-trip, including more drive-time than fish-time (which I am typically against), but this was the only way we could share this experience together, this weekend. We both decided it was better to squeeze it into one day than to forgo the opportunity, altogether. A has not seen the bay really shine, nor has she been able to share much sight-fishing for smallies. We returned home tired, but content. I'd caught some nice fish, she'd relaxed and enjoyed the day on the water, we'd experienced no problems at all, and Oliver was super happy to see me return home! But most importantly, we'd shared yet another nice day together! The fish were just an excuse to build the day around. I should really know that by now. I have to admit, this realization still kind of surprises me, every time! Over the course of the day, A and I had plenty of time to discuss (among other things) my ill-formed ways of thinking. For instance, I voiced my concern about not being sure I liked bed fishing. I enjoyed seeing and catching the fish, but it seemed to damage my ability to trust and enjoy myself. Plus, it was hard to be happy with just two, five, eight or twenty fish. I always wanted to be certain I could find the next one! That next one might be the impetus for my next trip. Or, I could admit to myself that the next trip is actually about being outside, enjoying the beautiful settings and scenery, and perhaps holding another beautifully large smallmouth. I only know one thing for certain; given the chance, I'm gonna go! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: June 2, 2018 Body of Water: Crystal Lake (Benzie County) Boat: DS' Bass Cat With: DS Target: Smallmouth Bass Time: 8:30 AM - 4 PM Conditions: Water conditions were very clear and 60 - 64 degrees F; the bass were seemingly in initial stages of the spawn. Northerly to easterly winds were generally < 10 mph, skies were clear, air temperatures were 55 - 75 degrees F. The early morning drive north featured more wind and rain than I'd have liked or predicted, but by the time DS and I met in Manistee, skies were mostly clear and the northeasterly wind didn't seem too strong. I still had concerns for the day (Crystal Lake is big water, and wind would likely not help our search for shallow bass), but by the time I stepped aboard DS' bass boat, most of my concerns were gone. The day's tournament was small, conditions were great, and DS had a couple of hundred waypoints from years of experience on this water. With water temperatures registering at 60 degrees and likely to climb with the day's sunshine, we thought we just might find some bass in the shallows. With a little bit of wind-driven chop and the low sun angle, sight fishing conditions weren't perfect; but they were good enough! Some bass were in; perhaps not the main push (to come with the approaching new moon?), but enough to hunt and track down. While we had to share them a little bit with tournament boats, for most of the day we settled into sight-fishing these bass. Some were on active nests, a couple were paired with potential mates, and many were simply adjacent to visible objects on the sand flats. We saw some cruisers, too, but cranking and jerking did not produce any bites for me. For the very most part, I presented Ned Rigs to objects and bass while DS relied on a pale chartreuse tube and a pale chartreuse drop shot worm. DS also scored a couple of fish slow-crawling a sand-colored grub on a light darter head. Our action was rarely on fire, but we were "on" bass or targets just about the entire day. Some bass succumbed incredibly easily, while others simply refused to bite. The density of available bass was fairly low, but it was also striking how reliable DS' waypoints were from previous years. Even if a bass was not present at the designated location, typically we'd encounter an object, an incipient nest, or a vacant nest. The bass do seem to be faithful to these locations! With an easy, virtual "limit" approximated at 13 pounds boated by 10 AM or so, we continued the fishing. Over the course of the day we landed approximately 18 legal-sized bass and lost at least half a dozen others. I accounted for most of the losses (at one point I realized that my Ned jig was bent. Replacing it, I regained my stroke, at least until I inexplicably broke off a nice fish on the hookset), but this was just fun fishing, there were no consequences to lost fish, and DS actually caught several of the fish I'd lost, so we got to see them, anyway! By my reckoning, our final "limit" would have weighed a conservative 15.5 pounds, featuring fish of 20.5, 18, 17, 17 and 16.5 inches. The apparent winning tournament weight was reportedly "almost 20" pounds, so somebody found some bigger fish. I'd bet they weren't all bedding fish! What do I have to say about this? I'd intentionally worn my C's hat, as this day was, in part, a celebration of my friendship with DS. We met and worked together at C's, but have only fished together a couple of times. We both knew the bass should be there; why not make it happen? I didn't have any legitimate excuse to not be there! So many good things came out of my time at C's; a little bit of money, a fair amount of discounted tackle, muskie fever, a tremendous uptick in my overall enjoyment of fishing; and a couple of good friendships with good guys. Sharing the day, the boat and a meal with DS (all while being relieved of having to tow my boat, find my fish, etc.) was a welcomed break and a great way to spend my time! And then, of course, there was the fishing and the setting. The fishing wasn't Earth-shattering (it should just get better in the next 10 days or so), but it was pretty darn good, and in a world-class setting! In fact, I was so focused on the fishing all day that I didn't stop to truly appreciate the beauty of this area and this waterbody. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence for me. Fortunately, I know I am at least smart enough to appreciate the setting and opportunities afforded deep in my bones. Somehow, that appreciation was only further cemented during my drives, both by the scenery and wildlife I encountered, but also by the available Classic Rock that seems to prominently feature Kid Rock and Ted Nugent on every trip Up North! Finally, it's probably just as well that the opportunity to target bedding smallies only presents itself a couple of times a year. It's certainly addictive, but I also think it might lead to regression of one's angling skills and confidence in other techniques (even if they are likely to produce larger bass.) When one can bag a four-pounder on a two-foot cast, or casually lose a fish to carelessness because one knows there are more bites to be had, one might not be working towards self-improvement. But, it's just so darn fun! And the bass are big (enough) and beautiful! There are so many other days to turn this into work; I'll accept this style of fishing as an occasional guilty pleasure! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 19, 2018 Body of Water: East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay Boat: Numenon With: BL Target: Smallmouth Bass Time: 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM Conditions: Rain; Fog; mild Northerly wind; water was super clear and 42-46 degrees F; air temps 45 - 55 degrees F. A cold front was slipping through and air temperatures were 25 degrees cooler than most of the previous week. Conditions were wet, but the lack of wind made everything manageable. We were greeted at the launch by the presence of a local Hot Stick (a good sign; he'd chosen the same water, if only to scout!) and a cold couple coming off the water (not such a good sign this early in the morning), giving up with the cold water temps. I knew we had a lot stacked against our chances for success:
![]() But, I knew several spawning areas and rock reefs. With the clear water conditions and power techniques, I figured it wouldn't take too long for each area to reveal the presence of any active fish. We knocked off several possible locations without any success; The "blue-walled marina" channel and flats, a dark-bottomed area just to the north, and the main rocky, deep-water point point all failed to reveal any fish. For the most part, I relied on cranks and jerks, while BL scratched bottom with tubes, grubs and Ned. The conditions at the bottom of the bay were perhaps more favorable, with the water just off Mitchell Creek registering 48 degrees. At this point, the bay simply seemed devoid of bass; and I wasn't too surprised, given how cold the water still was. Fortunately, as we had been traveling from spot to spot, I had noticed an isolated rock formation between two of my areas. Spanning from about 3 to 7 feet of water and featuring the rocks to differentiate itself from the rest of the surrounding area, it certainly warranted a try. After letting it rest for an hour or so, we returned and approached slowly. An initial cast to the visible, deeper edge of the "reef" with a silver and black, orange-bellied Rapala Deep Shadow Rap got bit on the initial, pro-longed pause! I played the fish so carefully that I managed to lose her; she seemed to be too cold to fight and appeared to be a solid, 2.5-pounder. It hurt to lose her, but contacting her represented a bit of a triumph! I was pretty hot for the next 45 minutes or so! I got 8 more bites on this presentation as worked over the rock pile on a few successive drifts. I had the location and presentation (lengthy casts and long pauses were key) temporarily figured out. I farmed-out another nice fish, but landed three chunky, short 13-inchers, and legal smallmouths measuring 15-, 16-, 16- and 18-inches. Meanwhile, BL caught a nice, solid 17-incher to complete our virtual limit! At an average of 16.4 inches and in solid, pre-spawn condition, our "limit" under these tough conditions would have weighed in at about 13 pounds. While we were fishing, we noticed many bass in this area. While we couldn't get sighted fish to bite, they were interesting to watch. Many were steel blue in coloration, laying on the bottom (sometimes between rocks) and apparently comatose. That is, until they became aware of the boat or lure; at which time they would scoot away. I'd never seen such behavior; and I don't know if my bites were from similar fish, or others in a more receptive mood. When our bites ran out, we moved to scout rocky areas to the north. We observed several individual bass, but no groups of fish. We received no bites up here. With time running out, we returned to our hot spot. We didn't get bit, but I did have one very large bass tracking my jerk-bait to the boat. I couldn't trigger her to bite, but she was certainly the fish we'd been searching for all day! With a full day of fishing ahead of us the next day and an hour's drive to our lodging, we called it a day at 4:30 PM. All in all, this was a very satisfying day. And, I should document the the tactics that we tried over the course of the day that didn't work. From 3 to 25 feet of water, this would include:
Date: May 20, 2018 Body of Water: Lake Bellaire Boat: Numenon With: BL Target: Smallmouth Bass Time: 8:30 AM - 1 PM Conditions: Overcast but clearing; 45 - 60 degrees F with mild NW winds. The water was 57 - 59 degrees F and slightly brown-stained. Water visibility was about 4 - 5 feet. Conditions seemed prime, and we hit the water with optimism. We scoured north-shore flats (of which I have day-dreamed extensively since my inaugural visit to this lake), but never found the fish! I saw one bass and caught a single, 24-inch pike on a Berkley War Pig rattle bait. We covered lots of water; we focused on the flats from 3 to 6 feet, and on adjacent edges and scruffy weed lines. We visited all of my confidence areas, and some new water, too. I generally cranked and jerked, while BL grubbed bottom. I also drop-shotted, scouted with a Texas-rigged Senko and threw the War Pig a lot! I knew the bass would be focused on spawning areas, but I never saw any indication of this (even though much of the water we visited looked "prime" to me.) We cut the day a bit short as we both faced a long drive home. I'm not quite sure what to think about the report we received from the crew of a beautiful, large Ranger that came in at the same time. He, too, reported a tough day, having caught only 8 bass. He'd had to resort to bed fishing in 3.5 to 5 feet of water/ inside weed edge along the north shore. A couple had reportedly gone over 5 pounds. Ouch! That was my plan. He graciously admitted that the beds were very difficult to see. What do I have to say about this? Our temporary pride from Day 1 was kept in line by the humility of Day 2. That's probably the way it should be, if just to keep things in perspective. Catching vs. Not Catching isn't all that important; and even when I think we are doing well, we are just scratching the surface of understanding the fish and the systems they are part of. BL has it right in truly just appreciating being out there. And what a couple of days to share! East Bay is shockingly beautiful, and especially so on a day with such clear water and lack of competition. Lake Bellaire will keep me coming back, too. While her bass didn't shine this trip, she still affords a quality experience with almost unlimited potential on every trip. Thanks, too, to BL for accompanying me and lodging and feeding me! Once again, this was time well spent in the company of a friend; worthy of notice in itself! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
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