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Date: August 4, 2018 Body of Water: Lake St. Clair Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Smallmouth Bass Time: 6:45 AM -1:45 PM (Fishing time; plenty of other travel time!) Conditions: Hot (90+), clear and calm. Water was 76 degrees F, green but very clear; more than 15 feet of visibility I returned to the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, but this time for bass. Observations during previous trips, available intel and the results of recent tournaments all indicated that there are plenty of bass to be caught over there! I focused first on the Belle River Hump. I figured this structure could concentrate the bass, and it's a bit weedier than the surroundings. I almost immediately caught a rock bass on a Ned Rig in about 16 feet of water, but over the next several hours of scouring the Hump with jerks, cranks, Ned and a drop-shot, I only caught a small perch. Nobody within my visibility seemed to be doing much, either. By 10 AM or so, I was selecting features off my electronic mapping. Whether the water was just a little deeper, an inside turn more prominent, whatever; I figured this could lead me to something a little different that might concentrate, and therefore hold, some fish. Working a "hole" that was just a foot or so deeper than the surroundings with a DT16 crank, I finally saw a fish following my crank. A couple of casts later with Ned, I swung and hooked up! It was just a drum, but a fine one; and now, at least, I'd had a bit of fishing fun for the day! I selected my next spot off the map; a slightly deeper, irregular hole immediately off a "point" in the 15-foot contour. This spot pretty much looked and felt like most of the other areas I'd fished (the holes were slightly less weedy, though), and after a few preliminary casts with a jerk and a crank, I tossed Ned into about 18 feet of water. I got bit at the end of this long cast and set the hook. The bass was soon visible, and seemed to be pretty small. But I was fooled by the distance and the startling clarity; as I worked the fish closer, I knew it was better. By the time she was close, she was pulling hard! I was ultimately very pleased to slip the net under this feisty 18-incher! In the next half hour, a nearby boat caught a bass; and I caught another, smaller (14-inch) bass. This spot had something a little better to offer the bass; but I still don't know exactly what it was. With an hour or so left, I returned to the Dumping Grounds in Michigan; I'd caught a fine bass there during my last trip. I hoped to fire up an aggressive school of bass in this area with a jerk-bait; unfortunately, that just did not happen! What do I have to say about this? I found a couple of bass in new-to-me spots; and one of these bass was fine! I just never found the right concentration of fish this day. I'm not really sure how to either, other than to spend the time searching. Of course, the conditions were tough; flat and smooth, with bright skies and very clear water. I didn't see much else going on with other boats; so maybe it was just a slow bass day. So much to figure out! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways
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Date: July 15, 2018 Body of Water: Lake St. Clair - Canadian side Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Muskellunge Time: 6:30 AM - 2 PM Conditions: Hot, clear, calm and buggy! Water temperatures ranged from 76 - 79 degrees, air temp 75 - 95. Water ranged from clear and blue to emerald green to murky green depending upon location. Lake St. Clair is likely the most productive muskellunge destination. And yet, I've not yet landed one from LSC. A couple of touches and a couple of follows; but none in the net! Armed with an Ontario, Canada fishing license and some intel on a new-to-me ramp at the head of the Detroit River, I decided to cross the border and cover some water, trolling for muskies. I'd picked a good day to try this; it was dead calm. I was able to exit the river and make an unimpeded run to wherever I chose to fish! It's about a 25-minute run from the ramp to the vicinity of the Belle River Hump along LSC's southern shoreline. This major structural element divides the southern basin in approximately half. By 7 AM, there were already congregations of bass anglers at two spots in 18 or 20 feet of water, just a bit west of the hump. There were a few muskie casters, too. I set lines in 18 feet and started my first Muskie Quest of 2018. My spread consisted of a "down" rod with a large, yellow and gold Spanky bucktail spinner in the prop wash; and a crank-bait on a flat line. I started with, and kept returning to, a Rapala Super Shad Rap (perch and white perch colors) as my confidence bait. I typically trolled between 4 and 4.5 mph, but varied speeds over the course of the day from about 3.5 to 5 mph. I varied the distance back to the cranks from 25 to 100 feet; and I checked lures for weeds or to change presentations very 15 minutes at a minimum. I introduced other spinners and lures (Storm Giant Stick Shad, various Bucher Raiders, etc.) over the course of the day. I covered lots of water, from the surface to about 15 feet down, in depths from 10 to 20 feet of water. Perhaps the water here was too clear, or perhaps the weeds were not yet fully developed. But, after working the hump (both edges and the spine) for an hour and a half to no avail, and having not encountered any muskie trollers here, I ran another 20 minutes east to near Stoney Point. The water here was quite a bit greener, and there were a number of muskie trollers and casters between here and the east side of the Belle River Hump. Some were in 10 feet of water, and some were in deeper water along the horizon. Despite my confidence in the stained water here, after a couple of hours I decided to relocate again. Mitchell Bay, on LSC's eastern shore, was within easy reach; but with this being my first effort at this, I decided to fish my way back towards Detroit. I picked up the southern shore around Puce River and worked my way westward in 10 to 14 feet of water. With no action and no other fishermen around, I bailed on this pretty quickly and located the Dumping Ground and The Ridges in the Michigan waters between the shipping channel and the international border. Here, I could use three rods, so I added a flat-line with a Bucher Depth Raider to the spread. At about 1 PM, along the northern border of The Ridges in about 17 feet of water, the white perch Super Shad Rap (30 feet back) got crushed at about 4 mph. It wasn't the muskie I'd hoped for, but it was a dandy smallmouth from a new-to-me area! The skunk had been avoided! But I was hot, tired and due home. I'd covered at least 40 miles at high speed, had trolled for over 20 miles, and had an urban drive home. I gave it another half hour before taking advantage of the easy run back to the St. Jean boat ramp. Other than for a traffic delay on I-96, I'd have been home on time. What do I have to say about this? I'll do this again! Other than the incredibly abundant insects in the hot, humid, calm conditions of the morning (at least they didn't bite), this was a pretty pleasurable way to access the Canadian side of this fishery. I'm not quite certain what was "off" for my muskie fishing; I tried to vary speeds, lures, depths, etc. as much as possible, and I tried several areas. While no muskies revealed themselves this day, they will, eventually. And I did find this more engaging than throwing Big Rubber to the expanses. Once the fish reveal themselves, I can do that as a follow-up, with confidence! I saw a couple of dandy bass get caught around the Belle River Hump, too. The Ridges might be a good, future jerk-baiting or swim-baiting area, and the eddies, marinas and shoreline cover of the upper Detroit River probably warrant some attention, too. Once I re-fill Numenon's gas tank, I'll be able to better judge my fishing range for the day. Maybe I'll be adding the vast Canadian expanse of LSC's basin and/or Mitchell Bay and the Thames River mouth to my list of reasonably realistic day-trip destinations. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways 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 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 Date: May 13, 2018 Body of Water: Lake St. Clair (LSC) Boat: Numenon With: A Target: Smallmouth Bass Time: 8:45 AM to 2:30 PM (Fishing time) Conditions: Calmer than expected (!); winds ENE at 5 mph; water was generally stained to muddy, and the best fishing was where water was green with 3+ feet of visibility. Water temps generally 55 - 58 degrees F. Skies were initially cloudy but cleared. Air temperatures were 45 - 60 degrees F. We arrived at our destination off 11 or 12 Mile Road to find conditions very similar to my last outing; so, as planned, we picked up our cranks and started covering water. Pretty quickly, a big drum picked up the tube we were dragging from a rod holder; and soon thereafter, I tagged a nice bass in the 2.5-pound range. We were off to a strong start! A fast and furious bite never developed, but over the next few hours I caught another half dozen bass, a silver bass and a walleye. All were on the same, Sexy Shad KVD crank in about 8.5 feet of water. Most importantly, they were the right bass, including the largest smallie of the season to date, a very fat, 20-plus incher. Meanwhile, A tried a variety of cranks, only to score a couple of white bass. Perhaps technique does matter. We ended our short day with a run north to L'Anse Creuse Bay, where more folks were walleye fishing in the muddy water. We peacefully slow-trolled crawler harnesses and Gulp! worms south to near our bass fishing area. Searching in 8 to 11 feet of water at speeds of about 1.2 mph, we had four solid hits (each of our three presentations was hit, regardless of color, bottom-bouncer weight or suspended with an in-line weight), but we managed to land only a single, sub-legal largemouth bass. This segment of the trip was both pleasant and informative. What do I have to say about this? The cold front over the last couple of days did prevent the bass from progressing with their spawn; and my plans for the day actually worked out nicely. I provided a gentle introduction to LSC for A, I found some crank-bait bass right where I expected them to be, and it was generally a very pleasant outing. Even the "walleye" fishing worked out! Plus, I caught a truly large brown bass; Nice! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 11 , 2018 Body of Water: Lake St. Clair (LSC) Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Smallmouth Bass Time: 6:45 AM to 2:30 PM (Fishing time) Conditions: Windier than expected (again); winds were solid 10 - 15 mph and NE, 180 degrees from last trip; water was generally stained to muddy, but the best fishing was where water was green with 2 - 3 feet of visibility. Water temps from consistently 59-60 degrees F. Skies were initially clear but clouds and heavy rain developed. Air temperatures stayed a consistent and surprising 45 degrees F. First to arrive at the Lake St. Clair Metropark launch, I cleared the channel at about 6:30 AM and was set up in about 9 feet of greenish water off 11 or 12 Mile Road by 6:45 AM. The water temperature was about 59 degrees, and with the wind conditions in this exposed location, I knew I wanted a horizontal presentation. I figured I'd alternate between the KVD Sexy Shad crank and a jerk-bait until the fish told me what they wanted. It didn't take long; about five casts in, I swung and connected with a healthy 17-incher. Once again, I thought it might be a great day! Subsequent casts yielded a nice keeper walleye (gyotaku-bound!), a white bass and a feisty rock bass. I also briefly connected with a heavy, unseen fish. All this on my favorite spring crank, while the pink X-Rap (so productive last trip) produced only a single white bass. There was only one other boat around, and there's something about Lake St. Clair that makes one think one can do better, elsewhere. So, I left these fish and headed south, past the Edsel Ford House. I'd hoped to make the run before it got too rough; I did not. Conditions were now solidly gray and raw. With the increased fetch, seas were a solid two feet. This made the water here too muddy and boat control next to impossible. After just a few casts, I relocated to the productive sea-wall from the last trip. Here the water was just as muddy and conditions were downright dangerous. This was all wasted time. I ran north to L'anse Creuse Bay, hoping to get out of the wind and perhaps find some clearer water. But the water here was hopelessly muddy for bass, so I turned south again. As I headed south, I could see that the submerged point at about 15 Mile Road was perhaps deflecting the muddy outflow of the Clinton River and cut-off out into to the lake; and the protected "eddy" from here to the south was likely the clearest water available to me on this day. (At least in the pre-spawn depth range that I felt most comfortable with for finding bass this day.) Since this area has produced my biggest ever LSC Bass, I set up once again in about 10 feet of water, on the clearer side of a color edge. I continued to cast a variety of cranks while dragging a 3.5-inch tube jig (greenish brown; it matched the water quite well), presented via rod holder. By now, it had been more than a couple of hours since my last fish. I was pleased with this area when the tube produced a couple of small brown bass (14.1 and 14.5 inches) and a fully grown freshwater drum. Again, these weren't the fish I really wanted, so went back to my starting area. I now appreciated the relative clarity of the water here. I also knew there were some bass present, I had lots of history from multiple years here, and I knew they might continue to eat cranks. Plus, one of them could always weigh six or seven pounds; what more motivation could one ask for? After an initial drift, I made a slight change in depth and quickly caught a white bass. Not my target, but life! And, confirmation that my crank (I was back to throwing the KVD Sexy Shad) was visible to the fish! Plus, this fish was at the same depth as my first, early-morning bass. It made me confident to continue to throw this particular crank in this particular area. I was then quickly rewarded with a fat, 3-pound bass. Over the next 90 minutes or so, I enjoyed some really fine fishing. All ate this same crank, and all were from about 8.5 feet of water (+/-). I refined my retrieve and cadence, and my location, too; I was no longer wasting time, I was making the most of what I had left. The bass were all over 17 inches, up to a fat 18.5-incher that I'll claim weighed four pounds. "Culling" three of my initial, smaller bass, my final "limit" (virtual; no fish were kept) was conservatively between 15 and 16 pounds. Not too bad, given these conditions; and possible only because of perseverance. Bonus catches included a nice, 20-inch class walleye, a feist channel cat of about four pounds, and a couple of additional white bass and rock bass. I also missed a couple of fish, but these were unseen and so cannot be identified; but at least one seemed substantial. What do I have to say about this? This cold front will prevent the bass from continuing their spawn; and Sunday looks like a decent weather day. I hope to successfully introduce A to Lake St. Clair. I hope we find some crank-bait bass, but if it's other fish, that's okay, too. In fact, I'm bringing some walleye gear just in case I've lost a clearer-water window as the rains continue; I suspect that slowly trolled cranks or crawler harnesses will generate a few bites. Meanwhile, I'm feeling pretty good about this tough fishing day; I succeeded under pretty tough conditions. I also lost my windsock along a windward, rocky shore and lost steering functionality of my trolling motor steering. Any of these are not good things that might have derailed me to a certain extent in the past. Now, they're just part of the story of the day, nowhere near powerful enough for me to conclude that it was anything but Another Fine Day! Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways Date: May 5 , 2018 Body of Water: Lake St. Clair (LSC) Boat: Numenon With: Alone Target: Smallmouth Bass Time: 7:15 AM to 3:45 PM (Fishing time) Conditions: Windier than expected and a day after a tremendous blow; winds were solid 15 mph and SSW, as opposed to the WSW and < 10 mph predicted; but water was green and chalky clear with visibility of about 4 feet and so very fishable. Water temps from 54 degrees F (AM; Edsel Ford House) to almost 60 degrees F (Mile Roads in later afternoon.) Skies were generally clear with scattered clouds, temps from 55 to 75 degrees F. Third to arrive for the day at the St. Clair Metropark ramp, I cleared the channel just a few minutes after sunrise. It was clearly a bit windier than forecast, and the southern fetch eliminated any thoughts of fishing L'Anse Creuse Bay. Instead, I pointed Numenon toward the 9 Mile Tower and made the 20-minute run to the Edsel Ford House. Here, a dozen or so boats were already working the point to the north. I set up a half mile south and deployed the wind sock in about 6 or 7 feet of water. The water temperature was 54 degrees F, and clarity was favorable. I chose to alternate every few casts through a Berkley Cutter jerk-bait; a Berkley War Pig rattle-bait; and a KVD Sexy Shad mid-depth crank. After about 12 minutes of casting, my crank's cadence was interrupted by a faint tick; I swung and the rod loaded. My first Lake St. Clair fish of the season was a very fat, 18-inch, near-4-pound smallie from 8 or 9 feet of water; this was a great start! I continued casting the crank (while mixing in the jerk and the Pig to keep things honest) while expanding my search radius both shallower and to the north. I also placed a rod with a tube in a holder to scout the bottom; this revealed lots of rocks, especially in about 6 feet of water. By 9 AM, I'd still not had a another bite, and the several dozen boats in my vicinity had apparently only caught a few fish. Others' tactics seemed to be divided between dragging plastics on the bottom and jerking. I've had this location turn on and produce a heavy limit in very short time; I gave it another half hour before I pulled stakes and relocated to the heavily developed shoreline to the north of the 9 Mile tower. I'd never fished this area, but it was calm and peaceful. It reminded me, too, of Muskegon Lake, and so I decided to fish it like Muskegon Lake. Instead of hanging in 6 - 12 feet of water like the other boats, I tucked in along a stretch of rip-rap. The water's temperature here was 56 degrees F. An initial cast with a pink Rapala X-Rap jerk caught a 14.25-inch largemouth from right along the rocks. Shortly thereafter, I thought I'd perhaps missed a fish; I pitched in a Z-Man Finesse Jig (PB&J), and an identical green bass came aboard. This fish was followed immediately by a nice rock bass. There were definitely fish among these rocks! I crossed a channel and picked up a long stretch of rip-rap that I could drift and cast along, instead of into. The pink jerk seemed a bit too garish for largemouth, so I switched to a green crew-colored Rapala DT4; I cast this to the color line at the edge of the water's visible range, and banged it hard along the rocks. My first cast was greeted by another nice largemouth; and this bait and stretch provided at least three more bass in the next 20 minutes. These included a remarkably fat, 16.5-inch largemouth that weighed in at 3 pounds; and a nice smallie, too, that weighed at least 2.5 pounds. This fish smashed the bait right at my feet for a very pleasant surprise. The day had quickly turned from a bit of a struggle to a satisfying grind; at 10:30 AM, my five best legal bass (two brown, three green) weighed approximately 12.25 pounds. Time to find some more new water! I hit another bay with some prominent rip-rap; it looked promising, but perhaps was too shallow; I had no action in here. I returned to the productive wall at Jefferson Marina and gave it another pass, but caught nothing this time. At Noon, I was heading north toward water familiar to me. Boats were scattered from 5 to 12 feet of water. I stopped in about 6 feet of water, south and upwind from an area loaded with waypoints from a May 2015 trip. I knew bass spawn here, and having secured a legal "virtual limit", I was willing to try to upgrade my weight. I still had plenty of time, and I was hoping to replace any of my fish below 3 pounds with solid smallmouth specimens. Once again, an initial cast was eaten. While the smallmouth bass was sub legal-sized, it devoured the pink X-Rap with abandon. When another cast a few minutes later was eaten in a similar manner by a 14.25-incher, I felt confident in this approach and bait. For the next couple of hours, I control-drifted from 6 to about 8 or 9 feet of water. Ninety percent of my casts were with the pink jerk-bait; occasionally I threw a crank or Pig. I caught at least half a dozen smallmouths to 17 inches. I caught my fish of the day, a 19-inch, near-5-pound smallmouth that T-boned the X-Rap. She really wanted it! She almost made up for the fish I'd lost a few casts earlier; that smallmouth, I believe, was an easy 6-pounder. Darn it! All this action was just to the south of the "Big White Tent" along the shore that provided my visual cue for that 2015 trip. The tent wasn't up yet for this year, but the frame was! At this point, I'd "culled" all the largemouths except the real fatty. I'd achieved all my goals for the day; a 19-incher and a "limit". Moreover, that "limit" totaled about 17 pounds; pretty good for a tough, windy day! I tried to repeat my success here at my 400 Club location; and it worked here too, on several 15-inch class smallmouths. These were fun but didn't help my bottom line; the one fish that might have disengaged from the chase right at boat-side; she looked to be an easy 4-pounder. She appeared right on a waypoint from last year, and specifically from the day last year when I caught a 6-pounder here. There might be something about that spot; I'll have to keep trying to figure that out. At 3:45 PM, I was pounding north; and even though the lake and park were extremely busy, I was able to pull the boat out with no wait or problems at all. What do I have to say about this?This was a Big Day; there was lots of travel, effort and action. It felt good, though, to be back on the water and to see what might happen. And on Lake St. Clair, you never really do know what might happen; so it's probably always worth going! Along the way, too, I caught a white bass. This was the first harvestable fish I've caught this season, and so it became my Gyotaku test subject. More on that later, perhaps. Pondering the questions of core essence and finding meaning in unexpected ways |
Steve LachanceRI --> NH --> MI-->MA-->ME Archives
June 2024
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