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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
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