Full Moon of August

NumenOn the Water

Date: 8-18-16

Body of Water: Big Whitefish Lake

Boat: DC's Lund

With: DC

Target: Largemouth Bass

Time: 6:45 - 10 PM

Conditions: Full Moon; 80+ degrees F, clear, with generally southerly winds 5 - 8 mph; water was over 80 degrees F

DC and I met up at his home on Big Whitefish and spent a pleasant weekday evening chasing bass on the evening of the Full Moon. Before the boat was even positioned, I set the hooks of my slow-rolled chatter-bait into a nice, 30-inch-class, deepwater pike.  Nice start!

DC stuck to a drop-shot rig (with a long, 3-foot leader) while I threw a variety of horizontal baits along weed edges.  For the first hour or more, it was a slow grind, and he accumulated a virtual limit of small keeper-sized bass.  As sunset approached, we relocated to the prominent sunken island, and DC enjoyed a decent bite on the DT14.  I popped a couple of bass on the slow-rolled chatter-bait (always in contact with weeds.)

The fishing really picked up in the half hour between sunset and full dark; and now it was my turn to catch.  The Whopper Plopper top-water produced a steady stream of bass to 16 inches or so; they showed a definite preference for the bait on significant pauses.

We both finished the evening in the dark throwing black spinnerbaits.  This bite proved surprisingly slow.  With work the next morning looming over us, we ended the session in the full dark with a nice, fat 16-incher that ate my bait right next to the boat.  

We ended with perhaps 20 bass and the bonus pike.  Nothing too large showed itself, but that was okay for a bonus, weekday session.

What do I have to say about this?

I've not really made the most of my summer (at least the weekdays), but this effort, tacked on to the end of a very full work day, was a bit of timely tonic.  While the fishing wasn't great, it was pretty consistent, and probably represented the best fishing I've experienced in a month.  The lake was quiet, the companionship solid.   Once again, Thanks, DC!

Multiple Firsts

NumenOn the Water

Date:  8-14-16

Body of Water:  Reeds Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target: Largemouth Bass

Time: 6 AM - 11 AM

Conditions: Calm and foggy; clearing late to calm and hot; water temperatures 80 - 82 degrees F

I was a close second to the ramp again, and almost got nudged into third.  We all had the same idea; Beat the Heat!

I expected a tough bite, but not necessarily as tough as I experienced.  I started on my big fish hump, in the dark, and my second or third cast with my night-time spinnerbait was intercepted by a smallish pike.  But four laps around the structure (spinnerbait, topwater, DT10, DT20) did not produce another strike.

By this time it was light enough to see that the water was seriously stained with an algal bloom.  The heavy rains from the previous couple of days had done their best to wash Reeds Lake's waterfront lawns of their fertilizer.  I decided to go shallow, looking for a reaction bite.

At first I tried a swim jig with a large profile trailer, but it seemed to disappear in the cloudy water.  I switched to a chatter-bait and slow-rolled it among and through whatever shallow weeds I could find.  Over a couple of hundred yards of weed edge, this produced a yellow bullhead and a tiny, but belligerent, pike.

The lake level was up several inches from the rain, so I decided to go Super Shallow.  I worked various reed edges and pad fields and got Numenon farther back into the reed and lilly swamp than ever before.  My Spro frog got attacked a half dozen times or more, but the bass were either small, inexperienced, or reticent.  None ate the bait or gave me a chance to set the hook.

From here I went Big and Deep; I relocated to my deep water, hard-bottomed main lake area and threw the DT20 and a Spro DD70.  I chose to throw the DD70 on my lightest muskie rod.  At 7'9", and with the Revo NaCl reel topped off with 17-pound fluorocarbon, I could throw this crank quite a distance; and I should be attaining maximum depth for these lures.  Strike King XD8s, XD10s, etc.; here I come!

I did catch a near-legal pike on the Spro deep crank; I actually Figure-8'ed this fish into biting right at the side of the boat.  I must have turned the correct way, because this pike was missing and eye and could only see on one side.

By Noon, the sail races were getting going, and a couple of skiers were out, too.  There was an opening at the ramp; it was simply time to leave.

What do I have to say about this?

A tough bite; but still some new experiences.  On the one hand, not much happened; on the other, this morning session produced my first Pike-in-the-Dark (for this lake); my first catfish from this lake; my first chatter-cat; and legitimized the initial use of my light muskie outfit for throwing deep cranks.  

Reeds Lake Sunday - Dog Days are Here

NumenOn the Water

Date: 8-7-16

Body of Water: Reeds Lake

Boat: Numenon

With: Alone

Target: Largemouth Bass

Time: 6 AM to Noon

Conditions:  Clear and bright; mild easterly winds; green water; water temperatures 78 to 81 degrees F

I got beat to the ramp by another ardent Reeds Lake fisherman, but it turned out there was no real rush to get out there.  I started on my big-fish secret hump with the Whopper Plopper and got only a single, small listless bass from my initial circuit around the structure.  Switching over to the DT10, I caught a small keeper bass (keeping the bait in contact with the weeds but not fouled is certainly the secret to cranking.)  A third lap produced a small keeper-sized pike on a DT14.

But these fish lacked the size and frequency I was looking for, so the rest of the morning was spent in Search and Learn Mode.  I got an additional, decent pike (DT20) and another small keeper-sized bass (drop-shot green pumpkin worm), both from deepwater spots, so perhaps I am refining what I know about this offshore region of Reeds Lake.  

I also introduced a couple of new tactics.  Neither produced for me this day, but I suspect they will.  And sometimes, just having not tried a rig or method is barrier enough to using it productively in the future; this time might have been an investment in future catches.

The first new rig is the "Neko Rig"; a tail-weighted, asymmetrically wacky-rigged Senko.  I was pleased to find how "heavy" this rig fished; I was maintaining easy contact with the bottom in 25 feet of water with only 1/16-ounce of weight.  I did a lot of shaking with this to no avail, but I suspect that hopping and/or dropping it into specific spots (beds, holes in weeds, pockets, docks, etc.) will definitely pay off.

Neko Rig

I also threw a Jigging Rapala long distances over deep flats.  I love these lures for ice fishing, but they've taken hold in open water the last few years.  I've used them vertically from the boat (with very limited success), but folks have learned the power of using these with long casts over hard bottom.  I could maintain easy contact with the bottom in 20 feet of water throughout the entire cast; it should be in the strike zone and provoke some strikes!  They've more of a reputation for walleyes (and to a lesser extent, smallies), but I see no reason why they shouldn't scare up some pike or largemouths in the right setting.  My old, 7-foot steelie spinner rod with 10-pound braid and a 20-pound leader seemed just right for this technique!

Open water Jigging Rap, but this pic is really about the FG Knot (lower left) joining my braid to fluoro leader.

And check out that FG Knot seamlessly joining my braid and fluoro!  What better use of a bit of recent convalescence than researching and mastering a new, useful knot?

What do I have to say about this?
The "Dog Days" of 2016 have certainly arrived.  If my best presentation for largemouths over the course of a weekend is drop-shotting; I'm probably struggling.  I'm not catching much, and there's not much size to the catch.  But perhaps I can be smarter with my time, by not catching much while simultaneously learning a bit for the future.

Meanwhile, it's worth noting that some large Kings have finally arrived in this neck of Lake Michigan, with at least some regularity.  Perhaps next year I can switch over to August Kings, let the local bass rest, and catch the best of both seasons.

Redirected to Clear Lake

NumenOn the Water

Date:  8-6-16

Body of Water:  Clear Lake, Mecosta County

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target:  Largemouth Bass

Time: 1 - 3 PM

Conditions:  Clear and bright; a bit of wind, 85 degrees F and 84 degree water

I was hoping to find some quiet new water, preferably with smallmouth bass, and I thought Rogers Pond on the Muskegon River might fill that ticket.  With Croton and Hardy Ponds further downstream attracting all the attention, I thought this sleepy little reservoir might provide a chance at some brown bass while also offering a respite from the relentless development and boating activity of West Michigan's small, public waters.  

Arriving at the ramp at the Crack of Noon, I was greeted by a fiasco.  I didn't stick around to find out what was going on, but the Sheriff and an ambulance were busy, and the ramp was otherwise clogged.  I quickly changed gears and headed towards Clear Lake, perhaps 15 miles to the east.  I'd never been there, and I doubted it had smallmouths; but I suspected it would be quiet and offer a new challenge.

The Sheriff, an ambulance, and a full parking lot... not what I was looking for when I sought new, quiet waters.

Clear Lake, Mecosta County

As I motored out, I was pleased to see that this Clear Lake was appropriately named.  I was surprised to find that my Humminbird GPS mapping system provided a fairly detailed map; I motored over to a subtle point that dropped off into some of the lake's deepest water.

My second flip with a drop-shot got intercepted by a small keeper bass in about 14 feet of water.  That was just good luck, though, because I could only muster one additional bite from a similar-sized largemouth in the next couple of hours.  One boat was doing well on numbers of panfish in over 20 feet of water, and another fishing boat reported a slow bite "since they'd sprayed the weeds."  

What do I have to say about this?
Oh well, it was pleasant enough.  The lake might have some potential under different conditions; this was a tough test!  And I heard some chatter about crappies and pike, too, so I might have to revisit this lake again, some day.

Whitefish Dinner

NumenOn the Water

Date:  7-30-16

Body of Water:  Whitefish Lake

Boat:  DC's Lund

With:  DC

Target:  Largemouth Bass

Time: 4 - 5:30 PM and 9 - 10:30 PM

Conditions:  Post rain, mild NE winds, overcast and 78 degree F water

The lake was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday afternoon, but that quickly changed as folks realized the rain and gloom were over.  Our first few casts were into our own private lake, but that didn't last for long.

When I am fishing out of the back of the boat, I typically defer to the methods of choice for my partner; and then do something different from the stern.  D started with a green tube, so I went for a big bite with a slow-rolled swim bait.  After several casts that just didn't feel right to me, I switched to cranking the weed edge with a bluegill-colored DT10, and my first cast was greeted by a decent pike.  When a small keeper-sized bass followed  just a couple of casts later, it was difficult for me to put this rig down.  At this point we were killing time and just catching up on each other's summers.  A steady parade of small bass came aboard until it was time to go in for dinner.

We turned left from the dock after dinner and covered some new water.  D stuck mostly with the tube while I chose to throw my Whopper Plopper, which is becoming a summertime favorite.  I caught a virtual limit of small bass and missed a few others (I was retrieving the bait about as slowly as I could while still seeing or hearing the bait), and D got a couple on spinnerbaits.  This included the biggest of the night (maybe 2.5 pounds), and he lost a much bigger bass at the boat's side in the dark.

The offshore hump spinnerbait bite never materialized.  It could have been the northeast wind, all the chopped weed, or simply another mystery of fishing.  Maybe next time!

What do I have to say about this?

Thank you, D and J, for the spontaneous invitation, pleasant evening, pontoon ride, good food and easy access to a better-than-decent fishery!  I might not have made it out to the water all weekend except for this opportunity, and D and I are so compatible in the boat that things always work out well.  You are our longest-tenured friends here in Michigan, and I am pleased to have standing offers for reciprocation.  Looking forward to more of the same!