Date: April 29, 2017
Body of Water: Reeds Lake
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: CIR Largemouth Bass
Time: 7:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Conditions: About 50 degrees and overcast with North to East winds greater than 10 mph; 56 degree water; very clear, with over 5 feet of visibility.
This was Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Inland Water Opening Day for pike, walleye, muskies and trout. I was greeted at the ramp by a cluster of folks looking to get out on the water for the first time this year. By 7:15 AM, I was already missing the cold-water, bass-only season I'd enjoyed in relative solitude.
The water was the warmest so far this year, and also the clearest. Still stumped by last week's skunk, I started in my familiar 5-foot zone and worked through my best water without an apparent touch. I worked a variety of cranks, the WarPig, and my faithful Shadow Rap through this best water. In addition to the weeds, I scouted both the shallows and off the deep edge as I moved down the break, and I was extra vigilant for simply seeing any fish.
I turned around and scouted the best spawning area; I found a decent bass under a boat dock, and a very nice bass cruising within sight distance of a pile of cinder blocks. Each had zero interest in eating any baits (jig, senko, Ned.) The dock fish seemed immovable, the block fish was skittish but unwilling to give up a prime spawning location. So at least a couple of fish had moved shallow, but certainly the main push had not yet arrived.
I switched from the Shadow Rap to a darker Berkley Cutter (I'd had other days where one or the other was more productive) and moved to a different weed edge. I quickly caught several pike from tiny to just-legal size. It was good to get bit, but the bass were clearly not on the jerk bait, today.
I continued working this edge to the west with the WarPig rattle bait. As I approached a certain spot, I recalled that a fish ate this lure there last year and really turned around my day. As I daydreamed along these lines, a swung on a faint "tick" on the lure and soon netted this nice bass:
But this fish did not reverse my date for the day; she was the only quality bass bite I got all day.
Loathe to simply do more of the same, I started running a milk run of spots and lures. I fished from six inches of water to over 20 feet, using all but one of my rods on board. This paid off with a single, pip-squeak 12.5-incher that ate a senko from under a dock complex.
After a quick lunch of franks and beans from the Thermos, I took advantage of the slow bite and clear water and tied on a new-to-me lure, a River2Sea S-Waver glide bait. I also turned to my first off-shore stop of the season, a known big-fish haunt. I was impressed by the behavior of this lure in the water (I can't wait to try it on East Traverse Bay or similar, deep and clear smallmouth water), and I promptly got smashed by a 24-inch (or so) pike. It was by no means a large fish, but it was an impressive strike, and it stoked my confidence in this new lure.
I finished my day by going through my highest confidence area with this lure, hoping to draw a monster out. That didn't happen, but I guess it could have.
This was Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Inland Water Opening Day for pike, walleye, muskies and trout. I was greeted at the ramp by a cluster of folks looking to get out on the water for the first time this year. By 7:15 AM, I was already missing the cold-water, bass-only season I'd enjoyed in relative solitude.
The water was the warmest so far this year, and also the clearest. Still stumped by last week's skunk, I started in my familiar 5-foot zone and worked through my best water without an apparent touch. I worked a variety of cranks, the WarPig, and my faithful Shadow Rap through this best water. In addition to the weeds, I scouted both the shallows and off the deep edge as I moved down the break, and I was extra vigilant for simply seeing any fish.
I turned around and scouted the best spawning area; I found a decent bass under a boat dock, and a very nice bass cruising within sight distance of a pile of cinder blocks. Each had zero interest in eating any baits (jig, senko, Ned.) The dock fish seemed immovable, the block fish was skittish but unwilling to give up a prime spawning location. So at least a couple of fish had moved shallow, but certainly the main push had not yet arrived.
I switched from the Shadow Rap to a darker Berkley Cutter (I'd had other days where one or the other was more productive) and moved to a different weed edge. I quickly caught several pike from tiny to just-legal size. It was good to get bit, but the bass were clearly not on the jerk bait, today.
I continued working this edge to the west with the WarPig rattle bait. As I approached a certain spot, I recalled that a fish ate this lure there last year and really turned around my day. As I daydreamed along these lines, a swung on a faint "tick" on the lure and soon netted this nice bass:
 |
| The only nice bass of the day was just over 18 inches long. According to my records, she represents an "average" Reeds Lake bass for April 2017. |
But this fish did not reverse my date for the day; she was the only quality bass bite I got all day.
Loathe to simply do more of the same, I started running a milk run of spots and lures. I fished from six inches of water to over 20 feet, using all but one of my rods on board. This paid off with a single, pip-squeak 12.5-incher that ate a senko from under a dock complex.
After a quick lunch of franks and beans from the Thermos, I took advantage of the slow bite and clear water and tied on a new-to-me lure, a River2Sea S-Waver glide bait. I also turned to my first off-shore stop of the season, a known big-fish haunt. I was impressed by the behavior of this lure in the water (I can't wait to try it on East Traverse Bay or similar, deep and clear smallmouth water), and I promptly got smashed by a 24-inch (or so) pike. It was by no means a large fish, but it was an impressive strike, and it stoked my confidence in this new lure.
 |
| I threw this River2Sea S-Waver glide bait for the first time during the last hour I fished, and had a terrific, smashing pike strike. It turned out not to be so big, but it sure was motivated to kill this bait! |
I finished my day by going through my highest confidence area with this lure, hoping to draw a monster out. That didn't happen, but I guess it could have.
What do I have to say about this?
It's always nice to get a few bites and to gain confidence in a new presentation. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, but I'll just chalk that up to this; just about everything seems to be in transition right now. The bass would like to commence with their spawning ritual, but they're not there, yet. Nor are they reliably positioned on the edge or in the depths. The weather has been especially unstable (which alone could account for my sub-par performances), vacillating between very early spring and summer-like conditions. While I was typically out there by myself for much of the season, I am now fishing around many others. The docks are in, and the ski-boats are out. Heck, even I am in transition; in a week I will be in a new house and reporting to a new workplace. I'll even be transitioning my "home" waters; it won't be Reeds Lake, anymore. It might be Lake St. Clair; but I'll be searching for a closer, suburban, overlooked gem! It will be hard-pressed to match Reeds Lake!
It's always nice to get a few bites and to gain confidence in a new presentation. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, but I'll just chalk that up to this; just about everything seems to be in transition right now. The bass would like to commence with their spawning ritual, but they're not there, yet. Nor are they reliably positioned on the edge or in the depths. The weather has been especially unstable (which alone could account for my sub-par performances), vacillating between very early spring and summer-like conditions. While I was typically out there by myself for much of the season, I am now fishing around many others. The docks are in, and the ski-boats are out. Heck, even I am in transition; in a week I will be in a new house and reporting to a new workplace. I'll even be transitioning my "home" waters; it won't be Reeds Lake, anymore. It might be Lake St. Clair; but I'll be searching for a closer, suburban, overlooked gem! It will be hard-pressed to match Reeds Lake!
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