2017 Highlights

NumenOn the Water


This has all been chronicled from here through there, but why not have it all in one place?  These thoughts are in large part driven by my readily available pictures, but I can't sit here on this bleak, wet November evening and not conclude that I've enjoyed yet another fine fishing season.  I know for a fact that I had my best bass season ever, and I enjoyed lots of stripers during two quick trips to Maine!  Trout were entirely absent; but there's only so much time!


March; All of my fishing was on Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids.  I started the open water season during the end of pike season, but quickly switched to Catch and Immediate Release bass fishing when I caught a couple of quality bass in very cold water on March 5.  I caught a bunch of pike, too, while fishing for pre-spawn largemouths.  

I'd just missed what I presumed to be The Fish of the Day when felt some heaviness on my Spy-Bait.  It turned out to be this fine bass; she was a true harbinger of good things yet to come in 2017.

Spy-baits (top) and jerk-baits (bottom) produced in 2017 from Day 1; and handsomely throughout the colder waters of Spring 2017.

Pre-spawn and spawning pike love this spy-bait!  What a way to spend a weekday afternoon!

This bass wasn't 23 inches long, but she was easily over 5 pounds.  She was just one of many lunker bass to come aboard Numenon in 2017.

April; I couldn't go anywhere else, and once again, all my effort was on Reeds.  The convenience and quality of Reeds Lake fishing kept me plenty happy.  Plus, we'd just sold our home of 20+ years; I was going to miss this gem!  I needed to enjoy it while it was still so convenient!

My first bass of April was no joke!  More success jerking on Reeds Lake!  This was a beautiful Sunday morning with friend BL aboard.

When the jerk bite slowed, I expanded my areas by searching for pre-spawn bass with rattle-baits (top) and cranks (bottom.)

My first War Pig rattle-bait fish of 2017 was a real good one.

Just a few casts later, this verified 6-pounder ate the same bait.  Within the half hour, War Pig produced a virtual limit of well over 20 pounds of largemouth bass.  This wasn't my heaviest limit ever, but it was close; and it certainly came in the shortest time span, and all on the same bait!

This bass anchored another fine virtual limit, but one I had to really work for, and one compiled on a variety of baits.  Different days on the water provide an opportunity to learn different lessons.

May; My Lake St. Clair fever was fueled by my previous experiences there and our move to mid-Michigan.  It's only 90 miles away and now within a sane day-trip radius.  It's proven to be more difficult to unlock than I expected, but it still has produced good experiences and/or nice catches just about every trip.

New job, new work schedule, new water and perhaps The Premiere Fish of 2017; a Master Angler, 6-plus-pound Lake Saint Clair smallmouth.  She ate a specifically chosen crank-bait on a pretty tough day.  She made the day!

A short move and a few casts later, this tough channel cat smashed a spinnerbait in shallow, muddy water.

June; This is always a month of transition in Michigan, but by shifting the focus to the clear lakes of Northern Michigan, I prolonged my spring bass fishing enjoyment.  I hit several lakes with a couple of buddies, and made a solo trip to Grand Traverse Bay.  So much water, so little time!  By the end of the month, everything had shifted into summer mode, and any of the easy local fishing was done for a while.

BL scored this nice smallie on our inaugural trip to Crystal Lake in Benzie County.

The following day found us on Douglas Lake.  Fishing was a bit tougher, but we caught some nice bass.  This particular one wasn't the biggest, but she sure was the roundest!

Simple, fun weekday fishing on a new lake with my girls; what else could one want?

Late Spring Beauty

Father's Day brought me a little pup tent, a State Forest Campground and a trip to Traverse Bay.  This set me up nicely for another Flex Day fishing trip the next day!

Traverse Bay wasn't easy, but provided a beautiful setting for some nice smallmouths.

When the bass fishing on Lake St. Clair is in a post-spawn funk, why not enjoy some white bass between walleye bites?

July; If my local fishing suffered, it was only because of holiday travels and time spent in Maine.  No complaints from me on this, I spent just about every dawn and dusk on our dock, fishing for mackerel and striped bass.  Mackerel (i.e, bait) were locally scarce, but the bass were there in numbers, and I caught them while I could!  Returning to sweet water near the end of the month, I continued to catch some nice weekday fish on Reeds Lake.  I didn't think I would choose to drive back there just to fish, but I did, several times over the remainder of the season, and I will likely continue to do so.

Our dock in Maine has many moods.  Every day, every tide is a bit different.

I enjoyed lots of action for some pretty decent stripers on our first trip to Maine for the summer.

I returned to Reeds Lake on another Flex Day and enjoyed some quality deep cranking.

August; I explored new lake a couple of times, and I shared super nice day on the water and meal with my youngest daughter.  Other than that, heat, work and lethargy kept the lid on any local fishing excitement.  Fortunately, we returned to Maine for a short visit, and I continued to experience a pretty good bite from the stripers.  Mixed in with the schoolies were some pretty decent light-tackle fish, too.

M returned from school and summer adventures to share a day in the boat and to catch her first bass in quite a while!

Our second trip to Maine for the summer provided some additional fast action for stripers.  This was the biggest of my season.

September; This can also prove to be a difficult, windy transition month, but in 2017, I experienced the hottest weather, as well as some of the best fishing, of the season.  A and I shared a few days on new lakes in Northern Michigan.  I enjoyed easy access to some fine, quality water, including a few mornings with Numenon already in the water and ready to go, docked behind our simple rental house!  Consistent with 2017's theme, the fishing was never easy, but through a continuous and concerted effort, a few very nice fish came to hand.  Returning "home" to Lake St. Clair, I enjoyed a pleasant day searching for new, offshore bass spots.  For the first time this season, calm winds allowed me to go anywhere I desired.  This trip made me realize how big and varied this water really is.

Sunrise on a new lake; what might happen?

It took me quite a while to get my first bite on Lake Bellaire, but it was worth it!  Once again, the fishing wasn't easy, but I enjoyed bites from quality fish during my couple of days there.  I will be back!

Another quality Lake Bellaire smallmouth; a bit later, I lost my largest bass of the year when it jumped in classic fashion and threw my Senko back at me.

My first and only muskie of the year came under unexpected circumstances; hot temperatures and on a busy, unfamiliar lake with a low muskie population density.  But one never knows; one might as well try!

I was drop-shotting for bass, but this beautiful pike made my day on Lake St. Clair!

October; I succumbed to muskie/Esox fever.  I started the month with an hour of deceptively easy and productive high-speed trolling.  The remainder of the season turned into a grind.  My last bass of the season was another quality Reeds Lake largemouth, as I took advantage of a lull in pike action to try some deep-water blade-baiting in the rapidly cooling water.  I will need to do more of that in the future!

My season shifted gears as I launched into this first October sunrise.  I was targeting Esox with high-speed trolling tactics.

I enjoyed surprisingly good success on October 1.  I was looking for muskies, but quality pike kept me busy and happy.

My first choices for high-speed trolling spent a fair amount of time in the water.  The Shad Rap (bottom) became a productive staple.

Another Lake St. Clair sunrise; I hit the water filled with optimism, but ended my LSC season with a series of skunks as I continued to pursue pike and muskies.

I'd included a casting rod and my blade baits in case the Reeds Lake pike trolling got too easy.  I'm glad I did, this was the nicest fish of the this Flex Day!  And I should mention the blue landing net; a winter gift, it reduced my boat side losses to zero and paid for itself in lures not lost.  Thanks, A!

Hot Lunch, a 2017-born Numenon tradition on miserable weather days. 

Another tough day, but another fine bass.

Big Rubber!  I am sure that I have the information to confirm that I am a significantly worse angler when throwing these lures, but they seem to be the consensus approach for Lake St. Clair muskies in the fall.  I do think that some day, one of these lures will produce a personal best Esox on Numenon.  And I did have that day on LSC where I enjoyed a touch and three additional follows... I'll continue to throw them, I am sure.

November; The weather has closed in, and with holiday travels and an uncertain forecast beyond next weekend, I have winterized and stored Numenon for the winter.  I managed a single November on-the-water session in windy, wet conditions.  I interrupted my Big Rubber casting with a couple of quick trolling sets, and the Giant Shallow Shad Rap scored again.  It was only another squeaker/keeper-sized pike, but catching this fish was certainly better than closing the series with a set of complete skunks.

Not necessarily the specimen I'd hoped to finish my season with, but welcomed aboard anyway.  I'm pretty sure I've run out of time; in fact, I just winterized and otherwise put Numenon to sleep for the winter.  I'm not happy about that, but I have to admit, I had a good year with her.  I look forward to 2018 and beyond; and I'm quite certain that some good things will happen early in 2018.

What do I have to say about this?

If nothing else, this illustrates that I am a truly fortunate guy in many respects.  I already know this, but how often does one stop and actually utter such a sentiment?  (Not often enough!)  I've got the means, drive and abilities (as well as familial support) to do all this for fun, and my new work situation has probably only enhanced these pursuits.  What ever small disappointments I might have about the season (too much time fishing by myself, no personal best muskie to end the season, no international smack-talking photo of an Esox with a Swedish Pig Shad in its maw), these pale in comparison to the therapeutic value of the time invested in this pursuit, the beauty of the sunrises, sunsets and natural settings, the beauty and wonder of the fish themselves, and even the time I've spent reflecting on and valuing these experiences.

So, on to the holidays, and then on to 2018!  I expect a fast start and good things!  Cheers to all!

M Lake Muskie Hunt

NumenOn the Water

Date:  November 4, 2017

Body of Water:  M Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target:  Muskellunge

Time: 9:30 AM - 4 PM

Conditions:  38-42 degrees F and intermittent rain with ice pellets.  NE winds swinging to SE, about 10 mph, stronger with a couple of rain events.  Water was super clear and 51 degrees F.

I thought there was too much weather (i.e., wind) for Lake St. Clair, and I really wanted a muskie to end the season.  Given a couple of inland choices, I chose quality over quantity; I went to M Lake.  I was not surprised to notice its clear water, but I was startled about the crystal clarity it posed.  Conditions just got a little tougher ... 

I still had confidence in the low light conditions, though, and I could see with my graph that healthy, green weeds extended down to 23 feet or so.  I commenced to slinging Big Rubber.  Shadzilla provided a welcome break from the Bull Dawg, but after a couple of hours of nothing, I gave in and reverted to trolling and covering water!

My spread consisted of the perch-colored Giant Shallow Shad Rap and two Bucher deep-diving Depth Raiders; one long and diving 10+ feet, the other short and swimming just below my prop wash.  Trolling at 3 - 4 mph, I covered many miles to elicit one strike; a 24-inch pike ate the Shad Rap right near the edge of some tall weeds in 15 feet of water.  She was not what I was looking for, but she was infinitely better than a skunk!

A beautifully colored pike ate my Giant Shad Rap.

I finished with another hour or so of casting likely areas with a twitch bait (a dark sucker-colored Bucher Shallow Raider) and a black and white Pig Shad, but still raised nothing; once again, I ran out of time before I could make it happen.

What do I have to say about this?

Crappy November weather provided another session on an apparently private lake!  Other than a successful duck hunter pulling his kayak as I launched, there was not another soul on the water.

Given holidays, travel schedules and weather, I have perhaps a single trip left in the open water season.  The odds of completing a couple of my 2017 Esox Goals are dwindling.

Say what one will about my execution, no one will be able to question my effort to catch a muskie before the season closes.    But even though this is a notoriously difficult lake to generate strikes under many circumstances, I am somewhat surprised to have not at least spotted any followers.

Ah, muskies.  My fever started here!

Could this be 2017's last fish for Numenon?

LSC 2017 v.8

NumenOn the Water

Date:  October 29, 2017

Body of Water:  LSC

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target:  Muskellunge

Time:  10 AM - 4 PM

Conditions:  Gray, overcast, mid-40's; North wind <10 mph; water temperatures between 51 and 55 degrees F

Re-routed by a horrific traffic accident at my intended exit off the highway, I got a bit lost.  I ended up targeting the Michigan DNR's Harley Ensign ramp, and arrived to a nice, new-to-me facility, but also to a sea of mud.  I wasn't too surprised by this, given the week's wind and rain, but all I could do was cross my fingers that the flowing waters of the North Channel would provide clearer, fishable water.  Meanwhile, the boat launching alongside of me was heading to Canadian waters in search of fishable water.

The North Channel area was fine; water conditions here were chalky green to downright clear.  I was committed to throwing Big Rubber, and I did so all day.  I worked weeds, weed edges, current seams, bait balls and deep water, but I ended with no evidence that I ever raised a fish.

I covered the North Channel mouth and the entirety of the Baltimore Channel with Bull Dawgs, a Medussa, a Shadzilla and a Pig Shad.  My colors varied from natural to chartreuse, but it just didn't seem to matter on this day.

I threw an assortment of Big Rubber baits over the course of the day, but never raised a muskie.  From top left, clockwise, these are Pig Shad, Medussa, a pair of Bull Dawgs and a Shadzilla.  The Pig Shad might not exactly qualify as Big Rubber, but it is still a 9-inch bait!

What do I have to say about this?

This launch facility provides excellent access to Anchor Bay and can handle a lot of traffic, but it is quite a bit less convenient to get to than the Metropark and Crocker Street launches that I have been using.  Still, it's good to be familiar with one's options.

I am feeling the pressure of the Season's End; it would be nice to boat a fine Esox before Numenon is winterized.  All I can really do is to continue to look forward to the next trip.

Without doubt, the toughest part of being an Apprentice Muskie Fisherman (especially one without direct access to a mentor), especially one trying to learn new water at the same time, is simply not knowing the most likely reason for the lack of action on a given day.  Is it on me?  Or the fish?  Presentation(s)?  Location?  Simply the mood of the fish?  

Regardless, these are top predators and so are limited in numbers.  It's a big lake, and it seems to offer unlimited options for both fishing and predation.  I do know that I fished hard and well (to the best of my abilities), and I do have confidence that I was making decent presentations in reasonable areas.  I was around bait, weeds, edges and current, with good water conditions for the entire trip.  What more could I have done with my available time?

Meanwhile, the events of my interrupted morning commute were a stark reminder that some folks had a much worse day.  I am fortunate to have spent mine on the water, regardless of the skunk.

LSC 2017 v.7

NumenOn the Water

Date:  October 21, 2017

Body of Water:  Lake St. Clair (LSC)

Boat:  Numenon

With: Alone

Target:  Muskellunge

Time:  7:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Conditions:  Pretty nice; southerly winds generally 10-12 mph; warming to 70 degrees F; green, slightly chalky water at 60-62 degrees F

Sunrise on Lake St. Clair; Saturday, October 21, 2017

After a restless night (too excited to sleep?  Perhaps there will be more to share on this, later), I arrived at the ramp too early!  Instead of my usual routinized rush, I took my time preparing tackle and heading down the channel.  As I cleared the last marker, there was plenty of light for me to assess conditions, and I headed north into Anchor Bay.

Lines were set at 7:58 AM, but I trolled all the way north past Grass Island in about 7 to 11 feet of water with nothing happening.  I marked a couple of isolated weed-beds in 8 or 9 feet along the way, and after an unsuccessful first hour of trolling, I returned to these to cast over a couple of these beds west of Grass Island.  I chose to throw a Swedish Pig Shad for the most part, but no Esox revealed themselves.  

I could see quite a collection of boats working the North Channel (these were mostly perch and walleye guys, but a least a couple of boats were clearly throwing Big Rubber for muskies), and so I chose to do the same. I set up on visible weed beds on the south side of the mouth of the North Channel in 6 to 8 feet of water.  This area had provided the heaviest pike a couple of weeks prior, and conditions were still favorable.   I switched from a Hot Pike Pig Shad to a more sedate, Motor-Oil Pike version, and I got hit!  I swung and missed.  I knew it was a fish, but I was in contact with weeds, too, and I started to doubt myself.  Perhaps it was just weeds; but closer inspection of the lure body showed multiple clean cuts into the rubber; it had been an Esox!

I continued to throw this bait with renewed confidence, and shortly thereafter, a small muskie followed the bait to the boat.  It had no interest on my Figure 8, though, and glided away, under the boat.

After a period of no further action, and having revisited both spots a couple of times with different baits, I decided to explore new water; I drove the North Channel past it's confluence with the main river channel.  I stopped and threw baits at a few current seems and weed beds, but this was mostly about learning the lay of the land.  Let's just say, there seems to be access to an unlimited amount and variety of water on this lake!

A bit past Noon, I returned to the Baltimore Channel, east of Grass Island.  I decided to invest the time casting this area, specifically the deeper water of the channel itself and the weed beds and edges alongside the channel.  I had another small muskie follow a Windell's Harasser bucktail, but this fish, too, faded away without interest in eating.

Soon I crossed paths with a local muskie guide.  I reported my two follows and a bump; he reported two eaters.  He said the fish were there, and I noted his rods, all equipped with Big Rubber.  I chose to switch out my modest Pig Shad for a regular-sized Medussa in walleye coloration. But after another hour here without raising a fish (the guide took another, small muskie a couple of hundred yards behind me), I relocated to the mouth of the North Channel.  I was running out of time (and energy!) and I figured the deeper water there, adjacent to the weeds on the channel edge, certainly continued to hold some potential.

The problem with fishing the channel itself is boat traffic and the resultant wakes.  It's also a truism that a muskie will show itself when one is least prepared, and so of course the final and biggest muskie of the day appeared behind my Medussa at a moment when I was more concerned about simply holding on and staying in the boat, as compared to the mechanics of a Figure 8.  I blew it; this fish, too, disappeared without biting, even though it seemed to be pretty "hot."  It wasn't a big muskie (less than three feet), but it would have been a welcome catch, especially at this point of a long day!

I spent my remaining time in this same area, revisiting waypoints of fish encounters.  One can't ask for more than 3 or 4 chances in a day, and I didn't get any more!

What do I have to say about this?

The consensus certainly seems to be that one needs to throw Big Rubber for consistent action for worthwhile muskies on this lake, especially in the fall.  It's a tough lesson for me to accept, but maybe I am learning.  And I did find a few fish this day, so perhaps I am, slowly, getting better at this.

But that sunrise!  Clearly, I only experienced it on this day because I'd chosen to go fishing.  That is gift enough from the sport for any given day.  There will be more fish; but there will surely be a whole lot else along the way, too.

LSC 2017 v.6

NumenOn the Water

Date:  October 9, 2017

Body of Water:  LSC

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target:  Muskellunge

Time: 7:45 AM - 2:45 PM

Conditions:  Three seasons of weather (Fall, Spring and Summer), but the big factor was torn up weeds on the surface and lots of mud pumping out from Anchor Bay.  Water was about 66 - 68 degrees F and varied from clear green near the South Channel/outer main lake to muddy (south of Metropark) to chalky green (Grass Island.)  Conditions were pretty choppy as the night's rain ended at dawn, but as skies cleared it became unseasonably hot and fairly still by Noon.

I re-purposed some of my dormant salmon-fishing gear and I was able to pull together a nice, serviceable high-quality 6-rod spread incorporating line-counter reels.  This allowed for more precise and repeatable trolling presentations.   I experimented constantly with lead lengths, but these tended to be short as opposed to long, if only because of all the fouling weeds.  My spread basically consisted of three of the following four rods at any given time:

• Perch-colored Shallow Super Shad Raps, 40-80 feet back
• Livingston Bulldozer, 25-100 feet back
• Bucher Deep Depth Raider, 20-100 feet back
• Spanky bucktail off the down rigger, 3 feet down and 10-15 feet back

Trolling speeds varied from about 3 to 4.5 mph, but presentation just didn't seem to matter; I didn't bump a fish all day.  During this time, I visited and tried a bunch of different water:

• Anchor Bay Grass Island and North Channel area (high confidence area, and nice looking water, but lots of weeds and no bites!)
• South of Metropark Beach (way too much weeds and mud!)
• Clinton River Cutoff (still probably too muddy, but marked lots of fish here; mostly casted bucktails and Swedish Pig Shads)
• 400 Club weeds and offshore from there (much better water clarity, but still tough to fish with weeds; casting)
• Mouth of South Channel, to side of shipping channel (clear water, beautiful weeds and worth revisiting for any species, I suspect)
• Estuary from South Channel to almost Strawberry Island (good conditions, just no fish; not as weedy as up in Anchor Bay); and
• Back to my higher confidence areas further up in Anchor Bay.

What do I have to say about this?

It's always disappointing to get skunked, but it is especially so when one has high hopes built on recent success.  I was quite certain that something good was going to happen this day!  I'll claim as "good" a few things that I learned from this trip that should help me out there in the future:

• This is a dynamic system, and one needs to be prepared to adjust to the conditions present.  One can find different conditions (perhaps even more favorable ones) by making a move; one is not chained to a set of conditions.
• It's about a half hour from the dock to Grass Island.
• That deep cabbage bed near the mouth of the South Channel has got to hold fish, and it will be worth revisiting, repeatedly.
• The Pig Shads look and feel good in the water, and it's just fun to use them.
• Don't pound down the lake with six rods rigged with muskie baits!  They will get hopelessly tangled!
• And, finally, there's always next time!  This seems especially true with the muskellunge.