Wind, Grind and Find

NumenOn the Water

Date:  8-30-15

Body of Water:  C Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With: A and M, partial

Target:  Muskies

Time: 6 - 11:30 AM

Conditions: Quiet, gray and 70-71 F water; lingering fog and drizzle for most of the outing. 

I was the first one out, but at least two other muskie boats launched soon there-after.  I started with a Top Raider in the dark, and switched to a black/silver bucktail as soon as I could see in the water.  I made certain I spent the scheduled Full Moon-set in a prime location, and still nothing moved for me.  

I was joined by A and M for Birthday Breakfast and Coffee bit later, and they accompanied me for a couple of hours as I continued to fish.  My lure selection expanded to include jerks, twitches and Big Rubber as well as a variety of bucktails, but it didn’t matter.  Nothing moved for me, nor did I notice anything from the other 2 or 3 muskie boats out there all morning.  It was still a nice outing ; I’d simply received my Birthday Fish a day early.

What do I have to say about this?

M asked for my Condensed Fishing Philosophy and while she quickly rejected my first pieces of advice (Keep at it!… Learn from your mistakes!), she jumped on my third offering of Wind, Grind and Find!  This has been my occasionally successful strategy, and while I’d like to think I continually refine my tactics on the water in pursuit  of muskies… if I have a weed-free lure moving through the water in a decent location when I’m out there, I’m doing it!  If nothing happens this cast, then maybe it will the next.  I can think this way through an  entire session.  Heck, apparently I can think this through an entire season.  I've still a lot to learn, and there have been some blown predictions and some pleasant surprises along the way, but my primary job is to execute as well as I can when I'm on the water.

The visible topwater action I observed on both days seems to be based on small bluegills suspended just below the surface; I saw many suspended just a few inches down.  This gives me something to think about in terms of the most effective presentation for these fish.

Nice!

NumenOn the Water

Date:  8-29-15

Body of Water: C Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With: Alone

Target:  Muskies

Time:  2:20 - 5:20 PM

Conditions:  Quiet, gray and drizzly with 71-72 F water 

With muskie stuff still in the boat from the last trip to Canada, and with recently dropping water temps and the August Full Moon, C Lake was a quick, attractive choice.  You can’t catch them without trying, and I thought (hoped?) the wet conditions might keep activity levels low.  I did overhear some discussions at the dock and on the water of recent (presumed muskie) action/encounters, and with water temps in the low 70's, I had some hope for success. 

Almost immediately, top-water commotions caught my attention.  Carp?  I’ve never seen one here, but they seemed the most likely candidates.  But the coloration of the fish made me wonder, and when I got a full, broadside view of a fish near the boat, I made the tentative ID; these fish were (at least in part) muskies!  I’d started with bucktails, so I mixed in top-waters.  I was rewarded with a perfect view of a sweet Polaris Missile strike on the Whopper Plopper, but she was off-target (on the way up and on the way down), and didn’t come back.   With no further action, I switched to a silver/yellow bucktail that was shortly there-after T-Boned in 9 fow or so.  This 41-inch muskie struck 10 or 12 feet from the boat and everybody on this small lake knew once  again that a muskie was caught.  The violent commotion gave ‘em something to talk about.  

Nothing else moved for me in 3 total hours of effort, but this was an awesome, bonus outing that I had originally thought was just practice for the next day, or perhaps a simple release from this muskellunge addiction.  



What do I have to say about this?

41 inches of freshwater meanness.  Where is my photographer?

Once again, there are no decent pics.  There's no Go Pro footage of either the missile or the fish because I’m either lazy or superstitious; after all, not much good has happened with the camera on.  Apparently, you can’t catch them from the couch, and you can’t capture them on film without actually using the cameras.  

This fish also doomed me to a Birthday Excursion for muskies the next day; the planned Reeds Lake bass fishing outing was now out of the question.

Last Cast Limit

NumenOn the Water

Date:  9-6-15

Body of Water:  Big Whitefish Lake

Boat:  DC's Lund

With: DC

Target:  LMB

Time: 7 - 11:30 AM

Conditions:  Middle of Labor Day Weekend; Hazy, Hot and Humid; water 74-76 and filled with chopped weed; reasonably quiet morning until 11 or so; kind of tough fishing for bass of any size

With the languor of a long holiday weekend ahead of us, we’d agreed on a civil starting time of 7 AM for our fishing, but I just couldn’t help but think that we were missing out as I drove north in the developing pre-dawn light.  Indeed, things started quickly with my biggest bass of the day (almost 17 inches) on the Yozuri 3D Prop top-water on cast No.  5 or 6, and with three of our five “keepers” for the day coming in the first half hour.  We continued to catch fish throughout the morning, but for the most part these were short bass.  (We did catch quite a lot of 13.75-inchers; next year’s crop of ”keepers”, and I caught a couple of just-short pike, too.)  

Although we were constantly working the weed lines (very prominent on this lake, with lots of adjacent deep water), we basically fished how we liked, with an eye on complementing each other’s presentations at any given time.  We each rotated through our selection of rods, and while DC might have a preference for a tube, I’d be throwing a more aggressive top-water or spinnerbait; and if he were throwing a crank, I might be drop-shotting.

Regardless, we worked together pleasantly, and it seemed certain that we would acquire our virtual limit; but by 10:30 or so that seemed less certain.  We were stuck on four (DC had added a nice 16+ incher on a tube; this fish was seemingly suspended over deep water but smashed the tube near the surface), the bite was slowing, and the fish were short!  I was finally enjoying some inland success with the drop-shot (I love the Uncle Josh pork worms!), but even these fish topped out at 13.8”.    DC was searching for a big bite with a beautiful swim jig/trailer combo, and by 11, with the mercury climbing and the lake fully abuzz with skiers, tubers and fisherman, we knew we were running out of (enjoyable) time.

As we worked our final weed line, there was an aggressive top-water splash over the shallow weeds.  I burned a white spinnerbait/swimbait combo through the area (this bait had already taken some short bass and a pike over similar weeds) and got smashed near the boat!  I saw the green flash, but then it was gone!  Shith!  It might have been a dogfish, but if it were a bass…that was our anchor fish; and I’d blown it!

Well, we still had the anchored swim float off DC’s dock; this always seemed good for a fish or two.  DC had just about given up on this when his tube was intercepted by a bass. DC thought it was short, but when it hit the deck, I insisted on measuring this fatty; and, at 14.1 inches, it was “keeper” No. 5; completing our “limit” on the last cast of the day.

What do I have to say about this?

A virtual, combined limit of 7 or 8 pounds is nothing to brag about, but it sure beats falling short of our goal; and we were faced with increasingly difficult conditions.  We know we missed the easy bite (based on our initial half hour of easy catching and DC’s recent experience in the dark during the full moon period), but it was fun to work through the succession of smaller fish towards our goal.  And it was, after all, by mutual agreement that we started “late.”  I’m enjoying the “junk fishing” approach to the lake, because it I’m picking up and refining some techniques that I’ve allowed to get a bit rusty; and this approach should put bass in the boat just about any time, anywhere.

Back to Great Lakes Fishing

NumenOn the Water

Date:  9-2-15

Body of Water: Lake Michigan, Grand Haven

Boat: Dr. M's 37-footer

With: Dr. M, SB

Target: Salmon

Time: 6 PM - 9 PM

Conditions:  2-footers but calming; uniform warm temperatures (71 F +/-) on the surface and down to 80+ feet; lots of biting flies; hazy from humidity and western fires

This was our first time fishing together, and I was anticipating pretty tough conditions with the unseasonable heat, antsy 4-year old pre-spawn salmon and tons of warm water blocking their spawning journeys; and it’s reportedly been a pretty slow summer on Lake Michigan.  Salmon numbers are down, and a cold winter, delayed spring, cool summer and wind have all conspired against the development of steady, prime summer conditions.  I’ve spent my fishing time elsewhere, but I was pleased to hook up with Dr. M and S, if only to cement budding friendships and share a comfortable night on the water.

Dr. M’s intel indicated 120+ fow with plugs and large paddles.  As we cruised west, the few visible fishing boats were yet deeper, so we set a NW course while we set the lines.  The down-probe indicated about 57 degrees F at about 80 feet down, and so I knew we had our work cut out for us.  We lowered that probe and eventually found 42-44 F water at 115 down or so; and the theme of the night was to stay with that cold water.  We sent paddles and flies down on both riggers, and an assortment of plugs, flashers with flies, and spoons on the remaining lines.  My wire diver dipsey made its seasonal debut, and we flooded the boards with our deepest presentations to the extent possible with 300-400 foot copper lines; and scouted for strays or steelhead with spoons off shallower lines (half cores and shorter coppers.)

The cold water was down deep!

We moved the riggers and divers a bit while adjusting course and speed, but mostly searched west.  After an hour or so I removed the shallower rigger paddle and replaced it with a favored magnum green dolphin spoon.  Placed at 103 feet down, it didn’t take long for the rod to bounce, and we soon netted a beautifully bright coho.  At this point we were going generally south in about 225 fow and at a speed of about 2.7mph; By the next hour we were feeling good at 3 for 4 with a couple of kings to 12 pounds or so in the box, too.  These had eaten the same spoon and the blue/white spinnie with green fly on the wire diver that I had adjusted to 200 feet back to get into our “strike” zone.  I missed the other strike, which was a very sizable fish that buried the board on a 300-foot copper line.  We saw it jumping in the far distance as it threw the Moon-glow magnum spoon.  Oh well, a 75% landing rate is my long-term average, and perfection is only sought and never attained.  I would be reminded of these thoughts for the remainder of the trip by my two new “friends.”

Fish On!  Corner rigger, 103 down, magnum green dolphin spoon.

It turned out to be a bright coho salmon.  Watch that wire dispey in the background! 

The lines went quiet for a bit, but we did pick off another 8-pound king and a twin to our original coho.  Each of these came on the dark green spinnie with UV fly that replaced our other, deep paddle.  Working the gear was paying off, but it was now prime time.  The graph was lighting up with plankton, bait and arches; and we expected more good things as we continued to work 200-225 fow.

BOOM!  The wire diver went off and I was connected to a nice fish.  About half-way in, I could feel it shaking its head; and the fly dropped out.

We kept at it and it was now completely dark.  I saw the silhouette of the deep rigger rod starting to twitch, and I was on that fish before it knew it had eaten.  I wound down and felt some weight; and then felt the hook slip out.

At this point we were collectively 5 for 8; but my box score said 1 for 4.  Ouch!  On the other hand, 7 of the 8 bites were on my baits, per my adjustments, and I had endorsed the change to the bait that got hit on the copper.  So I was falling short, but I was also contributing, and we were all having fun.

What do I have to say about this?

You know you're in Grand Haven when you pass the World's Largest Musical Fountain!

We cleared lines and were in the harbor in time to glide past the Lighted Musical Fountain show.  The boat got cleaned, things got put away, I sacrificed a rod tip to the SUV door in the dark, and we went to go clean fish at the municipal dock.  That went well enough, but the night was sealed when a Chinook Pier captain came around to investigate our catch and share info.  Indeed, the charters were scratching out a few fish (2 or 3 per boat) with paddles and plugs in the recommended water; but they weren’t fishing spoons further out.

 Perhaps they are, now.

Good Old Friends

NumenOn the Water

Date: 8-22-15

Body of Water:  Whitefish Lake

Boat: DC's Lund

With: DC

Target: LMB

Time:  6:15 AM - Noon

Conditions: Generally overcast; mild southerly breeze; water temps 75-75 F; lots of boating activity as the day progressed.

Good old friend DC and I got together for a morning's fishing and a meal.  Whitefish Lake is a favorite of mine, and his new home on its shores provides super easy access to her largemouth bass.  DC and I are also very compatible in the boat (whether it is mine or his) and so the fishing is always a pleasant experience, but with concerted effort and appropriate intensity.

We left his dock in the pre-dawn darkness and were soon on the spot.  We both started with top-waters, and my Yozuri prop bait got inhaled on my first or second cast.  At 16 inches or so, this prooved to be my biggest bass of the day, but it was followed by a succession of short bass with big intentions.  I soon added another keeper-sized bass to our tally, but everything else on this bait for the rest of the day was between 13 and 14 inches; just too small to matter in a Michigan tournament, real or imagined.

Looking for bigger fish, other baits entered the mix.  Fish were caught on just about everything, but I concentrated on drop-shotting while DC threw tubes, cranks and swim jigs.  I caught a small walleye (13 inches; origin unknown other than improbable natural reproduction) on a slow-rolled spinnerbait and a bunch more short bass on the Yozuri.  DC caught the largest bass of the day at 17+ inches on a tube, but that was our last qualifying "keeper" of the day.  Our virtual bag was just three bass at 5.5 pounds or so.  While that doesn't sound like a great day on the water, it certainly was.  The ease of access, the muted but colorful sunrise, the birds, the fish, the companionship all contributed to a wonderful day.

What do I have to say about this?

The day was enhanced by a shared meal with DC and our spouses.  Burgers, Key Lime pie, and a pontoon cruise, mixed with 30 years or so of mixed memories and our time on the water all contributed to a peaceful, relaxing day.  With some fish!

Go Big and Go Home!

NumenOn the Water

Date: 8-9-15

Body of Water: Lake St. Clair, Canada

Boat: Numenon

With: Alone

Target: Muskies

Time: 8 AM to 4 PM

Conditions: Belle River Hump, water 73-75 F, from clear green (deeper) to soupy green (shallower); variously cloudy with East winds 10-15 mph and a nasty half-meter chop

My recent conclusion that successful local, summer-time muskie fishing is only a marginally viable proposition did nothing to scratch my current muskie itch.  I could choose to apply a temporary balm incorporating bass or salmon as ingredients, or I could seek a cure.  I knew that cure should be available about four hours away, in the Canadian waters of Lake St. Clair. 

As I crossed the border at about 7 AM, the Canadian Customs Agent asked the usual questions; Where did I live?  Why was I here?  How long was I staying?  Based on his reaction, I guess not too many folks cross the border from afar for a day trip.  But I had a desk to be at the next morning, there was no other choice.  He simply wished me well, and Numenon was launched and clearing the protective arms of the Belle River harbor by 8 AM.

About to clear the arms of the Belle River harbor for the first time...

The waves weren't tall, but they were steep and quick; and those Langmuir Spirals are an indication of a steady wind.

I was greeted by a sustained east wind and a bit of chop.  Neither was a surprise and the waves were within the “half-meter” forecast; but there was a choppy nastiness to the seas that made moving around much more difficult than expected.  My radius of fishable waters instantly shrank, and so I chose to focus on the Belle River Hump.  This is the only significant “structure” in southern Lake St. Clair, and it proved to be a busy spot (by Canadian standards) for the rest of the day.  Trollers, casters, walleye drifters and bass fisherman were all working this area.

I started near the Hump’s northern tip in 20 feet or so of clear, green water.  Scruffy weeds and bait were both clearly evident.  What else could a muskie want or need?  I started my day of casting Big Rubber (Pounders, Dawgs, and Medusas) with some confidence.   That confidence easily sustained itself for several hours as I made repeated drifts over different sections of the hump.  Conditions looked fishy, and clearly the bass guys were catching fish.  (Mental note filed.)  And, I knew each cast could be intercepted by the fish of a lifetime; that’s always enough to keep me throwing!

I’ve only fished for muskies on Lake St. Clair once before, and the guide on that trip seemed to focus on water clarity as much as anything.   He was seeking a certain “look” to the water, and the water I’d been fishing was perhaps too clear for his liking.  I took a short troll into shallower water, and when I shut down where the easterly wind hit the southern base of the hump, I noticed the water’s green soupiness.  Visibility was greatly reduced, but plankton means shad and shad means…muskies?  

At about this time (12:15 PM and half way through my allotted fishing time), I noticed that I wasn’t feeling so well.  I slowly realized that I was sea-sick!  This possibility had not even entered my mind in preparing for the trip, and it’s tough to maintain a positive attitude while sea-sick.  But cutting the trip short was not acceptable, so I continued to fish.   Once the inevitable kneeling and heaving took place, I felt a bit better, and I finished out the day, casting Big Rubber* all the while.  My confidence was diminished, but I also believe in occasional Good Luck when fishing, so I simply made the best of it.  Plus, Lake St. Clair (and muskie fishing in general) has that “every cast could be intercepted by a fish of a lifetime” thing going for it.

I was back in the harbor by 4 PM, and as I slid Numenon onto the trailer, the ramp attendant noted that very few muskies had been entered in the current derby; local catch rates were way down.  I was perhaps in the Right Place, but at the Wrong Time(?)

I was home, safe and sound, with Numenon garaged by 8 PM.  It was a long day with minor pitfalls and with no really interesting stories.  But, it was still a day full of interesting pursuits.  In the end, it was a good day!

What do I have to say about this?

Of course I am disappointed in the lack of fish action for the day.  I’d much rather have seen, hooked, or caught fish during the trip, than not.  Reverse for the sea-sickness; I’d rather have not been sick.    It clearly was by no means a perfect trip, but at least I tried.

In recent leadership/work/blog explorations, I’ve come across the following notions:

·       If one is truly happy, motivation to take action is low.  Why risk upsetting the cart?

·       Seeking happiness provides the necessary motivation to act.

·       Action is necessary for results.

·       This action might be uncomfortable and not provide the desired outcome.  But it might be fulfilling.  

·       This action is necessary to grow, to improve, to achieve; to be our full selves; to be “happy.”

 I’d not have wanted to subject anybody else to this trip, but it probably laid a foundation for future trips, and I don’t think I used up all of my available Good Luck on this one.  Perhaps there are better outcomes in my future… if I keep trying.  And I think I’ll have to!

*Not quite true.  I trolled twice while moving up or down the Hump, and I ended the day in soupy green water with a dozen or so casts ripping a giant Sebile rattle bait.  All to no effect.

Detroit in the background; Red Sox beating the Tigers, 7-2.