Introducing "Numenon Fun Fishing"

NumenOn the Water

I have moved my fishing summaries to a new platform and have renamed this enterprise Numenon Fun Fishing, starting in January, 2018!

You can find any new content, while maintaining access to my previous years of writing here!

I hope you find it; I hope you enjoy it!

2017 Season Graphs

NumenOn the Water

My various records indicate just about 50 days on the water for 2017.  About 3/4 of this effort was aboard Numenon, the other quarter was spent on the dock in Maine pursuing stripers.  And, while a day a week (on average for the year) isn't a ton of fishing time (in my personal estimation), I can vouch that 2017 had many full days of fishing effort.  There wasn't a whole lot of casual effort in 2017; when I was fishing, I was generally fishing hard!

Starting at "Noon" on the price-chart below, one can see my 2017 fishing season progress.  I started with a concentrated effort for largemouth bass on Reeds Lake.  I stuck with it, because the bite was so good!  In May, I transitioned North and East for smallmouth bass.  My good luck continued, and I can easily say that these portions of my season represented my best, sustained bass fishing ever; without a doubt!  

Interestingly enough, I say that, while recognizing that the fishing was never "easy."  I usually had to work and adjust to get bit or to keep a bite going.  With that work comes the true satisfaction of having earned these experiences, as well as the benefit of growing as an angler. 

50 Days of Fishing

June was a transition month in many ways, and panfishing and enjoying some Lake St. Clair white bass filled my post-spawn slump.  This was short-lived, though, because it was time to go to Maine!  Two separate trips to Maine dominated my fishing effort in July and August.  The bite was strong during both visits, but the numbers do reflect a bit of a slow-down in August.  That is not unexpected.

It looks like I was sampling the same population of fish during the two trips.  The relative frequency of stripers equal to or greater than 23 inches in length was about the same; perhaps a few of the bigger fish had sought cooler waters.  It's at about this length (23 inches; probably about 5 pounds) that the stripers become (for me, in my Maine setting) game fish as opposed to simply fun fish.  At this size, they will now test your tackle and knots; they will selectively hit heads as opposed to just any old chunk; they will slurp down a worm with confidence; and they'll chase down a live mackerel on the surface.  But they can't all be above average, so I guess I'll continue to enjoy the little guys, too.

Sampling the available Striper Population on two separate trips

I was fortunate to get in a few more days of quality smallmouthing in September (discovering and uncracking Bellaire Lake was a highlight of my Michigan travels for the year) before dedicating the remainder of the season to chasing pike and muskies.  I wasn't super successful with those efforts (if based simply on catching), but I did encounter some very nice pike, I saw a lot of Lake St. Clair, and I think I learned some useful information about her moods and behavior.  With luck, I'll put those experiences to good use in the future.

My last really good fish of the season was, appropriately, a nice largemouth bass from Reeds Lake.  She provided a nice bookend to her near twin, the early March fattie that surprised me by eating my spy bait.  Either might have been my Bass of the Year in other years; in 2017, they were just part of the blurred parade of quality fish to find the bottom of my net.

What do I have to say about this?

Thank you, 2017!  I really love fishing; and I love it even more when good things happen.  When those good things happen within beautiful settings, can one ask for anything else?  I was fortunate, indeed, to partake in so many such transactions this year.  But amazingly enough, I have reason to believe that 2018 could offer even more.  We'll see!

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.

Fall Arrives at Reeds Lake

NumenOn the Water

Date:  October 23, 2017

Body of Water:  Reeds Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target:  Pike

Time:  8:45 AM - 3:15 PM

Conditions:  55 degrees F, generally mild NW wind, and rain!  From drizzle to down-pour, it was a constant companion.  Water was clear to stained brown, 61 degrees, and many weeds were still in good condition.

Optimism reigns!  Numenon, ready to take on anything the day might offer; moments later, I fell on the dock and almost landed in the drink before I could even get started.  NOT falling into the water is part of a good day!

I chose Reeds Lake for this outing mostly because it is pretty weather-resistant.  One can cast or troll, and it offers bass and pike.  I can withstand rain, and I can control the boat or my presentation on this lake in just about anything less than 30 mile-per-hour winds.  Plus, I expected good things from the lake at this time of year, and after a couple of consecutive rough outings, I knew it would be nice just to catch a few fish.

I arrived to very fishable conditions (despite the rain.)  But one thing about the pike trolling here; sometimes you have to figure out where the biting fish are.  Sometimes they are tucked up in the weeds, sometimes they are on the bottom, sometimes suspended, and they often show a preference for a particular style or color of bait.  I've tried not to arrive with too strong of a preconception as to how the day will unfold, but rather be prepared to try a variety of presentations until I have some success; and then refine that success throughout the day.

My first trolling spread consisted of three rods:

• two colors of lead core with a favored Rapala Taildancer, presented off a board;
• a flat-lined Spro Deep Diver; and
• a Rapala DT Thug about 14 feet down, as presented on the down rigger.

This spread let me fish any water over 20 feet deep as I trolled from about 2 to 2.5 mph.  I marked a tremendous amount of "bait" and fish; the fish were both suspended and oriented to the bottom, especially in depths of about 26 to 30 feet deep.  I covered several miles of water, but despite a release from the downrigger and a witnessed pull-down and release on the flat line, I never hooked up.

I switched to trolling with a hand-held rod with a vibrating crank presented on colored/metered braided line.  This allows me to feel for bottom and weeds; I probed depths less than 20 feet for a while, surprisingly to no avail.

Presenting a J-9 or J-11 Rapala with a downrigger has been convenient method to locate deep, biting pike.

Those bottom-oriented marks in about 26-30 feet kept calling me; they should be catchable fish.  I had specifically included a casting rod and my box of blade baits and jigging spoons, just in case such a scenario presented itself.  It wasn't too windy at this point, so I decided to give blade baiting a try.  I focused on areas that combined some marks with a bit of structure, especially in areas offering some positive catch history.

This is slow and deep fishing, and on about my third spot, on just about my last cast as I planned to return to trolling to find some fish, I got bit.  I never felt the hit, but there was substantial weight!  I carefully played in a fat,18-plus-inch bass.  She came from about 32 feet of water adjacent to the deepest water in the lake, and she may have revealed a bass highway between this possible winter sanctuary and my most productive early season areas.  I thought that perhaps I had hit my Jackpot?  The jury will remain hung on this; I continued fishing this area (and I returned, later, for another round) for a bit with no further luck.  But this fish might have revealed an important secret for this lake, and I will continue to scout and fish this area to see if that is indeed the case.

I added my small box of blade baits and jigging spoons to the tackle selection as a remotely possible backup plan.  I turned to it after noticing many fish marked on the bottom between 26 and 30 feet of water.  I was almost ready to give up on this tactic when I got the Bite of the Day.  This fat, 18+ incher ate my Cicada in about 32 feet of water.

At this point, it was about mid-day and time for Lunch!  I'd thought ahead; I quickly set up a program to troll the basin while enjoying tinned spaghetti and half an apple pie.  I tweaked my program to include two downriggers, each presenting a jointed Rapala; and a single flat-line, but now with a hard-vibrating Hot-n-Tot.  These are all confidence baits to generate bites on this lake, a bit different from the morning's presentations, and they are easy to adjust so as to cover a variety of depths.  I could multi-task; eating and fishing!

Hot Lunch!  It can make a difference on a less-than-pleasant day.

Apple Pie made its Numenon debut.  Even poor quality pie is apparently welcome aboard!

Lunch was interrupted only once, by the day's single legal-sized pike.  She wasn't much, but she was the targeted species, and I had hope that I could get something going!

This 24-inch pike ate a chartreuse J-11 Rapala, presented on the downrigger, above.  The bait was about 18 feet down over 23 feet of water.

When I was finished eating, I started adjusting presentations in more earnest, but then one of my downriggers failed.  I'm certain that I'll be able to fix it (I've not yet examined the internal gearing), but with only a single rigger, I now added the hand-held rig to the mix.  I placed a chartreuse Wiggle Wart on this, and it quickly produced a solid, 15-inch bass from a weed-bed on a short, but prominent, point.

This decent, 15-inch Bonus Bass ate a chartreuse Wiggle Wart trolled in contact with thick weeds.

This same area produced a very small pike on the flat-line.  I was running out of time, and the best fish was the blade-bait bass; I ended my day in the ever-increasing rain, casting blades in 26 to 35 feet of water, searching for that load of bass.  Unfortunately, I didn't find it.

What do I have to say about this?

Over 18 inches and approaching four pounds, this bass is a Personal Best when it comes to blade baiting.

Another weekday of fishing; and while it didn't go as I'd hoped, I did catch a pretty darn nice fish on a relatively new (to me) technique. I'll take that from just about any session.