NumenOn the Water
Date: 4-18-15
Body of Water: Whitefish Lake
Boat: Numenon
With: DC
Target: CIR Largemouth Bass
Time: 3 PM - 8 PM
Conditions: Early season; about 70 with brisk NE winds; water a bit murky and ranging from 48 to 56 F
Michigan just enacted a year-round Catch and Immediate Release (CIR) open season for bass, and so I took advantage of this new opportunity on an overly windy day. The boat was all set for Lake Michigan brown trout, but my friend DC and I decided that the smart thing to do was to target bass on a favorite and convenient local lake.
By the time I'd returned home from a successful high school track meet, converted the boat and tackle over to bass and arrived at the lake, DC had already located and harassed a bunch of panfish and smallish bass in very shallow water from his canoe. Our first temperature readings were in the high 40's, but by following the wind and sun-exposed areas of rock or cement, it was easy to find water in the 50's; and by late afternoon, we found some pockets of water at about 56 degrees F. It seemed that the biting fish were grouped together and most active in the warmest water available.
I'd predicted to A that if we got into bass, a big one might be likely; and I was (at least partially) correct! I expected a jerk bait or rattle bait bite, especially along any breaks or weed lines. But after an hour or so of marginal success (I did catch a 26-inch or so pike that choked down my Rayburn Red Rattlin' Rap), we moved in shallower. The first docks of the season were being installed, and by targeting the edges of dark patches of weeds along the sandy shallows near this new cover, we started catching some bass. For the most part these were smaller bucks (13-14 inches), but they were the first bass of the season and so they were welcome aboard! We rotated through various baits, but D seemed to do best on a small chatter bait, while I was slow-reeling a Ned Rig.
When we ran out of docks, we re-located down the lake to a different set, and when I noticed a small inlet tucked into a pocket, we started there. We found the warmest water of the day here (it was late afternoon by now, and this area was totally exposed to the sun), and while the cover looked pretty much the same, we quickly encountered two really nice fish. In search of a bigger bite, I'd switched to a Rapala DT3, and on my second cast here, just as my bait entered the weeds from the sand, a nice bass pounced on it. She was between 4 and 5 pounds, and after a couple of quick pictures, she swam away. This was a textbook encounter!
Michigan just enacted a year-round Catch and Immediate Release (CIR) open season for bass, and so I took advantage of this new opportunity on an overly windy day. The boat was all set for Lake Michigan brown trout, but my friend DC and I decided that the smart thing to do was to target bass on a favorite and convenient local lake.
By the time I'd returned home from a successful high school track meet, converted the boat and tackle over to bass and arrived at the lake, DC had already located and harassed a bunch of panfish and smallish bass in very shallow water from his canoe. Our first temperature readings were in the high 40's, but by following the wind and sun-exposed areas of rock or cement, it was easy to find water in the 50's; and by late afternoon, we found some pockets of water at about 56 degrees F. It seemed that the biting fish were grouped together and most active in the warmest water available.
I'd predicted to A that if we got into bass, a big one might be likely; and I was (at least partially) correct! I expected a jerk bait or rattle bait bite, especially along any breaks or weed lines. But after an hour or so of marginal success (I did catch a 26-inch or so pike that choked down my Rayburn Red Rattlin' Rap), we moved in shallower. The first docks of the season were being installed, and by targeting the edges of dark patches of weeds along the sandy shallows near this new cover, we started catching some bass. For the most part these were smaller bucks (13-14 inches), but they were the first bass of the season and so they were welcome aboard! We rotated through various baits, but D seemed to do best on a small chatter bait, while I was slow-reeling a Ned Rig.
When we ran out of docks, we re-located down the lake to a different set, and when I noticed a small inlet tucked into a pocket, we started there. We found the warmest water of the day here (it was late afternoon by now, and this area was totally exposed to the sun), and while the cover looked pretty much the same, we quickly encountered two really nice fish. In search of a bigger bite, I'd switched to a Rapala DT3, and on my second cast here, just as my bait entered the weeds from the sand, a nice bass pounced on it. She was between 4 and 5 pounds, and after a couple of quick pictures, she swam away. This was a textbook encounter!
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| First nice bass of the season! First nice bass in quite a while! |
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| She inhaled the Rapala DT3. |
Just a few yards down the shore, D had a similar bass stalking his suspending jerk bait, but she couldn't pull the trigger.
The weather, water temperatures and bass action all cooled off together, and while we did catch several more bass and D caught another sub-legal pike, the day had peaked. For a short while we had put together a good program.
I ended with 9 or 10 bass and the nice pike; D ended with 5 or 6 bass, a nice rock bass and his smaller pike. Not bad, given the pretty strong wind and our unfamiliarity with early spring bassing; we've got a lot to learn (or a lot of learning to put into practice) about cold-water bass fishing (in the spring and fall!), but it's going to provide additional options to our fishing!
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| A Rapala DT3 and a Ned Rig provided most of this day's action in shallow water. |
What do I have to say about this?
Thank you, Michigan legislature, for making this a legal option! Illegal targeting of out-of-season bass has always been rampant around here, and I've always chosen other options (brown trout, suckers, inland trout, whatever.) This will help me stay interested in bass as a year-round quarry; that simply gives me more options and opportunity.
I relied heavily on my Rhode Island experience on this date. I grew up with nothing but bass, and I recalled the shallow-water crank bait connection in the early spring. To be honest, I've relied less on cranks here in Michigan (most local lakes have soft, weedy bottoms that can make cranking miserable), but they've produced some nice fish for me in limited use. I'll probably fish like a kid more often now; but hopefully like a smarter kid.
Thank you, Michigan legislature, for making this a legal option! Illegal targeting of out-of-season bass has always been rampant around here, and I've always chosen other options (brown trout, suckers, inland trout, whatever.) This will help me stay interested in bass as a year-round quarry; that simply gives me more options and opportunity.
I relied heavily on my Rhode Island experience on this date. I grew up with nothing but bass, and I recalled the shallow-water crank bait connection in the early spring. To be honest, I've relied less on cranks here in Michigan (most local lakes have soft, weedy bottoms that can make cranking miserable), but they've produced some nice fish for me in limited use. I'll probably fish like a kid more often now; but hopefully like a smarter kid.
