NumenOn the Water
Date: 4-11-15
Body of Water: Lake Michigan (Pt. Sheldon)
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: Brown Trout
Time: 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Conditions: Bright and clear; mild SW winds <10 mph; about 45 F; 6-inch chop; continuous ice looming on the western and southern horizons.
That ice kept me close to port! It was a couple of miles away, but I wasn't sure how fast it might move. As it turned out, it wasn't a factor, other than keeping the water too cold!
Recent high winds and a lot of rain had turned Pigeon Lake into a mud hole, but this dark water was retaining some heat; and the water coming out of the harbor into Lake Michigan was about 15 degrees warmer than the Big Lake's (50 F vs 35 F.) The mild SW wind was curling this muddy/stained water along the shoreline to the north, and I stayed with this water, hugging shore for as long as I could, trolling stickbaits without a bump. Even this water was only about 37 F, which is too cold for me to expect a consistent brown trout bite. When I ran out of stained water and I was left with clear and 35-degree conditions along the shore, I elected to run to "The Bubbler," where warm discharge from the local power plant is released from the lake's bed in about 24 - 40 feet of water.
(Ordinarily, I'd have chosen to run north to unnamed creek outlets where I often find some warmer water, bait and browns. But I wanted to keep my eyes on the ice and the pier heads, and I recalled several other very-early-season trips here where The Bubbler fished better than the shoreline.)
The discharge rate at The Bubbler was low, but there was a pod of water up to 38 F (and even touching 40 F as I left a couple of hours later; 40 degrees F is my tipping point for confidence when it comes to spring browns.) The Bubbler also offers some goofy, conflicting currents and some vertical relief, so I typically fish here when the shore-line fishing is not producing; and I've caught enough fish here to know that good results are possible, even if the odds are stacked against you.
In a couple of hours of trolling about here, I marked a fair number of fish; and I even caught one brown trout (a very fat 2-3 pounder) that fell for my standard fare at The Bubbler; a Green Bubble Stinger trolled off a rigger, about 20 feet down. Meanwhile, every other stick bait or shad bait remained untouched.
(To be fair, I should mention that I towed this fish off the rigger for an unknown period of time: it didn't release from the rigger clip and I don't know when/where I hooked up. So catching this fish wasn't exactly exciting or gratifying; but it was still better than getting skunked. I released this fish first into my live well, since it was pretty worn out from being dragged about. But it revived nicely in there and was later released back into Lake Michigan, apparently none the worse for having been caught.)
A few more boats collected here and I chose to investigate the harbor; I thought that warm water might hold some bait. Here, due to tight quarters, I flat-lined a Rapala off one side, while I hand-pumped a metered braid rod with a Flicker Shad on my side. Things looked and felt good; but no fish were encountered here. This is where I had the most confidence for catching; it was just the least pleasing fishing option of the day, and so I didn't give it enough time.
 |
| Pretty continuous ice, a mile or two off-shore. |
That ice kept me close to port! It was a couple of miles away, but I wasn't sure how fast it might move. As it turned out, it wasn't a factor, other than keeping the water too cold!
Recent high winds and a lot of rain had turned Pigeon Lake into a mud hole, but this dark water was retaining some heat; and the water coming out of the harbor into Lake Michigan was about 15 degrees warmer than the Big Lake's (50 F vs 35 F.) The mild SW wind was curling this muddy/stained water along the shoreline to the north, and I stayed with this water, hugging shore for as long as I could, trolling stickbaits without a bump. Even this water was only about 37 F, which is too cold for me to expect a consistent brown trout bite. When I ran out of stained water and I was left with clear and 35-degree conditions along the shore, I elected to run to "The Bubbler," where warm discharge from the local power plant is released from the lake's bed in about 24 - 40 feet of water.
 |
| Stickbaits and boards, trolled slowly along shore. |
(Ordinarily, I'd have chosen to run north to unnamed creek outlets where I often find some warmer water, bait and browns. But I wanted to keep my eyes on the ice and the pier heads, and I recalled several other very-early-season trips here where The Bubbler fished better than the shoreline.)
The discharge rate at The Bubbler was low, but there was a pod of water up to 38 F (and even touching 40 F as I left a couple of hours later; 40 degrees F is my tipping point for confidence when it comes to spring browns.) The Bubbler also offers some goofy, conflicting currents and some vertical relief, so I typically fish here when the shore-line fishing is not producing; and I've caught enough fish here to know that good results are possible, even if the odds are stacked against you.
In a couple of hours of trolling about here, I marked a fair number of fish; and I even caught one brown trout (a very fat 2-3 pounder) that fell for my standard fare at The Bubbler; a Green Bubble Stinger trolled off a rigger, about 20 feet down. Meanwhile, every other stick bait or shad bait remained untouched.
 |
| Ugly Stik, Green Bubble Stinger, Downrigger Ball and Black's Release Clip. |
(To be fair, I should mention that I towed this fish off the rigger for an unknown period of time: it didn't release from the rigger clip and I don't know when/where I hooked up. So catching this fish wasn't exactly exciting or gratifying; but it was still better than getting skunked. I released this fish first into my live well, since it was pretty worn out from being dragged about. But it revived nicely in there and was later released back into Lake Michigan, apparently none the worse for having been caught.)
 |
| 2015's First Brown Trout! |
A few more boats collected here and I chose to investigate the harbor; I thought that warm water might hold some bait. Here, due to tight quarters, I flat-lined a Rapala off one side, while I hand-pumped a metered braid rod with a Flicker Shad on my side. Things looked and felt good; but no fish were encountered here. This is where I had the most confidence for catching; it was just the least pleasing fishing option of the day, and so I didn't give it enough time.
What do I have to say about this?
I've had a thing for Brown Trout ever since moving to Michigan, and I love to open my Lake Michigan Season with a couple of trips targeting them. Usually I'm too early in the season, and sometimes they simply aren't there, so I'm rarely super successful with them. Each one's a bit special. This one was super rotund for his length, so maybe that bodes well for the Lake Michigan bait situation this year. Hopefully I can increase my sample size with a few more trips.
P.S. Here's what happened at the same time in the next port to the south:
Meanwhile, in Holland...
I've had a thing for Brown Trout ever since moving to Michigan, and I love to open my Lake Michigan Season with a couple of trips targeting them. Usually I'm too early in the season, and sometimes they simply aren't there, so I'm rarely super successful with them. Each one's a bit special. This one was super rotund for his length, so maybe that bodes well for the Lake Michigan bait situation this year. Hopefully I can increase my sample size with a few more trips.
P.S. Here's what happened at the same time in the next port to the south:
Meanwhile, in Holland...
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