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!

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. 

A Lesson in (Lack of) Inspiration

NumenOn the Water

Date:  August 6, 2017

Body of Water:  Lake Ovid

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target:  Largemouth Bass

Time:  9 AM - 2 PM

Conditions:  Clear to overcast with mild SW winds; 60 - 75 degrees F; water temps 73 - 75 F

The better qualities of the last trip (ease, convenience, quiet) won out, and I returned to Lake Ovid.  I thought I had at least something of a pattern to start with.

But as it played out, I really wasn't feeling it.  I arrived with little enthusiasm, only to find a local bass tournament taking place, as well as some locals in need of help while blocking the ramp.  I inflated their tire and attempted to give them a jump.  Their vehicle wouldn't start (it had bigger problems than I could address), but we did manage to get it to the side.  They maintained a good attitude, and help was on their way before I left the dock.

The water had cooled significantly since the last trip, and all visible bass boats were working the banks and weed edges.  I picked up the channel and worked edges and clumps with rattle-baits, Senkos and my Texas-rigged creature.  After a bit of non-success, I switched to a Texas-rigged black Power worm, while occasionally mixing in a weightless fluke or Texas-rigged Senko.

Still with nothing, I moved further down the channel and located a pile of fish next to some sort of hard cover in about 15 feet of water.  I switched to a drop shot, and missed a couple of very faint strikes while losing a couple of rigs.  I slow-rolled a grub and missed a bite on the fall.  It felt like an ice-fishing crappie, so I switched to vertically jigging a small rattle-bait.  Returning to the drop shot, now with an Uncle Josh pork worm, I caught a bluegill.  It was tiny, and enough evidence that I didn't need to spend any more time there.

So I went back to pitching the worm.  I caught my only bass of the day.  It was "short", but it came from the same type of water we'd caught the fish last time.

Perhaps I'd seen a single net flash all morning among the bassers; and as I crossed paths with a competitor, he admitted to a tough bite with only a couple of small ones.  At about Noon, I decided to switch to slowly trolling spinners and harnesses with the electric motor.  I stayed in deeper, weed-free water from 11 to 16 feet deep.

I marked a lot of fish, and I had a lot of bites.  The fish preferred a pinched crawler Gulp! behind a small Mack's Smiley Blade.  I presented this at about 1 mph behind a bottom bouncer.  I caught another half-dozen bluegills and a crappie, but I was not impressed with their quality.  Unfortunately, these reminded me too much of the fish we'd settled for, 30-plus years ago.


What do I have to say about this?

Back at the ramp, the Bass Guys were emptying their sacks.  At least some of them had caught some legal fish.  I didn't get any other info, other than knowing that I would not have competed on this day.

Oh well, this was better than Not Going.  I'd kind of helped some locals, and I'd learned that there are, indeed, bass to be caught.

Meanwhile, I threw a dust cap off a hub on my trailer (again.)  That will require attention before I tackle anything bigger.  But first, I have to get my tackle ready for my next visit to Maine!

Return to Sleepy Hollow

NumenOn the Water

Date:  July 31, 2017

Body of Water:  Lake Ovid

Boat:  Numenon

With:  M

Target:  Largemouth Bass

Time:  Noon - 3 PM

Conditions:  Clear and bright, mild westerly winds; water 80 - 81 degrees F

Hitting a new lake at the crack of Noon on a bright, clear, calm day in late July; with water temps exceeding 80 degrees F, I didn't expect much from the fishing.  But I didn't need much, either, since I was joined by my youngest daughter, M.  Plus, it was a Weekday Fishing Trip on another Flex Day!

It's been over 30 years since I had fished Lake Ovid, and all my experience there was ice fishing.  I expected lots of weeds, but I hoped to find a distinct channel on this small reservoir.  I'd then rely on the crank-bait to find the bass.

The weed edge at about 11 feet was easy to find, but a half hour or more of cranking with a DT10 or slow-ripping a Red-eye Shad along the edges produced nothing.  Neither did a slow-rolled chatter-bait.  Eyeing a conspicuous yet isolated clump of weeds, I picked up a flipping stick with a Texas-rigged creature bait and started exploring, to no avail.

When I relocated to weed edge/point at the edge of some tree-thrown shade, M decided to join the fishing.  I gave her a Texas-rigged Senko.  I missed the first strike of the day with my creature bait, right on the shade edge.  M tossed her Senko right in and, BINGO!, she'd caught the first bass of the day, all by herself!  I'm glad I missed it!  It was only 12 or so inches, but it was still plenty big to us!

M!

Moving towards the dam, I continued pitching the creature bait.  I had selected a watermelon-colored bait to match the brownish water.   I converted two bites into two bass.  One was simply tiny, but the other was a solid, 15-inch "keeper".  Both bites were in the weeds, but not where the weeds were visible; rather they were in slightly deeper water, but still away from the weed edge.

Today's best bass; flipping stick in hand.

At the dam, I noticed some surface-schooling bluegill activity.  A small jig and float combo revealed these to be too small to be of any interest.  

I graphed much of the channel on our way in, and I marked lots of fish and a few pieces of isolated cover.  These should provide an option from the ubiquitous shallow grass.  The lake has potential; it's convenient, quiet and undeveloped; I just don't know about the quality of the fish it might produce.

I'd enjoyed a solid outing with M back in the boat; but now it was time to go have a chicken shawarma dinner at our new, local favorite restaurant!

What do I have to say about this?

I don't do much flipping or pitching, but I usually have a rod rigged and ready.  I picked it up this outing based on viewing the recent BASS tournament on Lake Champlain.  It was won by methodically pitching weed edges for largemouths, despite the renowned smallmouth fishing on the lake.  NOT flipping/pitching is certainly a bass-fishing weakness of mine, and what better way to generate some confidence in the technique or a new lake than by enjoying a little success with it?  And while I had only a little success this day, all three of my bites came on the initial drop, in the weeds, but NOT the shallowest, visible weeds.  I was at least on the "start" of a potential pattern for the lake, at least on this day.  

And it really was nice to have M back on board, even if only for a too-brief visit!