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!

2016 Summary

NumenOn the Water


Heavy rain and a warm front have written this on the wall; my fishing is done for 2016.  I've no complaint for 2016, but of course, hope for more in the future.  Maybe safe ice will return, but at the very least I should have the boat out in another 100 days; Here's to 2017!

My fishing in 2016 had a good amount of variety, but black and striped bass dominated my efforts.  I was lucky to get in other saltwater efforts and some good pike fishing, too.  My muskie efforts fell short and Lake Michigan was tough, but overall it was a very solid season.  I didn't really catch any giants, but I caught a lot of very nice fish.  I found some new species, some new waters, and some new techniques.  Here's to building on this, and an even better 2017!

2015 Season Summary

I originally may have thought that 2015 was going to be my year for muskies, but it didn't really turn out that way.  I caught a few, I saw many more, I had my lure inside a giant's mouth without somehow hooking up, and I spent many hours in their pursuit.  I enjoyed it all, and I'll be back at it again in 2016.  But for me, I think my 2015 fishing turned out to be almost all about those bass.

Largemouths

An unexpected, quickly enacted change in Michigan's fishing seasons enabled the early pursuit of bass. Michigan's bass season has historically opened on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.  The first liberalization of this traditional season (circa 1989) was the experimental opening of a very limited number of lakes to catch and release bass fishing starting on April 1.  These were the waters I frequented, because the fishing was familiar, uncrowded and could be pretty good.  But the weather could be miserable, and once Spring actually arrived, there were so many non-bass options!  The second liberalization (six or eight years ago) dropped this early start in favor of opening all the inland waters of the Lower Peninsula to catch and release bassing on the last Saturday in April.  This got rid of the problem of those who were "pike" or "walleye" fishing from their bass boats and such, and made early-season bass much more accessible, for the price of those first few weeks in April.  I've experienced some awesome fishing during this season, and in fact, did much of my hard-core bassing in this early season (that is, before I got distracted by other fishing opportunities.)

So, I was surprised when in April 2015, it was simply announced that bass season was now open year-round, but that all fishing from January 1 to the Friday before Memorial Day was strict catch and release.  Later that week I was on a local lake and got a shallow, pre-spawn lunker with a good friend.  It got my season off to a great start, and I know I'm going to like this opportunity; and, I think it's going to be awesome for my future smallie fishing (see below.)

This was also the year that my buddy DC moved into his new home on Whitefish Lake; and his good fortune (and generous, welcoming nature) was my ticket to easily accessing and fishing this pretty decent bass lake.  We did so several times over the season, and I hope to do so again in future years.  We didn't catch any giants together, but we caught a lot of decent to very decent bass; and the action was always good enough that it was fun to experiment and try new baits techniques.  Fishing this water with DC will likely be my Proving Grounds for new baits and techniques in the future; it's a great confidence booster to be on fish with such regularity.  

And I've only mentioned one of the big bass I caught this season; there were some very nice crank bait fish from Reeds Lake and the biggest of the season (over 5, but likely not 6 pounds) was a pure bonus; it ate a Medussa Big Rubber bait while I was fishing for muskies.  This kid from Rhode Island, who had over the years largely gotten away from serious bass fishing (again, all those other fishing distractions here!), isn't used to encountering that many really nice bass in a season.

Nice, early-season LMB on a crank from Reeds Lake.

This girl inhaled my Rapala DT3.

These are the fish that bring me back to my youth, and with which I fell in love with fishing.  There's a simplistic purity to fishing for green bass; they feel like home to me.  They're not the biggest, most beautiful, or toughest; but they are my most comfortable and familiar quarry.

Stripers

I was fortunate to make it back to New England (twice!) this past summer, and the stripers were there for me.  Whew!  I had missed 2014 entirely, so it had been too long since our last acquaintance, and since my time this year was limited again, I knew I simply would have to accept whatever conditions I arrived to.  But I was lucky to catch some favorable tides, to make some bait, and to have some packs of marauding stripers swim by.  Amazingly enough, I caught some really nice fish that were perfectly matched to my tackle; these will tide me over until 2016, when maybe I can be a little more serious in my pursuit of these fish.

My first nice striper in a long time!

Stripers are the perfect Catch and Release quarry.

Smallmouths

More than anything, I think this season re-ignited my love for brown bass.  While Michigan is a Mecca for World Class Smallmouth Bass Fishing, I'd have to say that Central West Michigan... is less so.  We have smallies in many waters, but to access the bass you see on TV, you have to travel a few hours or more.  I'd gotten away from that over the years, but this year I had the time to do a few things.  I executed trips to fish Lake St. Clair, Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan, and select Northern Michigan waters.  Each trip and body of water payed off with fine smallmouth fishing!  In fact, the fishing was easier than it was to simply arrange my arrival at any of these spots; and there are many other opportunities within a slightly larger travel radius.

Lake St. Clair; might have provided the best fishing in the sense of biggest bags and being on fish all the time.  I stumbled on the first group of fish just by using common sense and available cues; I was able to upgrade through refinement, and I was able to find another group of quality fish, just because I simply tried.  The setting and the drive are a little bit more urban than I'd like, but once I'm there, I could care less about that!

The bass I found were just post-spawn, and any soft plastic presentation shined; I need to get a landing net (it will pay for itself) before I go next year, because I lost a fair number of tubes and Ned Rigs as I got careless about lifting, lipping and (in general) landing these fish.

I can only imagine how good the pre-spawn fishing might be.  I look forward to searching with jerk baits and taking advantage of the aggression of these fish!

Not a great picture, but one of many fine LSC smallies!

North Lake Leelanau; offered perhaps my single best day of fishing, but I may not ever hit this lake at just the right time again.  Conditions were exactly as I had hoped, and the fish were more numerous and larger than I could have hoped.  Again, no giants were encountered (perhaps they'd be more available a bit earlier in pre-spawn?), but I found solid fish after solid fish.  The fishing just got better as the day progressed.  It will be interesting to see what I can do with this lake in the future and with a little more experience there under my belt.

The NLL smallies were beautifully golden, and plentiful!

East Bay of Traverse Bay; was perhaps the toughest to fish and provided perhaps the smallest average size, but clearly offered the highest quality total experience.  Unlimited, uncrowded clear water; bass in three feet of water and in 50+ feet of water at the same time; sight fishing the flats, searching with top-waters, grubbing for monsters or drop-shotting;  and pretty much unlimited size potential for the bass.  What's to complain about?

7 AM; Red Sky in Morning, sailors take Warning!

I missed out on this for too many years!

9 AM; conditions can change quickly on the Great Lakes!

My smallmouth game to a giant leap forward this year, and I hope to build on that in 2016.  There are other Norther Michigan waters to try (or in many cases, re-visit); Hubbard Lake coughed up a 9+ pounder for a new state record this fall; and there's always Door County, Wisconsin to consider.   I'll have many choices, let's hope I make the right ones.


But Let's Not Forget About...

But wait, there's more!    Of course, I enjoyed and will need to incorporate all sorts of other experiences into my future fishing.

Salmon; we'll see what 2016 Brings.  With little pelagic bait, the Kings have been suffering, and nobody knows to what extent they'll be available in the near term future.  Of course, there will be trout, but it's the King that drives this fishery. We did well in our return to tournament fishing, and one of the biggest decisions of next year (especially in the late spring) might be defending our success in the 2016 Salmon Circuit, or chasing smallies.

Tournament Fishing, again!

Brown Trout; I've always loved the spring Brown Trout fishery here, and I usually start my boating season in their pursuit.  But now I've gotten a taste of the other-worldly brown trout fishing in Milwaukee; and I have to do some more of that.  So whether it's in the spring for numbers, in the summer with the wind at our back and cold waters in the harbor, or in the fall/winter, casting/trolling, chasing these browns just makes sense if I have the time.

A fine Milwaukee Brown Trout; last of the day, but I plan for there to many more in my future.

Muskellunge; chasing these fish is in my blood and I will continue to do so.  They are a time sink, but that is all forgotten when one appears.  I'm enjoying the learning curve, and I've got much improvement ahead of me.  Perhaps I need to expand my list of waters, and perhaps I need to go somewhere where it's not quite a marginal proposition.  I know I need to get others in the boat with me, and I know that if something Really Cool happens on the water, it might involve a muskie.  I've enjoyed the fish I've caught; but it is the fish I've lost that have had the biggest influence on my love for this sport.

One of my three 2015 Muskie Releases.

New Friends; 2015 introduced me to a few new fishing buddies.  I appreciate their generosity, enthusiasm and company.  Here's to more with them in the future; and here's to more of them, too.

Dr. M on the Dog Day

SB