As summer progresses, sometimes, you want to just get away to hit some smaller, tucked away, less tx fished lakes. What are some of your absolute favorite gems that ONLY have dirt ramps? This ought to be good ! Ready ? Go !
oxbow lake
Quote from: stackenem on July 30, 2019, 04:06:56 PM
oxbow lake
100% private w/o any ramp... I used to launch at TUBES! They have shut down any launching... Good lake though.
Mike, different oxbow lake. this one is in Otsego county by Gaylord.
Lower Pettibone north of Milford. Used to fish Moore Lake off Lower Pettibone rd. The dirt ramp is north of the lake off Lower Pettibone lake rd. You have to take the creek south to the lake. Only problem is both lakes are fished by people that take the fish home for dinner.
Lots of little lakes but not a lot with access.
Going to try 7 Lakes in Holly Rec area. Got a tournament there in a couple weeks. Guess it is a great Flipping Lake.
I'd like to hear how Big Seven is doing? Was one of my childhood lakes growing up in Flint. Been forever since the last time I was there. Think it was a no gas motors lake when I was a kid though the memory isn't the best to trust these days?
One person's 'good dirt ramp lake' is sometimes another person's 'I don't like it lake.' I like Round a lot but some people think the fishing sucks (not having as stellar a year this year myself). Someone recently messed the ramp up bad too. Must have been a bigger boat that got stuck well...??
You should just say smaller, less popular lakes with limited parking as there are plenty of 'hard' ramp lakes that can be really good and don't get the attention the 'hot' lakes do. Derek and I pick new lakes off the county road map book every year to just try though he doesn't like a lot of dirt road or ramps he might get stuck on... If I really want to fish a lake with a dirt road or an iffy ramp I sometimes forget to mention to him some of the details... (don't tell him!?! I always pray for no rain on those days!! ::) ) though I wouldn't purposefully lead him too far astray.
The kayakers are a great source for less accessible lakes at times. I will pay attention to them when they're talking unsung lakes. Of course, some people don't like to publicly give out some of this information. Makes me of Durand Dan's 'hideaway' lake mentioned in another thread. I might know that lake though the last time I fished it several years ago we didn't do very well and haven't been back since. After all, there are 11,000 lakes to try just in Michigan!!!
One other thing I used to do more often was seek out lakes outside of Southern Michigan because many of those get even less attention. Besides a small ramp and an interesting looking set of contours, I would ask people in the area if the bass fishing was any good. A lot of those areas, people don't bass fish so much. Some of the best lakes I found were the ones the locals would say, 'not a good bass lake' or 'just a bunch of small bass.' ;D It was maybe 30 years ago but I recall Tea Lake being one of those. I had an awesome day of bass fishing just launching with the DNR lake map and casting!
Going to fish Big Seven in the next couple weeks. I have a club event there sometime. Had to Google how to get to it. Heard it is very weedy but a great flipping lake. Figure I will donate some Tungsten and Jigs to the pike.
Did you find out the motor situation there? It seems like way back (decades ago) it was a no gas motors lake but I forget if I've ever remembered to ask anyone who actually fishes there what it is now? At least if I did ask, I don't remember the answer. Part of the reason it hasn't moved up on our 'give it a try' list is that issue. Who wants to be putting a 20 foot bass boat onto the trailer with zero gas motor? Not many I know.
Seems like I heard they no longer stock trout in the other lake there with a boat ramp, but then, I don't pay a lot of attention to the trout stuff. They're that weird 'other' fish, sometimes bass food, purely incidental to my fishing. Used to be a few decent bass in that tiny lake but it's a deep, clear pothole.
One other thing I remember about that park - it used to have a good population of Mississauga Rattlesnakes. One of the few places I've ever seen them. One day a DNR guy showed us a whole bag of them he was catching for some type of work they were doing to help keep them alive and well in Michigan. I hope there's still some left.