Round Lake revisited because I can

[djkimmel]

I returned to the little row boat again on Round Lake on Friday July 15th. I got out there about 7:30am and started fishing a mix of the shallow crankbait and a buzzbait. But nothing was happening on that at first so being on a nice drop off on a point I decided I better throw the ole Nemesis Baits Bullet Craw (black and blue on a 3/8 oz Tungsten Texas rig).


It was overcast and breezy so I was throwing out the anchor and then making a few casts off the break before moving. On the corner of the tip of the point I got my first bite and it was a good solid keeper for my first one!

Love that feeling of setting the hook to have the rod bend over double on the Texas rig and the bass seem to really love the Bullet Craw!

I moved the boat about 50 feet more towards the tip of the point and got another tap on the Bullet Craw. Set the hook and another decent keeper in the row boat!


My 2nd keeper night quite as nice as the first one but a decent bass nonetheless.


Since I was at the tip of the point I kept casting out around the boat in 3 directions off or along the break. It paid off a few minutes later in a 3rd keeper again on the black and blue Bullet Craw!

Now I think there is a school of bass working the point so I keep casting around the boat without moving. It can get boring for me doing that but I have a feeling there are more bass.


It pays off a short time later when my best largemouth bass of the day pops my Bullet Craw just off the deep side of the boat - a nice one well over 3 pounds!

I stick it out a while longer but the only thing that happens is I get bit off by a pike. I finally move the boat out a little deeper and get popped by a strong! bass that really puts up a fight even taking me down into the little milfoil clips that are still alive out there. I finally get it in and it is my 5th keeper but only about 2 pounds! Just a strong bass with attitude I guess. I'm getting the phone ready to take another picture when this bass I thought I beat dives again into the weeds and this time it pulls off the hook! Darn! No picture but that's okay. I got it.

I keep fishing there for awhile but nothing else happens to the point I eventually keep moving out deeper and deeper with no more bites. Meanwhile the sky goes from overcast to partly sunny back to overcast again. It spits a few sprinkles twice but doesn't really rain. One guy rows out and ends up fishing only about 50 feet from me for some reason? He drifts off after awhile.

I give up on the point and deep water and move out to the little hump point. Still not getting much on topwater though I have a small ~12 inch bass hit a buzzbait and I lose it on the 3rd or 4th small jump it makes. That is my only bite on the buzzbait even though I throw it around some surfacing fish (that are probably dogfish most likely).


I'm still seeing some surfacing bluegills and crappie but no bass seem to be busting them but whenever they come up near I still throw to them. I switch to my light rig with the 1/8 oz bullet sinker and green pumpkin Power Worm and was actually swimming it under the surfacing panfish when I got slammed by my 6th keeper bass of the day!

After this bass I only caught a dink or two on the worm or the Bullet Craw, I had gotten bit off once and got a little revenge by getting a fairly good-sized pike to the boat earlier that I did not get a picture of.

I noticed my backing knot was getting in the way because my line was getting lower on my spinning pitching rod so I cast the Power Worm off the side of a point and then let the wind push me across it while I let out line until I go down to the knot. I then replaced the line of the spool to get the knot at the bottom.


In essence, I did a couple minute deadstick of the worm out in 10 or 11 feet of water off the point so I wasn't totally surprised when I lifte it up to find a good fish on! I set the hook and fought it on a long line to get it in to find out it was another really nice size pike that I got this time. Another little bit of revenge. And that was my day as I ran out of time at that point and headed in. I did stop to catch a few panfish because I had my panfish rod with me and I still enjoy bobber fishing. But that was a side issue as they were all tiny and I just wasn't quite ready to head home.

[mikballa]

Nice fish dan good for you where is round lake at would like to try it.

[djkimmel]

North of Lansing a few minutes East on Round Lake Road. It's fishing tougher the last couple times out. Even the dogfish aren't biting as good. Last year they were busting bluegills on top almost every time I went. For some reason this year they aren't doing it. Hardly any topwater bite. I don't know what's different?

The little tiny bass and panfish are eating tiny minnows on top but they aren't big enough to bother catching. Not sure what the bulk of the bass are doing but I guess I'll keep trying to figure it out when I can get out there. Could just be a hot weather slump right now that will straighten itself out in another few days or a week (I hope).

I don't think the topwater bite is going to happen this summer. If you like fishing Texas-rigged or jigs though that is the ticket right now overall.