me, I've got traverse bay, tomahawk res, clam lake, st clair river this should be a great fishing year I'm really looking forward to it
I had a great time this past year exploring small local lakes within a 1/2 hour drive of me. I'm looking forward to doing more of that, in addition to my already scheduled trips to Bay de Noc, St. Clair and Erie.
One place I really want to finally get to fish this year is Pickwick. I've been wanting to get down there for a long time and it doesn't look like spring is going to be an option for that, because of work commitments. I'm going to try to block off a stretch in late October or early November to get down there. :)
Once I get the trailer lights fixed on my little jon boat, I'll probably head back to Independence again. I'd like to get out to north and south lakes in Washtenaw county as I haven't been out there in years. LSC/Erie/Detroit River as always. Would like to try the canals near Algonac again too. Now that the parking situation is squared away at the Huron river near Geddes rd., I'll probably spend more time there too when I can't find a backseat in someone else's boat.
Bob skip clam and hit belleaire or intermediate.
I'm hoping to put in some time on torch and leelanau
will do just might scrap all of the above and fish elk
Quote from: thedude on March 01, 2014, 08:51:38 PM
Bob skip clam and hit belleaire or intermediate.
I'm hoping to put in some time on torch and leelanau
Belleville lol
Quote from: thedude on March 01, 2014, 08:51:38 PM
Bob skip clam and hit belleaire or intermediate.
I'm hoping to put in some time on torch and leelanau
Agreed boat traffic terrible.
Quote from: LAPORTE on March 01, 2014, 09:15:09 PM
Belleville lol
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6gxbxdv6eoE/TW_3esqpQrI/AAAAAAAAAT8/0DqmqK71N7Y/s1600/dogshoot.png)
;D
Hubbard and Long ... never been over that side of the state. Maybe Burt/Mullet too... never been there either. Didn't get to go to Florida this winter so we'll probably take a 3-5 day vacation this summer and head somewhere north.
Oakland/Woodhall, Lobdell/Bennett, The whole Pinkney Chain but I'll settle with more of LSC since I never get enough.
I'd like to hit the lower DR and the around the islands on Erie (Ohio water)
Inland I do need to look at the west side of the state
For the bucket list. I would like to fish Fork
I'm retired now, I'm going to fish all of them!
I'll be happy if I can put more than 10 hours on the boat this year....Last year was a flop as far as fishing so this year I am going to enjoy fishing every time I get out no matter what lake I am on...
Quote from: bob o on March 01, 2014, 09:01:09 PM
will do just might scrap all of the above and fish elk
Quote from: thedude on March 01, 2014, 08:51:38 PM
Bob skip clam and hit belleaire or intermediate.
I'm hoping to put in some time on torch and leelanau
elk is one of my favorite lakes. You could really fish all 3 in the same day. Intermediate sets up more like a Largemouth lake - grass, weeds deep wood on most of it, dingier water. Some good sand points also. Lots of good LM and SM in there. Belleaire is a bit tougher, but there are some monsters in there! If you get an overcast, muggy day in the mid-late summer - ELK can be a ton of fun with cranks and topwater - otherwise you are typically looking for deeper fish on your graph and dropshotting them.
Grand lake is a must for me. It's been on my list for a few years now. Other than that I will be spending a ton of time learning all areas of the Saginaw Bay
sounds like most of you guys are commin to my neck of the woods this year
Erie and the st lawerence near Wellesley island. Vacationed at Wellesley last year, but didn't get in enough fishing time. Beautiful place. Also would like to hit some of the alpena area lakes.
With a baby boy coming in late May my big fishing plans have been put on hold for a year. Definitely going to bite the bullet and start fishing the Indiana water on Lake Michigan. I'm going to be leaving fish in other bodies of water but nothing compares to the 4-6 lb smallies I might be able to figure out on the lake. Should have started doing this years ago but.....
Going to take a trip the end of March to Southern Illinois and spend some time with my Dad. We'll probably fish Lake of Egypt for the day. If my 9.9 is fixed I'll spend a couple days on Newton Lake. The wife has given me clearance for a week long trip this July. Probably hit Door County. I would prefer to fish Michigan but I'm already buying an IL, WI, and Indiana license and I can't see spending another $75 for a 1 week trip ($60 for 6 days) to fish for a week.
Quote from: JerkBate on March 03, 2014, 09:07:24 PMDefinitely going to bite the bullet and start fishing the Indiana water on Lake Michigan. I'm going to be leaving fish in other bodies of water but nothing compares to the 4-6 lb smallies I might be able to figure out on the lake.
Spoken like a true GreatLakesBass-fisherman! :)
Who's making fun of Belleville...lol.. I can remember years ago in some magazine reading it was one of the top ten i think in michigan. I wish i knew where i read that. I think they may have meant top 10 in wayne county.
I remember reading the article and or book it was in... It actually fishes quite well at night. I have earned a few $$$ there. ;D
Being from the west side of the state, this is kinda sad to say, but I want to work on learning Muskegon Lake. It is way to close to have only fished it once...I also want to spend some time on cadillac/mitchell.
I planned on fishing Belleville more last year and got out there quite a few times. I only fished the opening day tournament though. I plan on doing that tournament and hopefully more this year. I accually like the lake because it isn't one of them lakes you just learn in one trip. It takes some practice.
So many lakes... so little time... Big Tomahawk is fun but not full of big bass anymore (lately anyway) but the trees make it interesting. Watch your step. The trees are EVERYWHERE! There's a path through the trees in one spot that is actually a mean, cruel trick. Someone cut the tops off all of the trees to make it look like a path but the 'path' is loaded with trees just under the surface. Must be a prop graveyard.
I like Clam Lake once in awhile. Can be fun in the fall. Big pike. Some big muskie. Both bass. I had some of the most awesome dock fishing ever on that lake for bigger largemouth bass when the lake was thrumming with boat traffic. Not as good when things quiet down. Torch is awesome, beautiful and wild as long as the wind isn't blowing.
Charlevoix calls in the spring though... still more bass on beds than I've ever seen anywhere else at one time! I've had to watch more than fish on those trips. Watching is not as fun as fishing (though still pretty good depending upon whom you're watching).
I'd like to get back to Thunder Bay. Been quite awhile. But it's so far out of the way to get there... Though there's Long and Hubbard nearby. Maybe Grand. I just fished it under bad conditions so Long was more fun the last time.
Still want to fish Fletchers even though I've been warned it is waning. Just sounds like an interesting diversion if you're not in a hurry to get anywhere (and still keep your lower unit).
Lots of smaller inland lakes to fish. Maybe get back to Saginaw Bay. (If you call me this year Dobber I will say yes.)
Maybe go to Templene to catch a ton of little ones with a few nice ones mixed in...? I know where a big ole mean bass is hiding out. If the old guy doesn't catch 'er first (he looks just like santa, honest, in a red aluminum boat no less?!?)...
Maybe Reeds Lake if someone else parks the trailer? Maybe Fremont Lake finally. Maybe a couple secret private lakes... Maybe Macatoilet, I mean... Macatawa. Mutant gobies, big white bass and some other stuff. Been having Mona Lake on my mind for awhile now... have some great club days memories from there!
The almost annual spring walleye smallmouth smackdown on Hardy I imagine.
I might throw in some ponds and small rivers too. Been scoping out a pond in Lansing and seen enough nice bass to make it worth the exercise. Plus the Lansing pond that teased me almost 30 years ago with a giant bass and then became a closed 'superfund' is finally open again after all these years... I wonder if that old bass is still there... a thing of legend... maybe living up to my dream/nightmare of a bass so big it swallows a 14 foot boat like it's a topwater popper..?!?
Going to have a little harder time falling asleep tonight thinking about possibilities... night night GreatLakesBass.com :)
I'm not sure there are any other lakes I want to fish in Michigan. Pretty much hit everyone but one I have wanted to be on. That is Gogebic Lake . Longgg drive to get to that one when it is open and not frozen solid. I'd fish just about any lake but 1 in the state again. This year I am gonna get more "in tune" with the big lakes around and north of me that I have only been on once or twice.
But I do get to drag at least one of you guys around my favorite lake chain this spring and show ya where "some" of my monsters swim.
I'm kinda shocked you don't like clam Dude . I had my best event out there last year pounding smallies on topwater mid day and evening and that was mid week, high vacationer time of the year with lotsa ski boats everywhere.
Lake Michigan is surely my number one. Like to try some of the Jackson area lakes including border lakes.
My lake list includes all of the banner lakes of northen michigan, Dan Tomahawk has really gotten poor size wise, 10lbs is a good sack there now I'd avoid it. Flether's is still good considering the pressure it gets, nearly anyday all summer you'll have 20-25 fish days with oneor two decent fish. A lake I haven't been on is Houghton and would like to try and get time to figure it out. With the rest of the great lakes up here it's tough to leave them and go to a lake I haven't been on. Hopefully you guys remember TCook's smallie smack down on Burt and Mullet, everyone should try to get up here and try to experience what he did.
Webber
I go to Tomahawk for the scenery and the fun of fishing standing timber and tons of laydowns, stumps and other woody stuff. It's the only lake I've ever had a bald eagle swipe a fish I just released next to the boat. Eagle, annoying loons that won't leave and osprey are just some of the fun up there.
Sounds like I need to make more of an effort to get to Fletchers.
I'm looking forward to Lk. Sherwood the most, (love that lake). I want to fish St. Clair but my 16' tin boat makes me nervous out there. Any lake sounds good right now...
I'd like to get some time in on Charlevoix. Heard some great things early last season. Not sure if I can fit it in though. Have lots of trips planned already. Too many great places to fish and not enough time or money to do it. :(
I have a buddy that invited me to Fletchers this summer for a fishing get together. They have it every year. I've heard there are alot of obstacles. I'd hate to mess up my boat. Anyone have anything more to say about it? Is it somewhat easy to navigate? shallow?
There used to be a ton of standing timber in the lake. But over the years of rot and ice fisherman cutting it off to burn etc, The lake looks safe to run. Trust me, You have no business running in this lake as most of the wood is just below the surface. I fish fletchers a couple times a year and know it pretty well. There are some old pics of the lake in Jacks Landing restaurant. The lake is not producing the big fish it once used too. It may be coming back a little bit, But they keep messing with the weeds and I feel this is not a good thing.
I did a little guided trip on Fletchers about 7 years ago. Caught a 3.5 lb smallie in the weeds ;D
Quote from: detroit1 on March 07, 2014, 06:08:57 PM
I'm looking forward to Lk. Sherwood the most, (love that lake). I want to fish St. Clair but my 16' tin boat makes me nervous out there. Any lake sounds good right now...
You have to be very special to get on Lake Sherwood... most people can't pull that off. Talk about it too much and you'll make everyone jealous ;D
As far as Lake St. Clair, I fished it for years from a 14 foot deep V aluminum boat. There are many boat ramps so you can launch near where you want to fish and stay close to the ramp on questionable days.
You can launch in the Lake St. Clair Metropark and fish largemouth bass if it's rough out in the lake. You can launch at 9 Mile Road and fish the Mile Roads nearby. You can launch in Anchor Bay and fish largemouth in the canals or smallmouth out on the flats. You can launch in the various St. Clair River launches later in the year and fish for boat kinds of bass from midsummer through fall. You can do it.
And you always have Lake Sherwood it sounds like, so you are slightly spoiled... ;D Plus, there are plenty of other good lakes in Oakland County too. That's a water rich county.
Quote from: Firefighter Jeff on March 08, 2014, 12:22:28 AM
I'd like to get some time in on Charlevoix. Heard some great things early last season. Not sure if I can fit it in though. Have lots of trips planned already. Too many great places to fish and not enough time or money to do it. :(
Go to Charlevoix in mid-June. You will be glad you went. Trust me. I'll even tell you places to fish if you need it. As long as the lake isn't still real cold (or real windy) you will have found a new favorite lake.
Too many places to fish - a good problem to have; Not enough time or money - we're all pretty much in that club. Luckily, the first 'problem' helps a little with the 2nd problem...
Quote from: BIGSHOW on March 08, 2014, 08:23:31 AM
I have a buddy that invited me to Fletchers this summer for a fishing get together. They have it every year. I've heard there are alot of obstacles. I'd hate to mess up my boat. Anyone have anything more to say about it? Is it somewhat easy to navigate? shallow?
DON'T RUN FLETCHERS!!! Unless it's real windy I imagine you can take your time to get to places to fish.
I've camped on the lake but only saw it at night and didn't get to fish it. Not sure what trip I was on or where I was headed? A long, long, long time ago.
About 10 years ago the local MDNR fish biologist told me the lake was hot, hot for big largemouth. Sounds like it tapered off but maybe not as bad as some people say (partly, maybe because we're spoiled so much?!? ;D).
It's a big, shallow lowland reservoir full of stumps and logs. Got some typical lowland reservoir structure too. I like shallow lakes with tons of cover. It's a pretty big lake for Michigan inland so windy days might not be fun and it probably has the 'problem' of everything looking good at first, but I imagine if you remember seasonal patterns and the simple rule of cover on good structure is better it can be figured out.
I would also imagine whatever the present weed situation is at the time anyone visits would affect the fishing too. Hopefully, I'll find out one of these days. It is a little out of the way but that may keep the 'crowds' away? Maybe?
Quote from: 21XDC on March 08, 2014, 08:42:21 AM
There used to be a ton of standing timber in the lake. But over the years of rot and ice fisherman cutting it off to burn etc, The lake looks safe to run. Trust me, You have no business running in this lake as most of the wood is just below the surface. I fish fletchers a couple times a year and know it pretty well. There are some old pics of the lake in Jacks Landing restaurant. The lake is not producing the big fish it once used too. It may be coming back a little bit, But they keep messing with the weeds and I feel this is not a good thing.
Messing with the weeds is often not a good thing. We talked about the quite a bit at the 2014 Bassmaster Classic Conservation Summit. There needs to be more of a recovery plan in place more often than just thinking "now the 'good' weeds will grow back" or whatever else lake associations and others seem to think, or are told what, will happen.
Quote from: MSURoss on March 08, 2014, 10:03:14 AM
I did a little guided trip on Fletchers about 7 years ago. Caught a 3.5 lb smallie in the weeds ;D
I've always heard about the largemouth bass, and lots of small pike, over the years, particularly in the 'old' days. But lately, I've been hearing more and more about smallmouth bass too. Wonder if they were always there? Or did someone once again start their own private stocking program?
I'm fortunate I live on the west side & get to fish Muskegon, White, Pere Marquette, & Manistee regularly and I have family in NE MI so I get to fish Hubbard, Long, Grand, & Fletchers a few times each year. On my list this year is Thunder Bay & Charity Islands, and also to spend more time on Mullett. Great problems we all have-too much awesome fishing & not enough time!
Quote from: djkimmel on March 08, 2014, 12:19:50 PM
Quote from: MSURoss on March 08, 2014, 10:03:14 AM
I did a little guided trip on Fletchers about 7 years ago. Caught a 3.5 lb smallie in the weeds ;D
I've always heard about the largemouth bass, and lots of small pike, over the years, particularly in the 'old' days. But lately, I've been hearing more and more about smallmouth bass too. Wonder if they were always there? Or did someone once again start their own private stocking program?
Maybe the river system?
Fletcher's has had smallie's for years, they just hang out in certain area's of the lake so they are not widely caught.
Quote from: bwebber on March 08, 2014, 05:58:31 PM
Fletcher's has had smallie's for years, they just hang out in certain area's of the lake so they are not widely caught.
Smallies in Fletchers? :P
Mike,
Didn't you win a tourney on a smallie sack? If I remember correctly you camped on east grade most of the day?
(http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/yesnod.gif)
I also won big bass "smallie" and 1st place at the BBC rally held there. (http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/yesnod.gif)
Mullett, and always more time on St Clair. Maybe a little Erie, too.
Gonna go find that winning fish on mullet again Vince LOL
...or some of her BIG sisters! ;D
Can't wait to fish Ovid, upper grand and lansing :-X
You missed naming a good one Round that same area...
You should branch out and try the lower too. I like urban fishing. You get asked about 20 times, 'what're ya fishin' for, carp?!? OMG that's a smallmouth bass!' Me: 'No, it's a carp. No bass, walleye, pike, salmon or trout in this river. Move along.' ;D
I'll have to try round never have...is lower Grand dangerous for lower units?
Round doesn't have a lot of spots and they probably will tell you it's no wake. At 80 acres, not really a problem. You can fish most of the lake in one day. I didn't get out there last year but it was pretty good the 2 or 3 seasons before.
The Lower Grand can eat a lower unit, but not much more than the Upper Grand can if you don't know where you're running. Luckily, kind of like Round, you can no wake it and fish most of it in one day.
It's not real long and I'd recommend no wake and someone watching from the front deck, or just get on the trolling motor and fish, because the lower water we've had makes the downstream part a little past I-496 have lots of shallow places - the old bridge they took out and up past Washington Ave - mostly lots of obstructions scattered around some semblance of the channel.
I wouldn't take a fiberglass boat past the train bridge very far even on the trolling motor. I've seen people do it and I've done it a few times (in higher water though). You can scrape some fiberglass or get stuck. Not too much to fish up there anyway.
Downstream from the ramp there are some junk spots under the Kalamazoo and Shiawassee St bridges. Used to be a wicked old rerod about 40 feet right of the center support under Kalamazoo. Not sure it's still there now? I stick fairly close to the right of the center support and take it slow just in case. The left side (going from the ramp) is very iffy.
Fairly safe in the middle of the channel from there to the Shiawassee St bridge. There's some junk around that bridge, mostly under/just upstream (towards the dam) but you can trolling motor around there find near the center support.
The next bridge towards the dam is the old train bridge they now use for pedestrians. There are a couple old underwater bridge support bases left there including one near the center of the center opening. At times that pile is shallow enough to mess up your prop or take off a lower unit. You can't usually see it. If the water is really down you could scrape your hull a little though I don't expect the water will be that low this year.
I almost never run in that part of the river since we've had the lower water. It only takes a few minutes to travel the river with the motor trimmed up at a low wake anyway. There's a ridge a short ways past that bridge that has no fish on it. Don't fish it... It's no good. You won't like it. Don't even look for it... Just stay to the right near the East. There's still a narrow channel there.
I haven't been down there since the year before so I don't know the status of the Saginaw St. bridge rebuild. You probably can't go much past there anyway if that is still being built as the latest satellite images show. I haven't driven down that way either but if the bridge is still out and they're building they may have it buoyed off and/or there may be construction stuff in the water you don't want to find the hard way. The fishing isn't generally awesome from there to the dam anyway in my experience.
One thing I do every year when I re-acquaint myself with the river (most rivers) is to take a low speed ride through the parts I want to run and fish anyway because they're rivers. Stuff moves. It isn't uncommon to find new treasures in the channel that weren't there or weren't apparent before. You're better of finding them that way instead of the hard way.
I've found whole new trees in deep water (usually in the worst places) on the Upper Grand - most often the good way above thank goodness rather then the hard way. Along the Lower Grand, you can find trees, vehicle axles, home appliances, bicycles, shopping carts, any number of interesting items. Bridge repair almost always creates new things in the river, and if they haven't done a recent cleanup you will usually find more of the unnatural cover in the river. Find them the easy way first.
I take it all as it comes along. Just part of fishing urban. Plus! I like getting asked that question from people walking the boardwalk - 'what're ya fishin' for??' I especially like it when I hook a nice bass or walleye and they freak out! Makes fishing a little more fun. I've fished in front of quite a crowd a few times downtown... :) And there's surprising lots of wildlife using the river, even while lots of people are walking and riding nearby on the Riverwalk.
Hardy, mi. Center, Dubonette, Hamlin, reedsberg,
Are you talking about Lake Dubonette in Interlochen Dennis?
Quote from: BIGSHOW on March 13, 2014, 09:10:36 PM
Are you talking about Lake Dubonette in Interlochen Dennis?
Yes. We went there every year till I went in the navy in 91" I'm now 40 and want my son to see it. It used to be a pike factory but we always did well on the bass.
I want to fish it also. I probably will this year. I want to fish cedar hedge too. I've done good there. I have a place on bass lake less than 10 mi. From there.
Revising my list to include Detroit River, LSC, Erie, and probably Belleville as sad as it is to say >:(
Try to go to Belleville at a weird time. Maybe that will help?