Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

My friend Derek was nice and took me fishing in a snow storm to Lake Ponemah. Never been there but it turns out fishing the lake during cold water prespawn right after a snow storm isn't a bad idea.

We lasted 4 hours of very chilly, windy fishing with pretty good results considering the major front that passed through left snow in the boat for the first couple hours.

Water temps were 44 to a high of 49 in the most protected water. Not surprisingly our best fishing was 47-49 F water out of the worst of the very cold wind (our guides were all freezing up solid for 2 1/2 hours or so).

My first bass came slow-rolling a Kustom Kicker Jigs Deposit Swim Jig in Bream bounced off a piece of wood. I was tempted to stick with that but the wind in many areas made sensitivity almost impossible. Derek popped some on a spinnerbait and I said it seemed like a spinnerbait kind of a day. I switched to a 3/8 oz War Eagle green shad double willow lure and started slow-rolling that down the banks and off any woody cover I could see.

It only took a few minutes to pop a respectable chunker bass with a nice prespawn belly on her (or a well-fed 'him').
(http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/gallery/medium_1-240415185917.jpeg) (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=531)

We tried other lures and presentations off and on but with the really cold, strong wind the spinnerbait was easiest to fish and feel through the water, while still being able to cast it well even with some ice on the guides and the slow roll presentation covered the water we were fishing best. We caught a few bass on other lures but almost all of the bigger bass came on spinnerbaits, plus there was lots of algae and leftover gunk from last year that wanted to goo up crankbaits and anything that touched the bottom.

We had slow periods of dead water and then little hot streaks during our 4 hours of fishing time. I was slow-rolling out from some deeper cover when a big prespawn female hawg bass swam up and inhaled my spinnerbait!
(http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/gallery/medium_1-240415184626.jpeg) (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=529)

A while later I was reeling my spinnerbait past some brush off shore a ways and I watched another toad almost as big swim right up through my spinnerbait only about 4 feet from the boat!
(http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/gallery/medium_1-240415185350.jpeg) (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=530)

About 3/4 of the bass I was fortunate to land were really fat prespawners of good quality. A couple-three were small buck males (probably) that hit the lure right at the bank but those were the uncommon ones and almost none of the bigger bass hit on the bank. My fingers and the rest of me weren't so cold when a good 'un would latch on to my lure!

We each caught about the same number of bass and Derek had a really good average too mostly on a blue, white and chartreuse spinnerbait he was using.

Nice fish Dan!  Glad to see you out enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Having fished that lake a few times.  I think you caught all the bass in that lake except 1.  He must have been on vacation.  Good job.  Smiling fishermen photos are fun.

Nice report and day on the water Dan.

Thanks! I'm giving credit to Derek, and the snow!