Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

The purpose is to see if we can come up with lake that enough members can fish to have it. I do NOT want to have another East/SE event - 1 a year is enough for now. We'll do that again next spring. This is for the middle and west part of the state, but will only be held if the interest is high enough.

Please do NOT vote unless you are truly interested in going.

I voted for Ovid. There's some chunks there!! ;D

I have not been in a DK Open yet, but I would like to try this fall. Ovid is not too far from home, but I would like to try a deep northern lake for late season smallies. Chippewa (http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/SPATIALDATALIBRARY/PDF_MAPS/INLAND_LAKE_MAPS/MECOSTA/CHIPPEWA_LAKE.PDF) doesn't look too deep, but it is not too far from home either. The lakes right on the west coast might be too far to drive though.

Well  I picked Hamlin for obvious reasons however, I would fish Hamlin over any down state lake on any givin day,  and yes I do fish downstate in our Jackson club.  However,  Hamlin has both large and small mouth.  There are some toads in there too.  I know it's a farther drive for some,  however just where is this lake ovid?  Never heard of it or chippawa.  I will go where ever it is though.  As long as it doesn't happen on the last saturday or the weekend after labor day.  Our Jackson clubs fall open is the last saturday and my cousin and I are fishing it togother (we will be the only girl team there) oh  and if anyone is interested it's on Wamplers Lake.

Our classic for our new club is the 9th so if the open isn't one of those two days I'm there! :D

I voted Cadillac/Mitchell.  I hope I can attend if my schedule permits!

Before I cast my vote, I had a few questions about a couple of the lakes.  I fish at Ovid quite a bit and it can be really hit or miss, but it is still a fun lake.  I have never fished Hamlin Lake or Cadillac/Mitchell, but I have heard quite a bit about them and know their locations and layouts.  However, I really do not know anything about Mona Lake or Chippewa.  Where are they located?  How do they fish? and How big are they? 

Any information on these two would be great because I don't want to become an uneducated voter.

Thanks a lot guys-and girls!
-Ryan

Quote from: spinninbug on August 04, 2007, 10:55:08 AM
Well  I picked Hamlin for obvious reasons however, I would fish Hamlin over any down state lake on any givin day,  and yes I do fish downstate in our Jackson club.  However,  Hamlin has both large and small mouth.  There are some toads in there too.  I know it's a farther drive for some,  however just where is this lake ovid?  Never heard of it or chippawa.  I will go where ever it is though.  As long as it doesn't happen on the last saturday or the weekend after labor day.  Our Jackson clubs fall open is the last saturday and my cousin and I are fishing it togother (we will be the only girl team there) oh  and if anyone is interested it's on Wamplers Lake.

Our classic for our new club is the 9th so if the open isn't one of those two days I'm there! :D

Ovid is in Sleepy Hollow State Park. Langsburg

Chippewa Lake is up in Osceola/Mecosta County -between Big Rapids and Evart near Martiny Chain (I hope that is the one people were talking about?). Not real big and I don't know a lot about it other than it is supposed to be a sleeper lake.

Mona Lake is off of Lake Michigan just south of Muskegon Lake. Kind of a miniature, but not as done up as Muskegon. Narrower and about 3 miles long. Been a real good lake in the past. Maybe more spotty now, but fall can see some biggies still from what I've heard (smalllies or largies).

Is Lake Ovid the one just north of Lansing? If it is a one day trip, I would be interested.

Out of these choices Hamlin sounds the best. Dan knows the northwest area well so I will take his advice. I just hope the date will be open for me.

T

Quote from: dashaver63 on August 05, 2007, 08:24:21 AM
Is Lake Ovid the one just north of Lansing? If it is a one day trip, I would be interested.

i voted for Ovid also.  want to make it a one day trip. 

Fishing the DK fall outing, to me, really isn't about where, but a chance for everyone to get together and have a good time. I just wanted to make it a one day trip for me so that I'm not away overnight again. I want to catch fish, don't get me wrong, but if this is supposed to be a fun tournament, I don't understand why it matters what lake it is as long as everyone can get there, have a good time and get home without having to travel a ton.

I'm not sure why Kent isn't in the mix since so many expressed interest in that lake on the other post.  I get what some people mean about not wanting to cater to Eastern anglers.  But when we went up North to Wixom Lake, the turnout was horrible.  Fact of the matter is that most of us are on the Eastern side and Southern half of the state... at least those of us who tend to participate in these events.  So I suspect, unless something is different this year, the turnout won't be very good if it's more than a 1 day trip for all the guys and gals on the Eastern or Southern parts of the state. 

Ovid is just North of Lansing.  It's an hour and half drive from 696 and 94.  That's not too bad for the Eastsiders.  It can be a tough lake, but dshaver63 is right, it's about the camaraderie more than how many fish we catch.  Of course catching a few is a nice bonus.

For all you who live in the Lansing area, Kent isn't a bad drive either.  My guess is that it's only about an half hour to 45 minutes from Lansing.  Odds are we'd catch more there too.  Either way, those 2 lakes work for both East and West side anglers. 

Having it up North would be great if most people wanted to do a 2 day deal so that we could camp, then drive home the next day.  But I doubt most will want to do that and again, when we had it up North, hardly anyone showed.  Northern folks, we don't want you to feel left our or dissed, but there just aren't as many participants in your neck of the woods.  Eventually, we should have Northern and a Southern versions of the DK's.  Heck, someday it would be cool to have a circuit where there are 4 tournaments for qualifying, Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, with a 5th super tourney in the center of the state as a championship.  The new DK Circuit... I can see it now.  ;D 

I actually voted for Mona (I've always wanted to check it out, never fished it), however, I see that there's a large following for Ovid. I have absolutely no problem with going there, either. I was just trying to spread it a little to the west. As a matter of fact, I'm a big fan of Gull Lake in the fall, and I'm surprised it didn't make the list. I would have definitely voted for it.

I voted for Hamlin. I have only been there twice but I had a great time both times. It really doesn't matter to me which lake is chosen, I will be there as long as it isn't on the 13th.

Willie

The Tear Drop fished Hamlin today and I believe every boat but one had a limit (23 boats). That's us fishing Sunday after two tournaments were on the lake Saturda.  42 boats in one and 20 in another.

I did not put Gull on the list because there didn't seem to be any support or call for it. I fish it most falls and enjoy it. I think it's been off a little for the past few seasons, but I haven't fished it as much as I used to either so it might just be me.

I thought with the spread of members in the middle of the state and the west that something farther north might be more popular and more fun for everyone.

Hamlin is a really good lake with a variety of choices to fish. I haven't been there in years, but I keep hearing consistently good reports. I enjoyed fishing it in the past. It would be a long drive for many members.

Again, I do not want another E/SE event at this time. I'm trying to not alienate the W/SW/N members, but I also don't want to hold and event that only has 10 or 12 people there. I understand the time and cost factors too. I want to offer the opportunity for more comradery to the members, but the demand has to be there or the event won't meet the goals of fun and comradery. I don't expect a bunch of E/SE members to drive a long way if only 2 or 3 members from the other side participate. I realize that isn't fair to anyone, but maybe E/SE members can look at it as a chance to fish a new and interesting lake?

Mona might be a good choice since it isn't as far as Hamlin. Has a good number of smallmouths and largemouth. Isn't too big to get rough or hard to fish a lot of it in many different techniques. Not necessary to fish real deep to catch them either. I enjoy Mona although I haven't been on it for a few years. I've never been on Chippewa.

Ovid can seem tough, but it has a lot of quality bass and is a good education for any angler who wants to improve reservior fishing ability. I would help with spots. I just wonder if that is far enough west and north to get any of the W/SW/N members to participate?

I've never been to Cadillac/Mitchell. Pretty good drive for E/SE members, but they have a good reputation for fall bass fishing - used to be awesome, but I think that is not the case anymore. I think they are still good, but have a further reputation for being very spotty. Again, I have not first hand experience, but it might be an interesting new fishing experience?

My take is that this forum is dominated by east siders. So they are likley to vote on the closest lake to them, therefor Ovid will likley be chosen. I dont blame those guys for not wanting to make the long drive and possibly stay over night. I understand that the DK open is about comradery and I agree, but I think the fact that we all love catching bass should play an equal part in chosing a lake. Otherwise we would not even need to vote and just have dan pick a lake out of a hat or something. If distance was so important then why pick Lake st clair for the spring open it is the furthest lake possible for us west siders? Lake st clair was chosen because the fishing is amazing and thats why I drove 3 and a half hours to fish it. Half because I wanted to meet the forum members and half because I love fishing lake st clair. So why not pick one of the west sides best lakes so we can enjoy what brought us all to this forum, catching big bass, along with meeting and getting to know members. I never fished ovid but I get the feeling it will be tough. I think Hamlin or Muskegon would be the best option and the same distance us west siders drove to fish the DK spring open.

T

Ovid isn't that tough if you fish it like a reservoir, but I have no problem not going there. If I can convince more members to drive farther somehow I will IF I can get enough support from the west side members too. Ovid is smaller, but you can fish almost any part of the lake so it doesn't fish real small. It is pretty complex. There are a lot of really nice bass in Ovid.

I think it is a good compromise lake for anglers from all parts of the state other than the far north. If I can't get very many westsiders to participate yet, maybe some of you would travel there along with enough eastsiders? A trip to one of the farther west lakes would be nice too - I think some of the lakes would be well liked if given a chance.

Hamlin is a good fishing lake. I don't have a problem with Muskegon either. It gets fished a lot, but it is very complex with lots of possible ways to fish. I picked Mona only because I thought it would be easier for people to figure out who've never been there and less prone to a bad fall breeze - somewhat a concern for Hamlin and Cadillac/Mitchell too. Although, Hamlin had the smaller, narrower north arm - used to be good in the fall?

I planned all along that this year would be a spring east side and fall west side schedule. I want to get everyone participating if I can. It's always challenging in Michigan because of the population strength in the SE, but I will have an event 'outstate' if I can get enough people to go. Any help any of you can be in getting more members on the west side is always appreciated.

Mona is tough to run a tournament as there is not a really good ramp area.  Cadillac/Mitchell is prone to bad weather.  Chippewa is tough once the weeds die.  Ovid is no wake and I blanked with my future father-in-law there during a "get to know ya" day on the water - not anxious to go back.

Is there still time for other suggestions?

West side rules!

Maybe next year we could pick a Central lake, one like Ovid, and have a East vs. West tournament...and then whoever the winner is that side gets to choose the lake, this way we wouldn't have much controversy and the only way to get the tournament back to your side of the state is to win the tournament...just a thought, maybe it would make more people want to show up and represent there side of the state, bragging rights and maybe a rivalry would form haha i think it would be fun.
-Kid

I jumped in here late and have not read many of the earlier posts yet, so sorry if I'm duplicating. I agree with TCook, Hamlin is a long drive, but the fishing is generally good. I also was just part of a tournament up there and was happy to see how many guys had limits (20 out of 29) and many of them talked about culling numerous fish. Other than one team that skunked, the lowest fish count was 3. We also had another tourney going on at the same time as ours. The drive there and back is much more tolerable when the fishing is good! Of course there are never any guarantees from day to day. The State Park is open 24/7 during the normal 'season' and has a pretty good ramp/parking.

Muskegon is closer for some since it is further south. It does indeed get a lot of fishing pressure but seems to produce decent bags year after year anyways. Another good choice in my opinion. As long as we are talking west side, has White been mentioned? Fishing has been very good there this year too. How about Hardy Pond? Summer is tough but the fall is supposed to be very good and its further inland. Just a thought.

From what I have seen and heard if we fish hamlin or muskegon everyone will likley get limits and then some. Not to mention most westsiders that participate will likley know the lakes and be on fish. Muskegon gets pounded every weekend but 80% of the fields limits out every tournament, and 19.5-18 pounds is what its been taking to win. I would imagine that it will only get better in the fall, and there are fat smallies to catch that come in from the big pond. Like Dan said no matter what style you prefer to fish you can do it on Muskegon and catch bass. To me muskegon represents the west side more than any other lake.

T

I haven't voted on the lake choice yet but I have voted on the date.  I just want to add my $.02 to this discussion.  I doesn't matter to me where we fish this tournament other then I would like it to happen.  I think the big picture here is, who is going to commit to fishing it!  I will do everything in my power to fish a GLB west side tournament regardless of where it is at.  All the lakes we are talking about are close enough to make a day of it.  Instead of worrying about where, lets talk about who.  Who is going to be there?  How many of us are willing to fish it no matter what lake we are talking about?  Ovid is no further then Hamlin for most of us in the Kent County area.  I know not all westsiders are in Kent but I am just trying to make a point.

Dan, would be easier to figure out if you pick the date most voted on and then we get a person commitment and then pick a body of water?

Cy

If the date does not interfere with other tournaments or family events I will commit to be there regardless of what lake. In the mean time I will keep trying to put my 2 cents in on what lake we should fish if its a west side event.

I love hardy pond, its one of my favorite lakes but I never fished it in the fall and alot of guys say it can be real tough. I dont understand why the fishing would be so good there in the spring and so tough in the fall? If it can be good and its more inland maybe Hardy could replace ovid LOL.

T

If the dates are right,  that seems to be the key here for most of us.  I know I can't make it the 29th or the the 8th.  If it is anyother weekend I'm there.  My husband is signed up on here too but I can't remember what his name is...LOL  he has never posted can he come?   He gets on here and reads and I tell him about posts all the time but he's not computer friendly!  If so I will be there as a non boater and he will go as a boater if he can.

I have never fished Muskegon or white lakes,  I hear that they are both great lakes to fish though,  my hubby has fished muskegon before. 

I of course would love to fish Hamlin,  it is just a great lake,  we were one of the teams that fished teardrop this past weekend,  we caught 5 limits,  that is pretty hard to beat I don't care where you fish,  I have fished st. claire and have never caught a limit there. 

I understand that is on the west side and weather can be crazy but you can almost always get on Hamlin.  And I prefer it windy the fish seem to bite better for me.

I also love hardy,  in fact some of the guys in our club are talking about putting it in for our clubs classic.  I haven't fished it in the fall either but would be happy to go there too.  If the lake is to far south or east I probably won't be able to make it,  my hubby lost his job in april and just went back to work last week and I have a bow hunt to save for in indiana the first weekend in October. 

I am so looking foward to meeting everyone,  I haven't been able to make it to a spring open yet but I'm still hoping maybe next year.

Between Dan and myself I'm sure we could help out with some spots on Hamlin,  it really is hard to not catch a limit out there.

It's 5:30 that means closin time!!!!  Time to go home! ;D

Here's a thought.  Participation is the key to this event.  Many of us don't know where these lakes are even located.  That might help some folks make up their minds about attending.  Any chance some of you Westsiders could help us out with where these lakes are located?  I know where Ovid is, but that's the only one of the choices listed that I know.  Hamlin is sounding like a great lake, but I don't know how far away it is. 

I'll try my best to show up as long as it is a one day trip.  Again, participation is key.  I'm really hoping it'll be high because I really do want to meet and get to know the great folks here at GLB.  But if participation is low because of location, I'll be hard pressed to want to get up at 3am to trailer my boat 3 hours away for a 5 boat tournament.  I'm sure we can all understand that and I'm sure that's how most of us probably feel.  But I'd happily drive 3 hours if it meant meeting and hanging out with a significant number of GLBers.  So as Cy said, let's start getting an idea of who will be participating because that can change everything.  Perhaps it's time to put up a registration post.

As long as the tournament is not on the 13th I will be there, no matter which lake is picked. I picked Hamlin but it really doesn't matter to me.I just want to fish.

Willie

Lake Locations are as follows

Hamlin Lake - Ludington
Cadillac/Mitchell - Cadillac
Muskegon - Muskegon
Mona - Muskegon
White - Montague
Gull - Richland, by Kalamazoo
Hardy Pond - North East of Newaygo on the Muskegon RIver

I think that is most of the lakes mentioned.

Chippewa is just north and west of Mt. Pleasant.
I agree with Tom about setting up a registration. If people can't come anyway then why should they vote about what lake it is. To me it doesn't matter, as long as I don't have to work, I'll be there from Gogebic to St. Clair.

I agree with CY, I think first a date should be set. Then we get a count of all the members that is open for that date and will participate regardless of what lake is picked. Then we get a new list of lakes to vote on since we have more feedback to this point on what lakes would be best.

T

The date is probably a little more important so we can pick that first. I'll let it go through this weekend yet to see how the votes and comments go.

I don't have a problem adding more lakes, or revoting on the lakes after the date is picked if that is what most people want to do. As far as west - east competition? Maybe in a year or two... not yet. There is no shortage of ideas.

What about sanford?  I have never been on it, but have heard good things about it.  when do they draw it down? 

Jack

 I voted chippewa ;D I like the lake and there is some good fish in there. I fished there the last 3 years in a row with NBAA and won every year first year Had just over 21 pounds, last year had about 13 and this year 15.96 plus some other small club i fished there had 17-14 earlier this year.

Since some of you know the lake well I will pose my always first question when going to a new body of water...Is there anywhere that I will hit and do damage? Other than the obvious near shore, are there any humps or rock piles out there?
Thanks

Bender,
Being a no-wake lake you can pretty much tell when your coming up on something. There are several shallow areas coming off point and islands.

Dan

A few stumps and deadheads left. Very few. Only a couple maybe that could be hit, but you should see them that time of year and you will be going no wake. I would tell you exactly where, but... I may want to visit a couple of them first ;D

There are some shallows humps in a number of places, but most top out at 2 feet or more, and are sand or muck bottom.

WATCH the powerloading. It is a steep ramp near the creek channel, and needs to be handled with care to avoid another collapse. It is a really good ramp. They redid it a few seasons ago so it is less prone to damage, but a good amount of power loading could wash out the muck off the end near the drop. It's a two-banger with a nice dock. There's not much shoreline to pull up boats on - they piled white rock along that part of the shore for 'erosion protection.'

Dan, I was wandering what kind of depth Ovid has and the water clarity? I've never been there and want to bring the right gear.

I'll do some info on the other post on the lake before the end of the weekend. Here's a summary:
Lake Ovid is a lowland reservior, flooded farmland and swails. Max depth about 22 feet, but most of the lake is 16 feet or shallower with average depth maybe 8 or 9 feet. Water clarity ranges from 6 inches to 3 feet on average. In the fall and spring, I have seen clarity up to 6 feet, but that is dependent on lack of wind and runoff for a while. It is 'dark' water even if it is on the clear side because the Little Maple River drains through some swamps.