To Lake Lansing for the 1st time this season 5-23-2017

[djkimmel]

Another weekly fishing trip with Derek was upon us. I didn't have a long day due to an appointment mid-afternoon so we decided just to go to my 'nemesis' lake - Lake Lansing (the majestic flooded swamp)! We started out in light clothing but the breezy, overcast, slightly drizzly October day in May (again) had us adding on layers as the day progressed. Not the other way around...


Derek struck first and several times doing what he often does on this lake - just tosses a spinnerbait over shallow drops and weed clumps and edges. He caught a few dinks and this decent keeper largemouth bass. I started out with my lucky bream Deposit Spin and missed two fish that were probably telling me they didn't like something just quite right... but I wasn't catching pike yet either so I persisted a little longer since I enjoy not catching pike on Lake Lansing...


Since it wasn't blowing too hard and it was early yet, Derek switched to a buzzbait and immediately one of those darn Lake Lansing pike SMASHED it!! KABLOOSH!!


Minutes later something smaller slapped at his buzzbait and he actually landed this large, aggressive pumpkinseed on the same lure!! When they're around beds, they can get really aggressive, and bigger panfish do eat minnows (even though this 'minnow' seems a little like overshooting it for properly-sized prey for a panfish?!?).


Shortly after, I decided that I needed to make a switch. For whatever reason, bass and pike on Lake Lansing seem to like white and chartreuse the most so I stayed with a Kustom Kicker Deposit Spin but changed colors to white-chartreuse. It didn't take long at all to have an almost keeper largemouth bass whack it good! A much better reaction than my earlier half-hearted misses!

We hit some more shallow sand/weed drops and some deeper weeds too without a lot of action. Something seemed really off this day... we caught a few more pike of course and had a couple bigger ones try to take our lures. I even risked throwing some Texas-rigs and a Carolina rig for a bit but couldn't get a decent bite.


Finally, with time running out, I asked to move over to a little offshore underwater point. Went back to the white-chartreuse Deposit Spin. BAM!! Got slammed but didn't hook up. I think it was a pike. Caught another pike. Then had a nice bass on and somehow lost it (something I'm having a problem with this year??). Moments later, this really nice bass just hammered the spinnerbait and I got this one in.

Then, I had to cut my day short. It was drizzling a little off and on. The breeze was picking up. The temperature had probably dropped 10 degrees... but it was fishing, which is nice. Always.

[djkimmel]

Derek went back out and said the bite stayed slow. He did catch a few more bass and pike but it was an apparently off day.