A Day on the Water

The Slop Topper is the replacement for my previous attempt at a Hook Up Popper that would fish over weeds.  It is Bucktail and flash tied in a simplified Hollow Fly style but in a curving silhouette to match the upward curving motion the head is designed to start after a pop.  Its on a modified 40* degree barbless jig hook.  Hitting the water 3 times, once on highly pressured water and once on a retention pond I thought had no bass species it has come through Fishing weedless 95%, drawing fish 100%, hooking and holding fish that hit 10 for 11.

Friday July 11, I fished a small Saginaw Bay tributary.  Nothing but frustration in the weedy upper channel with a few small fish timidly rushing the popper.  Down stream in deeper water a big fish Blew up the 2/0 Chartreuse Dive Banger a few pops out from a phragmites wall. I felt nothing but instant slack on my big hook set.  The broken off popper did not bob back to the surface as expected. I retied with a 3/0 White Dive Banger but didn't have any 12 pound leader left so I cut back to 25 pound, so 25 pound...

Thursday July 11 headed up to fish Saginaw River tributaries for Bass, found no Bowfin.  Fished a tributary to the lower Saginaw river where the current oscillates inbound and outbound.  There was an easy roadside launch at a bridge. I started upstream leaving plenty of water for the four bridge fishermen.  A 2/0 Chartreuse Dive Banger cast to the weed edge of the open channel  quickly got a 14 inch bass.  Switched to a 3/0 White Dive Banger and hooked two larger bass, got the skinny one with a wounded eye and and face but lost the chunkier one.  As...

I was launching at a road end but a land owner came down and said he owned the land between there and the water.  He directed me to a launch on a popular local fishing spot not to far away.  I found a easy launch from the nearest of several parking lots.  I followed the river upstream to the first backwater  After changing to a 2/0 Black popping Wedge it took a 14 inch bass.  I got 3 more bigger ones, all after a generous dead stick pause after the retrieve. The next backwater was partly surrounded by a dredged...

Sunday I drove across the state to return to this little shallow weedy river mouth lake known for Bowfin.   The north shore was sheltered from the wind which was also pushing me in the upstream direction.  Lots of Bluegill beads and Bass were near by or in open pockets in the weeds.  They hit a 2/0 Black Popping Wedge.  Upstream and along the south shore I got nothing.  I moved to a weedy bay downstream.  There Bowfin were occasionally coming up for air or leaving faint disturbances while moving just under the surface,  First cast to one of these, I...