A Day on the Water

No cars in the launch parking lot, could it be, no fish to be caught.  It seemed so in the first cattail patch.  The place is beautiful now, giant lily pads are staring to bloom and there is a big White Heron in this photo. Later in evening I did well in where there were cattail edges next to deeper water with no subsurface weeds growing up to mats on the surface.  Due to a south wind I started fishing in the shelter of the long dyke.  The pattern was where there was some of open water not matted over...

I first tried an Oakland county lake in a futile search for Bowfin, following up on a report.  Nice lake with good access for small boats and a lot more fishing pressure than my favorite spots. These fertile natural lakes have this weird topography where it will be crazy deep and randomly very shallow with abundant weed growth choking off large areas of shallow water and making a crazy quilt drop offs and edges.  Started with a 2/0 white Dive Banger getting two 11 inch bass, switching to a black version got 4 bass between 13 and 16 inches  ...

I put in at a big Lake Erie tributary boat boat launch, 200 trailers for giant motor boats parked there.  The wide creek channel was lined with moored big stink boats.  Plan A was to fish adjacent "Wet Lands" that lacked ramp access.  It was fenced off and the weeds were solid 2 feet above the water surface.  Plan B was to paddle upstream.  Skipped past decent natural cove on the northern shore and some pockets on the south. That all ended at a low bridge, only 2 feet of clearance, PERFECT!!! Upstream was a perfect shallow weedy football field...

This is the latest fishing report on great Bass and Pike fly fishing top water in a Lake Erie adjacent backwater AND an argument for simple, small kayak fishing as the better way in tight shallow waters. This photo was taken in one of maybe 100 Cattail Labyrinths in this shallow 1.5 square mile marsh area.  This and similar weed edges is where the big bass and pike are.  It is the best place to be out of any wind is blowing, no tress anywhere here.  Is there a path out or to another "room" ahead to the left or...

I went to Michigan's off road Catch and Release lake known for lots of big Blue Gills, lots of bass and an occasional huge Bass.   It takes a half mile drag to get your kayak in.  The water was darkly colored and I couldn't see deep enough to find any bedding Bluegills.  I was prospecting along the edges of the Lilly pads and getting occasional bass to rush or eat a 2/0 White Dive Banger Popper fished in a steady cadence of medium pops followed bay a 10 second sit still 15 feet out from the kayak.  After landing three...