They were still getting Channel Catfish in the Huron River Cutoff channel where I launched at the fishing access site. The river water was still muddy, the wind was blowing offshore nicely. Wind drifting out the channel and jerk trolling some big flash Lake Trout streamers near the bottom got nothing. Trying scented jigs on gear tackle would be a good way to figure out what it will take to get channel cats in deeper water on flies.
I got just two bass on a 3/0 Marabou Banger before the wind changed to onshore and the waves made kayak fishing difficult. I packed up and relaunched near by in Black Creek at Metro Beach Metro Park. Five kayaks and a boat were already fishing there. Weed growth had choked off the shallow feeding areas. Fishing pockets, I only got 2 small bass on a 3/0 Chartreuse Marabou Banger. Switching to a #2 Lime Mist MopWorm popper and fishing deeper water at the edge of weed lines got some decent fish along with many small 9 to 11 inch bass. I finished with 19 bass counting the small ones but at least 7 of them were 14 inches or better. Many more good bass rushed or hit poppers that missed the hook, or they got off when I miss played them. Chronologically:
The little #2 popper rests on the surface while I try to get this picture of a deer before he disappeared into the brush. Watch the tree on the far right for a woodchuck.
At dusk I had already fished all the likely water and switched to a #2 Mop Hex Popper to rework some of the better water. This popper seems to get hit harder by the Bluegills and it took it's first decent bass on it to date, along with a 10 inch Crappie.
Last year, earlier in the weed growth, I fished this same water and got bass of bigger average size using a 2/0 White Popping Wedge Diver. None were as big as today's biggest. Recalling that day, first and biggest bass (16 inches) hit by a deadfall in the water. That was the same dead fall I got today's biggest bass at. I also got bit off by a pretty big pike at dusk in the same spot that today a very big bass did his best to catch the little popper, as I lifted it of for the back cast.