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 with subsurface weeds next to the rip rap dyke, a cast there with a white 2/0 Dive Banger popper would get hit.
They didn't seem to need any finesse moves, just a steady rhythm of medium pops would get bit. The 3rd fish was a 20 inch pike. Each succeeding bass was a bit bigger than the last until I got one about 17 inches then the shore line was getting much more obstructed by mats of weeds on the surface.
One cast was rushed by a huge fish that turned away just before the popper. I thought I saw a bit of brown in its color maybe it was that 15 pound Bowfin I have been hoping to find again. It was at least one of the very big pike or bass that are in here.
Heading toward the far cattail islands, the first patch yielded nothing. Seeking out those cattail edges not overgrown with subsurface weeds produced bigger and bigger fish until I got two 19 inch bass in separate cattail "rooms" about 10ft by 12ft.
The second one rushed the popper so violently from 5 feet away that I thought it was a pike. I lost two good fish I had hooked after having held all the previous fish on barbless hooks. As the sunset hot bite came on I could get fish by casting into open slots in the matted weeds on the surface not near a cattail edges.
One small pike jumped the fly, going vertical about 2 feet. I waited until he landed then about 5 seconds more before gently tightening up to be relieved that my fly was sitting unharmed on top of the nearby weed mat. Not far from there I got a violent rush by what appeared to be a different big pike. I cast back several time without him coming back.
I finished with 10 bass over 15 inches and about that number under 15 inches.
For the last two years a 2/0 White, occasionally Chartreuse Dive Banger has been my work horse for Bass and Pike here in Michigan and for Snook, Baby Tarpon in Florida. Smaller or Larger sizes for Smallmouth, Sea Trout, Lady Fish and Musky.
Pattern:
- Hook: Short Spinner Bait or Predator Eagle Claw 253N, Mustad 32606N
- Thread: Danville Flat Waxed Nylon 210D Chartreuse or Fire Orange
- Tail: Generous Marabou
- Waist: Pearl Ice Dub clump or similar Flash Wing, Angel Hair type material
- Flash: Opal Magnum or Regular Mirage & regular silver or gold
- Head: Foam Cylinder diameter = aproximate hook gap 2/0 = 5/8 inch
- Prism Tape: WTC here wrapped with a 1/4 inch overhang
- Glue 1: Here Liquid Fusion Urethane over sticky side of tape overhang
- Glue 2: Craft 6000 glues thread covered hook shank inside whole in foam
- Eyes: Flat Foil or Vinyl sticky eyes
- Gill Stripe: Red Nail Polish
- Finish the heads first.
- River Road Creations Cylinders are well made and durable.
- Cut the Cylinder, front face is 25 degrees off vertical. for 2/0 each head is a little less than half of a 4cm long cylinder (one angle cut near the middle, cut off excess from longer piece).
- Use thick needle like tool to poke hole 1/16 inch above bottom edge
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- Tape length = circumference + 1/4 inch.
- Tape width = length along long bottom side + 1/4 inch or less for overhang
- Wrap tape around cylinder, it takes a few tries to get it good.
- After head is finished tie up the tail assembly leaving enough bare shank to fit the length of the hole in the head.