I had a unsatisfying early day trying for Musky in Lake Saint Clair 0 for 1 small musky hooked. I relaunched at this Lake Erie connected Marsh to finish of the day fishing for Bass and Pike. Found no decent fish along the long dyke. I had gotten nothing on a 3/0 Chartreuse Dive Banger which was maybe too big, too chartreuse and definitely not fished in the best spot at a good time. I switched to a 2/0 White Dive Banger. it's been my work horse pattern for most of the my fly fishing for the past 2 years. In the far cattail islands it was slow except for some small bass. Missed a very big bass rush the popper from behind, really trying to eat it as started my lift off for the next cast. Finally I got a good fish.
For the past 2 years, my workhorse fly pattern has been a 2/0 White Dive Banger for Largemouth and Pike here in Michigan as well as for January Baby Tarpon, and Snook in Florida. Smaller or larger sizes for Musky, Smallmouth, Lady Fish, Sea Trout, or Peacocks where they would come for topwater. Usually the best retrieve is a brisk rhythm of medium pops, trying to make as much noise to be as annoying as is reasonable while covering lots of water.
Moving around casting to cattail edges, "rooms, halls entrances and exits" that were sheltered from the wind. I saw a wake rushing to the fly, just before impact, I paused, waiting for the hit, nothing. Today, no finesse move, not a dead stick pause nor casting back to a missed hit would get any response. I would find nothing or smaller bass some places and big ones in others. Marching the popper through a room at a steady rhythm of medium pops, a heavy fish rushed it turning away as if trying to swat it with the side of her big body. What to do? I let it sit still and she ate it 6 seconds later.
Maybe the next cast, next room near by, got a fish I had no idea how big it was until I saw it.
I did get a big pike, close to 30 inches, got the phone set to camera, set the pike in the net on the deck, re-positioned the net and fish to get a decent photo, he had rubbed the barbless fly off on the net, pulled it out from under him to set next to him, phone was off camera mode, navigated back to camera, mashed the shutter button 5 times with wet fingers, no photo, he flopped back into the water, no photo. Finished with 10 bass 14 to 20 inches, one was 18, a couple were 17 and the one big pike.