Wakely lake is one of Michigans too few, catch and release, hike in lakes. 108 acres that is known for big bluegills, formerly very large bass and occasional pike. Only one car with a rack was in the lot, nobody on the lake after the 1/2 mile carry down the back trail. I started out using 50 lb bite leader hoping for a big pike. I trolled a silver bullet fly from the south end to the northwest shore to get up wind so I could drift and cast. While casting the silver bullet over scattered emergent curly leaf pondweed in deep water, a good sized but scrawny male bass swarmed over it. That turned out to be the main pattern of the day, various sizes of emaciated male bass taking various surface flies over scattered pondweed growing up toward the surface. The pondweed stalks make a route for dragon and damsel fly nymphs to climb up to the surface and hatch. Submerged vegetation also adds oxygen to the warm water. Lilly pads provide shade to cool the water but add oxygen to the air not the water. They shade out submerged vegetation that would add oxygen.
I got two bass on a 3/0 Yellow Marabou Banger. Taking off the bite leader, I got several more bass and a smallish pike on a 1/0 Purple Popping Wedge and the biggest bass on a 1/0 Purple Creature Popper. Towards evening I moved to other areas on the lake and the action died. I got nothing on various flies except the 1/0 Purple Creature caught a couple of bass and got a pike hit or two with one biting me off.
