A Day on the Water

I started early Sunday morning with several Kayaks and a Canoe ahead of me.  In a near by cattail labyrinth where I had recently caught a big pike and seen a very big bowfin.  I got mostly nothing, near the large opening I caught that big pike, a cast with a 3/0 HookUp Popper to adjacent pocket got blasted by a very big pike who took it deep and  instantly cut through my 40Lb bite leader.  About the time I finished retying I saw a bubble trail from some fish moving through the submerged weeds from that area to the...

The first and biggest Bass.  Today, the 3/0 White Dive Bangers got lots of smaller bass and one Largemouth.  Twice a Musky aggeessively followed the 5/0 Chartreuse Dive Banger without taking.  Dive Bangers have been effective on my last 3 outings.  At Hudson Lake with difficult heavily pressured fish, the 5/0 White caught a very big bass,  it surprisingly caught some 11 inch bass and hooked and held a good Musky.  At Point Mouillee the 2/0 White Dive Banger quickly took 3 good bass before I had to prematurely retire it when the new glue I was trying failed.  I...

I spent Thursday afternoon at Point Mouillee state Game Area's big pond staying out of the worst of the wind.  I threw various popper patterns at the bits of glassy calm water in sheltered nooks and crannies.  Every fly I tried got at least one bass 9 to 14 inches.  Half way out on the shore mile long main rip rap Dyke, using a 2/0 Dvie Banger, I landed a very nice bass about 19 inches.  I was working with a sprained left thumb and carelessly tried to lip lifted him out of the net to get his picture and...

The reoccurring Theme of the Day was that at every fly change, the new fly  would catch fish where the previous fly had failed.  The new hot fly would catch fish like crazy until it wouldn't.  Try something else.  Repeat.  Starting out in lily pad cover and adjacent cattail cover, I caught a couple of bass on a well worn 3/0 White Marabou Banger. When that went cold, I put on a #2 Chartreuse Hook Up Popper with some flash in the body and tail.  On that I hooked a big pike in a cattail pocket I had just fished...

Today was forecast to be good for kayak Musky fishing.  Low winds, overcast and lots of rain.  I was the first boat on the water and first to fish the big point.  Nothing there but I caught 2 eleven inch bass on a 5/0 Flashy White Dive Banger.  I tried lots of other flies with little success, A 4/0 Chartreuse Dive Banger also got small bass.  A big 3/0 Flashy Bucktail HookUp Popper got a few hits back in the lily pads but only landed a small bass. I was working 2 rods, one rigged with 20 lb  and a...