A Day on the Water

I launched early at the Clinton River Spillway where it opens up into Lake Saint Clair.  Along the rip rap dyke halfway out of the bay, I was casting a 4/0 Chartreuse Banger over 6 inches long when a big bass hit it close to the kayak, got a solid hook set, fought him close, he jumped and got off shortly after that.  He was 19 inches or better.  He had hit on a cast towards open water.  Usually all the fish here come right after casting tight to the rip rap.  At the rip rap point at the mouth...

I fished Upper Belleville Lake where the river channel transitions to wide shallow weedy bays.  In a few hours before work, casting to the edges of a wall of giant lily pads, I landed 5 bass 12 to 15 inches on 3/0 White Marabou Bangers. There is an acre of mostly open water back there where I hooked and lost at least one good bass.  Also missed several bass working upstream in the river channel along the giant lily pad edge.

I drive by this spot, Belleville Lake, Down Town between the bridges every work day.  There are competent looking bass fishermen fishing deep here.  The bridges are 100 yards apart and posted no wake-5mph so this is one spot on the lake to not be bothered so much by huge motor boat wakes.  I hit it pretty early and stayed to about Peak Motorboat for a Friday afternoon.  Lots of good rip rap shoreline to fish here, lots of little smallmouth and some over 12 inches.  I lost a lot of the fish hooked and missed a lot of hits.  I...

The Thursday, July 14 forecast was for gentile offshore winds, a great opportunity to fish lots of shoreline cover near the mouth of Mouillie Creek. This kayak launch is very popular, all the boats were fishing the huge sheltered pond surrounded by the rip rap dykes.  I launched on the Lake Erie side of the dyke in the large bay that was sheltered on 3 sides but also open to Lake Erie.  There are natural serpentine creek and linear dredged channels running back into marsh that will draw in Large Mouth and a smattering of other species in the spring...

Six days ago, I got lots of hits on poppers from big pike along the shore and big smallmouth out in the current.  That mostly wasn't happening today.  Clearer water, bright sun, no rain, no hatching hexes and apparently the big pike and smallmouth had moved out.  One hit from a sub average smallmouth on a long drift out to the mouth and one 20 inch pike hooked by the shore, both on on a 3/0 White Marabou Banger. I did catch a Largemouth Bass on the White Banger along the shore.  As I fought it, a slightly larger bass...