A Day on the Water

I had tied and gathered up some subsurface Bass and Pike streamers to offer the fish something new, particularly for the spots I had pounded with poppers 4 days ago.  Today was windy with bright sun and no fish seemed to be out today.  Later, along the sheltered weeded rip rap shoreline, I got two bass 15 to 16 inches after I switched back to the top water 3/0 Chartreuse Marabou Banger. Working a mile of weed edges down that long rip rap shoreline produced a couple of 12 inch bass and an aerial hit from a pike similar to...

The Point Mouillee Kayak-Boat Access gets you into this 1.5 square mile dyke enclosed pond.  It appears to have no inlet-outlet to Lake Erie or any of the creeks that converge here.  There are a dozen culverts under the dyke on the right almost the full quarter mile down to the dyke.  The culverts are closed to boats and light passing through. There could be underwater passage to allow the passage of some water and fish from the Lake Erie bay across the dyke to the right. This spot has lots of shallow water and 75% of the enclosed area is weeded over.  Cat...

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...