A Day on the Water

Returned to North Channel of the Saint Clair River Delta, and found largemouth in shallower side pockets without current who were willing to hit 3/0 or 2/0 White-Silver Bob's Banger poppers or a #2 White-Opal Bead head Jiggy Bucktail.  The water was very clear and 16 inches lower than last years extremely high levels.  When I blundered into some shallows, several largemouth (Some very Big) would come out of hiding and just casually mill about as if curious or not much afraid.  A couple of these sucked the White Jiggy Bucktail off the bottom after it was flipped ahead of...

I fished the Tahquamenon River in very low and relatively clear water conditions.  I used poppers to get 2 muskies 33 and 28 inches. I saw 2 followers I could not get to strike and saw a fifth suspended in 4  feet of water.  I also got small to medium pike and some hits from smallmouth.  In the clearer water, 6 inch 4/0 Bob's Banger poppers or similar Popping Divers in White or Chartreuse were getting hit and they cast well in the windy conditions.  I regret not trying streamers.

My secret Bluegill pond used to have very big Bluegills.  I have been seeing blue worm containers littering the banks for the last few years.  I am worried the big ones are gone and the gene pool is headed toward smaller Bluegills forever.   Fish were hitting a prototype #6 Black Bluegill Choker and getting hooked well, only a few hooked deep.  The foam head needed to be a bit bigger so it floats higher and the larger head momentarily can catch on the outside of their mouths so they can be hooked before they can gobble it down deep.  This...

The Michigan Fly Fishing Club does a big outing at the tip of the Thumb, usually the weekend before Memorial Day Weekend.  Its a good time to go but expect a lot of guys on the water that weekend.  We fish spots from Quanicassee to Huron City. I fished the river mouth pond of a small natural flowing stream.  The water was deep and still with visibility of maybe 4 feet.  Lead eyed Clouser Minnows in Brown, White and Chartreuse or other Chartreuse combinations are always good to get deep 6 or 7 feet down and get lots of fish here. ...

From mid May to some time mid summer, good sized Largemouth Bass run up a short distance into Saginaw Bay tributaries.  Even the smallest, marginal streams can get good numbers of fish.  There are usually some pike with them that are mostly small to medium sized.  Only occasionally do you find what you would call a big pike.  There are also a few Walleye, Bowfin, Channel Cats, Carp, Sheephead or Gar that show up, sometime in big numbers.  They hit flies like Rabbit Strip Leaches, Poppers or Floating Divers depending on species.  Carp hit oversized Hex Nymphs, and the Gar can...