A Day on the Water

Heard about a small, shallow, weedy river mouth lake mid way up Lake Michigan's West shore.  Reported to be great for Bowfin, with Bass, and Pike. My wife wanted to go camping by Lake Michigan, I found a campground so off we went.  I had 4 prime time evening hours on the lake, there is lots of shore line access and a couple obvious easy kayak launch spots. There is a low bridge (3 feet) that blocks access to bigger boats but lots of fishing pressure from shore and all kinds of small boats. Got a 12 inch bass fly...

Friday morning August 2nd.  the Clinton River Cut Off was flowing muddy and briskly through its normally wide, deep and still channel.  I put in at the Crocker boat-kayak launch.  I found some cleared water and as usual, found a few small largemouth willing to eat the 5/0 Chartreuse Dive Banger.  A bigger one hit on the other side of a grass bed and I couldn't pull him over or through it and he rubbed off the barbless hook on a clump of weeds.  Last weeks Musky, today's was a little smaller. I was casting along a bit of more...

I had a unsatisfying early day trying for Musky in Lake Saint Clair 0 for 1 small musky hooked.  I relaunched at this Lake Erie connected Marsh to finish of the day fishing for Bass and Pike.  Found no decent fish along the long dyke.  I had gotten nothing on a 3/0 Chartreuse Dive Banger which was maybe too big, too chartreuse and definitely not fished in the best spot at a good time.  I switched to a 2/0 White Dive Banger.  it's been my work horse pattern for most of the my fly fishing for the past 2 years. ...

No cars in the launch parking lot, could it be, no fish to be caught.  It seemed so in the first cattail patch.  The place is beautiful now, giant lily pads are staring to bloom and there is a big White Heron in this photo. Later in evening I did well in where there were cattail edges next to deeper water with no subsurface weeds growing up to mats on the surface.  Due to a south wind I started fishing in the shelter of the long dyke.  The pattern was where there was some of open water not matted over...

I first tried an Oakland county lake in a futile search for Bowfin, following up on a report.  Nice lake with good access for small boats and a lot more fishing pressure than my favorite spots. These fertile natural lakes have this weird topography where it will be crazy deep and randomly very shallow with abundant weed growth choking off large areas of shallow water and making a crazy quilt drop offs and edges.  Started with a 2/0 white Dive Banger getting two 11 inch bass, switching to a black version got 4 bass between 13 and 16 inches  ...