A Day on the Water

Tough day at the Merrimack River Outlet.  There are 2 kayak launches on the south bays.  Bait can sometime stack up in some of those bays but a strong North wind required a long paddle across to sheltered water.  I fished poppers to various north shore spots by the camp ground, working up toward the mouth aong with my shadow seal.  When the tide turned and started running out, I quickly got myself back in far enough inside to the first survivable eddy.  I anchored and fished Bangers and Clousers out to the current edges.  Some bait, a few peanut bunker began to show...

Wakely lake is one of Michigans too few, catch and release, hike in lakes. 108 acres that is known for big bluegills, formerly very large bass and occasional pike. Only one car with a rack was in the lot, nobody on the lake after the 1/2 mile carry down the back trail.  I started out using 50 lb bite leader hoping for a big pike. I trolled a silver bullet fly from the south end to the northwest shore to get up wind so I could drift and cast.  While casting the silver bullet over scattered emergent curly leaf pondweed in deep...

Wyandot is close to my work and I put in there to paddle out to Grassy Island.  I was originally drawn to this spot because I thought this was the Grassy Island that was a famous Musky spot, it is not that Grassy Island but I did find decent fishing for largemouth that are larger than usual in the Detroit-Saint Clair system.  I also ran into some very large and aggressive gar once.   I fished 3/4 of the way around the Island and some of the vast weedy flat on the Michigan side.  Nothing except at the upstream head of...

There were very few trailers at the public boat launch Monday afternoon.  I launched there to take advantage of the short carry for my kayak and short walk to a parking spot.  The little emerald shiners had finally started to come in, bringing more bass with them. There are three marinas built out into Lake Saint Clair there.  When power boat traffic is light, their built up riprap or steel retaining walls make sheltered bays around the boat launch and the Clinton River cutoff outlet.  I fished those riprap walls where the west wind was partly blocked.  I finished the...