A Day on the Water

I fished the weedy extreme shallows of a mid-sized, serpentine, Huron River Impoundment.  I threw 1/0 short Marabou Popping Wedges either Purple or Black.  I got about 2 dozen Largemouth Bass 12 to 18 inches, 4 smallish medium Pike and a Rock Bass. The current through the center channel was a little muddy from recent rain.  Back behind the shallow weedy flats, mostly near the shore, the water was clear and about 12 inches deep.  Sitting low in the kayak I couldn't see the bass until they made a wake moving toward the popper.  I would pause the retrieve to...

 I recently found a bunch of voracious Bowfin in very shallow water.  A frustrating situation for fly fishing, I had no floating fly line and no stealthy surface flies or loud subsurface flies to use.  I caught 4 on a 5/0 Musky Spinner Bait and hooked 6 or 8 more. I badly need a rematch with these seldom encountered game fish.  One of my best Bowfin patterns is this Rabbit Leach with alternating turns of Rabbit Strip and Estaz flash chenille for the body.  I tie these with bead heads size 5.0 mm or 5.5mm on a #4 or #2 down eye...

This cloudy, fertile southern Michigan lake is known (by a few) as a great place to see or maybe catch a stocked musky.  Bass and Channel cats vary in size as year classes cycle in and out, some years have produced big bass or channel cats.  It has tons of carp, small bluegills and small crappie. Opening day Musky trips have always been futile for me, typically no fish of any kind to be found.  Spring sunshine and wind can pile up warm water on the north (South facing) side of a lake where the food chain is primed to...

This popular spot thinned out quickly before noon since fishing was mostly slow.  Later, I got 3 for 6 mostly on MopWorm jigs under a float.  I got some fast action on a Size #6 Rubber Leg Fox Fur Jig at one point getting a fish and quickly loosing another.  Tried some beads and a small stone fly jig with mostly no results.