Lund Explorer

Nice "Two-Foot Bow" A-Jay! Kinda surprised she wasn't up in the river trying to spawn this time of year. One of these years when I go up for my annual perch jerkin' trip, I'm going to spend the whole weekend away from the crowds trolling for those things. Sat.-Sun. on Maple Bay can turn into a real zoo, but the rest of the lake has nobody on it. Have you ever tried snap-weights?

Good Job Deb! When you aren't used to fishing in that gin clear water it can be somewhat intimidating. Now you know why some of us talk about using (Argh) spinning gear and that crazy thin 6lb test line. The one really good aspect of clear water though is the sight fishing opportunities, it must have been fun to see that 4lber sitting there. I see that Kim Bain-Moore was using a soft swim bait between and around docks for her fishing pattern. What kind of setups/baits were you using, and were they a lot different because of the clear water? Did you switch baits for the second day? Do you know what others were using? Anyhow, I'm glad to see that you were able to move up the leader board on day two. Here's to hoping you have a great trip to Guntersville. Steve

Breakwalls to Moor's harbor?

Lease Law? Sounds like they're just renting him, so what's the big deal?

It's only a shot glass.... It's supposed to be small!

If you've already been to Menards, then go back. Look in their patio center, or go online and do a search on their site for "Flagstone Patio Block". They're on sale right now in the "Spring Sale" flyer. Maybe this link will take you there... http://menards.inserts2online.com/customer_Frame.jsp?drpStoreID=1 Yeah, find 'em on page 11.

Good for you Mike!

I know that big smallmouth lives in Cadillac/Mitchell and it is now haunting not only my dreams but my wallet as the trip is going to cost me $80+ in truck fuel for each trip. I'm pretty sure that a few west coast lakes like Portage, Pentwater, or White Lake also holds a few brutes that could get up close to 70%. I wish I could get out today, but I've got a bunch of work to get ready for the big Mother's Day cookout. Starting Monday though, I'm gonna try to get out every day. And I'd gladly come up to spend some time with the pack, if you guys can handle the spoiled brats I'm going to leave you with. My motto is "Have Milkbone - Will Travel"!!!

The problem with most of these reality shows is that they only focus on a small part of these people's lifes. I mean just how many gators can a Yankee watch getting blown away before we start thinking there must be something more? Where's the Crawdad Fishing?

I sure wish somebody would come up with a movie involving bass boats instead of cars. Drifting might take on a more subdued meaning, though most cars don't slam into 5' - 6' waves!

Nice fish A-Jay! Now all you have to do is to add a pound and change, and you've got a whole month to do it.

Thanks for the report Deb, now go swing for the fences in the morning and have a fun day!

OUCH!!!! I knew I should've dropped that camera overboard after she caught that fish. (Note to Self) Wear a cup when chatting with Cousin Ken!

The Problem: My parents took hundreds/thousands of pictures over the years using a 35mm camera with slide film. Dad has been gone for many years, and now my Mother is going through the first phases of dementia which may turn out to be alzheimers. The Goal: To scan these slides into my laptop and then go through them with her while she can help to sort and put names and places to them all. This will become something that all of my kids and grandkids will get to suffer through like I did when I was their age. It's family history that I don't want to lose. The Question: A quick Google search turns up a few machines/software to do this, but prices range from $200 to $1,500. I want to make sure that I don't get burned by paying too much or by buying too little. Has anyone ever purchased this kind of thing before? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Two steaks! Now you're trying to get on Jackie's good side! When was the last time you were on Hamlin Lake? I didn't make it there last year with all the home improvement projects, but I did make an ill-fated trip there in 2009. From the launch at Victory Park down to the narrows was barren ground..... Not a weed in sight. Granted they left the upper part of the lake and a few coves alone, but the property owners decided they had too many veggies in front of their homes. And in most counties up here, the only people with a voice regarding lake management are residents of the township(s) where the lake is located. Quite out of control on a lake with allows access to all. Let's not talk about zebra mussels and all this other depressing stuff. It's just that weed control is a sore spot with me. I'm probably better off avoiding this subject. Now on the other hand, it is a beautiful day for a ride. What time would I have to leave to get to your place by dinner time? I'll throw a whole loin on the "Car-B-Cue" & you can put the beer on ice!

CWB - I almost forgot.... Next cookout is tonight! Do you want me to breakout another steak?

Within the State of Michigan, lakefront property owners associations have the nasty habit of taking over the control of their lake's ecosystems with the help of lake management "consulting" companies. There seems to be little input from our department of natural resources, so long as the property owners foot the bill for these changes. Now if you have to cross a swamp to get from the road to your home you need to file an environmental impact statement with the DNR to do so. In many cases, you are required to replace any lost habitat in crossing the swamp with other parts of your property. This isn't the case with our lakes. The consultants just happen to be directly linked to the very companies that will come in and poison off every weed in your lake. It's not like there is any conflict of interest involved here with the advice they offer to the property owners <insert sarcasm> on how to manage their lakes. So the answer is that these lakes are attacked several times a year with potent herbicides that kill of all of the natural cover the fish use in these lakes. I have witnessed the results on many different lakes. The first year or so the fishing improves as the fish have less cover to hide in. The stringer fishermen attack the place taking out huge limits until the population has been thinned out. In the meantime, small fish such as young of the year fish can't find any cover to escape predation by the surviving keeper sized fish. Within another year or so, the adult fish in the lake have thinned out the prey sized fish to the point that there isn't enough forage to maintain good seasonal growth. This in turn makes the few fish that attain keeper size are rail thin. It may be hard to believe, but I have seen 10 fish limits (12" keepers) that weighed in at less than 10 pounds. While on many other lakes the average 12" fish weighs in at 1.25lbs, these fish will average in the .90 range. Those are not healthy fish. Now there are times when the management company will miss a few weeds during one of these cleansings. As you fish along a drop off that used to have hundreds of acres of weed beds, you will happen upon a weed bed about the size of the typical dining room table. An amazing sight to see one of these beds as they look absolutely alive. They are! They are packed full of small forage sized fish of many species. And fishing around any of these places will result in automatic hookups of small undersized pike or bass that circle around these beds. Think about it another way. Anyone who has hunted deer will be able to tell how many deer can hide or live inside of a large standing cornfield. They can also tell you how many deer stay in that field after harvest time. The same goes with a forest that falls before a clear cut operation. What once held numerous game animals now holds little. Granted, a clear cut forest is allowed to generate new trees which will someday hold more game, but bass aren't that lucky. These lakes suffer through semi annual clear cutting year after year. My comment on some (not all) property owners comes from firsthand experience, and it can best be described by a conversation I had with one gentleman. As he was explaining to me how he just bought this lakefront home and was amazed at the amount of weeds the lake had. "They need to kill off all these weeds" was his comment. So I asked him in a nice way when he had purchased the property. Maybe it had been in the winter when ice covered the lake and he didn't really know what he was buying. Nope, purchased in July at the height of weed season! Just a simple matter of someone who bought a piece of property and decided to try to change the entire lake to fit his picture of perfect. It didn't matter that the lake had healthy natural weed growth in it. His ideal was a sandy bottom like Lake Michigan, and he wanted it on the entire lake. The bottom line to me is that no fish is going to reach it's natural potential when it is forced to live in an unnatural environment. Bass or any other fish requires a number of things that nature has provided for it to live, and one of those things is natural cover in the form of weeds. It's only when humans want to try their hands at creating something that things go wrong.

Oh boy, a subject that could give me the chance to go into full blown rant mode! Maybe I'd be better off taking the high road and giving a simple answer.... Fishing will improve for a year or so as the fish won't have heavy cover to hide in. They will become more accessable. By the third year, the lack of natural cover will show up in reduced numbers and weights of the surviving fish. Less cover will mean less young of the year fish will survive each year. Less recruitment will result in less keeper sized fish. There, made it through that without one mention of the @#$%&^ property owners who think every lake should be turned into a @#$&^% swimming pool!

Not a problem sir, we all need to vent every once in a while. I guess the old bartender came out in me there for a bit, and nobody knows useless information better than an old bartender!

Good luck Deb. Just remember that when you are up on the weighin stand holding that trophy, try not to gloat as much as this little woman in Rodney has been doing. Argh, you created a monster!

News this morning said the Corps blew up the levee late last night. One local farmer said that they are predicting the water will be pumped out sometime in late July or August. I would hope that these people are compensated somehow for a lost year.

I can fully understand your feelings and the desire to seek revenge, so maybe you'd be interested in this. It seems that a deceased Muslim is supposed to be washed/cleansed and dressed appropriately prior to a burial which should be done within 24 hours. Unless of course that person died a martyr's death and is therefor buried in the clothing/state in which the martyr dies. By performing this ritual, Osama lost out on his martyrdom and all those virgins! Hope that makes you feel better, because revenge is ALWAYS a dish best served cold!

Hey.... You made it back to shore! I was wondering if you had gone out there when I saw the winds that morning. Hopefully that walleye at least gave you a couple of nice filets for your efforts.

Why does this picture remind me of the member who was discussing how he cut his nose off a month or so ago, and how everyone wanted to see a picture!

Not only should we be thankful for special forces troops, but to all of the young men and women who have been involved in these operations. If I'm going to pray to God for anything, it will be that our leaders come to the realization that the real mission is accomplished and we bring our troops back home.