MIbassyaker

It's been awhile since I've caught one of these guys! A good one, too -- look at that belly: ...and followed it up with what I'm sure is my PB White Crappie, at 14", 1.43lb (perspective in pic is a bit distorted, and doesn't do justice, but that was the measurement). On the other hand, the bass this morning were somewhat less interesting than the bycatch, with the biggest of 9 at 15": Other than 3 of the bass, everybody ate the same bluegill-pattern Siebert Fogy bladed jig.

Junebug/Chartreuse!

Little TW Memorial Day order:

Little Memorial Day TW order came in:

Spent a few hours at Big Pine Island Lake, notable for being where the MI State Record largemouth of 11.94lb was caught........in 1934. Like everyone else who has fished Big Pine in the 89 years since, I did not catch a state record. Still, as lakes for the area go, it fishes OK. I caught nine, including this 3-pounder as the sun had just begun peeking through trees: And a couple of not-yet-3s: A weightless Zoom super fluke did most of the work.

Interesting subject. I'm going to be totally unhelpful and say I don't fish smaller rivers until July-August, when I know how to find productive spots. I seriously do not know how to find river bass earlier than that.

I always find it difficult to pinpoint what people mean by "clear" water. Most of the places I fish have visibility to about 10ft, sometimes more, sometimes less. The murkiest water i fish has about 1 foot of visibility: Muddy river, or algae-stained natural lake in late summer. The clearest is probably 20' or so, but hard to tell without systematically measuring it, which I haven't done. As far as I can tell, the biggest effect of clarity for anglers is that when bass can see farther, the visual things that might spook them -- looming objects, shadows, fast movements -- will do so from farther away; thus, anglers should pay special attention to things like sun and boat/craft position. Avoid casting a shadow where you want to target. Theoretically, visibility first determines whether a bass notices, and is willing to investigate your bait. A big looming shadow may shut down investigation. Any bass you can see, can also see you, and you are more conspicuous than they are, especially when you move -- bass have excellent visual perception of movement; it's probably one of their main hunting skills. Other factors like bait size, profile, and color (probably in that order) come into play after a bass has committed to investigation, and help determine whether they strike. Water clarity just makes these factors a little more important than they are in murkier water. Most natural prey species for bass are around 4 inches long and have a long, thin shape -- think baitfish or crayfish. So downsizing to, say, a 4" worm rather than a 7"+ worm may occasionally help in clear water. Also, the faster something moves, the less its shape matters, and the more typical the shape, the less it's movement matters. Simply deadsticking a worm, for instance, is famously productive.

Another vote for Zoom. The price is right and they get bit.

Oh good grief! I did it again!

I'm having trouble understanding what makes this concern an ethical one as opposed to just a concern about social norms. If I want to know about ethics, I ask, what is the harm vs. benefit. Who is harmed, and how, by the act? I don't recognize any meaningful sense in which spots on public water can be "stolen" -- that is, harm via loss from theft of property does not apply. If I spend time and effort to locate a spot, this does not mean the spot is my "property". Nobody should spend time, effort, and other resources to find a spot on public water with the expectation that they will have it to themselves. The expectation is by definition, wrong and unreasonable, and there is no ethical problem to violate it. Even a local guide who makes a living putting people on fish, surely does so with an understanding that common knowledge is a natural hazard of public water -- a cost of doing business, as it were. If the guide is well-known, that implies they are successful, and thus the magnitude of harm for fishing their spots is likely minimal anyway.

yeah, that's probably what was going on this morning where I was too. There's a 20 foot drop a little behind me in that pic -- I worked it at about 6-12' with a lizard for a little while but gave up quickly because...well, what can I say? bites are addictive, and I was getting bites shallower.

...and 30 min from the center of the 2nd largest city in the State. If @Mbirdsley is the king of 2 pounders for Central MI, I'm the king for Western MI!

A representative catch from this morning -- a dozen cookie-cutter 15"-17"ers about like this one. My favorite little lake in my area -- publicly accessible only from a creek, which can be carry-down launched 1/2mile upstream from a minor gravel road out in the middle of nowhere, . Only rarely do I ever see anybody else on the water here.

He's back! I had to check your profile to see how long it's been since you were active -- 6 years!

I have too, and they've been good, and reliable. I seem to remember they were even a BR sponsor briefly a few years ago.

Ooof. I missed the Lake Murray event due to work and some international travel....forgot about about it entirely, didn't set my team on either regular fantasy or DTL.? It's not my season!

Finally got a chance to put myself on the board for 2023 this afternoon! Bass #1 & #2 of the year were scrappy little 14-ers: Bass #3 was a chunky 18.5" with a belly full of eggs (probably near 4lb, but couldn't confirm because I forgot to replace the batteries in my scale?) Green Pumpkin 3/8 Jackhammer (1 & 3) and a trick worm (2). Two more got away on the jackhammer, including one about 3+ .....rusty hooksetting on my part after 6 months of inactivity...

I'm the king of 14 inchers. If a fish makes me happy, I'll take a picture regardless of size.

Nice! I've got open water all around me, but still probably a month away from having any time to cast a line. I haven't even done any off-season tackle prep or maintenance.

Having a place to post pics is why I started coming here, because nobody else cares about my stupid fish!

There may no better time and place for wildlife viewing than on a small lake or river in the early morning. I very frequently see herons, cranes, muskrats, kingfishers, loons, deer, beavers, eagles, ospreys, swans, numerous species of ducks, songbirds, turtles, and occasionally an otter, mink, or weasel. And with a slow, quiet kayak, they sometimes get very close.

GYCB Senko Z-man TRD Zoom Trick Worm GYCB Hula Grub Berkley Power Worm Just missing the cut: Zoom Lizard Rage Craw Keitech swing impact fat or Rage Swimmer Rage Space Monkey Ultravibe Speed Worm Fluke

Xanthism! Usually a genetic condition. Rare, but every year or so someone catches a gold bass and it makes the news. Two golden smallies were reported in Michigan last year: https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Angler-Catches-Ultra-Rare-Golden-Smallmouth-17319864.php https://www.wideopenspaces.com/golden-smallmouth-bass/

Well, see, that's why the fingers are crossed! Bunch of people still showing "no activity" today -- Seth, Lowen, Kimura, Robertson, Cobb, Hackney