TOXIC

A little recap of my 15th year of going to Lake St Clair for our annual Smallmouth beatdown. First and foremost, everyone that attended (7 of us total) came home safe and sound with no major mishaps on the water or travel up and back (last year we took out a boat axle on those lovely Michigan roads). We had epic weather with only 1 day being windy and we were able to fish through it, although it beat us 1/2 to death. Average number of fish per day for my partner and I, 40-50. The slowest day was the day before we left with probably 20 each. Average size 3-5lbs. Although no giants, the numbers were well worth it. We got into an unbelievable Walleye bite in the Selfridge area on SPRO Original Little John crankbaits in Cell Mate and Little John Medium Divers in Olive Shad. These cranks also got us a lot of other species but the Walleye ate them up. We got the steady stink eye from the Walleye fishermen dragging crawler harnesses and cranks around us because we were releasing all of our fish (after we had enough for a meal ?) plus we were catching them 3 to every 1 of theirs. Water temps were generally in the 62-67 degree range depending where we were. 1st wave of spawners were done and although we caught good numbers on the Mile Roads we didn't fish there all that much. We found that the fish that were there were guarding fry and in order to get them to bite you had to put a bait right on their nose. We preferred to move off shore a little more and go after the pre spawn fresh wave setting up to come in and find other bedding areas that were unfished for the most part. Even though we rent a cottage on Harsens Island and are literally 1/2 mile from both the big and little Moot we didn't fish there. Lots of our buddies did and caught the biggest fish of the trip. I did fish there for about 2 hours at the end of the day when I rode with someone else for a day. I have a problem going into the Moot and yaking big smallies that have been caught 3 or 4 times before me. Yes, we did catch them off the beds in other places and we could have gotten bigger fish in the Moot but the bedding fish we caught were fresh and their mouths did not look like pin cushions. Species caught......Just about everything. We caught Smallmouth, a lot of Largemouth (they were running with the Smallmouth in some of our areas), Musky, Pike, Rock Bass, Bull Gills, White bass, Walleye and my first (in 15 years!!) Sheephead. We caught them on a number of baits depending on the location. The cranks I mentioned above, Jerkbaits, Tubes, Dropshot, Underspin, Yamamoto DShads, Senkos and as I have always said there are a couple of baits that take me by surprise every year. This year it was the Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm in Natural Shad on a dropshot. I finally had to change to another dropshot bait (Pro Senko) because the Smallmouth were inhaling the Shad Shape Worm and I got tired of having to remove deep hooks (no fish were killed). The second surprise bait and the one I caught a large number of fish on was a Yamamoto California Roll on a Ned rig. Absolutely wore them out. Most memorable catch of the trip was me hooking up on a dropshot and breaking off on the hookset. I re-rigged and we continued fishing moving about 100 yards from our original spot. After a few fish I get bit on the dropshot again and set the hook. Get the Smallmouth to the net and when I reach in to lip it, I get a hook into the topside of my thumb and made the comment to my partner that I must have hooked this one on the outside of the mouth (after a few explatives and removing the hook from my flesh)....but then I look and there in it's upper lip is the dropshot I broke off, bait, weight, line and hook!! I was able to get both rigs back. We ate like Kings as usual with a fresh Walleye fish fry, 7 racks of ribs, bacon wrapped deer backstrap, 20lbs of King Crab legs, Bison burgers and crab stuffed Portabello mushrooms just to name a few meals. I am already planning for next year!! I won't bore you with the 500 or so pics we took but will post a couple of our average size fish. What a trip.

20+ Years ago I was on a website called the Nitro and Tracker Owners Website (NTOWS). I owned a 929 CDC NITRO. On the same website there was a guy named Carlos Hathcock who also owned a NITRO and lived not too far away. I was guiding on Lake Anna and he was just really getting into bass fishing and I offered to take him and his son out to show him around the lake. Long story short, we became best friends and it wasn't long after I learned who he was and about his father the Marine sniper (White Feather). Carlos was just getting ready to muster out of the Corps (I went to his retirement ceremony at Quantico. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to shoot some of his fathers rifles and he has become one of my best friends. We just got back from our 15th year going to Michigan to fish smallmouth and we fish the Potomac together almost every weekend. Carlos lll has an unbelievable resume as a sniper as well as being the captain of the Marine Corps shooting team with many National titles under his belt. It is my honor and privilege to call him a friend.

I really noticed a difference when I was guiding with clients who were less experienced. The bigger hooks helped me tell them when they had a bite...?

A lot of hesitation is due to everyone trying to come out with something "new" at the expense of it really adding any value to catch rate. The old made to catch fishermen game. That doesn't mean that some of these new and innovative designs don't produce but it does explain the hesitation from tried and true producers.

Yes, the Gamakatsu EWG's are thin wire but I still cross their eyes with 6lb test unluess they take it close to the boat then it's more of a snap hookset. Because I use mono, there's more stretch and I have never broke off on a hookset because of the line size. On the Potomac I will go up to 8lb test because of the grass. I used to use 3.0 hooks but I have found that I have just as good of a hookup ratio with the 4.0 and reduced deep hooking with them. You'll feel the bite faster because of the larger profile of the hook bend hitting the fish's mouth. They'll suck a 3.0 straight down.

I fish weightless Senkos on 6lb test Texas Rigged with a 4.0 Gamakatsu EWG hook as my main presentation. No problem. Actually, it's my preferred setup.

I'm a month short of 61 and just got back from a solid 7 days on lake St Clair fishing from sun up to sun down. I had one day where the wind/waves were large enough that I cut my feet from bracing in my fishing shoes (Shimano Evairs). Other than some stiffness I wasn't in any real discomfort. I fished with a buddy that had a sit down chair on his back deck and just for giggles, I tried to fish sitting down. Just couldn't do it. Keep in mind I was a guide for 15 years and the only time I sat down in my boat all day was to occasionally eat lunch. I am a firm believer that fishing works different muscle groups from different angles than what most people are used to and are hard to replicate through workout routines. Stretching seems to be the best.

Yamamoto Sanshouo Salamander

Just had a friend in from Australia and he flew in with 8 rods packed in his suitcase. All were 4 piece rods. He is a high roller in tackle and he said they were fine.

Let me just add to get the biggest screen you can because when you start splitting screens, it gets really small really fast.

I'll wave if I see you. We will be all over the lake weather permitting. Renting a cottage on Harsens so we will be in the moot some but will venture over to the mile roads I'm sure. Gunmetal 2016 Ranger 520 with black poles. Will probably be in a group with another Black Ranger 521, a black ChampioN and an older Red/orange ChampioN. Possibly a Deep V Tracker tin rig as well.

I normally take an inch off one side and an inch and a 1/2 off the other. I don't really cut them short. The different lengths allow it to walk better. I do not cut the legs on popping frogs. They buck (for lack of a better term) better with longer legs. I am not really trying to walk them side to side as that would defeat the popping.

Will be there Sunday through Monday the 28th. It is what it is.....but it would be nice to know water conditions. ?

Yep. Look at the different sizes but they should thread right into the hook eye. Some use them on Senkos.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/owner-twistlock-centering-pin-springs?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions https://www.cabelas.com/product/Bullet-Weights-Screw-In-Weights/744548.uts?productVariantId=1598853&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=30033497&rid=20&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0PTXBRCGARIsAKNYfG3bDlqqFufgncHoCHdq6xBE_ksbJ3K3IiWE01j2zAyMP-1-bKXLocQaAtzlEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Just to give equal time to BPS and Cabela's. ?

Fluke or more specifically, a Yamamoto DShad is what I would have thrown. Especially if I could see them. 2nd would bee a dropshot so that it was in their face for an extended period of time.

You can always add the screwlock to the hook you want. They sell them individually. I like them on the belly weighted Gammy hook. Personally, I like the non screw in for pitching/flipping because I use a screw in Bullet weight instead of pegging it.

Get it right...In your neck of the woods, they are called Fish Flies not the Fudgie name of Mayflies.?? I have been on St Clair when the Fish flies are like oil slicks on the water.

Totally depends on the weight of the boat. Even with foam pads I'd be afraid of denting the roof. Most of today's auto's seem like they are made out of recycled beer can aluminum. 2nd problem would be getting it up there without trashing the roof. After all, you can't just pick it up and set it straight down on the roof. 3rd problem, I'm OCD about my vehicles and would probably have a seizure before I could even attempt it. ?

Easy solution...Don't put Fluro on spinning reels. I don't. I just do not like how it behaves on a spinning setup.

Creek off the main lake. Every place where there was a cow path entering the water (where they came down to drink) I caught fish. Pattern held up all day and in different creeks as well. Dead banks until you got the the cow path.

Ahhhhhh Pike. Expert lure theifs and spinnerbait destroyers. ?

Excuse me if I am getting a little excited. For the last 15 years straight a buddy and I have made an annual trek to Lake St Clair from Virginia for a week of pure fishing hedonism. We, along with 5 other friends (some in MI and 1 other from VA this year) rent a cottage on Harsens Island and spend a week eating like Kings, partying like Rockstars (never on the boats), and fishing like fools. We have had 100 degree days, been snowed on, hailed on and outrun tornadoes. We have had days of 50mph sustained winds and we have had some magical days, actually a lot of magical days where we catch 75-100 fish each. We have caught tagged fish, eater walleye, 50inch musky, and smallmouth (our real target) up to 7lbs not to mention all of the other catches like Pike, White Bass and Goggle Eyes. I have got to meet KVD, Kim Stricker (Hook n Look program) and Zona more than once. We have caught them on just about every lure known to man and in pre-spawn, post spawn or on the beds but we ALWAYS catch them. We leave this Sunday and I am sooooo excited I can hardly take it. For those who are close to this gem of a lake, I envy you. We only get to experience it once a year but I guarantee you that will change when I retire. I will smoke 6 racks of ribs starting Thursday to go along with the 20lbs of crab legs and the grilled bacon wrapped Russian Boar that my buddies bring. I live for this trip. And as an added bonus we have a friend flying in from Australia this year to join us. I'm sure I'll have some great stories to report back with. I attached an article that was written about our trip a few years ago. Sadly one of our friends has passed and we have added to the group the the main "core" is still there.

Bass are opportunistic. Don't forget, they eat birds squirrels, snakes, turtles, baby ducks and just about anything they can get their mouth around. As for lure size.....I have a saying. Sometimes you just gotta throw them some groceries.

Are you ready for this story? When I was a young pup and showing off to some girls, I jumped up on a horse out in the field with no bridle halter or saddle and was galloping him back to the barn. Well, he decided he was going to go into the barn and there was really nothing I could do but duck (which was fine). The barn was constructed out of corrugated steel (like corn storage bins/silo's) and all would have been fine......except........on our way in, there was another horse coming out. The two collided and it threw my horse up against the unfinished steel doorway, cutting in behind my leg bone and severing my calf almost completely off. I pushed back off the horse and was hanging upside down by my impaled lag....until the tissue ripped and I fell to the ground where I could plainly see both my leg bones and my calf held on by a strip of skin. Long story short....all of that pain I could handle. It was when we got to the small town Doctor's office where I discovered what real pain was. I was laying on the table and he comes in and asked what happened. I told him the story and he informed me that he was going to have to clean the wound, which I understood. What I wasn't prepared for was him flopping my leg open and squirting Lux Dishwashing soap directly in my leg and scrubbing it with a brush. I prayed that I would pass out. I didn't. It hurt. Really Hurt. I actually bent the rails on the table from the pain. And to add insult to injury, I still got a staff infection in it and spent all summer in the hospital with a machine hooked up to my leg that circulated hot water through it to try and help with the infection. I was 1 week away from them taking my leg at the knee. Thanks be to God it finally cleared up in that final week. 2nd worst.....Migraine. Throw up, pass out migraines. Haven't had any more for a few years. Doctors gave me nitrous pills to put under my tongue when I felt one coming on. 3rd worst......Impacted tooth/dental. I had a Dentist give me a shot of Novocaine directly into the nerve of a tooth he could not deaden one time. Only once....never again.