anderb54

I've only been on the bay a few times this year, but I fish a spot pretty hard a bit north of there and have been laying a beat down on prespawn fish. I also work over in TC a lot, and there's tons of people fishing the sand flats on East Bay every day that I drive by. If you have any questions about lures and colors, message me.

I've got a couple to imitate gobies where I fish, and I haven't really found them to be any more snagless, or effective, than a jig. They are less sensitive because there's no exposed metal to feel the bottom, but I feel that there's a time and a place for them, so pick up a few if you fish bottom baits for smallies.

If you're not using a Johnson Silver Minnow in thick weeds, you're missing out

The FMJ is my favorite of the Destroyers I have. I use it for frogs, spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits too, and it does a good job at all of those

Destroyer Oneten Special w/ Aldebaran 50HG Destroyer FMJ w/ Chronarch MGL XG Destroyer Javelin w/ Metanium MGL The Addermine is currently in Canada on a fishing trip with my Dad

Bowfin?

They make a 300 size in the D series Calcuttas. I definitely agree with the Tranx 300 suggestion though... great reels. Also @trouttracker, welcome to the Northern MI swimbait club!

I've completely fallen off the wagon, and gone to high end setups for pretty much everything, but I'd say the most crucial setup to go high end with (if you can afford to) is a jig rod. Mid end rods will be good for covering the rest of your bases. I've never used the Legend Elite, but I have used a friends Legend Extreme, and it was a very nice rod. St. Croix also has a top notch warranty, although I'm not sure if the factory blemish rods have a different warranty or not. Another rod series to look into at that price point is the Megabass Destroyers. For what it's worth, I've sold off a most of my Loomis and Dobyns rods to get more of the Destroyers; I like them that much. I've heard people complain about Megabass' warranty before, but when I had to warranty my Javelin, I had a new one at my door in less than a week.

Pretty sure that's the DC model ? Sounds like your brakes are bad. As WRB has said, and DVT posted in another thread, just remove the brake blocks and keep on trucking.

I'm nearly 100% positive that the Chronarch MGL has brass gears To the OP: yes, it can be used for frogging. I use mine on my jig rod, but both have definitely pulled double duty, and have done very well at it

I've got a Temple Fork TFG 705 that I love for throwing squarebills. Perfect length, and I like the Moderate Fast taper on it for trebles

Never fished the GLX, but you're going to love that Destroyer. I own 4 now lol

+1. The FMJ is perfect for what you're looking for. It doubles as a good spinnerbait and chatterbait rod too in a pinch. Mine is mounted with a Chronarch MGL and the balance point is d**n near the reel seat.

I own both. Both are fantastic reels. I like the way the Metanium fits in my hand a bit better than the Chronarch, but I feel like the gap in performance between the two is so miniscule that it really comes down to personal preference.

Yeah, I haven't seen any since Monday of this last week.

The fish were active today. Went out to one of my favorite lakes in the kayak and put 20+ in the boat with a jerkbait. None of the fish were over 18", but it was a good feeling to put a beating on them my first time out in a boat this season.

You can get a Metanium MGL for ~$300 if you look at JDM import sites. That being said, I feel like my Chronarch is just as nice as my Metanium.

I've never done a Nekoshot, but I have used a shakeyshot before with a little success

If you don't have an Ito Shiner, I highly suggest getting one. I personally like them better than the Vision 110

I was going to suggest a Black Themis with an Aldebaran

I've had good luck with wakebaits early in the season. I've had some pretty legit fish smack the Shellcracker as soon as the water hits 60+ degrees

I'm getting really sick of staring at tip ups... and the new Destroyer that's leaning up against my wall. We should be on open water soon though guys!

Most of your hotel choices are going to be in TC, so be sure to book sooner rather than later, as it gets busy there. You'll definitely be in the spawn, so typical spawn tactics are going to be in play. You're going to want multiple baitcasting and spinning setups. Baitcasting: Jerkbait- Shallow- Vision 110 in a natural color (Crystal Shad and Pro Blue are winners) and a flashy color (Elegy Bone) Deeper- Jackall Dowzvido in SG Threadfin Shad or Luckycraft Staysee in Smallmouth Bass Jig/T-Rig- Choose a favorite bait for bed fishing. Can't go wrong with a white lizard. Crank- Lipless crank of your choice, or a tight wobbling crankbait (I like the PH Customs Skinny P) as a search bait Spinning: Drop Shot- If you're not fishing an Erie Darter, you're missing out. Golby and Smoke purple are staples Spybait- I like the Jackall iProp in Ghost Minnow This will be some of the clearest water you will ever fish, so light line is a must. I usually use light braid with a long fluoro leader (10'-15'). Best advice I can give is move fast and use search baits to find fish, then pick the spot apart.

Are you getting a guide? I'd highly suggest it since it's such a huge body of water. If not, launch from Acme and head Southwest towards the lower end of the bay. Fish the flats that are on the east side of the bay. If it's calm enough, you can sight fish in up to 30 feet of water. You're going to love it there. In case of high wind, there's Burt and Mullett, but Lake Bellaire is much closer to the Traverse City area and is an extremely underrated smallmouth fishery (largest smallmouth listed on the Master angler page is 7.81 lbs). Side note; the current state record Musky as caught on Lake Bellaire, 59'' at 58lbs, so there's always a chance of tangling with one of those. If you have any questions, PM me

$14.99 is under $15 Also, getting those baits for less than retail isn't hard if you know where to look