Any michigan guys here

[A-Jay]

Thank you my friend.

Early on, I've been able to find and stay on some plus sized fish on a couple of different big water lakes and it's been fun.

I'm fishing hard and hoping to hunt down a very special bass.

The next two weeks will be key, especially with the big moon in 3 days.

Guess time will tell.

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

Walking along our shore yesterday I spooked a couple bass on their beds, right tight to the shore. I’ve only seen 3 beds so far.

[rod snapper]

I have only seen one where i live. The waters are hovering in the high fifties most places, but in smaller water its getting above sixty, so its starting to be that time of year.

[12poundbass]

I’m not a bed fisherman, but with the temps we’re finally having and will have for the next week I think there will be a ton popping up this weekend. It’s looking like another Saturday I’ll have to work so no fishing for me Saturday morning and my son has football Sunday. I’ll still fish but probably not the species I want or lake I want. Then the following weekend is the weekend us Central and Northern Michigan guys hate....

[12poundbass]

Anybody know of a site where it lists what lakes have tournaments? I want to hit one of two SM lakes around me Saturday (if I don’t have to work ?) but both are the biggest around and I imagine this weekend will be a big tournament weekend. I want to stay away from that mess, I’ll already have to be in and out of any lake before 11 to avoid the “boaters”. 

[DylanB]

Hopefully this site helps https://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/fishingtournaments/ 

[12poundbass]

Awesome thank you! Looks like I’m hitting Lake “X”. As long as I’m not working. ?

[12poundbass]

A little too windy last night so we hit the river too see what we could come up with. Even though the river was moving at a pretty good clip from all the rain, I found a bend with less current which produced my new smallie PB at 3-10

[A-Jay]

DUDE ~ !!! 

There ya go.

Sweet Smallie.

PB's are Always a Blast.

Very happy for you.

Congrats my friend.

A-Jay

 

[Wildbillb]

Spent last weekend at Saggy Bay and tore them up.  In the north country this weekend pretending we are ducks in all this rain.

[Wildbillb]

I knew 2 weekends of nice weather were not going to happen

[abhgroup]

@A-Jay, have the smallies started spawning up there yet? I'm headed to grand lake in a week, and while I know you're not that far north, I know of no one who is, so I have no way of knowing what's going on up there. Also, is there any hope if the mayflies are hatching? Folks usually struggle the week we're there because there's a fresh layer of them on top of the water every evening. Thanks for this, and all the good information you put on here. 

Andrew

[A-Jay]

There's a bit of everything going on up here - and all at once !

 Beds, Bugs and plenty of rain.

Bring Gortex . . . .

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

I put the boat in our lake this past Saturday. Although it was really hot and muggy the wife, our son, and myself loaded up and hit the water around 5. Sticking with my resolution to stay away from the Senko this year I looked for something different. I tied on something I haven’t used in over a decade and brought back some good memories of my teenage years. The Rebel Pop R paired well with my new Kastking combo I got for Father’s Day. We stayed out until sunset. I caught five with the biggest being around the two pound mark. My wife caught 8 with her trusty Senko. My son caught 7 with his wacky rigged Berkley Powermax General. 

 

I left the boat in over night and after breakfast Liam and I headed out for a couple hours. He stuck with his wacky rig and caught three. I used the Pop R again and got bluegill hitting it, and managed one small bass. I threw my spinnerbait too and managed two from that. I never felt those strikes on the spinnerbait, I saw the line move and that was it. Is this normal? I also managed one from my favorite presentation, the frog. 

[A-Jay]

Cool - Sound fun.

As for not feeling the strike: may be depended on how far apart the basses eyes are.

Thinking about hitting the carry-in Old Town lake tomorrow for a morning session.

?

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

These were smaller bass. I’m guessing the larger the bass the more you’ll feel the strike? 

[A-Jay]

Ended 2019 with this one ~ 

Here's to a short winter and early open water for us all ! 

Stay Warm . . .

A-Jay

[1BADAIR]

We had a decent year. Won a few events. Buddy won 2 Bfl’s.  Won the last event(monsterquest) with 24.38lb with a 6.42 big bass 

[TOXIC]

Was going to make one more trip up north to fish with Mac and Mini before the weather closed in.  Looks like I missed my opportunity. ?

[12poundbass]

Yep she’s a tab bit chilly up here. 

[MIbassyaker]

I always forget about this thread.

 

According to my records, three years ago I caught my first bass of the year on 3/6.

 

That would be... (checks calendar)...40 days from now.

 

 

[12poundbass]

Looking at the predicted extended forecast it looks pretty promising. Each day that passes the longer the days get, the warmer the average high is supposed to be. Let’s hope it goes that way instead of a repeat of last year. 

[MittenMouth]

You mean the snowstorm on 5/1 last year—-you didn’t like that?!

[12poundbass]

No because I had gotten my boat out of hibernation and had her sitting in my driveway. I was ready to go then we got hammered. Five days later though we launched it on our maiden voyage and the first time on our lake since we moved to our house in January ‘19. My son (6poundbass) snuck his pole on the boat and while we were going through the no wake area managed the first bass of the year! 
 

Then eight days later on 4-16

 

[A-Jay]

Despite the current insanity, and I'm including the recent weather patterns in that, since open water

it's been tough to string together more than one day on the water at a time. 

This weekend is a shining example - not a fan of May Snow really or the 50 mph winds.

Despite all that, the sporadic trips I have been able to make have yielded a few decent representatives of my favorite target species - The Michigan Brown Bass.

Jerkbaits, don't leave home without them.

A-Jay