Southeast Michigan inland lakes bait fish.

[Gera]

Hi! 

I been searching the webs for information on Southeast Michigan bait fish info (my home lake is Kent lake at Kensington metropark) either there is not a lot of info or its very outdated. Also, I'm not well trained (not at all!) in recognizing all the tiny fish swimming around. 

 

Could some of you bring a light on this?? I can only recognize a bluegill, do we have shad? shiners?? minnows? all of the above? I'm sure there is a population of everything but what is the most common?? what are they chasing this fall??

 

All info is appreciated! 

thank you

[TnRiver46]

I’ve not been right where you’re at but I’ve been pretty close. The primary forage fish in a lot of Michigan waters is yellow perch. You could definitely have a variety of minnow species but there sure are a lot of tiny yellow perch swimming around in almost all waters up that way 

[MIbassyaker]

All I know about Kent is it's a popular and heavily-fished lake for all species. Most recent DNR survey appears to be from 2007, which reported good numbers of both smallmouth and largemouth, and especially good growth rate for the area for largemouth :

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/2007-36_208896_7.pdf

 

Smaller baitfish reported were golden shiner, logperch, bluntnose minnow, brook silversides, and several species of darter, but no shad.  And, of course, lots of bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, and various sunfish species.  Very typical jnland fishery for southern Michigan.  As for what you are seeing swimming around, I would bet many are small bluegill, sunfish, perch or baby bass. 

[Gera]

thanks! 

I really not completely sold on the idea that you have to match the forage to get those bass to bite, but at the same time it doesn't hurt! but every time I look under my kayak I just see bluegill and small fish! 

I guess I'll start looking at perch color lures. 

[clc48301]

I would not completely ignore the match the hatch rule.  Ive had painfully slows days turn around in an instant just by changing color to the local baitfish.  I live in SE Michigan too and I haven't seen alot if shad in the lakes outside of LSC waters.  But there is always small yellow perch, and green sunfish and bluegill.  You can never go wrong with matching those.  A readily available lure is the strike king hack attack in bluegill, add a keitech fat impact 3.8" in perch color and you are off to a great start.  Get some flukes and the spike it markers and mark them up to look more like perch.  If you want an exotic lure the g2 shellcracker by blackdog tears them up post spawn if you fish like a squarebill and bounce it off cover and or waking it on the surface.

   Kent lake is highly pressured lake.  I would try somewhere else.  There is a hidden gem not too far, Maltby lake at the huron medows golf course has 5 lb LM in it.  Everyone who is there is usually panfishing.  I always rented a row boat there and brought a trolling motor, but you could bring your yak.

[A-Jay]

Clearly not a 'Bait Fish', but I'm sort of surprised Crayfish haven't been mentioned.

Routinely found in abundance in these waters,

they are a staple in the diet of many game fish, including bass.

Both green & brown.

'Matching' that hatch simply means fishing low & slow.

Hard to go wrong right there.

A-Jay

[Gera]

3 hours ago, clc48301 said:

I would not completely ignore the match the hatch rule.  Ive had painfully slows days turn around in an instant just by changing color to the local baitfish.  I live in SE Michigan too and I haven't seen alot if shad in the lakes outside of LSC waters.  But there is always small yellow perch, and green sunfish and bluegill.  You can never go wrong with matching those.  A readily available lure is the strike king hack attack in bluegill, add a keitech fat impact 3.8" in perch color and you are off to a great start.  Get some flukes and the spike it markers and mark them up to look more like perch.  If you want an exotic lure the g2 shellcracker by blackdog tears them up post spawn if you fish like a squarebill and bounce it off cover and or waking it on the surface.

   Kent lake is highly pressured lake.  I would try somewhere else.  There is a hidden gem not too far, Maltby lake at the huron medows golf course has 5 lb LM in it.  Everyone who is there is usually panfishing.  I always rented a row boat there and brought a trolling motor, but you could bring your yak.

Hey thanks for the feedback!

I have begun stocking up with perch and blugilll colors, actually the keitech 3.8 in perch gave me one incredible day this summer (that I must admit it was pure luck I used that color) 

 

As for Kent lake I usually go there since its about 10min from my place. also, the fact that is a no wake lake makes it perfect for me that I just started kayaking. As for pressure, yes there is a lot of people fishing there, but what I've seen its that they are mainly targeting pan fish and using bass specific technics I have great success. Dragging worms there really pays off but just don't use a spinner bait as that's what 90% of people that go there use (not that I'm spying)

 

I never seen that G2 shellcracker lure, it looks great, I will pickup one!

 

[Gera]

9 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Clearly not a 'Bait Fish', but I'm sort of surprised Crayfish haven't been mentioned.

Routinely found in abundance in these waters,

they are a staple in the diet of many game fish, including bass.

Both green & brown.

'Matching' that hatch simply means fishing low & slow.

Hard to go wrong right there.

A-Jay

 

True!!, an that is another big hole in my fishing that I will fully pursue next season. This season I used it to get back in the sport so I mainly fished with the lures I used regularly years ago. where I fished as a teenager to my early 20s (sooo I didn't fish much for about 15 years) crayfish population was very limited so baits like jigs are not used much.

 

During the BF sales I purchased all I needed to really concentrate on fishing jigs, as you mention I went for green and brown and research a good amount of time on trailers. I really want to try fishing lures out of my confort zone.

 

Other issue that I'm debating now is on line test, I used braid with leaders on the standard #12 to #15, (#8 on spinning)  but with so much pike here I don't know if I need to use stronger fluoro leaders. 

[A-Jay]

56 minutes ago, Gera said:

Other issue that I'm debating now is on line test, I used braid with leaders on the standard #12 to #15, (#8 on spinning)  but with so much pike here I don't know if I need to use stronger fluoro leaders. 

I fish pike ( and Musky) water too.

Even catch a few.

IME, unless you're going to use wire, toothy critters will bite off anything else.

I do use wire sometimes.

Doesn't seem to stop the bass from biting at all, but it is a little PIA. 

I use this . . .

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

[Gera]

21 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I fish pike ( and Musky) water too.

Even catch a few.

IME, unless you're going to use wire, toothy critters will bite off anything else.

I do use wire sometimes.

Doesn't seem to stop the bass from biting at all, but it is a little PIA. 

I use this . . .

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

 

I guess you're right, it doesn't matter if I go from 15# to 20# fluoro those teeth will still cut trough it and the overall fishing will be sacrificed by the change. I guess I just have to get used to the idea that pike will bite and sometimes keep my lures. 

[clc48301]

Not sure if i was clear, but i was suggesting to use that perch color keitech as a trailer on the spinnerbait, to give it a different look to everyone else's bait.  If you like dragging worms, dragging keitech works great too if you can handle the slow pace.

[Gera]

16 hours ago, clc48301 said:

Not sure if i was clear, but i was suggesting to use that perch color keitech as a trailer on the spinnerbait, to give it a different look to everyone else's bait.  If you like dragging worms, dragging keitech works great too if you can handle the slow pace.

 

yes, I'm already stared stocking perch color keitech, will for sure try them as spinnerbait trailers. what I didn't think of is to drag them on the bottom, that is completely new to me. on the dragging well is not my prefer way but if its a rough day I have no issues on doing it.. sometimes its a great way to take a break during the day.. 

[clc48301]

If you are in weedy areas, drag the keitechs on the owner beast hooks for swimbaits.  Using a regular jig head has higher hookup ratio, if you are in more open areas.  I use a low gear ratio 5:1 to help slow my retrieve down.