This has all been chronicled from here through there, but why not have it all in one place? These thoughts are in large part driven by my readily available pictures, but I can't sit here on this bleak, wet November evening and not conclude that I've enjoyed yet another fine fishing season. I know for a fact that I had my best bass season ever, and I enjoyed lots of stripers during two quick trips to Maine! Trout were entirely absent; but there's only so much time!
March; All of my fishing was on Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids. I started the open water season during the end of pike season, but quickly switched to Catch and Immediate Release bass fishing when I caught a couple of quality bass in very cold water on March 5. I caught a bunch of pike, too, while fishing for pre-spawn largemouths.
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| I'd just missed what I presumed to be The Fish of the Day when felt some heaviness on my Spy-Bait. It turned out to be this fine bass; she was a true harbinger of good things yet to come in 2017. |
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| Spy-baits (top) and jerk-baits (bottom) produced in 2017 from Day 1; and handsomely throughout the colder waters of Spring 2017. |
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| Pre-spawn and spawning pike love this spy-bait! What a way to spend a weekday afternoon! |
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| This bass wasn't 23 inches long, but she was easily over 5 pounds. She was just one of many lunker bass to come aboard Numenon in 2017. |
April; I couldn't go anywhere else, and once again, all my effort was on Reeds. The convenience and quality of Reeds Lake fishing kept me plenty happy. Plus, we'd just sold our home of 20+ years; I was going to miss this gem! I needed to enjoy it while it was still so convenient!
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| My first bass of April was no joke! More success jerking on Reeds Lake! This was a beautiful Sunday morning with friend BL aboard. |
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| When the jerk bite slowed, I expanded my areas by searching for pre-spawn bass with rattle-baits (top) and cranks (bottom.) |
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| My first War Pig rattle-bait fish of 2017 was a real good one. |
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| Just a few casts later, this verified 6-pounder ate the same bait. Within the half hour, War Pig produced a virtual limit of well over 20 pounds of largemouth bass. This wasn't my heaviest limit ever, but it was close; and it certainly came in the shortest time span, and all on the same bait! |
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| This bass anchored another fine virtual limit, but one I had to really work for, and one compiled on a variety of baits. Different days on the water provide an opportunity to learn different lessons. |
May; My Lake St. Clair fever was fueled by my previous experiences there and our move to mid-Michigan. It's only 90 miles away and now within a sane day-trip radius. It's proven to be more difficult to unlock than I expected, but it still has produced good experiences and/or nice catches just about every trip.
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| New job, new work schedule, new water and perhaps The Premiere Fish of 2017; a Master Angler, 6-plus-pound Lake Saint Clair smallmouth. She ate a specifically chosen crank-bait on a pretty tough day. She made the day! |
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| A short move and a few casts later, this tough channel cat smashed a spinnerbait in shallow, muddy water. |
June; This is always a month of transition in Michigan, but by shifting the focus to the clear lakes of Northern Michigan, I prolonged my spring bass fishing enjoyment. I hit several lakes with a couple of buddies, and made a solo trip to Grand Traverse Bay. So much water, so little time! By the end of the month, everything had shifted into summer mode, and any of the easy local fishing was done for a while.
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| BL scored this nice smallie on our inaugural trip to Crystal Lake in Benzie County. |
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| The following day found us on Douglas Lake. Fishing was a bit tougher, but we caught some nice bass. This particular one wasn't the biggest, but she sure was the roundest! |
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| Simple, fun weekday fishing on a new lake with my girls; what else could one want? |
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| Late Spring Beauty |
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| Father's Day brought me a little pup tent, a State Forest Campground and a trip to Traverse Bay. This set me up nicely for another Flex Day fishing trip the next day! |
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| Traverse Bay wasn't easy, but provided a beautiful setting for some nice smallmouths. |
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| When the bass fishing on Lake St. Clair is in a post-spawn funk, why not enjoy some white bass between walleye bites? |
July; If my local fishing suffered, it was only because of holiday travels and time spent in Maine. No complaints from me on this, I spent just about every dawn and dusk on our dock, fishing for mackerel and striped bass. Mackerel (i.e, bait) were locally scarce, but the bass were there in numbers, and I caught them while I could! Returning to sweet water near the end of the month, I continued to catch some nice weekday fish on Reeds Lake. I didn't think I would choose to drive back there just to fish, but I did, several times over the remainder of the season, and I will likely continue to do so.
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| Our dock in Maine has many moods. Every day, every tide is a bit different. |
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| I enjoyed lots of action for some pretty decent stripers on our first trip to Maine for the summer. |
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| I returned to Reeds Lake on another Flex Day and enjoyed some quality deep cranking. |
August; I explored new lake a couple of times, and I shared super nice day on the water and meal with my youngest daughter. Other than that, heat, work and lethargy kept the lid on any local fishing excitement. Fortunately, we returned to Maine for a short visit, and I continued to experience a pretty good bite from the stripers. Mixed in with the schoolies were some pretty decent light-tackle fish, too.
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| M returned from school and summer adventures to share a day in the boat and to catch her first bass in quite a while! |
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| Our second trip to Maine for the summer provided some additional fast action for stripers. This was the biggest of my season. |
September; This can also prove to be a difficult, windy transition month, but in 2017, I experienced the hottest weather, as well as some of the best fishing, of the season. A and I shared a few days on new lakes in Northern Michigan. I enjoyed easy access to some fine, quality water, including a few mornings with Numenon already in the water and ready to go, docked behind our simple rental house! Consistent with 2017's theme, the fishing was never easy, but through a continuous and concerted effort, a few very nice fish came to hand. Returning "home" to Lake St. Clair, I enjoyed a pleasant day searching for new, offshore bass spots. For the first time this season, calm winds allowed me to go anywhere I desired. This trip made me realize how big and varied this water really is.
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| Sunrise on a new lake; what might happen? |
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| It took me quite a while to get my first bite on Lake Bellaire, but it was worth it! Once again, the fishing wasn't easy, but I enjoyed bites from quality fish during my couple of days there. I will be back! |
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| Another quality Lake Bellaire smallmouth; a bit later, I lost my largest bass of the year when it jumped in classic fashion and threw my Senko back at me. |
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| My first and only muskie of the year came under unexpected circumstances; hot temperatures and on a busy, unfamiliar lake with a low muskie population density. But one never knows; one might as well try! |
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| I was drop-shotting for bass, but this beautiful pike made my day on Lake St. Clair! |
October; I succumbed to muskie/Esox fever. I started the month with an hour of deceptively easy and productive high-speed trolling. The remainder of the season turned into a grind. My last bass of the season was another quality Reeds Lake largemouth, as I took advantage of a lull in pike action to try some deep-water blade-baiting in the rapidly cooling water. I will need to do more of that in the future!
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| My season shifted gears as I launched into this first October sunrise. I was targeting Esox with high-speed trolling tactics. |
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| I enjoyed surprisingly good success on October 1. I was looking for muskies, but quality pike kept me busy and happy. |
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| My first choices for high-speed trolling spent a fair amount of time in the water. The Shad Rap (bottom) became a productive staple. |
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| Another Lake St. Clair sunrise; I hit the water filled with optimism, but ended my LSC season with a series of skunks as I continued to pursue pike and muskies. |
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| I'd included a casting rod and my blade baits in case the Reeds Lake pike trolling got too easy. I'm glad I did, this was the nicest fish of the this Flex Day! And I should mention the blue landing net; a winter gift, it reduced my boat side losses to zero and paid for itself in lures not lost. Thanks, A! |
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| Hot Lunch, a 2017-born Numenon tradition on miserable weather days. |
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| Another tough day, but another fine bass. |
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| Big Rubber! I am sure that I have the information to confirm that I am a significantly worse angler when throwing these lures, but they seem to be the consensus approach for Lake St. Clair muskies in the fall. I do think that some day, one of these lures will produce a personal best Esox on Numenon. And I did have that day on LSC where I enjoyed a touch and three additional follows... I'll continue to throw them, I am sure. |
November; The weather has closed in, and with holiday travels and an uncertain forecast beyond next weekend, I have winterized and stored Numenon for the winter. I managed a single November on-the-water session in windy, wet conditions. I interrupted my Big Rubber casting with a couple of quick trolling sets, and the Giant Shallow Shad Rap scored again. It was only another squeaker/keeper-sized pike, but catching this fish was certainly better than closing the series with a set of complete skunks.
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| Not necessarily the specimen I'd hoped to finish my season with, but welcomed aboard anyway. I'm pretty sure I've run out of time; in fact, I just winterized and otherwise put Numenon to sleep for the winter. I'm not happy about that, but I have to admit, I had a good year with her. I look forward to 2018 and beyond; and I'm quite certain that some good things will happen early in 2018. |
What do I have to say about this?
If nothing else, this illustrates that I am a truly fortunate guy in many respects. I already know this, but how often does one stop and actually utter such a sentiment? (Not often enough!) I've got the means, drive and abilities (as well as familial support) to do all this for fun, and my new work situation has probably only enhanced these pursuits. What ever small disappointments I might have about the season (too much time fishing by myself, no personal best muskie to end the season, no international smack-talking photo of an Esox with a Swedish Pig Shad in its maw), these pale in comparison to the therapeutic value of the time invested in this pursuit, the beauty of the sunrises, sunsets and natural settings, the beauty and wonder of the fish themselves, and even the time I've spent reflecting on and valuing these experiences.
So, on to the holidays, and then on to 2018! I expect a fast start and good things! Cheers to all!
