Stress Relief

Well I just finished tabulating the damages from Christmas and I needed a little stress relief exercise so I figured writing about fishing would ease the pain. Well I had a few items on the wish list for santa including a cranking stick, a cranking reel, an assortment of crankbaits, a few spro bronzeye frogs and some fluorocarbon fishing line. Now I understand santa not wanting to damage the fuji guides on a new cranking stick but there is no reason he couldn't deliver on the rest of the goods.

The good news is I did get a BPS gift card so the buying season will officially be under way in a few days. I guess I have no one to blame but myself at Christmas because I am very picky about what gear I'll use and everyone is afraid to buy me the wrong thing. My wife tried a few years back but when she came home with a mister twister gift pack, a spawn bag assortment and a flying lure kit, I think I let her know my disgust.

I have buddies that each year get awsome combos, new electronics and high dollar rain gear but then they have nothing to buy for themselves, where's the fun in that? Well I'd like to hear from others and see if I'm the only one left to fend for myself or if I'm in the majority.

By the way, I will be updating the site here pretty soon so look for that to happen within the next few weeks. I have a new computer and am still learning my way around so be patient. I would also like to start analyzing next years' scheldule in the coming weeks, as well as discussing possible rule changes at the next club meeting.

Dates announced for 2010

With Bill Maurer calling the shots as tournament director this year he did not waste any time taking care of his first order of business. These dates are tenative but unless something big comes up then plan on them. They are as follows:

May 9th Baw Beese

May 23rd Hardy Dam

June 13th Michigan Center

June 19/20 Cadillac and Mitchell

July 18th St. Clair

July 25th Muskegon

August 8th Wamplers

August 22nd Devils

September 12th Lake Ovid

A couple of back to back tournament weekends this year jumped out at me right away. I'm not sure how that will impact the participation but it is a little different from last year when we had decent sized layoffs between events. And the St. Clair - Muskegon weekends being so close will definitely be interesting considering they are vastly different fisheries.

The Hardy Dam event seems like it will be held a week later then we have been there in the past but I think that's due to Memorial Day being late this year, May 31st. They should still be on their beds up there and we may even see a little spawning on Baw Beese the first of the month.

Overall I think Bill did a good job and it is a good start to the 2010 season. I know it seems a long way away but it always seems to sneak up on me anyway. Hope everyone has a good holiday and start thinking about the January meeting which will cover tourney and club rules.

2010 Schedule

After much debate we have a tournament schedule for 2010 set in stone. There is one new lake on the docket and a few we havn't been to in a while. The format is also different than the 09' version in that there will be 10 total events, two being pre-season catch and release, six locals and a two day out of towner. The dates of these tournaments will probably be released sometime in January after the tournament director puts the schedule together but at least we know where we're going. So here are the lakes:

Pre-Season:

Hardy Dam

Baw Beese

Locals:

Michigan Center

St Clair

Devils

Wamplers

Sleepy Hollow

Muskegon

Out of towner:

Cadillac / Mitchell

Lake selection meeting

This coming Thursday will be our normal December meeting and it is traditionally the one in which the lakes for next years tournaments will be selected. This is in my opinion is the best meeting of the year for two reasons. One, it kicks off a new season and gets me looking towards spring already and secondly it actually gives us a good idea of what we are in store for once the open water season actually arrives.

I like to do a lot of map study and do a lot of prep work during the winter months and knowing where we will fish next year makes that a little easier. I'm the type of nerd who will be looking at google-earth maps in February trying to find isolated weedbeds and points on certain lakes that I did not know existed. I'll start researching old fishing forums looking for prevailing patterns for our lakes and I will definitely start buying tackle that fits our schedule.

As far as the schedule goes, I don't want to try and influence anyone but I have my ideas of how I'd like the schedule to look. As well as picking individual lakes, we also set the format of the schedule at this meeting and I would love to see the club go back to 10 tournaments. I felt like I didn't fish that much last year (my wife disagrees) and I would consider two catch and release events as well.

Last year we started with a local pre-season lake and then went the Hardy Dam in May which I thought worked out pretty decent. I like the idea of staying local for an early season tournament because the fishing should be pretty good anywhere so why drive two hours when good fishing exists close to home.

Secondly, there are a few favorites of mine and there is no reason why we can't fish these bodies of water multiple times. Michigan Center for it's close proximity and St. Clair due to the fact that it's only the best lake in the state would qualify for multiple visits. And as far as pre-season lakes, Devils comes to mind because we havn't been there lately, it's close and there should be big smallies on beds that time of year. Seems like an easy decision to me.

I've got a few ideas on out of towners and would love to go to Burt/Mullett again but the BFL is there the second week in June which was when we were there the last time. I'd hate to drive all the way up there and miss the good bed fishing by a week. Wixom is ok but we go there a lot so I would not be dissapointed in a Hamlin Lake, Cadillac/Mitchell or even a fall September Hardy Dam option. Some things to think about I guess which is all I'll have for the next few months. Only 143 days until the opener. Hope to see everyone Thursday and bring your dues.

Buying Season

With the fishing season officially ended for the season many anglers go into a slight depression this time of year until the spring thaw a few months from now. While it is tough to wait, there is no better time to re-stock the ammo for next year so I like to call this period the "buying season". Usually I wait until after the holidays and start taking inventory and making plans for what I need to re-stock and what new things I need. But I have recently found that the holiday season is the time to take advantage of some great deals.

This year is no different for me and when fellow tournament angler Duane Mroczka called with a geat clearance deal, I could hardly pass it up. I am now the proud owner of a 7' 0" MH Fenwick HMG baitcasting rod that will be awsome for spinnerbaiting next year. Merry Christmas to me. I know that I still need a second combo for cranking so I will keep my eyes open. The kids' stockings may just be a little lighter this year.

So when most fishermen are watching old fishing videos and reading articles, I'll be charging up the old visa and getting ready for the first big thaw next spring. It never ceases to amaze me how I stare at my tackle all winter long but when that open water finally hits and I'ts time to pull out the equipment, nothing is ready to go. Well I hope that changes this year and I already have a reel on my new spinnerbait rod. I'm gonna be ready come April.

Banquet a success

The annual awards banquet was held last weekend at Knights Steak House in Jackson and as far as I'm concernced it was a big success. We had about 35 in attendence and everyone had a great time and it solidified the reason why I'm in the club.

All the awards for each tournament and AOY were handed out but there were also a few special ones as well. Kathy Maurer won the Dale Popp award which is a spotsmanship award and Scott Rice won a lifetime achievement plaque for his work over the years in the club. These are prestigious awards and the recipients were very deserving.

The club has a few weeks off but the December meeting will be held on the 10th and we will be picking lakes for next years tournaments so hopefully we'll get a big turnout. I look forward to this meeting every year although it never goes the way I think it should. Hopefully we go back to ten tournaments but that's a discussion for another day.

As far as the fishing I've been out several times lately but only had limited success. The water temps were in the high 40's Wednesday and I did catch about 6 fish including a 3.5 pounder out of Columbia but the bite has definitely slowed. I hate to say it but I may be done for the year. I know the weather is still pretty decent and I vowed to fish as long as the bass were still biting but it was pretty slow the other day. I'll still keep my rods in the boat for a while but it's not looking good is all I can say. I'll post any decent catches if I get out.

Still Fishing

Just wanted to keep everyone posted on local fishing conditions in case a few of you want to get one last outing in before winterizing the boat. I've been out at least once a week all through October and the fishing has been pretty decent of late. Actually, the water temps have warmed up over the past week and I registered 52 degrees yesterday.

I've been getting out on Lake Columbia lately through a good friend of mine who has lake access and it is an awsome lake. Yesterday Dwayne Mroczka and I caught close to 20 fish in a little under three hours with the biggest being over 3 pounds. Most of our fish came on shallow running crankbaits and the majority of the action has been coming in the back end of cuts and channels. I think since these areas are the warmest still and contain most of the baitfish is why these areas are productive.

Columbia does not receive the pressure like the public lakes and it has a little stain to it and seems to fish like a southern impoundment a bit as far as I'm concerned. I've never been on the lake early in the year because it gets pretty busy but it is a great crankbait lake and the fish on average are quite big. Our biggest last year was a 5.6 pounder by my fishing partner Mike Maske but I've heard bigger ones have been taken. I'll continue to fish here as long as my contact lets me so I need to stay on his good side. I've also heard decent reports of bass still being caught on Michigan Center and on Clark but I have a hard time going anywhere but Columbia. I also have an opportunity to fish a small private lake south of town next week that has a reputation for hogs so I will report any big ones.

2009 Classic Results

1) Mark Dereadt 2 fish 3.96lbs
2) Bill Maurer 1 fish 3.85 lbs
3) Roy Albert 2 fish 3.69 lbs
4) Mike Pritchard 2 fish 2.93 lbs
5) Brian Masters 1 fish 2.32 lbs
6) Matt Morgan 1 fish 1.96 lbs
7) Jim Rice 1 fish 1.60 lbs
8) Craig Deck 0 fish
8) Scott Rice 0 fish

Big Bass: Bill Maurer 3.85
Big Bass #2: Mark Dereadt 2.40

Upcoming Events:
The banquet will be November 7th at Knights Steak house and I believe all the forms have been turned in and it looks like we will have a group of about 30 people attending. There are some great prizes that will be raffled like the G. Loomis and Carrott Stix spinning rods, Shimano spinning reels and several other high end rods. There are some great non-fishing items as well and some of the big prints should be popular also. Hope everyone brings some extra money to get in on these great raffle prizes and I hope everyone goes home with a little something.

The December meeting will be here before we know it as well and this is my favorite meeting of the year for obvious reasons. This is when we pick the lakes for next years tournaments so hope everyone is planning on attending. You must be a member to vote so if your 2010 dues aren't paid then this meeting would be a great time to do so. I have a few good ideas I'd like to see for next year and I'm sure I will start my "politicing" at the banquet so be prepared. I will talk more on the lake selections as the meeting draws closer but the wheels are already turning. Hope to see everyone at the banquet.

Dereadt wins "Classic"

Details are a little sketchy but I will pass along the information I have gathered so far. First of all your 2009 Classic Champ is Mark Dereadt who brought two fish to the weigh-in which was quite a feat on a tough fishing day. The weight was unavailable but probably close to four pounds and I believe those fish were caught on back to back casts. "If I wasn't fishing for those five minutes then I would have zereo'd" added Mark who won the Classic for I believe the fourth time.

Some other highlights of the tournament which was held on the Portage Lake chain in Pickney included Bill Maurer catching the big fish of the day. Bills 3.5 lb smallie came on a topwater popper in 48 degree water. A second fish would have won the event for Maurer but he suffered the same fate as all the rest of the field. Lots of big cruising fish, some of which would follow baits to the boat but would not bite was the theme of the day.

I'm not sure if anyone else weighed in multiple fish or not but I do know there were many singles brought in and two members zero'd. More details will follow as they come available. Great job Mark once again.

Club Notes

With the regular season over the club is anything but dormant. The Classic will be held this weekend, the SCMBC banquet is being planned for Nov. 7th and new board members are being nominated. First with the Classic, the site will be determined Sunday morning and results will be reported hopefully that night. As far as the banquet goes, I will be handling the reservations so anyone in the club who is interested in attending please send your money in to me or call me by October 24th if you have yet to do so already.

The board will look quite a bit different next year with Scott Rice and Mike Pritchard stepping up to take spots and Bill Maurer accepting the tournament directors position. This is Bills first shot at weigh-master but I'm sure he will do a great job at his new post. His first course of action will be to direct the lake selection process which will take place at the December club meeting.

There is still open water and I have not put the boat up yet and have actually fished a few "buddy" tournaments lately. Hopefully the weather will warm up a little and turn the bite on. I will post any meaningful catches as well as the Classic results soon.

Classic Date Set

Sunday October, 18th will be the tenative date for this years "Classic" year end championship for the club. This years field will consist of nine anglers, the top nine finishers for the year and they will compete for the club title. Most of the nine are classic repeaters but the two club "rookies" made the tournament in their first try. Matt Morgan finished 7th overall and Craig Deck snuck in as the last automatic qualifier. The anglers will meet that morning and decide which lake will host the event and then drive to it and have a nine boat tourney. With the recent cold weather we've had it will definitely be a fall pattern and should be a good test for the fishermen.

Last years event was held on Wamplers Lake and the classic contenders were greated with temperatures in the high 70's and fishing was a little slow with only one limit coming to the scales. Scott Ferris won that event but we will have a new champion this year. Congradulations to Craig and Matt and to all of the nine qualifiers, you all did a great job this year and I'm jeleous I cannot join you. Results and reports will follow.

Last Big Outing

With the club season over and winter getting closer, lots of guys start putting away the tackle and start heading to the woods. Not this guy, I hope to get a lot of good fishing in during the month of October and hope to post some good results. Fall fishing can be awsome and I've caught some of my biggest fish ever during this period.

This coming weekend will launch my fall fishing season and will also be my last out of town trip of the year. I'm heading to Burt Lake for my annual fall up-north trip, the fourth year in a row for this destination. The weather won't be particularly good but any up-north trip with the fellas is a great time. Just four in the party this year and we'll be staying at the state park in a 12' by 12' mini cabin so it will be tight. But hopefully we'll be on the water most of the weekend and hope to post some good pics when I get back. By the way, my biggest limit during the fall at Burt was two years ago that went just over 24 pounds. I hope to top that and then some.

Jim Jr wins AOY

When I won the Angler of the Year title in 2008, I called everyone I knew to spread the news and even told a few folks I didn't know. But when I asked Jim Rice Jr. about winning this years title and how many AOY jackets he now owned he replied "I'm not sure, I'll have to go to the closet and count them." His laid back attitude hardly resembles one of a fierce competitor but for those who've fished against Jim know otherwise. He is a great fishermen and competitor and that's why he is the 2009 Angler of the Year.

If anyone is counting I personally think this title makes number six but all I know is it's a lot more than anyone else. I was thoroughly impressed by his consistency in 2009, when a lot of anglers were struggling during this weird year, Jimbo caught limits in six of the eight tournaments and won twice. Probably a more impressive stat is on day #2 at Wixom when he brought nearly 15 pounds to the scales, almost doubling anyone elses weight.

I look forward to 2010 and the chance to win my second AOY title but I realize this, as long as Jim is in the club, I will have to earn it and would not be suprised if he puts #7 in the closet. Hopefully I didn't just jinx him but I can use all the help I can get. Great job Jim.

Maurer wins Center

Bill Maurer is a Michigan Center resident and calls Center Lake his "home lake". But he claimed this was the toughest fishing he has ever encountered on the lake and probably only caught about a dozen keepers all summer combined. But Bill put it all together last Sunday, claiming his second win of the year when he dropped 8.89 pounds on the scales to win the clubs' last event of the 2009 season. Here's how it happened:


Bill paired up with fellow club member Brian Masters and he was hoping to put Brian on a few fish to lock up his classic berth. The pair started with topwaters and Bill scored a small keeper with an Iovino Splash It popper but after a while it was obvious the topwater bite wasn't happening. "We decided to go into Round Lake because I can always catch a keeper or two there", added Bill. But as he entered the small lake there were already about 5 club boats fishing it. "After fishing the whole lake with plastics I pulled out a small shallow diving crankbait I always have tied on and believe it or not, I quickly caught two more keepers."


With the bite being as slow as it was, Brian suggested they try Dollar and Alcott Lakes next and after a few hours of small fish, they decided it was time to go under the Napoleon Road bridge and fish Big Alcott. "Brian commented that he's caught some good fish from this lake and after working the whole lake we came up on a small weed clump near a sand point." Maurer pitched his patented Yamamoto grub into the clump and set the hook on the tourneys biggest fish which went 3.37 pounds. Bill then used the grub to fill out his limit a few minutes later and secure his second win on his home lake in two years. "I couldn't believe I caught that many keepers from Center after how bad it was fishing all year", added Maurer. "I think I only caught 10-12 fish all day and I think Brian actually caught more than I did". Masters did qualify for the classic despite being one of several anglers to zero at Center.

Gear Notes: Bill uses spinning tackle, a Shimano Stradic reel spooled with 30 lb braid. His grubs vary in color but are 5" Yamamoto twin tails and he uses an 1/8 oz shakey jig head.

Tourney Notes:
-17 anglers participated at Michigan Center
-13 of the 17 weighed in one or no fish
-2nd big bass went to Roy Albert at 2.82 pounds
-Three limits were caught: Maurer, Roy Albert and Connie Honsinger
-Club newcomers Matt Morgan and Craig Deck nailed down classic berths on Sunday
-Jim Rice Jr. captured another AOY title with Maurer finishing second

Michigan Center Results

1 Bill Maurer 8.89
2 Roy Albert 8.84
3 Connie Honsinger 8.43
4 Jim VanAken 3.35
5 Tim Chapman 2.30
6 Chico Gonzalez 1.90
7 Craig Deck 1.67
8 Scott Rice 1.65
9 Mike Pritchard 1.58
10 Tom Curry 1.45
11 Art Honsinger 0
12 Brian Masters 0
13 Jim Rice 0
14 Matt Morgan 0
15 Mike Maske 0
16 Nick Neves 0
17 Jerry Smith 0

Center Patterns

The final club tournament of the season is this Sunday at Michigan Center and instead of previewing this body of water which the club has already fished this year, I thought I might detail some of my practice experiences to give a little more insight as to what may transpire this weekend. Most of the club members are very familiar with Center and usually several patterns will catch fish. To me, the four main strategies are targeting the slop, fishing the vast flats and stumpfields, fishing the weededges of the several deeper holes in the lake and finally any of the above patterns on one of the other lakes in the chain. I had three days to practice and fished for a few hours each time, exploring a different option each time out. Here's what I found.

The slop: Two weeks ago this would have been my primary pattern, throwing frogs and toads into the slop and pads but with the recent colder weather and the weeds slowly starting to thin out, I was not able to catch many fish doing this. I will not eliminate this pattern but will check it out later in the day on Sunday.

Stump Fields: Center is basically a huge flat with a few deeper holes and getting out in the middle of the lake and covering water is a pretty good approach, especially in the fall. There are several flats with a lot of wood on them and I like to cover water with spinnerbaits, shallow cranks and then a little slower with senkos. But I think the fish are still between a late summer pattern and an early fall one and this has not worked great for me lately. If we get some good wind tourney day which I think we might then this could be the ticket.

Deep edges: There are several deep sections of Michigan Center, the most popular being the School Section and this is where most of the tournaments are won on Center. This is where I had my best luck during practice and I threw senkos, grubs and a drop-shot rig to get my bites. This pattern works great from about post-spawn on but deteriorates as the water cools. I will probably spend a lot of time on this Sunday and let the fish tell me if I should keep doing it.

Other Lakes: This is a big risk/reward scenario with greener patsures and a little less pressure over in Alcott and Wolf Lakes but there is a time investment involved and going there for just an hour or so is not very efficient. I spent significant time on Wolf Lake this week and though I did see a few decent fish cruising, I was not able to identify a good way to catch them and don't believe I will venture over there. There was a time when good stringers came from Wolf Lake but none in recent memory.

Overview: I think we are just a little early for a good fall bite and the fish are in between phases. I don't think many limits will be weighed in and really don't think it will take much more than 9 or 10 pounds to win. The nights have been cold lately and maybe the fishing will turn on by Sunday but it was not that way earlier this week. We will be launching from the 5th St. launch on Michigan Center and fishing from 7-3 this Sunday. The forecast calls for sunny skies and temps around 72. The water temps should be in the low to mid 70's and 15 mph winds are predicted.

Michigan Center Practice

I've heard a few fishing reports concerning Michigan Center lately and I've even been out there a few times myself. With Center being the site of this weekends club tournament, I thought it may be helpful to report what I know. First of all, I havn't caught much at all myself. Water temps are still in the high 70's and I believe the fish are still in late summer patterns. The only decent bites I've had have been in deeper water and with little or no wind on my practice days, the keepers have been few and far between.

The weeds are still quite heavy and there are a lot of floating weeds to deal with as well. There are a few areas that have been treated with weed killers I've heard but overall the majority of the lake looks unaffected.

I have talked to a few club members who have done pretty good recently and I heard one report of a 6 pounder being taken lately so good fish have been showing up but I believe this will be a grind it out for a few keepers kind of tournament with a 4 pounder going a long way. More reports to follow.

Wixom Day #2

Usually bass tournaments are won by the angler who makes the right decisions and adjustments during the couse of the day and that has never been more evident that day #2 at Wixom on August 30th. Jim Rice was that angler who figured it out and nearly doubled his closest competitors weights when he sacked a 14.15 lb limit to win in a landslide. Here's how he dit it:

Rice had a short practice session but was still able to weigh in a limit that tipped the scales at just over 11 pounds on day one to finish 3rd. "It was raining all day and I was able to catch them on the flats", exclaimed Jim who has failed to weigh in a limit in only one event this year. But Sunday brought different conditions with cool temps and bright sun.

"I started near the launch and tried working a weedline in hopes my wife could catch a couple", stated Rice. "I was just throwing a Zara Spook out into 27 feet of water and looked away only to have the 4 pound smallie hit it right at the boat". That smallie was the big fish of the tournament but the rest of the day did not come as easily. "After that I only caught two more keepers until about 1 o'clock in the afternoon and decided I needed to do something different". That something different was to head upriver and focus on isolated cover offering shade.

"I threw to docks, wood, seawalls, anything isolated that was protected from the sun", said Jimbo who pretty much locked up the AOY title with one event left. Rice threw a slew of different baits from senkos to texas rigged soft plastics and even got a few more on the Spook. He ended up catching about 10 keepers with most coming during the last two hours of the event. "That's what I like about Wixom is that you can catch them so many places and doing lot's of different things."

Day two notes:

-14 anglers competed Sunday compared to 17 on Saturday

-Only 2 anglers weiged in limits on day 2

-Sundays win was Jims second win of the season

-Rices big bass was officially 3.97 lbs

Classic Berths

With only one tournament to go, Jim Rice has pretty much wrapped up the Angler of the Year trophy but the berths to the clubs classic will still have a lot of drama. First of all, due to a new rule change this year, the classic berths are based on the average number of competitors for all eight events. 50% of the average club tournament entries will determine the number of classic competitors. To make it simple, we need to have 21 anglers at Michigan Center to give out ten classic invites and any less than 21 will mean only nine get invited.

What does all this mean? Plenty to the six club members who hold spots #8 through #12 seeing only six pounds seperates them. And Jim VanAken is in 13th place but he is very good on Center and is only six pounds from 10th. Of these six mentioned, only two have fished in a classic before adding extra incentive to make it.

So not only will these fishermen (myself included) who are on the bubble be fishing for three classic spots, but it may be shrunk to only two invitations pending the participation. Lots of drama on the last day of the tourney season but I wouldn't want it any other way. Good luck to everyone involved and from the reports I've been hearing, the big fish should show up at the weigh-in making it that much more interesting.

Scott Wins Again

After being DQ'd for showing up late to the weigh-in at the Hardy Dam tournament, Scott Rice knew his chances of winning the Angler of the Year title were done. Most guys would have thrown in the towel on the season but all Scott did was win three out of the next four club events including day one at Wixom last Saturday. Here's how he did it.

Practice: When the current stops flowing at Wixom, the water will rise and coupled with heavy rains on Thursday Scott figured the higher water would drive the fish shallow. "I caught fish in two to three foot of water on topwaters and crankbaits on Friday and thought that would be the pattern for Saturday" claimed Rice. "The fish were not eating the baits very good, just nosing them but that was fine for practice."

Tourney Day: As the tournament unfolded, Scotts shallow pattern did not hold up and he decided that a change was needed. "I just moved out a little deeper on the edge and started catching fish again". Rice re-connected with his fish by throwing a wacky-rigged senko bait and caught eight keepers and culled up to 11.71 pounds by the end of the day. "You would think with the rising water that the fish would stay shallow but it was just the opposite", exclaimed Rice whos limit was anchored by a 3.02 pounder. He claimed that the bite was a little slow and he didn't catch a ton of fish but his was the biggest limit of the six that were brought to the scales Saturday. He fished the edge of a big weed flat near the Dams, a community spot he thought but none of the other anglers were able to adjust as quickly as he did and that was the key to his win.

Gear: Scott uses spinning gear to fish his cinnamon colored senkos. He wacky-rigs the worms and uses a split ring to hold the hook in place. He fishes this rig on 12 pound Berkley Big Game mono spooled onto Shimano reels.

Tourney Notes:

-There were six limits weighed-in out of 17 fishermen.

-Bill Maurer had the events big fish at 3.48 pounds

-Jim Rice weighed in his 5th limit of the year in 6 events.

Wixom Day #2

1 Jim Rice 14.15
2 Bill Maurer 8.48
3 Paul Spooner 8.34
4 Scott Rice 8.05
5 Roy Albert 7.43
6 Mike Pritchard 6.56
7 Mark Dereadt 5.41
8 Connie Honsinger 4.73
9 Tim Chapman 4.67
10 Steve Hartley 3.12
11 Brian Masters 1.45
12 Art Honsinger 0
12 Tom Curry 0
12 Trish Rice 0

Wixom Day #1

1 Scott Rice 11.71
2 Mike Pritchard 11.25
3 Jim Rice 11.17
4 Bill Maurer 10.81
5 Brian Masters 9.66
6 Mark Dereadt 9.64
7 Paul Spooner 8.06
8 Terry Johnson 6.39
9 Tim Chapman 6.11
10 Art Honsinger 5.71
11 Connie Honsinger 3.03
12 Steve Hartley 2.95
13 Trish Rice 1.95
14 Roy Albert 1.75
15 Matt Morgan 1.72
16 Tom Curry 1.33
17 Charles Morgan 0

Wixom Preview

It's been two years since the club has visited Wixom but it has long been a favorite out-of-town destination for the SCMBCers and for good reason. The lake where the Tobacco and Tittabawassee rivers meet offers some terrific fishing at times and is a great stage for determining the AOY and Classic qualifiers as the season winds to a close.

Wixom is approx 1980 acres and is a river system located near in Gladwin county near Edenville. It has both largemouth and smallmouth swimming in it's waters and the water has a slight copper tint to it. There is every possible type of water available to fish from points and weedlines to rock and wood. The upper reaches of the rivers has quite a bit more color to it and contains much more wood and slop as opposed to the clearer water down by the dams.

As with most river systems, Wixom fish rely heavily on current and when water is moving the fishing can be downright awsome. "You can go anywhere when the current is moving and smoke em' but most of the time they stop pulling water on the weekends", says club member Scott Rice. "As the weekend progresses, the water slows down and rises, scattering the fish and making them much harder to pinpoint".

Patterns range widely from throwing tubes to some of the rocky areas for smallies, finessing the weed flats with senkos or targeting the murkier upriver wood for bigger fish. Most of these tactics will work earlier in the weekend but as the water slows, adjustments will have to be made. Add to the equation the colder temps with rain also in the forecast and the club anglers will have a lot to digest. Most of the bigger weights will come on Saturday and it will probably take from 11-13 pounds to win usually with 9 or 10 pounds winning on Sunday.

Most of the club members will be camping near Edenville and there will be a club cookout following Saturdays weigh-in. It is always an intriguing event and and one we hope will have a big turnout. And with all the variables this weekend the folks who make the biggest adjustments will do well. I will not be attending the event myself due to family obligations (aren't there always obligations?) but will hopefully have all the results posted by Monday.

Wixom up next

It seems like it has been a while since the club last fished a tournament but finally we will tee it up again at Wixom this weekend. The format will consist of two seperate one day tournaments, one Saturday and one Sunday. I will detail this body of water more extensively later in the week but I just wanted to break down this river system a little bit before everyone starts pre-fishing.

This lake has been an out of town favorite ever since I've been in the club and for various reasons. First it has numerous campgrounds and sets up well in that aspect since most of the club will stay overnight. Secondly, the fishing is always pretty good and it is one of the few places around where you can catch a double digit limit during the middle of summer. It is a good fishery for panfish and walleye as well and it is also unique in that parts of the system will fish like a river and larger portions still fish like a natural lake.

One more characteristic that makes this lake very intruguing is the pre-fishing stories that undoubtably will be shared this week. I'm not sure if it's the current that is present during the week or what but the practice rounds are usually legendary. I myself found this to be true two years back when on a weekday I caught a limit of largemouth that probably pushed 16 pounds and I left them biting. Of course I struggled and never caught my five on tournament day but that is very common up there. It should be fun and I'll talk more about the fishing later on in the week. Hope we have a good turnout.

August Meeting

The club had our August meeting the other day and to say the least it was a small turnout. The President and Treasurer were both on vacations and the VP and Federation Contact were busy with work related items so I was the only board member present. So with one board member and two regular members we had a total of 3 people at the meeting. So we sat there for 25 minutes and talked fishing and as I drove home it dawned on me that It was not a waste of time and that I really had a pretty good time just sitting there talking about the thing I like talking about the most, catching fish.

Mike Pritchard is a longtime member and one of the 3 at the meeting the other night and he mentioned that this is what the meetings used to be like years ago and it would be nice to incorporate some "fishing talk" back into our meetings instead of business and money all the time. I thought it was a great idea and as the tournament director I should take the lead and try and get helpful fishing info discussed at these monthly get togethers and I will make it a point from now on to do so.

I can still remember about 12 years ago when I went to my first club meeting and hardly knew anyone. It was in the dead of winter and I was very excited to go and discuss how to catch more fish from some of the best fishermen in Jackson. I walked into the meeting and took a seat and prepared myself for all of the knowledge that I knew was about to gain and to my dissapointment listened to folks argue about money for the next 45 minutes. What a downer that was. So all we can do is try and hopefully at the September meeting the anglers who did well at Wixom will pass along a few tidbits and possibly a few GPS coordinates.

It's frog time

Well it's official, the dog days of summer are here and usually the tournament weights plummet accordingly. Our last event on Belleville saw only 10 fish being brought to the scales and it reminded me of the 2008 event on Coldwaters Randall chain when only 7 fish were weighed in.

Warm weather usually drives the fish deep or makes

them look for heavy cover such as pads or matted

vegetation. The club will visit Wixom lake in a few

weeks and these are likely where a lot of the fish will be located. Patterns that work this time of year include dock fishing, finessing deep weedlines with senkos or fishing deeper structure. Since most of Michigans natural lakes are devoid of this type of deep cover, most folks fish weightless senkos around deeper weedbeds which can make for a long day. Yeah this pattern will catch fish but I've discovered something that is much more exciting, frog fishing. Many pros have begun to win tournaments on these topwater tactics, enough so that I decided to take only my frog rod to the lake last week and see what all the talk is about.

I launched my boat around 3pm on a hot weeknight and checked the water temps to be close to 80 degrees, about as hot as it will get all year. The wind was blowing good but as I ventured into a "slop bay" the waves didn't seem to exist. I threw a Spro Bronzeye Frog in natural green and began just pulling it through the pads until I hit an opening and then let it set for a few seconds. I was suprised when after only about 1o minutes did I get my first hit, just a slight sucking strike but I set the hook on a 2.5 pounder and I was hooked as a frog fisherman.

I proceded to get about 14 bites for the 3 hours I fished and only caught 5 but 3 were keepers and one was a giant that went 5.4 pounds on my digital scales, my second biggest fish ever. You havn't lived until a five pounder blows up on a frog in deep slop. But for all the success I had that first frog night, there is a lot of frustration involved in this type of fishing. First off, bites do not come frequently and your mind starts to wander. That's why I missed several fish that night, not being ready. Secondly as I demonstrated, you will miss the majority of the hits no matter how cool your nerves are.

But on the positive side, most of the fish that bite will be decent ones and you never have to worry about a lot of boat traffic back in the jungle. I have also discovered a few tricks in this type of fishing in my short frog career. The farther into the slop you go, the better. I believe these fish see very few lures during the season and they may stay there year round. You will also be amazed at how many fish will give away their locations. You can usually hear panfish sucking flies off the pads but bass will make this sound as well. I also actually saw disturbances in the water and threw to it to catch fish so pay attention. And most of your strikes will not be the toilet bowl flushing variety, rather a subtle sucking bite, just as my five pounder did.

My gear is very important when getting back in the weeds as you might expect. I use a 6 1/2 foot heavy action rod with a soft tip and I use the Spro Bronzeye Frog jr. with 30 lb power pro braided line. This is a must and you can probably go heavier. Finally, throw to everything, pads, floating mats, and get ready to go in and get the fish once it's hooked because it is hard to pull a 3 pounder wrapped with 5 pounds of weeds to the boat. By the way, I decided to try my frog fishing on a busy weekend this past Saturday and even though two tournaments were being held on an already busy lake, I managed two good keepers in about 3 hours fishing along with about 10 swing and misses. My new hobby still needs some work but I'm looking forward to trying it for a whole day in a club tourney. More froggin' reports to follow.

My Day on Belleville

I like reporting how everyone did during each individual tournament but I havn't really discussed how I approached each event. Probably because I havn't finished very high but I love reading how the pros prepare for tournaments and I thought I could pass along how I prepared for Belleville. Not that I'm a pro by any stretch of the imagination, but it's interesting how guys fish differently and maybe I did something that worked that may help someone else later in the year.

Practice: I only had one day to practice on Belleville but what I wanted to do was to target largemouth mainly because I thought they would be more predictable. But I also thought I could hit a quick smallmouth early in the day tournament morning before I honkered down with the largies. I decided since Belleville was a river system, I would concentrate on the areas where the main river channel swung close to shore and where there was also rip rap present. I found several of these areas and caught fish on topwaters and crankbaits. Nothing big but I did get 3 keeper bites so I thought I had my early morning spots dialed in. I then went to the far west end of the lake where there is more weeds and flats and after getting a couple bites on a frog, I figured I would fish the west end slop for largemouth. Great plan.

Tourney Day: I had a boating partner, Craig Deck, fish with me on tournament day and I let him know we'd run and gun a few spots early for smallies and then lethargically fish the pads for largemouth for the remainder of the day. My plan was off and running as spot one was a point that contained rock and had the main river channel sweeping close to it. I caught two 13 3/4" smallies on a topwater and lost three that all may have kept. I also caught several smaller fish, mostly on the cranks but failed to boat a keeper. As luck would have it, Craig was also getting bites but he was able to land a small keeper on a crankbait so at least he was on the board.

I ran to several more of my early morning spots and kept getting bites but still wasn't able to land my first keeper. As the bite slowed I decided to fish a small piece of structure I found in practice down by one of the bridges in about 15 fow but never got bit. Time for the largemouth stuff. Unfortunately, there was another tournament fishing Belleville this day so as I went to the west end to fish the few pad fields that there were I encountered lots of boats that had the same idea. I then decided to change gears a little and flip some of the wood and laydowns located at the backs of the bays but only landed one small fish after about an hour.

With the pad fields crowded I fished the weediest, gangliest slop I could find and got in there real deep but only Craig had a hit on a frog and I was still fishless. At 12:30 now it was time to scramble. I decided to head up river as far as we could and try and find some matted vegetation to fish our frogs but could find nothing of the sort. Only one thing to do, go back and crank our smallmouth stuff but we only had a few bites and our boat brought one whole fish to the weigh-in. This was the first tournament I had zero'd in in five years and I was very frustrated. Craigs fish weighed in at 1.29 pounds, good for 6th place and one of only 6 guys to weigh in anything.

Summary: I liked my gameplan and the smallmouth were biting but I just couldn't land a keeper. My biggest mistake I believe was not targeting the largemouth but the way I approached them. There are not many weeds on Belleville and even fewer pad fields. But the wood is plentiful and even though I could not get many bites on it in practice, I believe the laydowns were the primary cover and I should have tried to develop some sort of wood strategy. I didn't think Senkos would be a good bait in the dirty water but all the top finishers were throwing it so I guess not throwing it was another big blunder. If we were to go there again I think I would try and expand on my early morning smallmouth crankbait bite and then flip jigs and senkos around all the wood until my arms fell off. But I learned a few things and that's what the club is all about so I'll be ready next time.

VanAken wins Belleville

When Belleville Lake was put on the schedule it was determined that a river fishery such as this would fish a little easier in the dog days of summer than some of the lakes that were on this years lineup. But the August 2nd event was anything but easy, maybe one of the toughest bites the club has ever encountered in which only 6 anglers weighed in fish. But the brutal conditions didn't phase Jim VanAnken as he pulled out his first club victory after coming close several times in the past.

Jim had never been on Belleville before but he is highly confident in throwing a texas rigged weightless senko. His home lake is Michigan Center and he has perfected the senko technique there and it can be deadly when the bite is tough. "I threw the senko to anything I could, rafts, laydowns weeds, anything" commented VanAken when describing his fishing day. "I probably only caught 7 to 10 fish during the day but got the bigger bites". Jim caught the big bass of the tournament at 3.33 pounds under a willow tree on the purple senko and added a 1.73 lb smallie under a dock to accumulate his winning 5.06 pound weight. Jim had also caught the second big bass a few weeks earlier at St. Clair and brought a 3 1/2 pounder to the scales at Goguac so he definitely has the bigger fish dialed in. "My partner couldn't believe there was a fish under the willow tree and it was tough getting him out but that ended up being my big fish of the day."

With the win, VanAken climbed into the top ten in the AOY race and has him looking good for his first classic appearance. Also making a move up the leaderboard was Jim Rice Jr. who came in second by also throwing a senko to the few visible weeds at Belleville. Jim Jr. brought in a tournament best 3 fish to the scales for 4.72 lbs and set him atop the Angler of the Year list by 6 pounds over Mark Dereadt. It was the first time Rice had not weighed in a limit all year.

VanAkens gear: Jim throws his senko on spinning gear spooled with 10 pound Cajun Red monofiliment and a 3/0 Gamakatsu off-set worm hook. He throws Yamamoto senko at times but also pours his own. The best bait at Belleville was a purple 6 inch senko.

Belleville Results

1) Jim VanAken 5.06
2) Jim Rice 4.72
3) Art Honsinger 3.20
4) Patty Rice 3.03
5) Connie Honsinger 2.19
6) Craig Deck 1.26
7) Jerry Smith 0
7) Tom Curry 0
7) Mark Dereadt 0
7) Brian Masters 0
7) Scott Rice 0
7) Rich Rice 0
7) Bill Maurer 0
7) Tim Chapman 0

First Big Bass: Jim VanAken 3.33 lbs
Second Big Bass: Connie Honsinger 2.19 lbs

Belleville Practice

With the dog days of summer upon us, fishing can get tough and that is exactly what I encountered yesterday on Belleville Lake. River systems can offer decent fishing even in the middle of summer because of the current generally running through the stystem and that is why the club is visiting Belleville and Wixom in August. But the current was not very noticeable when I was practicing and the fishing was extremely tough.

The water was 75 degrees and current was not very evident. The water is dark, probably only 3 foot visibility at best. There are not a lot of flats which is where I usually like to start my practices so I just put the trolling motor down and covered water. There is a lot of rip rap and most banks drop quickly into deeper water and weeds were definitely at a premium. I decided to throw crankbaits, topwaters and a football jig and cover lots of water, hoping to find a smallmouth pattern. I caught several small brown fish on the crank early but nothing of any size. I shifted gears to largemouth and did not find much of anything worth noting.

All told, I had about a dozen bites and caught 8-10 fish with only two being legal. The bite was very slow and I may need to shift gears again on Sunday. The body of water is very intriguing and it is different than anything we normally fish which is cool, but it will definitely be a challenge. A few pre-fishing reports have trickled to me and a few guys have caught them so I still think limits are a possiblity but it won't be easy.

As far as the launch goes, I exited at Belleville Rd and went south about 1.5 miles and then made a left on Huron River at the police station. The launch is about 1/2 mile from there and it is a pretty good site. Hope to have a good turnout and I'll see everyone there.

Belleville Lake Preview

Name: Belleville Lake, Ypsilanti, MI
Type: Impoundment on the Huron River system
Size: 1270 acres
Clarity: Stained with average clarity about 3 feet
Structure: Points, flats with lots of gravel and a river channel that runs the length of the lake
Cover: Weeds (bulrush), stumps, docks and laydowns
Weather: Forecast calls for 80 degrees and partly sunny. Slight chance of t-storms.
Projected winning weight: Probably around 8-9 pounds.


Belleville Lake is located near Ypsilanti and is a riverine system containing both smallmouth and largemouth. It has a maximum depth of 29 feet and contains many types of fishing options such as rip-rap, islands, seawalls, roadbeds and old foundations. It is known as a decent largemouth lake but smallies do show up at weigh-ins. The east end is the downriver portion of the lake, closest to the dam and contains most of the gravel and rock. As you head upriver the lake becomes shallower and weedier and that is where most of the wood is located.


Since the club has not been to Belleville in 20 years, most of the members will be seeing it for the first time. The members will be confronted with many challenges such as to target the more dependable largemouth on the west end or go after the smallmouth on the rockier and deeper east end. Current is a big factor on river systems but many times water is not pulled on weekends making fishing that much tougher. The low water clarity should also be factored in as most of our tournament lakes are clear and weedy. Crankbaits may come into play as could flipping and frog fishing.


Due to the close proximity to I-94 and the Metro area, this lake receives lots of pressure and those who have fished it say it will fish tough. Bringing in a small limit could very well take home first place. The event will be this sunday from 7am to 3pm and will go out of the Mayberry State Park area located on Huron River Dr., halfway between Haggerty Rd. and Belleville Rd. Thunderstorms are in the forecast for the weekend which could also add to the drama.


I will be pre-fishing the lake later on in the week and will detail all of my findings. The race for the classic and AOY are becoming interesting so this should be an intriguing event.

Belleville up next

Both of the chapters of the SCMBC will be back in action next weekend over at Belleville Lake near Ypsilanti. The Junior club will host it's event there Saturday and is in need of boats so if anyone is interested, please contact Scott Rice for more information. This would be a great chance to help the kids and pre-fish for Sundays event as well.

Speaking of the senior club, we will hold a club event there for the first time in over 15 years. Belleville is a 1270 acre impoundment on the Huron River located near Ypsilanti. I will detail this event later in the week but have already begun receiving information concerning this body of water and it sounds as if it will fish tough. This was probably to be expected in the middle of summer, especially when you consider it's proximity to a major city and I-94 which makes fishing pressure a major issue.

The launch is located on Huron River Drive about 2 miles west of Haggerty. It can be reached by traveling east off of Belleville rd.

The Club from a Rookie Perspective

Let me start by saying... The Southcentral Michigan Basscasters have been around for quite a while. As we hit the half way point in the season, I would like to address everything I have noticed about the club, and maybe a few things that I think could make it better without severely changing the traditions and history that makes the club what it is.

First of all, everyone who is in the club are great people. I mean this from the bottom of my heart. For example, the first tournament I fished as a club member I will remember forever. I pulled up to the ramp at Center and immediately as I exited my vehicle, Phil asked if he could help me with my cover. Now, coming from fishing NBAA and many open tournaments, it came to me as a shock when someone immediately offered me assistance with something. That has never happened in all 15 years of fishing tournaments. Thanks Phil!!!

Secondly, at Hardy I had the opportunity to hang out with a few club veterans who all told me where they catch them and what to look for on the lake since neither Craig or I have fished it before. The cool thing was that I believed all of them. Rarely do you get the feeling that people are telling the truth about their fishing spots. I could tell that these guys were sincere and only wanted Craig and I to have the same great experience they were going to have.

Lastly, everyone knows how to fish!!! Now don't get me wrong, I knew that coming in. But what I didn't realize was that I would get that same adrenaline rush fishing against 20 good fisherman as opposed to 100 that you don't know.

Now for the hard part, please don't take this the wrong way. A few things I would change.

First of all, I would make the open tournaments part of the normal club schedule. I find it unfortunate that not every club member does not attend, and fish the opens. Maybe the points for angler of the year would be half the total weight for those tournaments, or maybe 2/3's. I don't think we are giving a true representation of what the club is about when we have an open, and only half the members are their. I think also that we need to push memberships at the opens and maybe as a door prize, give away a years membership or two.

Secondly, I feel that perhaps we need to push for a tournament or two to be con-joined with a club from a neighboring county like Lansing or something. The two clubs would compete against each other, as well as individually. It would create more fun, If we win, and it would give everyone the opportunity to break the monotany and fish against different people. It would also be alluring to new members as something that other clubs don't do.

Lastly, I would love to see one draw tournament to force people to fish with someone else. No reason... I would just like to see it :)

In closing, my experience so far has been great. I hope everyone has enjoyed the company of both Craig and I!!! I do plan on many great years with the club, and one day fishing with my 4 year old son Spencer. Attached is a picture of a giant blue gill he caught from the drive way last week.

Sincerely Matt Morgan

Jerry's on another vacation

Back to Back for Rice

It's not that often that someone wins two events in a year in the club but to win on back to back events is special and that's just what Scott Rice did when he won last Sunday on Lake St. Clair. Scott not only weighed in 15.73 pounds of smallmouth but he also put his co-angler (and son) Rich Rice on a limit that exceeded 12 pounds, good for third place. Here's how it happened:

Scott ran way down into Canadian water near Mitchells Bay to an old favorite spot his dad, Jim Rice Sr. had won a tournament on a few years ago and hoped to connect there. He came up empty but his son Rich started catching fish. The same goes for spot number two which was also located in Canadian water and pretty soon Rich was culling. "I didn't catch a fish until about 11:15 and by then Rich already had five", exclaimed Scott but after making a third move north up the Canadian shoreline, he went to work. "I was fishing a rock and weed mix in about 5-7 foot of water. Any deeper and all you caught were small fish. I didn't catch a lot of fish but I got some bigger bites." Scott was fishing a brown/cinnamon grub while Rich was throwing tubes, both on spinning gear spooled with 12 pound Berkley Big Game mono.

The victory for Rice was his second of the year and vaulted him back into the top ten for the AOY race. It also marked the 5th win for him in the last 14 club tournaments dating back to last year.

- Jim Rice caught a limit in his fourth straight event
- Scott Rice had big bass at 4.48 lbs and Jim VanAken had second at 4.08lbs.
- 8 of the 19 fishermen weighed in limits

LSC Results

1 Scott Rice 15.73

2 Jim Rice 14.70

3 Rich Rice 12.19

4 Bill Maurer 11.55

5 Jerry Smith 10.50

6 Craig Deck 9.55
7 Patricia Rice 9.39
8 Matt Morgan 9.23
9 Mark Dereadt 8.92
10 Jay Dereadt 8.80
11 Brian Masters 5.60
12 Tim Chapman 5.41
13 Roy Albert 5.14
14 Jim VanAken 4.08
15 Tom Curry 1.75
16 Kathy Maurer 0
16 Mike Pritchard 0
16 Tanya Pritchard 0

16 Mike Maske 0

Weekend weather

The updated weather forecast for Sundays tournament doesn't look as bad as originally forecasted. Highs will be close to 80 degrees with winds being westerly from 8-14 mph. The original forecast called for 12-20 mph winds which would have made for a difficult day but it looks as if the weather will not be an issue. The NBAA circuit had a 40 boat tournament out of St. Clair today and the bite was pretty good but finding the bigger fish was an issue. It only took 18 pounds to win and lots of limits in the 12-15 pound range. Quantity was not an issue with lots of 2 pound fish being caught but the bigger fish were few and far between. Look for lots of limits tomorrow but finding kicker fish will be the challenge.

Lake St. Clair preview

Matt Morgan hopes to get 5 of these Sunday

This Sunday is the clubs annual event on Lake St. Clair and it is a favorite of everyones for good reason. LSC is considered by many to be the finest smallmouth fishery for both size and numbers in the country. It measures over a million acres and connects the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers. The lake has fished a little tougher this year but it is still a fish factory and 15+ pounds is usually required to win the club event.

St. Clair is very diverse with the northern part resembling a huge sand flat with scattered weedbeds. There is a lot of current present, especially near the river mouths and the channels. The farther south you go the more rock that you will see, not tons but scattered boulders and gravel. The Canadian side of the lake gets the least amount of pressure and has a multitude of options available and this is where a lot of the huge weights are caught during big events.

Patterns: Yes dragging tubes is a great technique for LSC but you can't just launch the boat and start dragging. There is a lot of water and the fish may seem like they're everywhere but they're not. Locating irregularities such as slight drops, weedbeds and rockpiles are the key. Plastics are not the only way to catch the smallies either. The FLW tournament held here last year saw many high finishers throwing jerkbaits and crankbaits to locate active fish. Spinnerbaits will work as well and drop-shotting is also a great way to catch pressured fish. These smallies will feed on crawfish, small perch and the ever present gobies so matching the hatch is important. The mayflies may also be an issue so topwaters could come into play.

Factors

Run or stay close: There is a lot of water and the grass is always greener somewhere else so this will be a big decision for many of the club members. The Canadian side is intriguing and the mile road section is a great option. But with big boat rides come big risks like time lost fishing and the drive back from a far off location can be downright dangerous on this big lake. Remember, the last two club tournaments on St. Clair have been won within 5 minutes of the launch ramp.

Weather: As with any big water the weather must be considered when deciding where to fish. Big winds can come up in a hurry and make the ride back to the weigh in an adventure and it can also muddy up quality fishing areas. The clear water is the key to the sight oriented smallmouth so a few days of high winds can change things greatly. The water temps have been as high as 74 already this year but a recent cold front knocked the temps back into the high 60's recently so the fish may still be recovering from that although higher temps are predicted for Sunday.

Pressure: Lots of tournaments are held each week on this lake but it seems to bounce back quickly. There is a NBAA event going out of the Harley launch Saturday that will feature close to 100 anglers so that may also be a consideration whether to stick close or find less pressured fish. The mile roads seems like a popular destination for local club events but it can seem like bumper boats down there on a busy weekend.

Ones to Watch

Jim Rice Jr.: He has extensive experience on this lake and is a threat every tournament.

Scott Rice: He won the last club event and has a score to settle with St. Clair when a poor finish last year cost him the AOY title.

Mark Dereadt: The current AOY leader has a lot of momentum and is solid on St. Clair.

Matt Morgan: He's new to the club but not the LSC smallies. Matt has probably the most experience on this lake of anyone in the club and is a serious threat.

Mike Maske: A spinnerbait guru who always seems to do well here including a win on St. Clair in 2008.

LSC practice 7/3

I got out on St. Clair yesterday for my official practice day and it didn't go so well. The water temps had dropped 5 degrees from last weekend, the mayflies were still present and of course the wind was howling. Not great conditions to pre-fish a 450 mile lake but that was my day to go so Mike Maske and I still fished for about 6 hours. We ended up catching about 20 fish but nothing over 2.5 pounds. We both also hooked and lost big muskies up in anchor bay.

We fished water from 5-12 foot deep and just could not get into anything real consistent. Normally I like to get 5-6 different weedbeds marked and just rotate them during the tournament, making a "milk run". But with the big winds I've encountered this year, I havn't been able to locate very many new areas and my old ones don't seem to be producing yet. I may have to lower my expectations for next week but it's still St. Clair and anyone can catch 17-20 pounds in a hurry so I know it can still happen. I may get out one more time before the event next Sunday and I'll report my findings if I do.

State of St. Clair

With a little less then two weeks before the St. Clair event it's a little early to start previewing the tournament but I'd like to keep up on what's happening on the lake. LSC will mark the halfway point of the season and it will probably factor heavily in who wins AOY and who will quailify for the Classic. The Detroit River Open was held Fathers Day weekend and only 3 teams out of 89 weighed in over 20 pounds. It only took about 16 pounds to cash a check and that may sound like a lot but by St. Clair standards it is light. Guys were complaining of colder water, lack of weeds and small fish. Many also reported losing fish on hardbaits which is probably a symptom of the fish not biting aggressively.

I was on the water Sunday the 28th and found a lot of what was rumored to be true. Many of my good June spots were devoid of weeds and fish. Water temps were just into the low 70's and the water was not super clear. We also caught small fish but not tons of them. But we did manage to catch a few good ones and even a couple over 4 pounds so good fish are catchable. I will probably get back up there this upcoming weekend and reports will follow.

BASS DESTINATIONS

With a few weeks until the next club event, I had a little time to investigate some "exotic" Bass locations throughout the mid-west. My brother lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota so I packed up the family fathers day weekend and headed west to spend some time with relatives and explore the bass fishing. Minnesota is unbelievable with the number of lakes and rivers that are present but we decided on Mille Lacs which many consider the best inland walleye lake in the world.

Mille Lacs is located about 90 miles north of Minneapolis and it's huge, about 130,000 acres. It is was formed during the last ice age and has characteristics of many canadian shield lakes with it's clear waters and rocky makeup. But with its immense size and dozens of islands, reefs and points, it seemed pretty intimidating. After a little map study we picked a good starting spot and it took about 2 hours before we figured out how to catch the smallmouth but when we did it was nothing short of awsome.

The key was finding big boulders in a little deeper water, off of the rock reefs and islands, and that's where most of the fish were hanging out. Water temps were around 64 and I believe most of the fish were on beds next to the boulders. We were able to duplicate this pattern pretty much anywhere we went as long as the boulders were present. We ended up catching approximately 25-30 smallmouth and 90 percent of the fish were 3 pounds or better. Nothing giant, I think the biggest was 3.9 but it was amazing how few small fish we caught. Mille Lacs is catch and release only for bass with one fish over 21" allowed for harvest per day. We caught fish on anything we wanted to as long as we were in the right areas. The highlight of the day was when I had four bites on four consecutive casts with a topwater. So if anyone is in the great state of Minnesota and wants to catch 3 pound smallmouth all day long, give me a call and I can set you up with gps coordinates for Mille Lacs. This will become an annual trip for me.

Rice wins Goguac

Bedding largemouth in the middle of June? It sounds crazy but that's exactly what the club members found last Sunday at the Goguac event. Most of the anglers never expected to find spawning fish and with calm sunny conditions, that's exactly what they found. Most were suprised by this discovery and tried to switch gears during the tournament, but Scott Rice targeted bedders right from the get-go and his decision earned him his first win of the season. Here's how it happend:

After a bad tournament at Michigan Center and a DQ at Hardy Dam, Scott had a lot of ground to make up for a classic spot. As luck would have it, he decided to fish with Mike Pritchard who had pre-fished Friday before the event. Mike discovered that largemouth were still on beds and relayed this info to Scott the morning of the tournament. The pair decided to target bedding largemouth first thing in the morning under low light conditions which made catching the leary fish a little easier. "After the sun got high, the fish were very difficult to catch but earlier they were much easier", said Rice. "Later in the day we had to drop a buoy and make long casts much like at Hardy Dam". When the winds died later in the morning the fish were visible to most of the other club members but by then it was almost too late. "It took up to an hour to make the fish bite once they saw you", commented Rice who also caught the big bass of the event at 3.82 pounds. Scott threw mostly a yamamoto grub at the bedding fish and although he did not catch a limit, his four fish weighed almost 11 pounds and jumped him right back into classic contention.

Gear Notes: Scott used spinning tackle, shimano reels spooled with florourcarbon line and a cinnamon/brown grub with a 1/4 oz jighead.

Tourney Facts:
-Only 2 anglers had limits, Jim Rice (4th) and Art Honsinger (2nd)
-Tim Chapman had 2nd big bass at 3.75 pounds
-Mark Dereadt had his 3rd top five finish of the year and leads they AOY race
-Jim Rice Jr. has caught a limit in all 3 events of the year
-There were 18 entries at Goguac and 12 boats

Goguac results

Scott Rice 10.81

Art Honsinger 10.08
Mark Dereadt 9.18
Jim Rice 8.76
Brian Masters 8.10

Jerry Smith 6.35

Mike Pritchard 6.04
Bill Maurer 5.97
Tom Curry 5.71
Roy Albert 5.31
Jim Vanaken 5.11
Matt Morgan 4.02
Craig Deck 4.00
Tim Chapman 3.85
Patricia Rice 2.27
Connie Honsinger 1.35
Kathy Maurer 0.00
Randy Vira 0.00

Goguac Preview

Name: Goguac
Type: Natural Lake
Size: About 350 acres
Clarity: Mostly clear water, visibility to 10 ft
Structure: Three islands, lots of good points, a few flats, ledges
Cover: Several types of weed available, some pads, lots of docks
Water temp: 70-74
Phase: Mostly post-spawn
Projected winning weight: 11 pounds

Lake Goguac is located in downtown Battle Creek and has not been a club stop since I have been a member, about 10 years. Most of the club will be fishing this lake for the first time although the clubs' classic was held here in 2004, won by Dwayne Mroczka with 15 pounds. It is probably the smallest lake we have visited in a long time but as Dwaynes weight can attest, it holds some big fish. There are three islands, numerous points and weedlines and lots of docks so the lake should fish fairly big. Add in the post-spawn nature of the largemouth and you can probably catch fish anywhere and any way you want to.

I predict there will be half a dozen limits weighed in but the key will be getting a good "kicker" fish to upgrade with. During the 04' classic there were several fish over 4 pounds and a few 5 pounders as well. The lake should get a good amount of boat traffic with nice weather projected this weekend which should also be factored in. I was on the lake a week ago and witnessed a 15 boat tournament conduct their weigh-in. A few small limits and the winner brought about 14 pounds to the scales to win so good stringers are available. Scott Rice, Jim Rice and Mark Dereadt are good bets to do well due to the fact they probably have the most experience on the lake. But sometimes old "hotspots" cause tunnel vision which could open the door for some of the other anglers. Post-spawn fish are very fickle and sometimes running and gunning and throwing the kitchen sink at em' can be the most effective method of fishing this time of year. This should be a good test for the club and we may see some of the AOY contenders start making their moves.

Open Results

The 2009 version of the clubs spring "Open" tournament is in the books and it was a pretty lucrative outing for the winner. Ron Sanford was the champ when he brought in just over 13 pounds to the scales. Fortunately for Ron, he was fishing by himself in the team event so he was able to pocket all of the $450 first prize by himself. Ron also caught the big bass of the event at 3.89 pounds to add another $200 to his winnings. Pattern notes were not available but I heard through the grapevine that he was just "junk fishing" in the slop which is a pretty popular pattern this time of year on Michigan Center.

John Bittinger and Bob Rumsey took second with 11.07 pounds and earn $250 while Chad Hamlin and Bob Richardson held down third with 10.13pounds which paid $100. There were 14 boats in all which was down a little from last years 23 entries. Special thanks to club member Kathy Maurer for running such a fine event which is also a fundraiser for the club. We will get back to the regular season schedule this weekend up at Goguac in Battle Creek.

SPRING OPEN

The clubs annual Spring Open tournament will be held this coming weekend at Michigan Center Lake. This tournament is open to anyone and will be held out of the DNR launch located on the east side of the lake, off of Washington st. Due to scheduling conflicts, the original launch ramp at 5th street will be unavailable for our use and this is the reason for the change. The DNR lot is a little smaller but should be big enough to handle this event. Any overflow parking will be directed to Our Lady of Fatima church, located just around the corner. Hopefully the change in launch sites will not cause any problems.

This tournament was held on Center last year as well and at least half of the 23 boats came in with limits and I believe it took about 15 pounds to win. It looks as if the weather is going to cooperate so hopefully we can generate a few more boats this year. Registration and entry fees can be done Saturday morning before 6:30 but pre-paid entries will have priority as far as take-off position is concerned. For more info contact Kathy Maurer at 764-0217.

Opening Day report

With a few weeks before our next club event, I thought it would be worthwhile to get away from the club talk for and just give a few general fishing reports. The bass catch and keep opener was last weekend and I hosted a small "buddy" tournament out at Portage Lake in Jackson. We had 7 boats in our little event that went from 7-noon and to our suprise another small club decided to do the same thing. They had 9 boats in their group and were on the lake when we got there so with a few local panfishermen thrown in for good measure, we had about 25 boats on a small lake.

The busy atmosphere was a little frustrating at first but we managed to put together a decent limit of about 10 pounds and won the event. It's always good to win your own tournament. A few other boats had limits but nothing huge, with the big fish going to my buddy Dwayne Mroczka at 4 pounds. Water temps were close to 70 degrees and we found several largemouth on beds still. Most of the smallmouth seemed to be done spawning but the largemouth eagerly hit tubes or drop-shot worm rigs when the beds were located. But the interesting thing to me was how the second place team fared. They were catching what I figured to be post-spawn fish out on a weedline with a Flick Shake worm. They probably should have won if not for a few lost fish but catching lots of keeper fish seemed to come easily on the new finess technique when everyone else struggled. I will definitely look a little closer at this new bait in the coming weeks and probably do a little field testing. But overall, it was good to finally do well in a tournament and I'm looking forward to Goguac in two weeks.

Hardy Dam revisited

Before the club moves on to bigger and better things I wanted to give a few of my own opinions on the second catch and release tournament of the year. First off, I love being up north and love catching bedding smallmouth. Hardy provides both of those so I can see why everyone likes going up there. But I now remember why I disliked it for a club event. Sight fishing is a difficult thing to do and finding beds somethimes is even harder. I love tournament fishing but having my partner fishing against me on fish we can both see is tough. Not that I don't want my boating partner to catch fish, or even beat me, but I don't like the pressure of having to catch ten fish as opposed to just my five.

Secondly, I thought Hardy fished extremely small for such a big body of water. With high winds all week in practice, lots of water that produced in the past was either unfishable or devoid of fish. I pulled up to one stretch of bank where I found clear, calm water with some good beds on it in practice. There were 5 other club boats playing bumper boats along with another local guy all catching the same fish. I know a few of those fish were caught multiple times and I decided not to get into the rotation. Probably the wrong decision if I wanted to compete but I wanted to find greener pastures, which I did not. Usually you can go just about anywhere on this system and find good beds but it made it quite a bit tougher this year. I still like the fishery but not sure how I feel about the club going there.

And one more thing on bed fishing. Bill Maurer used a chartruese tube, I used brown and pink tubes, other guys used grubs, worms and drop-shot rigs. The point I'm making is that I really don't think it matters what you throw on a smallmouths bed, as long as you are persistant and rotate your lure selection. If a fish can be caught, you will probably catch it eventually. The mood of the fish is a lot more important than the bait. I see this every year bed fishing but it was even more evident last week at Hardy.

Overall I had a great time at the tournament and felt the club as a whole all got along great. I was only able to come up late Saturday night and wasn't able to spend as much time with everyone as I had wanted, but the time I was up there was awsome. I really felt there were a lot of positive things that came from everyone camping together and with a few new members, probably a few new friendships as well. Those are the things that this club should be about and I am encouraged by that. Well, catch and release is over and Goguac is right around the corner. I cant't wait to put my first fish in the livewell. Hope to see a big turnout June, 14th because that lake is known for big fish. There are also a few new names at the top of the AOY race so the competition for classic invitations should make things interesting as well. Hope everyone has a good Memorial Day.

Maurer wins Hardy

Hardy Dam usually means smallmouth and this time of year it means smallies on beds. Bill Maurer exploited just over 16 pounds of brown fish to earn his first victory of the SCMBC season and solidify himself as sight-fishing phenom. Bill weighed in nearly 21 pounds up at Burt Lake two seasons ago by fishing bedding smallmouth and used many of the same techniques employed back in 07'. Finding deeper beds that held bigger fish was the key and Bill did just that early Sunday morning when he caught a 4.3 sow that took big fish honors. That fish, as well as most of his fish were caught by flipping a chartruese tube onto the beds. The big one was taken on an upriver spot but most of the others were caught closer to the dam where the water was clearer and sight fishing was a little easier.

Unusually high winds had plagued the Newaygo area for 4 consecutive days which made finding lots of beds in practice difficult. But Maurer has won here before and had lots of old "honey-holes" to check. His practice session was very good but when event day began things changed and he had to make a few adjustments on the fly. Bill went to the clearer water as did a lot of his competitiors, but with a keen eye for the deeper beds that usually hold bigger fish and a "kicker fish" already in the books, Maurer was poised for the win. His partner and wife Kathy also had a good day and finished 5th with 12.7 pounds.

Hardy Dam Results

1) Bill Maurer - 16.10 pounds
2) Mark Dereadt - 14.32
3) Matt Morgan - 13.18
4) Brian Masters - 12.74
5) Kathy Maurer - 12.70
6) Mike Pritchard - 12.07
7) Craig Deck - 11.58
8) Jerry Smith - 11.10
9) Terry Johnson - 10.10
10) Jim Rice Jr. - 9.87
11) Roy Albert - 9.33
12) Wendy Johnson - 7.60
13) Phil Priest - 6.57
14) Connie Honsinger - 5.07
15) Art Honsinger - 4.25
16) Tom Curry - 2.63
17) Mike Maske - 2.10
18) Jim VanAken - 1.94
19) Patricia Rice - 1.44
20) Tim Chapman - 1.25
21) Scott Rice - 0
21) Rich Rice - 0

Hardy Dam Preview

Type: River system

Size: 4000 acres, about 18 miles from dam to dam

Water Clarity: Clear but with a tanic stain, murkier upriver

Cover: Rocks and some wood

Structure: Ledges, a few points and a few big flats

Fish: Mostly smallmouth

Phase: All three phases of the spawn

Baits: Lots of tubes and grubs for bedders, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits

Weather: Mid 60's for Sunday with possibility for rain, some sun.

Winning weight: Probably around 15-16 pounds

The club will once again travel to Hardy Dam this weekend after a couple of years off. This used to be a regular stop on our circuit but since the catch and release season was opened up, we have visited other destinations closer to home. But make no mistake about it, this is a great fishery if the timing is right and the smallmouth are spawning which could be the case this year. Warmer temps are forecasted for later in the week and if the sun comes out we could be in for a slugfest.

Hardy Dam is a river stystem but fishes a little more like a lake, at least in the lower portion. The current is present but this time of year does not really come into play. With the water temps where they are, lots of fish will be on beds but don't think you can launch your boat and just go around the corner and flip a tube on a 3 pounders bed. There is lots of dead water and by Sunday, the fish could be very skittish. The rain could also play a factor in this event with water clarity making it difficult to find beds.

Wild Cards: Although most of the river is big and sprawling, up-river from Brower Park takes on a different look. This section looks more like a river with murkier water and a faster current. Some believe the water here warms quicker and thus will hold more beds earlier. One contact who was on Hardy last week said there were lots of good fish on beds way up-river, 4 and 5 pounders. So club members will have to debate whether to fish up-stream with murkier water that is warmer or go towards the dam for the clearer, yet colder water.

Another factor could be the rain. Will the water visibility be good enough to even see beds or will a pre-spawn pattern work a little better? Hardy is known for lots of fish but 4 pounders on beds could be tough to come by. Will someone spend lots of time on that one good fish and risk not managing their time properly? And what baits will work most effectively? Tubes are a good option but would creature baits, glide baits or even drop-shot rigs come into play? These are all factors that each boat will consider when making their gameplans Sunday morning and will ultimately decide the champion.

Entries pouring in

With about a week to go we already have 20 confirmed entries into the Hardy Dam tournament with a few more likely to trickle in making this event even bigger than the opener on Michigan Center. The weather looks to be kind of chilly in the Newaygo area this weekend with lows dipping into the 20's, but the long range forecast calls for warming temps leading into next weekend which could trigger a huge move to the spawning grounds for the Hardy smallies. Spring weather can be tricky and rain could be a factor but temps should be pleasant so this is shaping up to be a great event. The Hardy Dam Pond preview will be up in a day or two and I'll break it down and post any reports on the pre-fishing. Lots of club members are heading up early so I should have pertinent info to pass along.