Enough of the sentimental stuff, here's what I learned at Hardy yesterday. First off the water temps were from 55-58, down about 7 degrees from this time last week. The water was pretty dirty upriver from Brower Park but got considerably clearer as we went downriver. Actually the water was very clear for Hardy about mid-lake down to the dam and I don't see that changing much as the week progresses.
We spent most of our time looking for beds and found quite a few of them but about 75% of the beds were empty. I believe the dramatic drop in water temps pushed a lot of fish off the beds and back to deeper water. We caught very few fish and most reports I received from the weekend were similar. We witnessed a team tournament weigh-in at the launch and three fish was the best we heard when we left.
Now for the good news. The weather looks fantastic for this upcoming week and into the weekend. I think most of those empty beds will be re-populated with smallies as the water warms and the sun shines. I still think the majority of the spawning has yet to occur and we may time it up perfectly. Also, I talked to one boat on the water that had about a 16 pound limit fishing the breaks so even if the big shallow movement does not happen, fish can still be caught.
I am planning a return visit Friday and believe the lake will fish much differently by then. I will post a report although most of the club will be in Newaygo by then. I still stick to my prediction of 17 pounds for a winning weight but may adjust it slightly after practice on Friday.
Hopefully that predicted weight will increase.
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