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I'm in a club tourney weekly and I'm struggling to catch 5 keepers. Here's the broad overview: Location: lower michigan Lakes: natural and weedy <500 acres Time: 3 hours 6pm-9pm Keepers: 14 inches Winning weights: 10-13 lbs Number of boats: 15-25 I have a partner with limited fishing knowledge that relies on me to put us on fish and even what baits to use and how to use them. We have only caught 5 keepers one time out of the first 4 tourneys. My strategy started with us covering a lot of water and bouncing from one spot to another. After only catching one fish like that, decided to start focusing on 2 or 3 spots only. I try to prefish the lake and find 2 or 3 spots where I think we can catch fish. Most of these spots are between 10 and 15 feet deep. The lakes are generally not deeper than 25 feet. I have my partner using the ned rig and he is gaining confidence in it. I too have been using the ned rig or drop shot most of the time. These are my confidence baits and we are catching lots of fish just not the right size. So with this information, what should I change in our strategy in order to catch 5 keepers consistently. I believe if we can just catch 5 keepers we would have a chance at the money.

Need advice. Small inland lake, maybe 5-6 acres in Central Michigan. 25ish feet at its deepest. Water is pretty stained with lots of weeds. One small stream comes into it and another small one flows out but is dammed up so not much water flow. Most of the lake is 2-7 foot deep weed beds. I've been putting everything out there, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, top water frogs, tubes. Dark colors, light colors. No bass this year (4 days out so far) and none last year but lots of pike last year. Haven't tried live bait yet but I'm about to go grab some crawlers. Any tips or advice?

I was wondering if there were any guaranteed boaters in the Michigan series willing to help out a Co for the year? I was hoping to move up to the next level of tournament fishing but not much really going on locally for me so I thought I would like to try the BFL. I am already paid for the Burt Mullet tournament but am on the waiting list and would like to be sure I am in before committing to hotel and time off as it is a 4.5hr drive for me. Thanks for reading and take care. Nate T.

Are there any smallmouth anglers here that appreciate the Saginaw Bay as much as I do? It's a fantastic fishery for quality bass that can be caught using all methods.

I caught my first handful of smallies last year and now I have the bug! I live in central Michigan and have the winter blahs! This weekend is going to be almost 60 and I have the itch to get out. I caught the smallmouths out of a river (more like a stream) my question is are they in the rivers and streams this time of year or are they in the lakes? Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone! I've been actively scrolling through Bass Resource just about everyday so I figured I would join in on the fun. I am 17 years old and 2 time president of the Brighton Hogh School Bass Fishing Team. I've been tournament fishing for three years now and love everything about it. My favorite technique is dropshotting. There's nothing like pulling in a Great Lakes Smallmouth!

Hi Everyone - My name's Kyle and I'm from Lowell, Michigan - which is about 20 minute North/North East of Downtown Grand Rapids. I've been fishing for about 25 years casually, and I have been heavy in the tournament world for a few years as well. I moved here about three years ago and I'm still learning the lakes, but I get out to fish as much as my wife allows - we also have 5 kids, so it doesn't happen quite as often anymore!

I'm thinking about planning a trip to Burt and Mullett Lakes in Northern Michigan next year around early June, and wanted to find out a bit more about them. My friend and I are going to be on kayaks, and I was wondering if these lakes are too big to even attempt to cover water in search of bronzebacks. We're a couple young bucks who are willing to paddle a bit to get to the fish, but 10 mile runs aren't really something that we'd want to do. We're also interested in camping, on or near the lake. Also, any inside tips as to where the fish are usually located around early June and what types of lures work would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'll be having an all guys vacation, deemed MANCATION, this July. We'll be renting a lake house about 30 miles south of Detroit near the mouth of the Detroit river. It looks like the water is pretty shallow in that area. Was wondering if anyone has any experience fishing this area and if so, what type of rig works best? Are smallmouth/largemouth prevalent? I know walleye are popular in the Detroit river and eerie in general but is this a good time to target them?

Been fishing the same lakes for a while. Can anyone recommend good lakes for bass or other fish in southwestern lower MI or da western UP? Thanks

okay so I just got signed up for a bass tournament on Gun Lake in Barry County. the tournament is May 17th I wanna say. I'm trying to get the edge over everyone else. I need tips, fishing locations, what to look for, who to talk to, absolutely ANYTHING that will give me an edge. much appreciated!

Gonna be out on the Flint river this week and don't know much about it. Anybody know anything about the bass fishing on this water?

Well, after days of tornado watches, wind advisories, and pouring rain since the DNR opened the Catch and Release season, today was gorgeous; clear, high-50's, and just windy enough to throw a lipess crankbait. I started with a chrome/blue Spro Aruku Jr but switched to a Sexy Shad XR 50 for a little more weight. After hauling water for about an hour and a half, I found some green grass off a point that wasn't much shallower than normal. As it turns out, April Bass enjoy a slow yo-yo. First fish of 2015! What do you do when you catch a bass in an area? Keep working that area! Number three was the largest of the day. No measurements or scale unfortunately, but she may have gone three-something. Slightly smaller, but still good! No picture for fish number five, sorry to say. She choked the XR 50 and nicked a gill so I got her back in ASAP. The bleeding stopped immediately and she swam away fine (as did the first four). Today's gear was a CH51E with 30 lb. Original Power Pro and an Orochi XX Flat Side Special. This was the maiden voyage of the FSS and it performed very well. Thanks for reading!

Anyone in Michigan smallmouth fish on the Manistee River?

Does anybody have any helpful information for bass fishing on Canadian Lakes in central Michigan. Have a trip planned with a friend who knows people that live on the lake. Going up in late may, so it's post spawn. Any information, topo maps, etc. would be really helpful. Thanks guys!

I've just started spending a good amount of time fishing. So far I haven't had a lot of luck but enough to want to continue trying. Does anyone know of any inland lakes in or around Kalamazoo with a good population of bass? I've heard Sugarloaf is an alright lake. Any particular spots I should try? Also any advice on where to find small mouth on the river?

Four options to go to the public through meetings and surveys The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is preparing public meeting schedules and locations for comment on proposed changes to the Michigan bass season. Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation (MBN) submitted a Michigan Bass Season Change Proposal (PDF of full document) to the MDNR Warmwater Resources Steering Committee (WRSC), a Fisheries Division citizens' advisory group, on June 17, 2013 to start this latest effort to provide more bass fishing opportunity in Michigan. The original MBN proposal calls for the following changes to Michigan Fisheries Orders: "1 – Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Catch-and-Immediate-release statewide on all waters including Great Lakes and Great Lakes Connecting Waters - January 1 through the Friday before Memorial Day. And 2 – Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Catch-and-Keep (harvest option) statewide on all waters including Great Lakes and Great Lakes Connecting Waters - Saturday before Memorial Day through the December 31." Exceptions are also spelled out for a few special regulations waters such as inland trout and salmon waters where fishing is closed to all species, Michigan-Wisconsin Boundary Waters, the Sylvania Wilderness area and those defined Exceptions to General Regulations by County in the Michigan fishing guide. After more discussion on the Michigan bass season at various citizens' advisory groups, at the additional WRSC meetings, MUCC and with other major Michigan anglers groups we received a response from the internal MDNR bass season work group at the latest WRSC meeting on April 28, 2014. The MDNR proposed five (5) bass season options to the WRSC angler group representatives and each option was discussed. You can view the minutes of the April 28, 2014 WRSC meeting (PDF) online. MDNR Fisheries Division Chief Jim Dexter took all of the WRSC discussion to MDNR Director Keith Creagh to make a final decision on which options they will take to the public through public meetings, an online survey and possibly a random mailed survey. WRSC chair Patrick Hanchin and Fisheries Chief Jim Dexter have shared the outcome of their discussions with GreatLakesBass.com. The following are the four (4) options we expect to go to the public very soon at meetings scheduled at various locations around Michigan. Note the exact language will probably be different and the order the options are presented in may be different. Please make sure you check the actual information that comes out from the MDNR. We will share meetings times and locations, and actual bass season options languages as soon as they are released. Michigan Bass Season Change Options No change. Leave the bass seasons as they are now. Michigan Bass Nation Proposal: Year-round catch-and-immediate-release statewide; move Lake St. Clair system (LSC) harvest opener (from third Saturday in June) to statewide bass opener Saturday before Memorial Day when all other waters open for catch-and-keep choice (harvest). Year-round catch-and-immediate-release statewide with the same harvest seasons currently in place – Saturday before Memorial Day for all waters except third Saturday in June for LSC system. Year-round catch-and-immediate-release statewide. Change Lower Peninsula (LP) inland and LP Great Lakes (including LSC system) opening harvest (catch-and-keep choice) dates to last Saturday in April; Upper Peninsula (UP) inland and UP Great Lakes to May 15 to align with pike and walleye openers. Options 1 and 4 (as ordered here) had the most group representative support during the April 28 WRSC meeting. Recently, MUCC members also voted to make the MBN bass season change resolution (PDF) matching option 1 above their official MUCC organizational policy along with a call to the MDNR and Natural Resources Commission (NRC) to consider Adaptive Management when needed to manage our bass populations. Option 4 (as ordered above) has good support from state government leaders who have repeatedly stated they like the idea of allowing anglers a longer bass season and the opportunity to attract more bass tournaments because this can increase interest in bass fishing and boost our very important Michigan Natural Resources economy. The MDNR has gone on record at two hearings in the Senate Outdoor and Recreation Tourism and House Natural Resources Committees on SB 869 (PDF) – now state law as Public Act 145 of 2014 – also saying more bass fishing and the opportunity to attract more bass tournaments will be good for Michigan.

Good evening! Spend the afternoon on Kent Lake today and destroyed the local largemouths with some 5" senkos wacky rigged. Watermelon/red Flake started the feeding frenzy, and once those were all gone, watermelon/black flake finished em off! Pulled out some dinks and some rock bass, but also some nicely sized largemouths. For those of you trekking out onto one of the most fished lakes in Michigan, give in to the hype and wacky rig (and then lose) those senkos! Here's a few of the good ones I spent some quality time with today. If you fish this lake, PM me and I'll tell ya the spot I was at.

In order to get public input on proposed regulations to expand Michigan's bass fishing seasons, the Department of Natural Resources has announced an online survey and public meetings throughout the state in July. For the past year the DNR's Fisheries Division has been working with the Warmwater Resources Steering Committee (a public advisory group) to discuss possible expansion of bass seasons. The regulation expansion options being discussed would increase fishing and harvest seasons. Under all options, bass populations would still be protected and include a winter no-harvest season, 14-inch minimum size limit and daily possession limit. To gauge public opinion, both anglers and non-anglers are encouraged to complete the DNR's bass regulations survey, available here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BassRegs. The goal of this survey is to determine the level of support for increasing angling opportunities for largemouth and smallmouth bass through changes to existing fishing seasons. Additional public input will be gathered via a series of public meetings. Dates, times and locations include: Monday, July 14, 6-7:30 p.m. (CDT), Dickinson County Library, 401 Iron Mountain St., Iron Mountain Tuesday, July 15, 6-8 p.m. (EDT), Carl T. Johnson Hunt & Fish Center, 6093 M-115, Cadillac Tuesday, July 15, 6:30-8 p.m. (EDT), Oshtemo Branch Library, 7265 W. Main St., Kalamazoo Tuesday, July 15, 6-8 p.m. (EDT), Saginaw Bay Visitor Center (in Bay City State Recreation Area), 3582 State Park Drive, Bay City Tuesday, July 15, 6-7 p.m. (EDT), Tahquamenon Area Public Library, 700 Newberry Ave., Newberry Wednesday, July 16, 7-8:30 p.m. (EDT), DNR Customer Service Center, 1801 Atwater St., Detroit Wednesday, July 23, from 7-9 p.m. (EDT), Ishpeming Town Hall, 1575 U.S. 41 West, Ishpeming. Wednesday, July 23, 6-7:30 p.m. (EDT), DNR Field Office, 1732 W. M-32, Gaylord Thursday, July 24, 7-9 p.m. (EDT), Portage Lake District Library, 58 Huron St., Houghton A random selection of licensed anglers also will receive a survey in the mail. For more information on these meetings, visit www.michigan.gov/fishing. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

I do all kinds of fishing during all times of the year, and I normally do fairly well. But I am looking to take my fishing experience to the next level. I fish from a 12' Lowe Jon boat and a 20' Procraft bass boat. I live in Michigan. And I am new to the market of fishfinder. Well I have a old Hummingbird but all its good for is telling me the depth of water. I am looking for any advice for buying my first fishfinder. My price range is around $500. I have done some research and have looked at a Raymarine Dragonfly Sonar GPS and it looks nice and is around my price range but I don't know much about fishfinders. It should be noted that the majority of lakes around my area are 50-150 acres. I would like to primarily use the unit to help locate my crappie honey hole easier which is in about 10-20 ft. of water. And to catch deep bass. And the average depth of water I fish is about 10ft. (the reason I add this is I've heard different fishfinders give different readings depending on depth) A key feature I would like it to include is a map so I can mark areas I've caught fish. THANK YOU!!

Anyone fish the waters in lower Michigan?

Anybody near Jackson, MI that has a boat want to go fishing? I am willing to pay for gas let me know..

Hello, I was wondering if anyone knows of any tournaments in the Oakland County area. I don't care what lake it is. I just love tournament fishing. I'm not talking NBAA's either. Or club tournaments. I want a 6-8 hour saturday/sunday tournament that is bass only. Thank you!