Let the Excitement Begin

[TOXIC]

Excuse me if I am getting a little excited.  For the last 15 years straight a buddy and I have made an annual trek to Lake St Clair from Virginia for a week of pure fishing hedonism.  We, along with 5 other friends (some in MI and 1 other from VA this year) rent a cottage on Harsens Island and spend a week eating like Kings, partying like Rockstars (never on the boats), and fishing like fools.  We have had 100 degree days, been snowed on, hailed on and outrun tornadoes.  We have had days of 50mph sustained winds and we have had some magical days, actually a lot of magical days where we catch 75-100 fish each.  We have caught tagged fish, eater walleye, 50inch musky, and smallmouth (our real target) up to 7lbs not to mention all of the other catches like Pike, White Bass and Goggle Eyes.  I have got to meet KVD, Kim Stricker (Hook n Look program) and Zona more than once.  We have caught them on just about every lure known to man and in pre-spawn, post spawn or on the beds but we ALWAYS catch them.  We leave this Sunday and I am sooooo excited I can hardly take it.   For those who are close to this gem of a lake, I envy you.  We only get to experience it once a year but I guarantee you that will change when I retire.  I will smoke 6 racks of ribs starting Thursday to go along with the 20lbs of crab legs and the grilled bacon wrapped Russian Boar that my buddies bring.  I live for this trip.  And as an added bonus we have a friend flying in from Australia this year to join us.  I'm sure I'll have some great stories to report back with.  I attached an article that was written about our trip a few years ago.  Sadly one of our friends has passed and we have added to the group the the main "core" is still there.  

 

 

[EKYbasser]

Man that sounds great! Good luck to you and your friends. Be safe and have a blast.

[Scott F]

I know exactly how you feel. I’m leaving on Saturday for my 2 week long fishing trip. I’ve been taking trips similar to yours for over 30 years to locations all over North America. To me the most fun I can have is to spend a week (or two) in a cabin on a lake  with my friends doing nothing but fishing, eating and sleeping. Even on the days when the weather or the fish don’t want to cooperate, there is still no place that I’d rather be. 

I used to shoot a lot of video of the trips and would put together a tape that combined the pictures and video  for everybody. In the winter, we’d get together, plan next years trip and watch the tapes of past trips. 

I hope you guys have a great and safe trip!

[12poundbass]

Sounds like an absolute blast! Enjoy the trip and a full report is required upon return. ?

[Tim Kelly]

Have a great trip. Absolutely understand your excitement. I have had a trip every other year, or sometimes every year to America and Canada to fish for bass with some very generous American chums for probably the last 10 years. Absolutely some of the very best weeks of my life. Something I will always treasure.

[TnRiver46]

I go on a family fishing trip memorial day week with my best friends family. They have done this for about 50 yrs straight and I think I have gone for 17 or 18 years. We actually shot a commercial about the trip that aired for a while on a country music channel, might still. We fish the alligator infested swamps of South Alabama, pretty wild place. All of this to say, I totally understand your excitement. I'm a little giddy myself.......

[basscatcher8]

Have fun Toxic. I'm sure I'll be seeing y'alls posts on facebook. Looking forward to seeing what pigs you guys run into this year.

[Lord Castlereagh]

Can't quite read the article, but as a former Marine, I am intrigued by the Hathcock connection. Please enlighten.

 

Thanks

[TOXIC]

On 5/20/2018 at 1:15 PM, Lord Castlereagh said:

Can't quite read the article, but as a former Marine, I am intrigued by the Hathcock connection. Please enlighten.

 

Thanks

20+ Years ago I was on a website called the Nitro and Tracker Owners Website (NTOWS).  I owned a 929 CDC NITRO.  On the same website there was a guy named Carlos Hathcock who also owned a NITRO and lived not too far away.  I was guiding on Lake Anna and he was just really getting into bass fishing and I offered to take him and his son out to show him around the lake.  Long story short, we became best friends and it wasn't long after I learned who he was and about his father the Marine sniper (White Feather).  Carlos was just getting ready to muster out of the Corps (I went to his retirement ceremony at Quantico.  Since then, I have been fortunate enough to shoot some of his fathers rifles and he has become one of my best friends.  We just got back from our 15th year going to Michigan to fish smallmouth and we fish the Potomac together almost every weekend.  Carlos lll has an unbelievable resume as a sniper as well as being the captain of the Marine Corps shooting team with many National titles under his belt.  It is my honor and privilege to call him a friend.  

[A-Jay]

The anticipation of a Killer Trip ~ Such a great feeling !

Weather for the week looks decent.  Appears mid-week you might be fishing in some version of a North wind.

But before & especially after that moves through, you could be in "Lay the Smack Down" conditions.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

[TOXIC]

14 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

The anticipation of a Killer Trip ~ Such a great feeling !

Weather for the week looks decent.  Appears mid-week you might be fishing in some version of a North wind.

But before & especially after that moves through, you could be in "Lay the Smack Down" conditions.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

We are back.  I just put up a post about the trip in the Smallmouth forum.  Was a great trip.