mmoser52 Posted May 26, 2020 Posted May 26, 2020 Greetings, My name is Matt and I live in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. I got interested in fishing in general about three years ago (trout and steelhead), and bass fishing specifically, about two and a half years ago, after not fishing at all since I was a kid. Since then, I have been working to learn all that I can about bass fishing, and have essentially given myself a crash course in things that I probably should have learned growing up, including the basics, like knots, difference in lines types, rigging techniques, and how to use casting gear. For anyone interested in knowing, I am a 100 percent straight braid and/or braid to leader guy. I bought a used 16' Sylvan SC boat with my father a year and a half ago, but share it with him, so I do not always have access to it. That means that a decent amount of the time I am fishing from shore. Since I had not used a boat since I was a kid either, and never used anything other than a pull-start tiller drive outboard on small aluminum hulled boats, I also had to teach myself about boats. I am continually working to gain knowledge about the bodies of water in my area, though the main lake that I fish on is Wabasis Lake--mostly because I do not like trying new things--but have also managed to take my boat on the Grand River a few times to target smallmouth. Yes there has been a pretty steep learning curve, and yes I have ran out of gas in the middle of a lake, but no one has ever gotten hurt, and nothing expensive has gotten broken. I feel confident enough now in my boating knowledge and abilities that I could easily go on any major boat manufacturer's website, and order and brand new boat, and know exactly what I wanted, and why (assuming that I had the money, which I do not!). I would love to try other bodies of water in my area, if someone was willing to show me I am also the unofficial rod/reel and tackle supplier for my entire immediate family, so it is my responsibility to provide my father, wife, and kids with everything they need, so I am pretty much constantly on the hunt for one thing or another. I have read dozens of reviews of different rod and reels on this website, when researching potential purchases, and decided it was time to finally become a member. In addition to fishing, I enjoy just about any other outdoor activities, but am especially passionate about whitewater rafting and hiking. I look forward to meeting new people on this forum. Thanks! Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted May 26, 2020 Super User Posted May 26, 2020 Hello Matt and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ I am up in Otsego County. A-Jay Quote
Michigander Posted May 26, 2020 Posted May 26, 2020 Welcome! I'm over in Lansing. We're getting a pretty good Michigan crew going on here! Quote
mmoser52 Posted May 26, 2020 Author Posted May 26, 2020 20 minutes ago, Michigander said: Welcome! I'm over in Lansing. We're getting a pretty good Michigan crew going on here! I have never fished any lakes on the east side of the state at all. Do you have favorite lakes over there? Quote
Michigander Posted May 26, 2020 Posted May 26, 2020 5 minutes ago, mmoser52 said: I have never fished any lakes on the east side of the state at all. Do you have favorite lakes over there? Lansing is more central-southish. I fish more towards you than I do toward Detroit or the thumb area, LoL. Usually the furthest east I go is Brighton or Holly. Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted May 26, 2020 Global Moderator Posted May 26, 2020 Welcome Matt! I’m in Montcalm county just northeast of you. I’ve fished Wabasis twice, and I work that area almost daily so I’m familiar with the lakes around there and some of the “dock talk” that goes with them. I mainly fish in my area of Stanton. Like @Michigander said we’re getting a decent group of Michigan anglers on here. Quote
West Fishigan Posted May 26, 2020 Posted May 26, 2020 Welcome brother. I am in Grandville; have lived in/around GR for the most part for 20 years. Your story is a lot like mine; started fishing a lot about 3 years ago and have really got into it. I have learned almost everything from different websites; mostly here, but I have seen some of the bassresource stuff. It's amazing what you can learn from online videos and forums. I also like the guy from Thundermist who has a "Boatless Angler" series of videos that were pretty helpful. I don't have a boat, but I fish from the shore and use waders, so I can cover a decent amount of water. Have tried a number of spots around Kent and Ottawa counties. There are 2-3 Open Spaces (like huge County parks) within 15ish minutes (Bend Area Open Space; Grand River Open Space; Bass River Recreation Area). Each of these has a number of large ponds or small lakes, some bayous, creeks, and all have frontage on the Grand River, if you don't mind a bit of a hike sometimes. https://www.miottawa.org/Parks/bendarea.htm https://www.miottawa.org/Parks/grand_river_open.htm https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/details.aspx?id=436&type=SPRK Pickerel Lake just north of Cannonsburg has a nice boardwalk across the water, and I've caught some fish from there. I'm going to go wade there soon, but further back off the trails where there are less people. https://www.kentcountyparks.org/PickerelLake/ That thing you said about not liking to try new things, I just want to say I feel personally attacked by that very relatable content. Ha!!! ? I am not very familiar with river fishing, and I have a lot to learn there. I was down on the Grand River just below the dam this afternoon and the fish were very active; caught one fish that I still have no idea what it was. Going to head back soon and throw some topwater stuff since I could see fish breaking the surface all over. Hit me up if you want to talk locations, techniques, equipment, etc. I've picked up a few things I can share, and I am sure I could learn from you as well. Quote
mmoser52 Posted May 26, 2020 Author Posted May 26, 2020 I'm familiar with the Stanton area, and would like to check out more lakes in Montcalm County. I fished Nevins Lake once last summer, but that's it. What lakes are you fishing in the Stanton/Montcalm county area? Pickerel is where I normally fish from shore, and were I caught my PB last summer on topwater. I certainly do not mind a hike. I hiked 2/3s of the way around Pickerel Lake last year, because--apparently outdated--satellite images on Google Maps show a second boardwalk on the northwest side of the lake. I went looking for it figuring that it must get way less fishingpressuree. It turns out that it's not there anymore. I have also fished the Grand River from shore at Donald Lamoreaux park off Coit Avenue in Plainfield Township. I appreciate the information about other shore fishing opportunities! Quote
Super User Log Catcher Posted May 27, 2020 Super User Posted May 27, 2020 Hello and welcome to the forum. Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted May 27, 2020 Global Moderator Posted May 27, 2020 1 hour ago, mmoser52 said: I'm familiar with the Stanton area, and would like to check out more lakes in Montcalm County. I fished Nevins Lake once last summer, but that's it. What lakes are you fishing in the Stanton/Montcalm county area? Wait a second, are you from Stanton? I graduated with a Matt Moser. Anyways, to answer your question, I live on Lake Stanton so naturally I fish that quite a bit. I also fish, Dickerson, Derby, Clifford, and Crystal. Quote
mmoser52 Posted May 27, 2020 Author Posted May 27, 2020 5 minutes ago, 12poundbass said: Wait a second, are you from Stanton? I graduated with a Matt Moser. Anyways, to answer your question, I live on Lake Stanton so naturally I fish that quite a bit. I also fish, Dickerson, Derby, Clifford, and Crystal. Yep. Jeremy? 1 Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted May 27, 2020 Global Moderator Posted May 27, 2020 3 minutes ago, mmoser52 said: Yep. Jeremy? Ha ha, yup! It’s been a long time! What a small world! Quote
mmoser52 Posted May 27, 2020 Author Posted May 27, 2020 5 minutes ago, 12poundbass said: Ha ha, yup! It’s been a long time! What a small world! No kidding! I'll have to check out some of those lakes this summer. I took my boat out on Clifford when I first got it, but that's it. I want to check out Duck Lake east of Crystal. I've heard some good things about it. Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted May 27, 2020 Global Moderator Posted May 27, 2020 1 minute ago, mmoser52 said: No kidding! I'll have to check out some of those lakes this summer. I took my boat out on Clifford when I first got it, but that's it. I want to check out Duck Lake east of Crystal. I've heard some good things about it. I just upgraded to a 17.5’ G3 last year so I haven’t fished our bigger lakes too much. I used to just fish the tiny state land lakes around our ‘old stomping grounds’ before last year. Quote
West Fishigan Posted May 27, 2020 Posted May 27, 2020 11 hours ago, mmoser52 said: I'm familiar with the Stanton area, and would like to check out more lakes in Montcalm County. I fished Nevins Lake once last summer, but that's it. What lakes are you fishing in the Stanton/Montcalm county area? Pickerel is where I normally fish from shore, and were I caught my PB last summer on topwater. I certainly do not mind a hike. I hiked 2/3s of the way around Pickerel Lake last year, because--apparently outdated--satellite images on Google Maps show a second boardwalk on the northwest side of the lake. I went looking for it figuring that it must get way less fishingpressuree. It turns out that it's not there anymore. I have also fished the Grand River from shore at Donald Lamoreaux park off Coit Avenue in Plainfield Township. I appreciate the information about other shore fishing opportunities! Made that same trek around Pickerel myself looking for the non-existent 2nd boardwalk seen on old images. Oh well, figure a short hike on a nice trail is never a total loss. You ever have any luck fishing off the short dock on the east-ish side of the lake? Quote
mmoser52 Posted May 28, 2020 Author Posted May 28, 2020 13 hours ago, West Fishigan said: Made that same trek around Pickerel myself looking for the non-existent 2nd boardwalk seen on old images. Oh well, figure a short hike on a nice trail is never a total loss. You ever have any luck fishing off the short dock on the east-ish side of the lake? The dock on the east side has been hit or miss for me. The main boardwalk normally seems more reliable, but also seems to see a lot of fishing pressure. Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted May 28, 2020 Global Moderator Posted May 28, 2020 13 hours ago, West Fishigan said: Made that same trek around Pickerel myself looking for the non-existent 2nd boardwalk seen on old images. Oh well, figure a short hike on a nice trail is never a total loss. You ever have any luck fishing off the short dock on the east-ish side of the lake? 34 minutes ago, mmoser52 said: The dock on the east side has been hit or miss for me. The main boardwalk normally seems more reliable, but also seems to see a lot of fishing pressure. I’ve fished it a few times years and years ago. We saw some giant turtles swimming around in there, didn’t catch a fish though. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted May 31, 2020 Global Moderator Posted May 31, 2020 Welcome! Quote
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