25 July 2023 ~ Topwater Bass

[A-Jay]

 This report has been a long time coming and there’s a few reasons for that. 

Some of it was physical, a good bit was definitely mental and I’m pretty sure there was a spiritual aspect to it as well.

Either way, I managed to get most of that behind me and wrangled my bass fishing self to Lake Menderchuck this morning.

Besides simply just being out there, my mission (and I always need at least one) was to re-graph a couple of my favorite haunts. 

I’m starting with a clean slate as I chose not to re-load previous way points into the new graphs.  

I was greeted with a most excellent warm sunny northern Michigan morning,

the type of which might not be the best fishing but would allow me to effectively work through the main mission.

  Once I got on scene at the first area, I couldn’t help myself and just had to make a few topwater throws, just to see.  It had been a minute and while the graphing is important, getting my string pulled a couple of times is abundantly more fun. 

 So I moved way inside and set up over some mid depth weeds. Sk Sexy Dawg One Knock, about 5 casts and I had my first fish. Stout & heathy specimen of green bass.  Can’t tell you how good that felt. Few minutes later I moved a little deeper to fish the weed line edges.  Jack Hammer was making it happen.  A few more bass, plenty of pike, a cutter walleye and even a few Rock bass, all helped to recharge this man’s inner humanness.  #relished

Starting in August some time (could be early, middle or even later in the month) some real bruiser brown bass will move in these areas to feed.  Knowing where the bait is hanging out can prove helpful later.  Bare spots in the vast feed flats are like Gold Jerry, Gold. Conversely, Isolated Weed spots on the deeper flats that are mostly barren, are even better.  Especially for the biggest fish.

  So in preparation for all of this, after my much needed fish fix (and a sandwich) I spent the next almost 4 hours doing ‘the work’ and it was awesome.  The areas I ran and marked were so healthy and so full of life.  Between the detailed graphing and the clear water, I was like a kid in a candy store.  SO Much Bait. And more of the ‘right kind’ than I’ve seen in a few years, meaning yellow perch that look too big to be smallmouth food, but they most certainly are. 

I’ll end this one here by saying that deep down in my bass fishing soul,

I’m getting the type of vibe that indicates that in the next several weeks,

the trophy brown bass prognosis could be magnificently memorable.   

But even if it turns out to be a bust, the anticipation that keeps me up at night,

breaths the life right back into me.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

[gim]

15 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Gold Jerry, Gold

 

[TnRiver46]

Nice!!!! Glad you got your batteries recharged.  All the Michigan bass I’ve caught so far were green as well. I saw brown ones in the river but they were French fry sized 

[Way north bass guy]

Good to hear you got back out there. I haven’t had near enough time to get on the water this year myself, between work and projects around the house ( I’m still on the same tank of gas as last fall and that has NEVER happened before?), but I’m fixin to change that right quick starting this weekend!

[NorcalBassin]

Nice! Topwater on a slick calm morning with no one else in sight is truly special. 

[pdxfisher]

Great report! Excited to see your reports again. Glad you found some healing waters!

[Swamp Girl]

I will now state the utterly obvious: You're a heckuva stick!