have they announced where it is this year. i keep checking the site but nothing.
Yes, this year it will be on Saginaw Bay out of Linwood. All of the details will be up on the website and in the upcoming magazine very soon.
Interesting choice for the 1-1! Big waters and fishing all by yourself. It doesn't bother me but still an interesting choice. I look forward to it...if I make it!
My boat is 17'. Any place I can fish there?? I don't want to fill my boat with every wave!
There are canals, a river and near shore weeds in that area, along with a couple bars nearby depending on the weather. As long as you don't get a real strong East or SE wind, you'll have places to fish nearby.
I've fished that area off and on over the years. Done real well at times.
That doesn't sound safe at all. If you want to have any chance of winning most likely it will be at the Charities. All it takes is one slip and it's all over. Fishing by youself is a recipe for disaster on Saginaw bay in any type of weather. I've fished the one on one's the last two years but this year I'm not so sure.
Anywhere on the water, particularly on big lakes and the Great Lakes, you should always take extra precautions when boating alone. It can happen anytime anywhere so safety and preparation should always be a high priority. I usually leave my life jacket on now when I'm fishing alone - I have one of those auto-inflate vests for that.
I've fished Saginaw Bay alone many, many times, and for years fished it in 14' boats. Always tell someone about where you'll be, and when to expect you back. Take extra gas/oil verses what you might normally take. Have multiple methods of communication. Have a compass and all safety equipment.
The Bay is a great place to bring extra incentive to make safety and wise thought a priority. You can fish it without making long runs, and there are places you can do very well without running to the Charities. Many tournaments have been won short of the Charities or elsewhere. You can't always make it to the Charities safely, and more often than we tend to choose, it shouldn't be attempted (I speak from experience :) ).
If I had the chance to fish this event, I probably would not run all the way to the Charities unless it was looking like it would definitely be a calm, clear day all day. I have run 50 miles one way a number of times on the Bay without hardly a bump, but that is the uncommon exception.
If you get a Northerly or Westerly winds, there are many, many places to fish between Linwood and the Charities still for largemouth and smallmouth bass.
What time of year is the event?
the event is on August 23. never fished the bay but spent years duck hunting out there. i remember may times driving up there only to find 4 foot waves. how far do you have to run from Linwood to get in smallmouth water. i see there is some deeper water a few miles out. Also a shipping channel in to saginaw.
That time of year for smallies might be iffy close by, but there are some sometimes within a couple miles or less. The smallies have moved... or been brought much deeper into the Bay for some time now.
There's a number of smallmouth spots from Linwood to Au Gres. Also, a couple back the other way into the Saginaw River. The average size might not be as good as the best the Charities have to offer, but there are definitely shoreline-related spots that can compete with the Charities that time of year. Some may be a ways up, but I have found I can run the shoreline many more times safer than cutting out to the Charities.
Why Saginaw Bay??? I would have thought they would have gone to St. Clair or Erie before choosing the Bay. So many other great big water areas to fish. I was going to fish the Oakland County One on Ones but with the Championship being on Saginaw, I think I will pass this year. I don't know enough about the Bay and it can be dangerous fishing alone when you don't know anything about it. I am more confident alone on St. Clair or Erie and that is probably because of the amount of times I have fished them alone. Well I will just go with the old baseball addage...."Wait 'til next year!" I will probably just fish a couple of them on the more familiar lakes I know of like Orion, Cass, and Pontiac.....maybe even Lake Oakland. Driving all the way to Lakeville tomorrow maybe a little far although it is a great largemouth lake. We shall see.
BD ;D
August is the roughest month on Saginaw Bay, remember the MI federation Championship 2 years ago. From that launch you are at least 28 miles from the winning fish. It's a good launch but the location sucks for smallmouths. You never know though, but I would be more interesed if it was a multi-day event.
-Matt
I for one am excited about Saginaw, I have prefished it alone many times and extra precaution is a must. Good gear, Trip plan, Radio, GPS, BPERP type device and auto inflate vest are mandatory for me to feel comfortable. I'm with you Dan be prepared and you can fish in Safety, if its one thing riding with you taught me it was how to handle a storm. I don't know if you remember St.Clair but I do!!! That being said I completly understand the concern for Saginaw bay is the only place I have seen boats sink, rocks bigger than my house and have weathered two giant storms that made me wonder why I ever came. Both went from flat calm to 4-6' in a matter of 30 minutes. I suggest mapping a route with a partnerr then trying to stay on the milk run, if blown off drive carefully and slow.
I have also caught several large sacks and would love to beat the best day of 5lbs 10 oz and 5 lbs 4oz. I would like to add that many large fish and plenty of 20 foot deep water is availible within easy reach of shore, not like charity but still there. I lost the largest smallmouth of my life in the river from 1 foot of muddy water and watched a guy load the boat with huge largies on a zoom straigt tailed worm...............I'm going to try to be there!!!