Burt/Mullett Fishing

[rufus]

I have been too busy working this week and not on the computer. I am head of Maintenance for a school and summertime means actual labor , when I am here that is . My father-in-law and I arrived at Burt and Mullet on Monday morning at 10 am. We fished Pickeral at the end of the chain since it was a shortened day. I managed 4 nice fish, but it was very tough out there. We only found two small good areas on this lake, but we saw some absolute TOADS. I did get two of them to bite and lost them both. On Tuesday we went out to Huron and covered a lot of miles of water, almost all of it DEAD! It was probably the finest looking piece of smallie water I have ever saw, but they were not on the deep rock stuff at all. We did find some out there in two very small areas. We ended up catching a couple fish over 5 and several (10 or 11) fish from 3-4. On Wednesday and Thursday I concentrated only on Mullett and all I can say is WOW. What an incredible smallmouth fishery. I couldn't help myself Wednesday and only left the really big fish on beds alone. I ended up catching fifteen 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounders off of beds. I left at least 9 fish alone that I knew were bigger. My father-in-law, who is my traveling partner/sponsor/best friend in the world caught 4 really nice ones too. (I was backboating him on those beds, but he never tried to bury his Pointer 100 in the back of my head, he is a good man!) On Thursday we fished only break fish and found that pattern was very tough. The Coach (my father-in-law) caught a 4 on his first cast of the morning on a Pointer. We fish from 8-15 feet and managed 9 decent fish, but they were not tournament winning fish. What we did Friday will remain a mystery, due to the fact I have never found a school of fish that were that big in my life and hope to get back to this fishery next year. Unfortunatley, Steve Clapper found them too and so did SethV. Clapper was the first to them on tournament day (I drew boat 94) and he caught a decent sack of of it, but not near the potential it had. We talked after the tourney. We both saw them, but the big ones did not want to bite. The would follow and show themselves, but just would not committ. I caught three decent ones and then resorted to my backup pattern which produced another 9 keepers. My partner and I had some bad luck which prevented us from fish for a few of the fish I had found. My co-angler Paul Cowen was a super guy, he only had one that went 4'6", but he had the opportunity to put a lot more in the livewell. He lost 4 other good fish from 3-4 1/2 pounds. I hope everyone sends their votes in to Anthony and picks these lakes first. For the situation we had to deal with, I believe the tournament was ran as well as it possibly could. I had an awesome week and the people of Cheboygan were as nice as they come. We stayed at Le Ducs motel and I would highly recommend it to anyone going up there. The owners even came to the weigh-in. The people at Pier 33 talked to me at least twice and only had kind words to say about us. It was very nice to fish place where "we" were welcome. We actually went to a place where they want us to come back. I say next year we go back and support them. God Bless and Good Fishin'
Heath

[CuradoKev]

Good job Heat and thanks for write-up 

See ya at LSC,

Ckev

[angolajones]

Wagner,

Nice job out on the big water.  You really have taught me a lot about bass fishing.  Thanks for helping me get involved in the BFL's.  I know you like to go for broke and it pays off more times than not for you.  One more fish and you would have had a check there.  I'm ready for St. Clair but Burt/Mullett is some fine fishing.  We never did get to see Burt so I don't know how great it is but judging from Mullett, it should be awesome.

Jonesy

[djkimmel]

Great post Heath. I really enjoyed getting to meet you in person and talk a few times.

Sounds like the 3 of you were on some real toads - a great alternate pattern to the bed-hopping on Mullett (a little on Burt too, although not as much). Great to see that 3 members of this forum were on 'em in a creative way.

I truly enjoyed the friendliness and interest of the people up there. Quite a welcome change. I hope we go back too. There's lots of water yet to fish and the fishing can be so much better just on Burt and Mullett than it was.

I put my vote in to Anthony Wright - awright@flwoutdoors.com, but I also suggested rotating among 2 or 3 Northern lakes as an option to answer a few concerns some anglers might have. Of course, if the people want us to keep coming back bad enough and we work out some logistics, I don't have a problem returning to Burt/Mullett - as much as I've fished up there, still a lot to learn and I have barely cracked Lake Huron myself (you are right - tons of dead, but great looking water, but when you find them...!)

[SethV]

Here is my story:

Prefishing, Thursday June 8:

I decided to head out to Huron and look for more fish to go along with what I found on the previous Sunday.  We put in at the Cheboygan city ramp, put on our GoreTex and headed out to Huron.  I made the short run over to Duncan Bay and we began to look around.  Duncan Bay is a large, mostly shallow and rocky bay, protected from all sides except North.  I elected to start in the marina, and look for some spawning fish.

We pulled into the marina, and I noticed the great looking scattered weeds in 10-12? of water.  I started with a Spook, and immediately had a good fish on!  We followed that fish up with several more in rapid succession.  As the sun came up, we noticed that there were fish suspended under the docks.  A quick pitch with a wacky rig proved that these were easy fish to catch?and they bite when the sun is up!  Nice back up plan!

We moved out of the marina to the flats, where I was able to pick up several on a jerkbait and a spook, but it was hard to find a pattern.  The north wind was really blowing, making it hard to see anything.

At about noon, we loaded the boat back on the trailer, and headed down to Mullett lake, for one more look.  I started on the protected shorelines, and quickly found more bedding fish, but most were in the 3 lb range.  Great points fish, but they would have no chance of winning it for me.

We then loaded the boat back on the trailer, and headed to the river above the lock.  I wanted to find something just in case the big lake does not play nice, so I can at least catch a few fish.  We started near the lock, working our way back up river.  I caught a 2 lb fish on a senko, and a bunch of small fish.  When we worked our way about ? mile from the lock, we came to a small flat.  Loaded with better fish.  I caught a 3 lb fish, and my dad caught one over 5 lbs!  Not what I expected from the river!  I then followed it up with another 3 lb fish further down the bank.  Lots of good looking water, but much of it was dead.  Tons of wood, but these fish wanted NOTHING to do with wood.  Werid.

At sunset, we loaded the boat for the last time and headed to the hotel.


Practice Day, Friday June 9:

I have now committed to the big lake.  Huron or bust baby!  I still wanted to find something reliable for when the sun comes up, I think I can catch them in the low light, but don?t have much confidence when it gets bright out.

We started above the lock in the river to look for some fish that I could hit before the lock opens.  I found a couple on beds, and we had quite a few fish hit topwater spooks and pop-r?s.  I even had a very determined 3 lb fish hook herself, even though I completely bent my hooks over on a spook.  That never happens tx day!!

At about 8 AM, we loaded back up, and headed below the lock.  Once in the river, we noticed that there was only 1 other bass boat trailer in the parking lot (Heath!!).  We did a drive-by visual on my best fish, yep they are all still there.  Wow, those are some big fish!

We headed back to Duncan bay, to look for some more fish.  The wind was making it really hard to see anything, and the shallow bite was really off.  We worked that for awhile, then headed back to the river.  Found a few small fish in the river, but I was really having trouble seeing them on the beds with the current.

At about 3 pm, we loaded up to get our tackle ready and head to the meeting.  At the meeting I drew boat 84 (small field with 96 boats).


Tournament Day, June 10:

It was an early start this morning!  The ?blast off? was to start at 5:30, and due to limited parking and boat ramps, I elected to put in down in Mullett lake, and make the 30 minute idle to the boat ramp.  Picked my partner up at 4 am, put in the water and we were at take off site by 5 am. 

When our boat number was called, we began the long trip to the lock.  45 min later, we arrived at a spot near the lock where I had one on the bed.  1st cast to her and I had a 2 lb fish in the box!  That feels good!

I hoped to pick up a few more keepers on the topwater, but it was not to be. I had a big fish, try to eat my spook 4 times, but she just would not get ahold of it!  Oh well.

The lock opened, and I found that 2 other boats were also locking down.  Heath Wagner, a good friend of mine had also found the same fish on his own so we planed to share them.  That?s cool, plenty of room.  The other boat was none other than Steve Clapper.  Steve is a legend on the big water.  Probably nobody better at catching those big open water fish than Steve.

After they quickly locked us through, we all made the short 15 minute run to Huron.  Steve had the lowest boat number, so he was first out of the lock.  Hey, he is headed right to my fish!  Hey, he is stopping on my fish!  All of Huron to choose from, and all 3 of us found the same fish! 

Right away, I noticed Steve netting a good one.  I immideatly hung a good one on a jerkbait.  I got her close to the boat, and she pulled off!  DANG!  Oh well, there is lots of time, it is only 7:15, they will bite until 10, right?

About 10 casts later with a drop shot, I caught 1 about 4 lbs.  That?s better.  By now Heath also has a good one, and Steve has 3.  About 10 min later, I get number 3, a nice 5 lb fish.  That?s more like it!  Heath now has 2 and Steve is culling.  About this time, I notice a freighter moving closer to us.  He is going to come right through our fish, and he ain?t slowing down!

The freighter passes though, and completely turns the bottom upside down!  A little mud can be ok (even a good thing), but this was a nasty, trashy mess.  I had another one eat the jerkbait just as the freighter was going by?of course I lost her.  Argh! 

For 2 hours after the freighter went though I tried in vain to get another bite.  It was OVER!  That ok, I still have those easy marina fish in Duncan.  By the time I arrived the sun was bright overhead.  No fish out in the weeds, that?s ok, they still live under the docks.  Yep, there they are, I can see them?but they won?t come out to eat for anything!  What gives??  I am able to get a few short fish to come out, but the bigger ones want nothing to do with it.

I give up on the marina fish, and head out to the flats on Duncan.  Meanwhile I pass Heath, he has 4 fish, he got 2 off of beds.  Heath is one of the best sight fisherman in this part of the country.  That boy has radar vision.  How he sees them that well is beyond me.

I work the flats in Duncan, with nothing to show for it.

I decide to head back to my starting spot to see if the water has cleared.  It has not.  I decide my Huron day is over, so I lock back up at about 11:30.  I still have those easy fish in the river, right?  I get back up in the river, and find that my beds (remember I only see the obvious ones!) are picked clean.  Now I start to scramble.  I catch lots of shorts, but can not buy a good keeper bite.  I continue hunting, and even got to some new water, but never find another keeper.

I end the day with 3 fish, for just under 11 lbs.  My coangler had 1 fish from Huron.

Day in review:  I did not count of that freighter, or that 3 of us would share (6 guys total) that water.  I know there were enough fish there for all of us to have 25 lbs each, but we just had a bad run of events.  I should have gone to Duncan sooner, to get my last 2 fish before the sun got so high.  I also should not have locked up so soon, I should have tried to scratch something out below the lock where there was less competition.

[nitrobass]

Heath and all,
I just want to say thank you guys for the support that was given to me in my first BFL as a boater. It was a confidence builder when youlf and Steve Clapper asked how my prefishing and tournament went and I just want to say thanks again.
See ya this weekend.

[Get_the_net]

Since the official launch site was in the river, were all the fish that were weighed dumped into the river or was there a release boat that took them back to Mullet and/or Burt?

[djkimmel]

Both - there was a local boat provided with a large aerated tank that took a lot of the bass out into Mullett Lake (most of the bass came from Mullett) and the rest were let go in the river.