Grand River - Lansing hot 'pond' 12-17-2006 - better than nothing...

[djkimmel]

Well, my story doesn't have the drama or intrigue quite like rufus' but it's what I got.

I've been sick for 3 weeks and just got the cough down to about 50 per day, but still feel like the strength and stamina has not returned to more than 70 - 80% but man oh man... it was too nice out this weekend so I dragged myself out to the boat and hooked 'er up.

I figured after my fiasco getting stuck a couple weeks ago at Kent Lake and practically needing CPR to recover from that (I don't know what this virus was, but it sucked my strength like a vampire - it's a sad story so I haven't told it yet... well, not real sad), I haven't ventured out since.

I decided to go very local to our own little 'hot pond' on the upper Grand River right here in Lansing. Only takes me a few minutes to get on the water and I figure there has to be a few bass holding around the warmer water not very far from the ramp (it's a really nice ramp). I had about 3 1/2 hours to fish by choosing this location (which ended up being enough for now).

The main river near the ramp was right about 40 F. I was a little disappointed to see the 'hot pond' was not really hot, but still right up near the 'discharge' the water got up to almost 50 F.

There was only one little tiny cartopper there when I showed up and he left as I pulled up to the little stretch - there's not a ton of room here, it's basically one little plume of warmer water down one little stretch of shoreline:


Nice and trashy as many inner city rivers are, but the Board of Water & Light has made the spot more challenging by putting a small boom out around the discharge that messes up some casts.

Even though the little boat had been there and the water was real warm as it can be, I managed to hook a 12 inch largemouth pretty quick on my old trusty green crayfish Bomber Model A - I think I've caught about 50,000 river bass on this lure over the years (ok, probably exaggerating a little). The bass felt no more than like hooking a wet sock, and was barely hooked on the edge of the mouth despite a slow retrieve (? or because of?).

That was all for the first 100 foot pass up the trashy, woody, concrete chunk edge. I snuck up on the boom and slow-rolled a spinnerbait just inside by softly tossing it into a small shoreline pocket eddy. Another wet sock, barely hooked on the red trailer hook, but I saw a small flash and at least new something alive had grabbed the lure this time. A small keeper largemouth. Life is good and all is right with the world again!! Both these fish come pretty close to shore.

No more bites for a bit despite trying every little eddy, nook, crevice and snag with several different retrieves. So I head all the way (quietly) down to the very end of the warmer water plume away from the discharge (there' really only room here for a boat or two... if they are friendly).


I figure, rest the little stretch for a few minutes. I choose a small Fat Free Fingerling in Firetiger and work slowly back up, worming the crankbait through the bottom ups and downs out a little deeper - maybe 5 to 7 feet almost, but not quite where it drops into 8 plus. This time, I almost feel the hit and after the hookset, I know it's not a snag or piles of leaves. This small keeper is more aggressive and has the lure sideways in its mouth.

I try some things after that and have one more half-hearted bump on a slow-rolled spinnerbait. I decide I can make one run up the river to the first small gravel pit - a small pond of 8 to 14 feet just off the channel. The water is actually colder in here - in the dense 39 F range and the whole pit is full of clods of black and green goo from top to bottom. Not real attractive and not surprisingly, I see no signs of life.

I call it a day feeling tired, but better than I did before I went out. A final note, I could not believe how many ducks and geese were in the river by the park where people feed them. There must have been 300 or more. I idled through them to avoid unfortunate featherly explosions and they all parted for me like the Red Sea, swarming back behind me to eat the 'free' food.

[McCarter]

Nice work Lt. Dan!  I have been craving a bassfilled day and it looks like this past weekend would have been ideal, but i was working a Cabelas event and was unable to fish.  Oh well, theres always May.

On a side note, the virus you speak of has been making its way through my circle as well.  I was ill for 5 weeks.  3 of those 5 being pretty bad, and the other 2 werent too bad but i only felt about 70%.  I have just gotten rid of whatever it was ( i think it was a reaction to the sudden stop in fishing ) and finally feeling 100% again.  I have never in my life been sick for more than a couple days.  This thing really whooped me.  And to top it off, i have talked to dozens of other people who either had or currently have the exact same thing.  I dont know if they have a name for it, but i nominate L.S.M.B.A.V.; Large/Small Mouth Bass Angler Virus.  It seems that most of the people i have talked to who were or are sick, were bass anglers.  But that could be that most of the people i talk to anymore are in fact bass anglers.  Still, its a catchy name for a virus.  Pun is definatly intended.

McCarter himself

[djkimmel]

I like it!!!! I might use that (with credit to you) tomorrow at the MDNR public meeting...?