Burt/Mullet Practice

[Slipkey]

According to the address on the FLW info page, the launch is on the Cheboygan River . 

This will be my first year fishing the Michigan Division BFL's, though, so someone who fished it last year could confirm.

[djkimmel]

Maps and information on locations is posted in this board on last years event thread. The official launch site is on the northwest side of M-33 where it crosses the Cheboygan River - about 15 minutes from Mullett Lake.

There's a small MDNR ramp with parking for a 20-some boat trailers in the northwest corner of Mullett Lake - the closest alternate public ramp.

[djkimmel]

Burt Lake SP and Aloha SP rarely fill up on non-holiday weekends unless there is some kind of big park event. Even then they rarely fill up, especially during the week in early summer. I've never stayed at Cheboygan SP.

Remember state regulations allow only one 'sleeping unit' per campsite in state parks. Some parks are very strict and some don't check too hard or close. They've seemed okay at these two state parks in recent years.

[bshaner]

Last chance?  Anyone for Wed or Thurs?  Motocross is joining me on Friday.

Who's doing breakfast Wed Morning?  I told the wife she's cooking already.  She didnt take it well.

I'll be at site # 28 Burt Lake SP.

Spinningbug,  she doesnt need any of your outside influences!!!!!!!!! 

Are there any decent tackle shops up there for last minute tackle needs?

B

[SethV]

I am driving up early Wends AM.  Have a conf call at 7, but after that (or during???) i should be on the water!

I will see you at the SP Wends night!!

Seth

[djkimmel]

The only tackle shop I remember is on the east side of the Cheboygan River across the Liberty Bridge or Lincoln St - whatever it is called - a block or two past the MDNR ramp. Typical ole small town old time tackle shop packed full of a lot of old stuff and a respectable amount of new stuff if still in business. Been a few seasons since I went in there, but I found some uncommon lures the last time that are fairly popular with specialists and hard to find. Got to make a stop as these kinds of shops every once in a while to look for this kind of stuff. They're becoming extinct. I wonder if this one is still in business even?

There's the Wal-Mart in Cheboygan with some tackle too. Probably more, but don't recall yet. Online info shows 2 places in Cheboygan - 1 on Main St. and 1 on Water St. just off of Main - don't think either is the one I went to afore.

[cameraguy]

Dan does stay at Aloha and I have, as well.  It's a nice campground and offers solid protected ramps.  I don't remember the Burt campground but I know I tried to launch at a couple ramps on Burt (I thought one was the State Park but my aging memory is failing) and I couldn't get in with a 20' Champion.  The one that I think is at the State Park (might have been a different campground) was very shallow sand for a long way out.  It looked like a couple of bass boats had launched there, but I didn't want to chance getting stuck in the sand as I was by myself.  I ended up launching in the Indian River.

Dan knows this area very well and should be able to provide better insight than I.

[SODY]

Ok Ok I can't stand it any longer, Im in and I will see you there. I decided to go as a co-angler, (Save a Little) unless I really get on to something Friday.

Heads up I was able to get a guarented Co-angler spot because for the first time since I can remember their are more boaters than co-anglers and their is a less than 10 wait for St.Clair so I signed up for that too.

Tell your co-angler friends that if they want in to call FLW because as of Monday night late you could get in no-problem. SOOOO make a boaters day and help eliminate boater on boater draws!!!!

The wife kids and crew will be at Aloha starting Friday... Stop by and say heh!

[bshaner]

SODY,  didnt see you!  I made sure the wife was up every day!!

Moto, nice spending the day with you.  I know it didnt end up mattering but it did inflate my ego showing you good fish and atleast giving it the impression I knew what I was doing!

Guys, Moto is one heck of a nice guy.  Great conversation, patient fisherman and seems to know his stuff.  (did I get it right, Moto?)  He paid me to say all that.     .

Before we could even get his gear loaded in my boat he tossed me an envelop with 35 bucks in it for the day practicing and refused to load his gear until I took it.  Stand up guy.

So here's a recap of my practice week for anyone interested.

Wed morning my dad came out with me at 0600.  My dad and I have not been fishing together since 1991 so it was special for me.  He's a vet on 100% disability so me being in the military spending time with him makes it all the more special.

First things first we launched from Burt Lake SP and made the trip up to Pier 33 so I could time it just incase I went to Burt.  (I figured no sense practicing Burt that early if I was going to make the run I wouldnt get there until later in the morning anyway).  Wow that is a long run and I decided I would only make it if I didnt find good fish on Mullet.  So we started our run around Mullet.  I checked all the points first and the break lines around them.  Man, big fish were cruising everywhere.  The weather was supposed to stay stable all week so I assumed the fish would stay along those breaks.  After checking the obvious spots I started looking for spots not everyone would be on.  I found fish there too.  I have never seen so many smallies in my life, and big smallies.  I was really feeling good and it's not even halfway through the first day of practice.  After I was done marking spots, dad and I went back around and try to stick a fish or two off each spot to see if we could develop a pattern.  I hated to disappoint good ole dad but when we did catch a fish we'd leave... he understood the game though and was a good sport.  Later in the day when the sun was in the west and prime for seeing the eastern shore I put dad in the driver's seat and started cruising for bedders.  I marked several.  I stuck a couple just to judge sizes.  First one was 3.6 and took me over an hour.  He looked much bigger.  I rolled up on another that looked about the same but was in deeper water so I stuck him to get a better idea and to see if my pattern held up.  It did and he ended up being 4.9.  I was feeling really good now.  I marked several fish that were locked on and a few that werent quite locked on but searching for their spot so I marked them too.  We called it a day.

Thursday.  I launch from Mullet because I have decided this is where I'll be fishing from.  I cruised the spots I'd seen fish cruising on and they were still there so I left.  I found a sweet looking shallow flat out in the middle of the lake and cruised it for an hour or so.  Man there were a ton of fish on it.  I decided to work the breaklines off the flat to develop a pattern and see if my current pattern would hold up there too.  First cast I stick a 5.1 on a spinner bait that would not shake off.  First stinking cast.  I didnt even have a trailer hook on and didnt even set the hook but he would not shake.  I figured it's thursday and he's got 2 days to get hungry again.  I threw a tube for a while and hooked up on a walleye and a 4.6.  I'm really feeling good about my chances now.  I'm chilling on the spot contemplating on what to do next when this guy comes cruising across the lake on his way somewhere, is nearly by me, looks over slams on the air breaks and turns around comes off pad and checks the depth then marks the area and takes off.  I almost called 9-1-1, I think it's a federal law that you cant mark someone else's spot and since I got here first it's mine.  I may still file a letter of protest, I havent decided.  If you are that person, please report yourself immediately.  I had driven over this spot yesterday and a couple of times today and noone had even been near it or practicing it.  I checked back on it several times to see if anyone else was practicing it and they werent.  When tournament day came it was a community hole.  I'm still scratching my head on that one.  This isnt the community hole that has the red bouy that everyone else was sitting on all week wacking fish and wondering why it didnt produce tournament day.

Friday rolls around.  I have Motocross with me.  We launch out of Burt because I am feeling really good about Mullet and dont think I'll be fishing it but I figured I'd tell Moto my pattern on Mullet so he's got good info and I take him to Burt to practice just incase he draws a boater who goes to Burt.  (Turns out he drew Cast N Blast who fished Burt).  Am I the shiznat or what???  Well Burt is pretty much the same as Mullet as far as the fish cruising the breaklines and quite obviously Burt hasnt been hit hard because Moto wasnt having any problem hooking up fish with the pattern I had on Mullet.  He stuck a couple in our first spot so we moved on.  We found a nice break along the south eastern shoreline and Moto was able to stick a couple as we cruised about a 150 yard length of it.  We did not really see any cruising this break line but they were obviously there.  We felt Moto had a decent idea of what was going on and I didnt see the need to explore anymore because his boater was going to determine where they fished anyway.  I needed to change a tire that developed a slow leak on the trailer anyway and it was as good a time as any to take a break for hydration and food.  Moto needed to check into his hotel which was on the way to where I was launching on Mullet, so it all made sense.

Tire change is over, he's checked in and it's about 11:30 when we hit the launch at Mullet.  We had the wife ride along and then dropped the trailer at the launch so she could have the truck.  ( there is no way on God's green Earth I was letting her out of my sight with both truck and trailer - do you think I'm an idiot??)  We cruised some of my break lines and to my glee the fish were still there.  Then depression set in when Moto could not stick any fish at all.  I took him to the community holes and let him give it a shot while I just trolled around and watched.  These fish would not even swim away from the boat.  It's like they didnt care anymore.  And they darn sure didnt want anything he had to offer.  I must mention that throughout the afternoon from 11:30am on we tried to check back on my bedders.  From 11:30am until atleast 2:30 if not 3:00 a guy in a green Stratos was just sitting on top of the 4.9.  Just sitting there.  I checked atleast 5 to 6 times throughout that time and he never left.  Is that normal??  Seems like a waste of time to me but ok.  The wind started to kick up a bit and I asked Moto if he wouldnt mind if I gave my bedders one last look and he was cool with that.  He even helped me transfer over some waypoints from the front GPS to the back.  (I cant get my Lowrance to load data from the card.  It just locks up and reboots when I try to click "load" ).  We got to that 4.9 that the Stratos had been sitting on and he was still there.  Several of my bedders were so I was just hoping for a good draw.

We put the boat on the trailer and headed for the registration.  I drew boat 78 and it was at that point that I knew I was not going to be doing any productive bed fishing.  I drew Pete, the guy that Seth practiced with and Moto drew Cast N Blast.

The rest is history,

B