Muskegon Lake Squarebill Smackdown

[djkimmel]

fishstick took me fishing on Muskegon Lake Saturday April 11 for my earliest trip ever to one of the most interesting lakes in Michigan. For the new bass season it seemed like a great choice considering it was one of the 6 tests lakes starting way back in 1988.

We got there moderately early morning to find a huge stream of mud running down the middle of the lake. Not good when you're dealing with water temps in the low 40s F!

But fishstick didn't earn the 'stick' in his name for nothing. He was determined to get us on some good bass so we went after it. Blade baits and soft plastics put a big sheepshead in the boat for fishstick early and then he lost a quality smallie on a slow jerkbait retrieve. That was it for a while...

We kept moving around looking at the mudline and water temps, trying slack water and current breaks until we found an area of slower current next to fast current. I caught my first smallmouth bass keeper-sized of the 2015 Michigan bass season on a craw-colored small Red-eye shad fished medium slow. It felt real good!


fishstick was getting bites on a variety of lures - a Bullet Craw for some of them - from smallies too. I caught another better smallie on my first cast with a football jig and slender craw bait. Then my bite petered out. We could see a little fish splashing and what looked like feeding though we couldn't actually see any bait or small fish.

I love fishing squarebills in the spring so I pulled out a KVD 2.5 blue chartreuse and fishing back down a back I'd already flipped the jig too and a few other lures I caught my biggest bass of the day - a quality chunker largemouth! Man did that feel good because it ATE it! Whamp!



I stuck mostly to the squarebill for a while after that catching a few more smallmouth bass. The wind kicked up and changed at least twice. This changed the current quite a bit and fishstick started spanking Giant carp on a blade bait. I am not as good so I did not get to fight any of these big vegetarians! fishstick said he had never caught carp on lures before. Welcome to my multi-species world!! I was expecting a sturgeon next!

We adjusted our location thanks to fishstick's fine-tuned fishing skills and we both started catching more smallies again both mostly throwing squarebills with the occasional trap-type lure but the squarebill is good for me! In general, we had to retrieve the lure very specifically with the current to get bit well. It was another good learning experience.

I get bored easy and fishstick likes to find the hottest bite so we moved around some more. The wind actually moved the muddy water all over the place so some spots went real muddy while others cleared up again. The fishing stayed spotty. Fishing a variety of lures fishstick caught a few more bass and I got another solid largemouth in some warm, protected water but it was our only bass from that spot which was probably just part of being very cold water with the new mud.

fishstick has higher standards than me so he wanted more bass but I caught more than enough solid fish to keep me very happy! Plus! The squarebill bite always makes my day!

We had a little outdoors adventure too with a naked squirrel (except for the tail) that definitely had something wrong going on, and a Northern Goshawk dove through a tree 40 feet from us to nail a blackbird that wasn't a whole lot smaller than it! Bye bye blackbird. (It did put up a losing fight.)

I had a great day despite the chilly wind. It was bass fishing, in Michigan, in early April, and I caught a few! Thanks fishstick! And remember that wide wobble of the squarebill in cold, newly muddy water!

[justinhahn88]

We're you out Saturday?  If so I'm pretty sure I saw you right after I launched. I think you were by the marina as I was heading towards the main lake. I remember staring at the talons in envy haha

[justinhahn88]

Sorry, I just reread your post yes it was Saturday

[djkimmel]

I was with fishstick in his Skeeter with double Talons if that was you we spoke to briefly as we were heading in to the ramp for the day ~5pm give or take a few minutes.

[justinhahn88]

That was me! Wow I met a local bass legend and didn't even know it!!

[djkimmel]

Yeah... that fishstick is one heck of an angler!

I was happy that you were happy to be out early. Made my day when you said that this was great! Thanks!