2015 Mad Wags Stories

[dartag]

Figured i would start a thread so we can share our stories.   Rick ( YpsiBass ) decided  to go south to Memorial park.  I had thought about going to Muskamoot but had not been there this year.   Went to my first waypoint and stopped right above a 3.5 fish.  We had our first 5 on the paper in 20 minutes.  It seemed if you found one on a bed others would be close by.  We culled up to where a 3 pound fish didn't matter.  Didn't keep count but we caught a lot of fish.  The wind picked up about 1 so we headed to the canals north of Crocker.  Caught a couple nice largemouth and rock bass.  Saw Laporte and his crew in there.   The rain was nice enough to hold off for the day.  Great time and it show ya.  Never believe the weatherman.

Thanks Dan and everyone else that brought food and drinks.

[djkimmel]

The weather people were way off the mark. Thank goodness. Thank you so much to everyone who showed up to fish. We got everyone out on the water again and most people caught some bass, or at least some other fish. I thought the day went very well. Thanks to LAPORTE for taking me and Jefferson out. We got on some bedding bass on the Mile Roads and got our limit with a few culls after starting in Anchor Bay where we only caught 1 small keeper.

We got 2nd big bass at 5-8 off a bed where 2 that size were in the act of making bass babies. We had a much bigger bass swim by that we saw first that we all wanted to catch but it kept swimming and vanished into the growing breeze in the early afternoon. We could see well enough to sightfish fairly good until about 1pm, then we tried catching tiny largemouth (because dartag must have already caught the nice ones) for a half hour before heading in to the great cookout!

THANKS again to all you stalwarts who showed up to fish and especially thanks to the boaters who came, AND the companies who donated prizes:
Case Plastics / Zipper Worms
D&R Sports Center
Xtreme Bass Tackle
Kustom Kicker Jigs
Sportsmen's Direct

[Mojo]

Once upon a time, in a land far far away in a place called Michigan, resides a golden body of water named Lake St Clair........

I've always wanted to write about days like yesterday. Where fog is lifting, and motors are humming optimistically to a favorite first spot. Where your 3rd cast with a jerk bait loads up a very mad 4 lb smallmouth.



Yesterday was a day of discovery.  We found fish where the water was warmest at 65-66 degrees. Terry Bone, Capt Charlie, Seth, Laura, Luke and were great sportsmen. We heards hoots for Luke over here, and howls of pike bites from Charlie over there. Someone snuck a banana in Terry's boat which drew laughter across the waters from everyone.

Some boats left for another favorite spot. Some found the bedded fish quickly (and subsequently won the tournament with a verifiable 6.8 lbs mom that measured just 6.0. ) We worked on the roaming fish with tubes, DS, jerk baits, Kustom Kicker Deposit Swim baits, and jointed swim baits. Laura and Terry  told a story of her place on Lake James and how once Terry's fish got bigger with each catch. I mentioned I hoped we had the same luck today, then... it happened ! When we found the beds, we actually did just that ! In an hour we removed all 2-3 lb fish and went to work culling 3-4 lb fish.



The fish were just like elementary school kids on a playground. Darting everywhere, smoking out baits, being cautious once caught off their bed, rollers, and roamers. Quads of Gars roiled threw the area, uncaring of the environment, which was cool in and of itself. We moved Laura to the front and back and dropped the power poles a few times to work on some fish, all the while getting valuable experience, while releasing some very healthy fish back to their nests.

I've always hoped to have days like yesterday. Where the rain never showed, where I can be a calm version of me cause that's they energy in the boat. And I've always wanted to be with a group like yesterday. Where  like minded sportsmen meet for fun, share their food, drink, boats, lures and their experience of the sport they love so much. It's what ordered groups like FOE, VFW, and the Eagles aspire to be.  You guys and gals who are on GreatLakesBass.com, who come out for the DK Open each spring, are all worth a million bucks in my eyes. You're really that good of people.

PS: - Highly advise going to muscamoot with only experienced boaters. Went from 5 fow, to less than 2 fow on plane in a blink, and rode that shallow winding though the reeds. One could easily lose a lower unit.

[t-bone]

Mojo can spin a great story. I remember at one point we started rehashing old stories of fishing days long past and Mojo said he wanted this day to be one to remember. I will remember it the way he spun it!

[Mojo]

that was some yarn above - wasnt it ! Think I was still buzzed from last night when I wrote  . That was fun though ! Those gars were just ... weird .

[djkimmel]

We saw gars doing the weird things gar do too in Anchor Bay and along the Mile Roads. They are spawning too. We also saw a few muskie thinking about stealing our bass probably...

[dartag]

This was the first year I didn't catch a largemouth at the mile roads in 3 years.  Did catch a couple in the canals.  Funny part was of all the fish we caught were keepers.  Not a short in the group. 

[SethV]

What a great day on the water!  The weather turned out perfect and it was great to see everyone after a long cold winter.

A week ago Friday Tbone and Capt Charlie invited me along to check out the mile roads.  We caught them pretty good, but not many giants.  Then on Saturday Cmack (Charlie) and I went out to look for some bedding fish.  We didn't find any, but we did find a huge group of quality fish staging shallow - getting ready in 3' or less.

Tx day we ran right to those shallow staging fish we found a week earlier.  Fairly quickly there were shouts of victory from Mojo and agony from Capt Charlie (aka Pike Fisherman).  We picked up a couple 2 lbers on a jerkbait, then Luke (my 11 year old) added a 2 lber on a drop shot.  Kid is a drop shot freak.  Don't know where he gets it!

About 30 min in we had 4 cookie cutter 2 lb fish.  We talked about moving and said give it 5 more minutes.  I made a long cast with the drop shot and before it hit the bottom a 5-2 smoked it.  One good one on the board and a limit!  We stayed in that area another 30 minutes and upgraded with a couple 2 1/2's, but nothing special.

We then moved up to the shallow water and found them all over the beds.  We pulled in, dropped the power poles and had at least 15 to work without moving the boat.  Had a couple tripples.  Just silly for awhile.  Quickly all of the 2lb fish were replaced with 3+ lb fish.  We would work a small area, then moved forward 40 feet and drop the poles again.  Luke was doing great with the play-by-play when he was on a fish.  "I see her, oooooo she turned....shes nose down....she SMOKED IT.....GOT HER!"

On our first pass through the shallow area we added a 4-15.  Turned around to look for a big one that we spooked on our first pass through and Charlie got her, a beautiful 6-0.  We kept culling up by ounces (fractions of inches??) and our small one at the end of the day was 4-1 for a total of 24-10.

Great day on the water!  Thanks again Dan!!

[djkimmel]

Glad you all had fun!

[Team houston]

Great job Seth. Bob O and I were content to fish the mile rds. We caught about 25 fish but could only manage 14lbs and change. We saw a lot of beds but didn't slow down enough to actually check if a fish was on them. Lesson learned. Jerkbait was key for us early with the spinnerbairt and Spybait doing the damage later in the day. Had a great time fishing with you Bob. I hope everyone was ok with the hotdogs I just thru them together as a backup plan.

[Team houston]

Stacy, when are we gonna see some of those pictures?  And did the visiter from Germany catch any fish?

[Firefighter Jeff]

   Fished with Stackenem (Bill)  Have known him for a while but never had the opportunity to fish with him.  What a great time we had !!!  Bill traveled light.  3 rods and one plano 3700.  All tubes.  I thought "Hmmmmm interesting"    First off, those beds were not there the first few days of last week. And when they did appear the fish wanted nothing to do with protecting.  Thank goodness the fishing Gods changed their minds.  LOLOLOL

   I told Bill it was tough last week but I knew where there were a lot of fish.  So we headed to the mile roads.  Set up a little farther North than the other boats and worked my way against the light breeze to the south.  LOL  Yeah I do most things backwards. 

   I start with a rattlebait and Bill starts with.... of course a tube.  LOL  My first cast with a rattlebait I hook a fish. Unfortunately it's a pike.  I land it and get my bait back so double score.  Ummmmm  I had forgotten about the Big Ugly.  I very well could have challenged for it if I had remembered.  A short time later I hear Bill say "Fish on"  Then I see it break water behind the boat.  Didn't get a good look at it but it was long.  I said "Is that a walleye?"  and he tells me it's a bass.  Woohoo  !!!  We land it and it's a toad.  Man what a partner !!!!!  Unfortunately it's a short toad.  Golden Ruled at 4.12 but I had to weigh it.  5.9 on my digital scale.  We fish a little more and Bill gets another small keeper.  Just under 2 pounds but we wanted to make sure of a limit.

   I get a decent one on a tube and lose it just before Bill nets it.  Hmmm  I need to contribute !!!!  Well it happens.  As we went further south we ran into the beds and find that they are no longer ignoring the baits.  Fishes on !!!!    Caught fish there and futher south at 11 mile where we run into Dartag and MSzot.  We cull a few more on some bedding bass.  As most of you know the wind picks up some and we run out of time.  We ended up 4th with 20.7 by the golden rule. I think that's my best finish for the St. Clair DK Open. 

   Good to make some new friends and even better seeing old ones.  Great weather also.

[YpsiBass]

Caught fish there and futher south at 11 mile where we run into Dartag and MSzot.

Not going to lie, I read this as Miss Zot.

[Firefighter Jeff]

LOLOLOL  Just doesn't look right does it???  How about Mike Szot ?   

[dartag]

I knew he looked funny

[djkimmel]

staceyp sent me the pictures right away. Her job is done. Now I have to actually post them. Maybe I'll do that today...