Another crack at Maceday, and it's now, the bass 2, Dan 0

[djkimmel]

Derek asked where do you want to go this week and I said why don't we take another crack at those odd bass of Maceday Lake? Besides, we should probably see some spawners which might help figure the lake out more!! We went there mid-morning on May 30, 2017.

We started on the big flat. Nothing was happening right away though we saw a few small followers trying a variety of lures like shallow cranks, jerkbaits, flukes and topwater with a few soft plastics mixed in. We also saw a couple instances of suspicious surface disturbances but weren't able to make anything happen right away.

As we moved across the flat I was casting a darter on a 1/4 oz jighead across the flat towards the break. We passed over a weed clump and I saw a semi-curious bass on the inside edge. After we passed over the weed clump I threw the darter back that way and hooked the bass - a barely keeper largemouth. A start anyways. I snapped and quick selfie and tossed it back.

The outcome of this action was a good clue as to how the day would go. I went to share the picture later and there was no picture...?!? I saw the camera image snap!?! I heard the fake shutter sound?!? But no picture on my phone...?? What the...??

That's pretty much the personality of the rest of the day... though for a few minutes I thought it might go much better. We passed another deeper flat weed clump and I saw a bass on a deep bed in a narrow sand spot in the middle of the bed. I threw back and a nice largemouth nailed my darter. Set the hook good and after just a few seconds of sideways head-shaking the bass came off?!?

Two patches later I saw another bed with another nice bass on it. I threw to it and it immediately snapped up the darter!! And again I lost it after just a couple seconds!?! What the...?!?

The breeze kicked up and it got cloudier so I couldn't see well enough to spot deeper beds for awhile. We moved further up the lake. After only catching a few dinks on a drop shot worm or the darter, and Derek a few on his various lures, we decided to try some shallower, more protected water a little. We didn't even get the pike bites I expected we'd get. I think we landed 1 pike and saw a couple more come after our lures. We saw one action up real shallow that seemed like it might have been bass attacking something but couldn't get its attention...

We moved back to the main lake out onto flats again and near breaks, also fishing some of the weeds along parts of some breaks. We threw a little bit of everything at them... a tiny number of dinks and another couple of pike bites were all we could come up with. I did find quite a few bluegill beds but  few obvious bigger, deeper beds that might have been bass beds.

We got to a section of the lake were last year late summer, early fall we saw a bunch of nice cruising largemouth bass and even more big smallies that didn't seem real interested in biting, and as soon as we started working this area we started seeing nice bass again. Keeper largemouth, then a few big largemouth cruising. They would sometimes cruise right up to the boat even if we tried to stay away from them. Overall, they did not seem to want to hit.

Then we started finding bass beds - some up a little shallow, and more out deeper near the breaks!! At times, after fishing them we would move past them and see a nice bass move off the bed!! We (well me at least) started going a little crazy at how many bass we were seeing but not getting to bite. There would be one to four nice cruising smallies, then maybe a nice cruising largemouth, then maybe we'd see a big smallie or largemouth swim off a bed...!?!

The only time we hooked up is when we snagged whatever the bed was next to!! I tried a bunch of different approaches and kept coming up with the same results - nothing!! For a long stretch of shoreline this same thing repeated itself over and over. I thought last year was a little frustrating and odd!?! This day was much worse.

Derek finally started putting stuff away to prepare to head home so I put the trolling motor on high and just cruised in the direction of the boat ramp. I saw bed, after bed, after bed. I even had a 5+ largemouth just swim up to the boat and swim past like it was checking us out...?? I made long, quick casts to a bunch of beds as we shot by and not one of them was a dumb bass that wouldn't allow something in its bed!!

Even as we motored in, I saw more beds and saw a number of bass shoot off of some of them... a very odd day, but... I told Derek - I was not giving up on Maceday Lake just yet... he said (not sounding super enthused) 'you mean we have to make another trip here?' And I said yup! We have to crack this lake!!

I am wondering if I will figure this lake out...? Or will it just drive me more crazy?? Stay tuned...

[djkimmel]

Though we did catch a few keepers last year there, and even a couple really nice ones, considering how many quality bass you can spot there, it sure seems like we should be catching a lot more bass... Either, I like a good challenge... or I'm just too stubborn to give up!!

[dartag]

A guy I know made a video using the Stevie Rig.  Best bed fishing bait there is.  In fact that same guy caught a 3 pound smallmouth off a bed today on Cass Lake.

You should try the Stevie Rig.

[djkimmel]

I did! I did! The fish didn't care for me!! They didn't care for anything I tried... it might be my new nemesis lake!?!

[dartag]

It Is on my list of lakes I don't like to fish.  Orchard, Pontiac and Whitmore top the list.  Halfmoon and Woodland are on my never fish lakes.   Guess I am getting old and grumpy.

[djkimmel]

My couple trips to Orchard make me agree with you.  I may have fished Whitmore once a long, long, long time ago...?? Not sure, but everything I hear makes me in no hurry to go back. I've rarely fished Pontiac either though at least there are lots of keepers in it now and the last time I was on there helping at a youth event I did actually see a big bass... maybe I'll give it a try some day again... but there are so many GOOD lakes!

I spent part of a day on Woodland last year with Manxfishing and yes, that is another lake I won't be hurrying to go back - another weed-kill mud puddle right now. Maybe that can be changed one of these days?

The Halfmoon Chain is interesting to me for some reason... I've fished it 5 or 6 times maybe. Every few years I give it another shot. It is a tough lake but there is a decent variety of waters to try so I'll probably go back one of these days...

Maceday right now I'm still determined to take on again at least one more time - the difference being there are so many big bass in it that I keep thinking 'what if??' What if? Maybe I'll wise up eventually...