Looking for a good Smallie lake in August

[bhaney]

Hello guys, nice place you have here.  I was hoping I can pick your brains on a spot to find some smallies in August.  We will have a bout 8 to 10 guys coming and the lake has to allow 150HP Outboard even if it is a speed limit lake.  I am not sure if you guys have HP limits on the lakes up there but here in Ohio we have a lot of 10hp limit lakes. 

I am hoping to get my dad into a batch of smallies because he loves catching them.  Maybe a few crappies for the frying pan. 

All the bass fishing will be catch and release and we would like to find a place that has cabins or some other kind of accomodation that we could rent for a week. 

I have never fished in MI before so I am hoping I can get some input from you guys.  St. Clair is out because we do have some smaller boats coming and that is pretty big water. 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Brandon Haney

[Revtro]

Too bad St. Clair is out because that's the place to be.  However, I would say that 17ft. bass boats are ok for St. Clair on days where the wind is 15 or less and not out of the South.  You should consider it.  But if you're bringing small aluminum boats or something like that, you might want to try Cass Lake in Oakland County.  It's got a good population of Smallmouth, but they're not always easy to get.

Another solid Smallmouth lake is Burt/Mullet in Northern Michigan.  There is lots of good info online and here at GLB about both of these lakes.  There are lots of small lakes too around SE Michigan that have Smallmouth populations.  Most of them will have no problem with 150hp motors, but some, like Kent Lake have speed limits.

If you want to catch a zillion Smallmouth, consider figuring out a way to do St. Clair.  You're gonna catch a whole lot more there and they'll be easier to come by.  It's not as big and scary as people think and I know for sure there are some guys here at GLB who'd show you guys around (such as myself).  Another great thing is the info you can get from Wayne Carpenter from Combat Bass Fishing.  From him, you can get fishing maps of St. Clair which will put you on spots where you will catch fish.  You may want to consider contacting him also about Cass if you decide to check out that lake.

At Burt/Mullet, there are cabins all around the area.  In S.E. Michigan, you're probably looking at a motel, especially if you consider St. Clair. 

Oh yeah... welcome to the forums!

[skeeterman190]

 Look into the Traverse City area also. Theres some good lakes up that way. Lake Leelanau is stacked with good smallies. Although you post you want numbers. You may not get them on there but youll get monsters. But theres alot of lakes in that are im not too familiar with them. Im sure some of the others can help you out. Burt and Mullet would be another good choice. August is a hard time to predict smallies, heat of the summer. But if you know what your doing and can find the good schools you'll be fine.-skeeterman-

[rufus]

Don't get me wrong Burt/Mullett is one of my if not my favorite places on Earth to fish. In August though, I would hit the lakes around Traverse City. Especially the Torch Chain. Skegmog is an awesome lake. Elk is great too, but the fish will most likely be deep. The area also gives you a few largemouth options if the smallies pull a disappearing act. You are also close to Grand Traverse Bay which is a world class big smallie hatchery. If you get the right day where the wind is down you may catch the biggest smallie of your life out there. I have always stayed in a motel so I don't know about cabins in that area, but I do know that a few exist. Gdo Bless and Good Fishin'!

[Durand Dan]

Alpena area, Grand, Hubbard and Beaver

[Got Fish??]

   It's always nice to have our buckeye freinds come to visit. Frankfort Mi is one of K.V.D'S favoriot spots. One of mine as well. lot's of big smallies. Some vary nice resorts as well. Most bait shops will put you on fish. So many lakes to fish with in driving distance.Besides every fishman should see a Lake Michigan sunset at least once

[Revtro]

All great advice here!

[bhaney]

Thanks a lot of all the responses guys.  Got a lot of places to look into now.  Just knowing that I can get my Ranger on some of these smaller lakes opens up lot more possibilities for us.  On our lakes you can't even run your big motor at idle speeds if it is over the HP limit.  You will be fined in seconds.  Now, the fun part of picking an area out of all the choices you guys have provided.  I will report back with where we will be and maybe we can hook up for a day of fishing and an evening of beers.

Brandon

[Revtro]

Count me in. 

[TheFishinPollock]

I live and do some chartering in the TC area. Leelanau , Long, Skegamog and Bellaire are all good smallie lakes . Torch and Elk are ok but they are very big and very void of what most people think of bass structure.  Lota sand and sharp drops  on Elk and Torch.    There are tonsss of cabin rentals and hotels in the area too.   

Your HP rating is ok on any of these lakes. Just be careful . On all MI inland lakes there is a 55 MPH speed limit with a counter clockwise rotation.The local water sherrif  down the block from me carries a radar gun in his boat to make sure the limits are enforced.   Now granted, not everyone follows that speed limit. I know I don't always on the bigger lakes in my area.   

Ya can't pick a better spot than the TC area for numbers of lakes or the beauty, but then again. I live here so I'm kinda biased

[spinninbug]

Portage lake in Onekama is a pretty good smallies lake,  people have run from Muskegon to fish it in tournaments. 

Also Crystal lake in Bealuh is a great lake too.

My person favorite small mouth lake is Pere Marquette Lake,  a couple of outdoor writers fished it last summer and said they wouldn't be suprised if the next state record comes out of there.  They caught alot of fish over 23 inches.  The one I'm holding in my avatar was caught on pm lake.  You will catch fish there and you never know what you might catch.  There are all kinds of resorts and cabins in the Ludington area too.  If you decide to go there let me know and I can get you some info.

[brg_bassmaster]

wixom lake is a killer place for smallies alot of people dont know this but we did club tournies there and smashed the smallies. white spinnerbaits or poprs work really well.

[hunlee]

Hunlee like to go Saganaw Bay and make long run out to Charity Island for small mouth bass!!!Hunlee has cought many there and return to shore standing very tall and very proud...The big small mouth sure are good for dinner for Hunlee and the wife and all the children...Hunlee has fathered many children and is allso very good looking

hunlee

[BigSmallie]

Hunlee like to go Saganaw Bay and make long run out to Charity Island for small mouth bass!!!Hunlee has cought many there and return to shore standing very tall and very proud...The big small mouth sure are good for dinner for Hunlee and the wife and all the children...Hunlee has fathered many children and is allso very good looking

hunlee

By chance.......you wouldn't happen to know Bassfisherman....would you? 

BS 

[Dan]

Hey Spinnibug is right. The East side has St. Clair but the West Side has the Great Northwest Corner. If you were bringing a bunch of guys, there are places to rent on Hamlin Lake in Ludington. It's a great lake. Has the size and the variety of fish that you are looking for. It's a beautiful little costal town with lots of scenic views and your pictures will turn into postcards. You are within reach of several lakes within a half hours drive, PM Lake, Manistee, Portage, etc. All these lakes have some great fishing and plenty of good places to eat and relax if you get done fishing. If you like to visit a casino that's there too within a half hour drive.
August can be a tough month, but you will catch fish in this area guaranteed. You can also get a charter out of Ludington or Manistee for the big lake and catch some salmon. Mid August, in a morning charter you can load up on salmon. Fun day with a bunch of guys. Very good eating as well. Manistee has a cleaning station and your catch comes with you in zip locks ready for the grill.
Let me know if you're interested in any of this and I can do some leg work for you or give you more detailed information about cabins, salmon guys, maps, etc. If you want some pictures of the lake there are some on my teardropbass.com website. Look under the various years for pictures at weighins. The pictures are accompanied by an article.