Lake Charlevoix

[Eric]

I am going to Charlevoix for a little (4 boats or so) club tournament next weekend.  I have never been there.  Can anyone give me an idea what it is like up there, and maybe give me an idea what kinds of things might get me a few fish?  Thanks.

[motocross269]

Team Bass will be up there next weekend also..We are launching out of Ironton..See you up there...
I fished up there a week or so ago and I can tell you wind can play a factor...I couldn't even get out on the main lake. (Had my wife and daughter with me)...I fished the south arm and really don't have much positive to report except the boat traffic in the arm was a little tough..

[Eric]

By looking at the map, I am guessing that is the ramp "where the two parts of the lake come together"  That is the ramp we are using also by the info I was given.  By looking at the map, the lake looks like 30 miles of continuous breakline with nothing to really hold or concentrate the fish in any one area.  So, we have to get lucky and be the same place they are and give them something they want to eat?

[jgip087]

Last year people were having trouble keeping bass alive and it was pretty sad. Make sure o bring plenty of ice and have the water temperature in the livewell dropped about 10 degrees before you even catch a fish to put in there. Just put a bag of ice in the liewell before you start and let it melt right in with the water. Also, make sure to use hydrogn peroxde, 6 oz in each well. If you can use Catch and Release or Please Release Me to calm the fish and put them in a state that they have a lot better chance to survive. As well do not recirculate the livewells. Maybe replace the water once or twice throughout the day but be sure to keep it cool. Should be fun. Best of luck!

[motocross269]

It looks like it suppose to be cold next weekend so that should help alot with fish mortality..

[Dan]

I have read that from more than one source that you should not use it and that it actually can injure fish. There also has been heated discussion about using it on some forums. Here are a couple of quotes from forums.

"Another chemical that has sometimes been used to treat livewell or holding-tank water is hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Hydrogen peroxide breaks down into oxygen and water in the presence of organic material. However, this chemical can injure fish and should not be used. Most people have used this colorless, odorless, tasteless liquid to disinfect a cut or scratch. You can see it fizzing and bubbling on the skin as it oxidizes. Now imagine what it does in a livewell full of bass. The bass' mucus coating protects its skin from the oxidation reaction, but there is no such protective coating on the delicate gill filaments. Unfortunately, anglers who use hydrogen peroxide often think that if a little is good, a little more should be better. Wrong! Damage to gill filaments, suffocation and death may result."

"I´m a veterinarian but I´ve also been a fish hobbyist for more than 3 decades, seriously guys, I do not recommend adding peroxide to the livell, the safest way to increase the oxygen content of the livewell water is by aereating the water and not by introducing potentialy harmful chemicals in it; there are safer inexpensive methods to do so, all you need is to go to your nearest PetSmart or pet shop and purchase a battery operated air pump, a couple of ft of air tubing, some airstones and lead strips and create an aereation system with that for your livewell."

Again these are individuals making statements. I don't know anything about them or their statements. Here is a B.A.S.S. article that really covers the whole livewell subject and in my opinion, I would be incline to go with their advice. http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/news/story?page=b_cons_bass_alive_livewell

Just my 2 cents and please let me say that I certainly am not knocking anyone for trying to keep fish alive. In fact, I applaud the efforts of conscientious anglers that are trying to protect the fishery by caring for those livewell transported fish. I'm just throwing out some of what I've read on the subject.

[Eric]

Great info.  But does anyone know any features of the lake, or what it fishes like?

[Dan]

Eric I am by no means an expert on Charlevoix or any other lake for that matter. I have fished Charlevoix a hand full of times. First off there are two arms of the lake. Your right with the continuous breakline. From what I gather you need to find them off that break line, but I have not. I know in the Federation tournaments that many of the top ten didn't stay in Charlevoix. They ran to Grand Traverse Bay. There were a couple of boats, when they closed the big lake off, that fished the Channel and did well. When we fished the State Championship about this same time a few years ago Charlevoix fished very tough. There were lots of zeros. If you have time to prefish, put in at Elk Rapids and fish the east shore south. If you run stratight across from Elk Rapids there is a bay that has a good point north of it and some good shoreline drop south of it. I caught my first and only six pound smallie down the break to the south. You'd be fishing there on the east side of the peninsula. If the weather permits and there is not a lot of wind it's not a bad run from Charlevoix, and I would bet the top ten would be loaded with guys that fish the bay.

The fish noodler can help you more than I can on the bay. Read his report below yours.

[predator]

I am new here, I found this sight searching for drop shotting.
My name is Jim, I am in Grand Haven, Mi.

I was up there for 3 day's Thursady,Fri, Sat..
Caught 3 keeps pre fishing for a 2 day club tourney ( also pre fishing for aug 22,23 federation state fish off )

It is a tuff bite I zeroed both day's of the club tourney but my brother won it with  2 day weight of 30lbs.
He is not talking  about what it took to get them.

I cannot be much help because I did not catch any.
Does anyone know if it is legal to Drop shot there ?
I am trying to search the rules of drop shotting  so if anyone has the links please let me know.
Thanks in advance..

[Eric]

Thanks Dan.

Jim, welcome.  Good question about drop shotting.  I guess I will have to research it tomorrow at work.  It looks like rivers flow into both parts of the lake, which seems like the lake would be a drowned river mouth, but maybe not, since Round Lake is between the lakes.  I'm guessing dropshotting is OK, but I will try to confirm.

[motocross269]

Lake Charlevoix is not a drowned river mouth....All of the Drowned river mouth lakes can be found on Page 8 note 3 of your Michigan 2008 fishing guide....(There aren't that many)
Go to the Michigan DNR website to check them out...http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364-188598--,00.html