Upper Grand River Lansing October 24, 2011 with cameraguy and a new first

[djkimmel]

cameraguy asked for a repeat on the Upper Grand River here in Lansing above the Moores Park Dam. Since I really like river fishing, it wasn't hard to talk be into it. Monday October 24, 2011 was a pretty nice day to be on the water too. Little breezy and chilly but some warm sun and the river is a good place to be in the wind.

I took cameraguy right to the hot water outlet at the BWL because the water was colder than I expected - already in the high 40's to about 50. The surface temp was right around 60 at the discharge. It's probably the community hole in the later season on the Grand in Lansing, but it wasn't really on yet we found out.

I caught a small largemouth bass that hit hard but was feeling a bunch of soft bites I couldn't hook. cameraguy broke out his ever-present swim jig and caught one of them - little smallies. What I figured. I switched lures several times and we caught a couple more little green and brown bass, mostly up high. The bass seemed to be off the bottom. Since they were all small I made the move.

We ran upriver to a shallow bay I thought might be benefiting from the sun and breeze pushing into the back of it. We fished our way in first. I no sooner told cameraguy there were often deer that bedded down on a real brushy island when I saw movement through the brush and heard feeding.

It was really thick and hard to see, but I discerned there were 3 or 4 deer standing 40 to 50 feet away. It was too thick to get any good pictures or video. Appeared to be a doe and fawns, which turned out to be the story shortly afterwards.

In the back corner of the bay, there's a little creek coming in that the toothy critters have always liked. With the wind and sun direction, I headed that way pretty quick. It was a little over a degree warmer and the left corner was full of minnows! No bites though until we got closer to the right corner where we whacked 2 or 3 almost keeper largemouth bass.

Don't know why they were off to the side of all the minnows? Maybe there were more bass closer to the creek but too many minnows to choose from? Spinnerbaits and swim jigs at a moderate speed worked. Slow baits didn't produce. The bass were off cover, away from shore. No pike either which was a little strange.

We moved back outside the bay and as soon as I told cameraguy about some trees having a history of attracting some perch and crappie in the 'old' days and sometimes a bigger bass, I saw a big (for the river) largemouth sitting up shallow behind a tree. I tossed past him and up-current with a spinnerbait. The bass immediately swung that way and went down into jaws mode. But nothing happened. Tried a few more casts from different angles to no avail. My bad. I guess?

Nearby, I told cameraguy about an old wintering spot that used to be really good for smallies many, many years ago. Things can come back sometimes. We were there, so we moved that way. It's a bar with sand and gravel with a moderately deep - 8 - 10 foot - hard spot out from it and a big logjam. I think it creates a slick spot, almost and eddy edge.

We fished the bar first hoping for the easy bite of past summers and early fall since we had that warm sun. That's when the deer broke off the island and ran up onto shore. It was a doe and 2 fawns. The doe was on alert status, but the youngsters wanted to eat. They stopped a little ways off in a patch of trees and started to chomp while nervous mom looked back, flashing the white tail. You know teenagers...

It was a little distant, but cameraguy tried to get some pictures. The doe had a badly broken hind leg. Looked like it had been that way for a long time. Somehow she still managed 2 fawns. They finally paid attention to mom and trotted off.

I was telling cameraguy how I used to catch a fair number of walleyes over the hard spot right off the end of the big tree. The tree is mostly on top and up high but the trash pile and bar in front must do something favorable for the current for holding and feeding. Since I wasn't getting bit in the eddy or on the bar, I lined up a deep crankbait cast with the current and brought it past the end of the tree at its apogee. (Not really the right use of that word I know, but I haven't had a chance to say it in a while.)

The moment the crankbait turned up below the boat, it got grabbed. I knew that meant smallie before it even started to fight. It wasn't big but it was almost a keeper! Got it in and lined up another cast. This time a smaller brown bass grabbed the crankbait as it was approaching the surface. I made a few more casts with the crankbait but was thinking this wasn't the best way to approach the spot. The current was actually ripping pretty good, especially early in the day.

I haven't caught smallies out in the river in this spot in a long time, but 2 bites in 2 casts gave me an idea. I have a flat, hard spot in 9 - 10 foot in cold water in the fall with fast surface current going around it. I broke out my little blade bait. Great move!!

cameraguy had stopped fishing and grabbed his camera (like he's supposed to!!!! ). The action was HOT and HEAVY for the next 20 to 30 minutes. At first, I hooked a smallie on every cast for 8 or 9 casts! They weren't big. Typical Lansing Grand River bass of late - small to just keeper size or so, but it was so much FUN!!!!

They were snatching it off the bottom - weird they'd do that to a hunk of stainless steel and lead - but they do it!! Several times, I'd lift it the first time and they'd be on it. They were drilling it before it hit bottom the first time! They were smacking it on the lift! They were hitting it multiple times before getting hooked!!

Pretty much every variation I've ever had on a blade bait happened! I've never gotten into them good on the Upper Grand River on a blade bait before. And this was a HOT blade bite!! I was laughing like a school kid! And cameraguy, who is supposed to be a camera guy, started saying, 'okay, MY TURN! MY TURN!' I just kept saying, "let me get just one more.... just one more... okay! After the next one!! Just one more. Then I promise. Your turn..."

Sadly...

I can be selfish.

Everywhere the bottom was still hard in about a 40 foot box, I was getting hooked up! I couldn't help myself! And then, I burned up the hole... without ever putting the rod down and giving cameraguy his turn. Big meany!! I think that is what he said anyway. Hopefully, he'll have the video done and can add it later when he gets off his latest brutal run of freelance camera work. (They actually pay him in more than just fishing trips )

WOW!! That was fun though! Spots really can come back if you give them enough time. Now, if the size just goes up, maybe the next fall or two we can really do some damage.

I think cameraguy did hook and/or lose one off the bar itself because it seems like they really turned on for a short period once I got them into the frenzy. But when it died, it died dead. Changed baits for a while to no avail.

So I got to thinking about another ancient wintering hole. I guess I got more than a little greedy... Can you blame me? That kind of bite is what we fish for, isn't it?

Unfortunately, the water is down quite a bit from the old days and that hole is still just a hole. No bites but since were near the canals I told cameraguy there is one canal that largemouth bass winter in every year in the past. It's not as good as it used to be either. Probably because the water is shallower but we were close.

Fished our way in. Nothing. Then I got a shock! The darn land-lubber took out my hot boat well and turned it into a straight wall. The sweet spot is gone!!!! Nooooooo... Why do they do that?!?

For whatever reason, I could always catch a few nice largemouth out in front of it. I don't know if it was slightly deeper? Concentrated bait? A subtle current? I just know it worked. But gone is gone.

I've always fished a suspending jerkbait very, very slow in there. Long pauses. Not my favorite way to fish but I can do it when I know it will work. I've caught them that way all the way into mid-December some years in this canal and particularly in front of the now, gone boat well. This time around, it was actually still working in that same stretch of the canal BUT cameraguy is supposed to be on pike patrol and for some reason, I had the hot pike hand...??

They were just eating my little jerkbait! They weren't huge but they were all jerkbait bite off size or better! I think I got 3 or 4 to his 1!! I usually 'let' him catch most of the pike. After catching my fill of toothy critters (more than 1 ) I mentioned there was a 'secret' tiny pond in the back and cameraguy, who is often sleepy and wants to go by this time, demanded we check it out!! He was actually in an adventurous mood all day.

Boy... was it shallow going back! My trolling motor was creating a new channel. Even digging a tunnel for part of the trip. Once we turned the corner, there were tons of tiny gills all over. The water was again, maybe only a degree warmer but something was attracting all those gills, which means it could also attract bigger fish that eat gills.

The 'pond' does have a slight hole in it but we're talking 3 feet at the deepest. I caught a small largemouth in about 1.8 feet of water on a spinnerbait just where the 'hole' starts. Then something pretty big spooked in the middle in front of me? Carp maybe? Toad maybe? Don't know but I'm leaning towards carp. There were a couple 'bigger' bass in the thick, scattered, slimy weeds blasting the little gills though. Not much room to move in there so I kept on stealth mode, barely moving and we tried different things to see if we could get another bass.

cameraguy got blasted once or twice in the thick slimy weeds but didn't hook up. Couldn't tell how big the bass was for sure but it looked about keeper size. So, there were a few bass in there but not real big. I caught one more 12-13 incher when we turned to go out again by the shallow opening and all the swarming gills. Saw a couple more - 1 tiny - but obvious 'tough guy' and 1 probably over 1 1/2 pounds. Just too shallow and close to turn them before spooking them. It was fun and interesting though. Always learn things. Always.

Back out in the main canal again, after dredging another trolling motor channel, I got right back into the stout hammer handle pike. cameraguy... still not doing his job?!? The bonus was a nice smallie though. Drilled me on the old hot point that hasn't been hot in a while! Used to be a goto spot in my old river rat tournament days. It was a decent bass, though not real big. Hit near the wall and fought really good! I like smallies. I like largies too. (I even sort of like pike... just don't tell anyone).

It was getting late and close to dark. With the shallowing river, some new big trees caught here and there in and near the channel, we decided to pack it in so I wouldn't have to take undo chances with my Yamaha outboard. Rivers change every year and I don't get there enough anymore to know every inch. Having already knocked 2 outboards off the venerable old Ranger 492VS, I'm a little less aggressive than I used to be.

Which is alright. We didn't catch any toads or anything, but numbers were pretty decent for late fall. A handful of small keepers. Lots of smallies. Some wildlife adventures with the deer and various birds. What more can you ask for? cameraguy does have some pictures and video but I don't know when he can add them. It sure was fun getting into a hot blade bait bite! More to come!

[dartag]

great reead,  no photos?   My goal this winter is to teach Lola how to shoot pics.   

[djkimmel]

cameraguy has all the video and I think a few photos. He's been preoccupied with more important things lately. I'm sure he'll catch up.