Clam Lake Muskeyes

[Got Fish??]

 I fished a lot of muskeyes out of Lake St Claire. I have herd a lot of stories about Clam Lake. I will be on the lake sometime Laborday weekend. Can anyone give up any information on what too use, or where to start?

[djkimmel]

Small lake. I usually lose some jerkbaits, topwater, spinnerbaits to big pike and bigger muskie that time of year throughout the lake though I've seen the most muskie from the Clam River in from Torch Lake to the first half mile into Clam Lake. 49 pound muskie came out of there 15 falls or so ago.

My biggest have been in the mid-20 pound range and I usually lost. I have seen them ripping into suckers in there, skipping them right out of the water. Big suckers. Makes me jumpy...

I would think you could catch muskies anywhere in the lake since it is more like a river and some of them definitely go through the Grass River at the other end into Lake Bellaire. I've seen some 'toad' muskie in Bellaire too. I've just had all my muskie bites in that first part of Clam from Torch and pound pike the rest of the way. Big pike. They really know how to wrap your bait up in the thick weeds there too.

[Got Fish??]

Thank you Dan. I will put all of your advise and information, to good use.LaborDay week end.

[djkimmel]

Make sure we get a fishing report!

[TheFishinPollock]

Mann . That chain is gonan be bussssssssy next weekend. We just fished a nbaa there and for 2 practice days. I was a fishing god!. Come the faitful day I was a fishing CLOD.    Water was really churned up good too.   I know there are  many large pike prowling around out there. Guy at work whomps um good .  I use to get them in Skegemog about dark trolling fast and near the top if not on top.  Your best bet might be Bellaire. Not alota "pleasure seekers" make the trek all the way up the chain. So it is just local boats sking or mabye a small bass tourney.

[Got Fish??]

 Thank you T.F.P. I haven't fish any big lakes on the Holiday week ends yet! The weather has always been windy and or rainy. So I fish smaller lakes.  Bear Lake, Cub Lake. The Twin Lakes. I have  some friends who lived on Bellaire. I will heed your warning and try Bellaire Lake, My friends set me up with a map.

[robhj]

The current state record Great Lakes Spotted muskie was actually tagged by the DNR originally in Clam Lake.  It was eventually caught in Torch lake later in the year and was one of the most beautifally colored muskies I have ever seen. Clam Lake has a resident population of muskies, but also gets some of the big girls that swim in there from Torch Lake to spawn & return to the bigger water of Torch. The entire system up there (I-chain, Elk, Skegemog, Torch, Bellaire) has a native population of Great Lakes muskies, but has very low density. Great place to fish and even if the muskies don't cooperate, the smallie fishing can by dynamite. Good luck this weekend.

[djkimmel]

I've seen a handful of the muskies up there. I did however see a MONSTER many, many years ago while running right down the middle of Torch over about the deepest part years ago.

It happened real fast and my primitive mind thought, of course, sturgeon because it was bigger by far than you would expect a fish to be when used to looking at bass, carp, suckers and trout all day. Sturgeon was the only fish I would expect to get that big, but then I remembered there are Great Lakes strain muskies landlocked in the chain and my fishing brain was pretty sure it saw a mouth full of teeth - so I'm thinking it might have been the new state record's Grandma or something...

Since I didn't know how to target muskie out in the middle of a lake that deep that is 18 miles long I just thought 'wow, that was cool' and went back to bass fishing.

[Got Fish??]

 No muskeyes this year. Caught lots of smallmouth. Had all the lakes to myself Friday. Fished Bellair and Skegamog. It was a fun crankbait bite. Find 13', cast up the brake to 10'. Plug of choice. Bill Norman SunFish. Torch was a zoo Saturday

[bwebber]

Gotfish,

Did you do better on Bellaire or Skegmog? 

Webber

[Got Fish??]

 Webber hello, We were on Skegmog when we figured out the pattern. So more fish landed on our deck there. Bellaire is a nice lake as well. Quite different type of fishing compared to southeastern Mich. Closest to lake St Clair type, with a twist".

[bwebber]

Gotfish,

Thanks for the info, hope you get into some muskies next year!  But catching smallie's instead isn't too bad either.

Webber

[Got Fish??]

Nice fish taken out of Bellair last week. 59",59 lbs Or something like that. I herd that a smallmouth fishermen caught it. On 8lb test line,WayToGo! I saw this in Saturday's paper, it made the front page.

[robhj]

Yep, a 59" & 58 lb new state record great lakes spotted muskie caught by some smallie fisherman. Great catch & hopefully we'll see more of these monsters because of the recent muskie regulations changes. As an apex predator there is a very low density of muskies, especially in that system. Would be nice to see those waters support a true trophy fishery for all species, including muskies. The last record was caught in Torch and I didn't think that would be beat anytime soon, and this fish beat it by several pounds! Another month or so left for someone to now catch a new record smallie.