Burt/Mullet Mid July?

[6 lb Smallmouth]

Hey Guys,

Very nice site here and I've been reading for a while but this is my first post.  I'm mostly a largemouth guy but I am planning on transitioning over to bronzebacks and specifically Great Lakes smallies.  My wife and I are planning on renting a cottage this upcoming summer for a week in mid July.  I found a nice place in our price range on Burt and naturally I have read great things about that lake on this site.  I would expect at that time the smallies are in their summer places out on the dropoffs.  Can you guys clue me in on what kind of depths and patterns I would be focusing on?  Would I have to be dropshotting in 20-25' of water to get some quality fish?  For a first-timer, would you say the lake is pretty tough to locate fish and pattern?  Are there any other lakes in northern Michigan that would easier that is still a good smallmouth fishery?  Thanks for any information.  Paul

[Firefighter Jeff]

  Good to see you make your first post jerk, errrrrrr I mean jerkbate. LOL      I've been on both, but never in the summertime. I'm sure you'll get some good information from the members. 

[Genie]

Jeff is from Indiana ... he wouldn't know anyway.

[skeeterman190]

gonna find yourself in some tough fishing i would guess @ that time of the year...your best bet is to find the areas that have got current and a little cooler water. im sure theyll b some fish up shallow early in the mornings feeding on craws in rocky areas. Your best bet go to grand traverse bay.. lol good luck bud

[djkimmel]

That is the time of year they taped the most recent Ultimate Match Fishing. They were catching some big fish shallow and mentioned seeing lots of bass they couldn't catch. The weights for most of them were lower than spring or fall. But... they saw lots of bass, missed a number of bass, lost a number of bass, so you can probably catch some shallow, maybe even some big ones.

I have only fished there spring and fall, but I catch them mostly in 6 to 13 feet of water off the hard rock edges. In some places, I doubt that they move real far - maybe deeper in Burt than in Mullett in some places, but they seem to move shallower on Burt on average when they do to make up for it.

I would find the points with hard rock edges and work my way out until I get some bites. Fish any lines in the bottom. Bass will follow them looking for food. Hopefully you'll catch some bass and have a fishing report next year with some pictures.

If you can't find someone who recorded Ultimate Match Fishing, at least search the forum and read everything already posted about Burt and Mullett.

[Firefighter Jeff]

Jeff is from Indiana ... he wouldn't know anyway.

  Made me laugh  !!!!!  You big turd  !!!!  LOLOLOL

[Genie]

 

[Dan]

I would think that you can catch smallies up on the flats there probably all summer. Look for dark spots. I like to throw carolina rigs when I'm exploring the dark spots, spinner baits too. I like the carolina rigs because you can cast them a mile and fish them fast. I put a tube or my favorite http://zipperwormcompany.com/store?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_css.tpl&product_id=141&category_id=18  just texas rigged. Smallies love em. I'm always surprise how shallow you can often find smallies up north in the dead of summer. The drops and rocky areas are where I would go if I couldn't find them shallow. I would think that time of year you could do an awful lot of exploring with a topwater baits as well.

[PIGSMALLIE]

Tough!!

[Jay-MadWags]

If the wind blows with cloud cover be sure to fish the edge of the flats where they drop off with a spinnerbait or trap and cover water.  If you get these conditions prior to a front the smallies will be on the feed.

If it is slick and calm don't count out sight fishing the flats before you move deep.

Good luck.

[VinceR]

Even though it will be mid-summer, it doesn't have to be too tough. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you go all the way to Burt Lake and not take a day to explore the western section of the "Inland Waterway". At the very least, it's a fun ride, and a gorgeous way to see some beautiful Northern Michigan scenery.

I'm assuming that you will be taking a boat, so take a ride down the Crooked River to Crooked and Pickerel Lakes. They are smaller lakes that might prove to be a bit easier to pattern during the heat of the summer. However, just because they are smaller (and definitely fish smaller), doesn't mean that they won't produce quality fish. Both are highly capable of producing toad smallmouth and largemouth bass.

Also, don't hesitate to stop along the way to give some of the productive looking spots in the river a try.

I would plan the day so that you don't get to Crooked Lake before 8AM (or so). There is a lock at the end of the Crooked River (just before you enter Crooked Lake), and I don' think that the operator gets there before that. It's a small lock that only moves you up or down about 12" to 18".

[djkimmel]

Or you can drive over to Conway and launch on Crooked Lake. I really like both those lakes too and have gone over there a number of times when the wind was howling too hard on the bigger lakes. Bass, pike and walleye!

[customfishn]

If you are staying for the summer take a calm day and lock out to the big lake fish the bays and around the south side of the Island.

[Firefighter Jeff]

  This is sorta related to the post. lol  Concerning the rivers.  I've been on Indian River between Burt and Mullet, but I have a question about the river to Crooked.  Are there places you can put the boat on plane???  I tried asking the coast guard as they passed us at the In-Between outdoor eating area along the river and after he answered me I still wasn't sure.  I am thinking yes you can run on plane but only where it is marked.  Are there signs, buoys???  can anyone advise??  How long does it take to get from Burt to Crooked??  Thanks

 Hey Jerkbait, make sure to pull your boat up to the In-Between Tavern along the river for some good eats. They have tables outside.  My wife and I really enjoyed all the boats going up and down the river.

[djkimmel]

Parts of the Crooked River are no wake and parts you can run. It has been so long since I've ran the river I don't remember what the signs say. If you see no wake signs, don't run. Probably look for houses verses not many houses. Watch those curves and blind areas. Anyone can get behind the wheel of a boat in Michigan and let 'er rip! YEE-HAAAAAaaaaa!!!

When I was tournament fishing, I would check in with the local sheriff marine patrol each year because the youngest/newest often patrol the water, especially towards Crooked, and they can be unpredictable towards shiny, flashy boats. You are dealing with two different counties and the Emmet County sheriff deputies seem more unpredictable than Cheboygan.

Many people get confused about the 'no high speed boating' rules on the Indian River too. I've always been told you can anything except go on plane. Not that it matters if you are plowing a huge wave and pass some local Sunday drivers. You will get hollered at. Again, the developed parts of the river are generally no wake, while the wilder parts are no high speed boating. They have good signs on the Indian River.

Cheboygan River is all no wake. They can be real tight on the wake too. No wake starts at the marker out in Mullett Lake though I sometimes seem to be the only bass boat that honors that?!? Some say you can run parts of the Black River but I have always no waked that too. It gets pretty shallow shortly and up a ways you won't go very fast very long. BANG!

It's about a 5 hour drive from the Indian River to Duncan Bay and back. You have a small boat lock to go through too. I usually just drive up into Cheboygan and launch at the harbor if I want to explore the wilds of Lake Huron.

[Jmcfarland]

Dan is right about the Crooked river. There are parts you can and parts you can't. The rules seem to be constantly changing in the last 5 years or so. One spot to watch is the inlet on Burt lake into the river. The marker buoy in the lake to the river is no wake(last I knew). Which to me makes no sense to me. I have heard its because that is the start of Cheboygan County??? I have been pulled over with a buddy right there so I know first hand. Anyway it is a couple hundred yard stretch. Once in the river you can run on plane toward Crooked Lake to where you will see a big sign and no wake markers. BE CAREFUL!!! Lots of sharp corners, hidden stumps, other boaters, etc. in this area. After about a 10min ride through all the houses and zig-zagging back and fourth it turns wild again. From hear you can run on plane all the way to just north of Alanson. This stretch also contains sharp corners but not as many and not as severe. After the Hay Lake Straight is the start of the other no wake. From there it is pretty much no wake all the way to the lock and then into Crooked Lake. Not sure how long it takes but that is the longest no wake stretch on the river. You can probably look on google earth and see a lot of what I'm talking about. The residential areas are where the no wake zones are located. As for how long it takes. You can make it quicker when there is little or no traffic. It takes about an hour or more just for the Crooked river. A lot of slower boats or heavy recreational traffic make a big difference. Mid-July it will be busy more than likely. Hope this helps.

[Mojo]

If you read these up, you'll see a pattern that calmer days provide steady fishing.

On Burt - on the North east side, off the main point, in 5 - 8 fow, there are football sized rocks in certain areas. If you stay on the East side and head south, you'll find a rock flat that goes 100's of yards in 10 - 12 fow, and if you continue south on the east shore, about 1/4 mile from the end  (where the river connects to mullet), you'll find a 2 - 3 fow sand flat with scattered wood here and there, and a huge drop off to 10 - 14 fow   . The drop off runs north to south-ish. The drop is tough to fish and I never catch much there, but thats because I stink at fishing. I do have a photo of a friend who popped a 6 lbr once so you'll never know what roams up there in the morning. Try Strike King red eye shad or xtreme bass tackle 4" tubes - trilam color works wonders.

On Mullet -  this is a fun lake. There is a marked sunk island that comes up from 18 to 10 fow for about 20 yds. Just fish it !! You can even see them down on the bottom sometimes !! On the west side of the lake there is a sunken house foundation that holds fish and seems like great structure (except again, I stink and cant get bit). The deeper water around it is loaded with rock. Also - the Aloha park on Mullet (East side) has a shoreline riddled with rocky bottom just begging for cranks and perfect plastics white jerk baits. Ask any local about any of these areas and they will give you the details. The two lakes are worth a day or two to explore. Especially when you know there are 5 - 6 lb smallies 'somewhere' .....

Conway is a blast, as is the southern shores of traverse bay, but I havent fished either in years so I could report anything concrete .... except I'm jealous, have keg, and will travel to summer houses on lakes that hold smallies !! 

[Firefighter Jeff]

   Thanks for the responses on the river information.  First off, if I put the boat on plane it will just be fast enough to keep it there.  Prolly during the week when I go back up next October.  May even have the wife with me if it's warm enough.  I just figured if Crooked was all idle zone it would take quite a while to navigate.  Thanks guys.