So what's everyone got going for the 4th?

[djkimmel]

I haven't been fishing in quite a while. I need to see that most of you are having some fun. What's the plans for the 4th of July? Hope a bunch of you are getting an extra long holiday?

[Mike S.]

Don't feel bad Dan. I will be working all day on the 4th. We were supposed to have a plant shut down next week, but that's not going to happen now.

We were going to be replacing our pre heater system in the shop. It pre heats the scrap metal charges that we use to replenish the iron in our furnaces. So they drop mega bucks on this new system, and it is all off the trucks now, sitting in our back lot, waiting to be brought in starting Monday. The outside contractors have already brought all of their equipment to the shop, and are getting ready to go. Only one thing stopping progress, somebody forgot to pull the permits for the work to be done.

Glad it's not me!  Happy 4 th everyone. Catch a big one for me.

[Lightningboy]

Since the 4th falls on Wednesday, we gave all my students Thursday & Friday off too.  I'm off Wednesday thru Sunday.

Headed for Alpena Tuesday night.  BBQ with family on the 4th.  Watch the fireworks from the front lawn that night.

Gotta do a little work, like paint the shed & the basement windows, but also some fishing at Long Lake, and Rush Lake.  Maybe poke around Thunder bay too.

I don't know why, but I've been dying to have a little vacation for a while now.  I need a few days of really slowin' down.

[Waterfoul]

I'm in seasonal retail... you know where I'll be.  Stop in and say "hi"

[Mike S.]

That's the price you pay to be "the man". Just kidding. At least you have air conditioning there. I just have 3 funaces that are at 2800 degrees. Wanna trade for the day?

[djkimmel]

I don't want to talk about other people having to work though I will feel sorry for you - especially the furnace thing...

Rush Lake sounds familiar but I cannot recall if I have ever actually been there? The Alpena area is very infrequent for me and that Beaver Lake has under-impressed 2 or maybe 3 times now though it is the only lake I have ever caught bullheads off of deep beds on?? Weird day that was...

Poking around Thunder Bay wasn't boring the last time I did it. That was a long time ago. I also wonder if Devils Lake is an actual lake? Or more of a swamp?

[dartag]

Cruising slowly trying not to get run over.  

[YpsiBass]

Week and a half vacation starts on the 4th.  Hopefully the wind won't kick up too much for my little boat and I can get some fishing done.

[Lightningboy]

Rush is north of Hillman.  There's a chain of lakes there connected to Clear lake where the state park is.  Grass  lake is part of the chain, can't remember the other two.

It's around 250 acres, 50/50 mix of deep water and shallow to deep weeds.  Classic northern natural largie lake.  Gets a little busy on the weekends, but pretty empty during the week.  Pretty good largemouth, I've had a few 5+ there over the years.

Been to Beaver a few times, was never impressed.  And yes, Devil's lake is really an overgrown swamp.

The one that makes me scratch my head is Fletcher floodwaters.  Lots of guys rave about the bass, but I'll be darned if I can ever get anything going out there.  Besides, it's stump city and I'm always worried about bangin' up a prop...

[djkimmel]

Cruising slowly trying not to get run over.   

I see you have a 'watch' dog.

[djkimmel]

I don't think I've ever been on Rush Lake the more I think about it but someone was telling me something about that area last year that sounded intriguing. I hope I took notes?

I had an MDNR biologist tell me Fletchers had a boom of big largemouth for a while there but I hear it is tapering off. I make it to that part of the state so infrequently that the closest I've come was camping overnight at the campground on the shoreline. I arrived after dark and left before sunrise so I didn't even see the lake!?! I think I've hesitate because of how many other good lakes there are on the way and figuring I'd need a few days of idling around just to figure out how to get from one place to another.

Sounds like a fun place to try to figure out by I usually stop at Tomahawk Creek Flooding instead. Not much in the way of big bass but I enjoy fishing there and usually catch a nice amount of decent bass.

It is a shame my todo fishing lake list keeps growing faster than I can get to new lakes!

[Waterfoul]

That's the price you pay to be "the man". Just kidding. At least you have air conditioning there. I just have 3 funaces that are at 2800 degrees. Wanna trade for the day?

Um, let me see.  Nope.  Thanks for the offer.   

[dartag]

We were out on th pontoon.   Must have been family bass boat day on my lake.   saw quite a few guys with mom and kids onboard.  A Z-8 went by us pulling 2 tubes.   got to keep the family happy so you can go fishing. 

[Firefighter Jeff]

We were out on th pontoon.   Must have been family bass boat day on my lake.   saw quite a few guys with mom and kids onboard.  A Z-8 went by us pulling 2 tubes.   got to keep the family happy so you can go fishing. 

  I pull tubes with a Stratos 294.   Years ago I considered a Fish and Ski.  So glad I didn't go that route.  I use it to fish much much more than for pleasure.  Not an ideal rig to take multiple people or tube, but we get er done. 

[djkimmel]

I told my wife many years ago that there would be no skiing or tubing from the back of my boat. Of course, I am not in control of the channel changer right now and 'we' are watching the Bachelorette...

[Skulley]

I'm off work from July 4th through the 8th. I plan on fishing everyday. Taking the wife out to LSC tomorrow morning. Rest of the week I'll be fishing with Got Fish??, Alec's Soccer Coaches, a NBAA 1 on 1, and there is an open seat Sunday......I think.



BD.                     

[Firefighter Jeff]

I told my wife many years ago that there would be no skiing or tubing from the back of my boat. Of course, I am not in control of the channel changer right now and 'we' are watching the Bachelorette...

  LMAOOOOOOOOO  !!!!!

[Redbone]

Im going to TC and sit on the beach for a few days. I'm going to beach the boat and jetski's right in front of me . Its time for a little R&R.

[djkimmel]

That sounds like fun. I might get out fishing with an old fishing partner next week somewhere right around Lansing, but I do have my backyard 'nature center' to soothe the wild heart beating in my chest. I feed the birds, a ton of squirrels (Fox and Red) and all kinds of other critters day and night. Makes me feel like I'm not far from nature when I'm at home working on websites.

[bob o]

tiger game tonite so i'm thinking i'll be sleeping in inthe morning  5th and 6th i'll be up early and off the lake early too. whitmore if anyone wants my back seat let me know