Lake St Clair Rookie

[Bassassin]

Weather and wind permitted, my brother and I will be heading out to Lake St Clair for the first time this weeked.  Being our first time out there, we don't want to get too far offshore.  What is exactly meant by the mile roads?  Is it just the water offshore of where the mile roads run into the lake?  Where is the best spot to launch if we want to fish this area?  Is this area of the lake even productive at this time of the year? What mile roads usually offer the most numbers, and how far offshore of the mile roads are the smallies holding?  What mph winds or wind direction is it tolerable to take an 18ft bass boat out there?  I appreciate any help or info from all the LSC junkies on here. Thanks.

Dan

[djkimmel]

The answers to all your questions could fill a few chapters of a book. (They actually have done just that.) I would definitely suggest you spend some time reading the Lake St. Clair fishing report section of the forum. You will learn quite a bit for FREE doing that.

There are bass just about everywhere on Lake St. Clair. That doesn't mean you will catch them everywhere, or lots of them or big ones. You can learn a lot on here towards that end if you do your reading and research.

Right after Todd Schmitz won the Bassmaster Northern Open  on St. Clair in 2010 as a relative 'newcomer' to the area, he told me that after he moved to the area, he spent a bunch of time on this website reading all the fishing reports and other information on Lake St. Clair and that it helped him in piecing the winning puzzle together. I love hearing that kind of stuff.

It's okay to ask questions but please make sure you put in some time reading what is already available on here. You'll usually learn quite a bit that way, especially considering that answers to many of your questions can be different from each angler who might answer them (and many of those anglers are out fishing right now too).

[Skulley]

I highly recommend you go fish up the St. Clair River in the channels. There are quality fish up there and you should be able to catch 20 or 30 per man. The west side of the south channel is Michigan waters as long as you stay to the old flats channel. The middle and north channel are Michigan also. I always like to make the most of my fishing trips anymore and that means follow the seasonal patterns. I caught 50+ fish in the channels yesterday. There are also good fish up by Fawn and Stag Islands if you have a Canadian license as well as a Walpole. Good summer fishing on the reservation as well as out to Mitchell's Bay. You can just drift down either side of any of the channels and catch quality fish. Good luck and let us know how you do. 



BD.                 

[Bassassin]

I just wanted some info from somebody who has been on the lake recently, and didnt mind answering some questions.  Better than sifting through thousands of posts to maybe find what I am looking for.

[Bass Ninja]

Im going out on thursday and on sunday Ill report back how I did.  Last time I was out I got 30 and the boat got about 60 all 3lbs or less most were caught in 15 FOW.  but after looking at the results of the northern open there are big bass to be caught.  I think the bite is starting to pick up in the channels. 

Bass Ninja

[djkimmel]

I just wanted some info from somebody who has been on the lake recently, and didnt mind answering some questions.  Better than sifting through thousands of posts to maybe find what I am looking for.

Just understand please that a large number of people have asked your exact same questions and received answers already on here many, many times. What I don't want to see is another new member getting upset IF he/she doesn't get many detailed answers. This happens on quite a few fishing forums because existing members know the answers are already on the forum many times over and therefore they may not take the time to answer them AGAIN if it appears someone fairly new maybe hasn't taken the time to look first before asking the same questions.

Fishing is definitely a sport that you often get out of it what you put into it. That's how some of the regulars on here feel too. There are some real nice, helpful people on here that go above and beyond in helping others out. I greatly appreciate that about them but I also think every once in a while I need to remind people that those who participate in the forum the most and help others out the most tend to be the people who also get the most help in return. Please keep that in mind when evaluating how much 'help' you may receive.

Don't take this completely personal. I just picked this thread to add another of my periodic reminders since this is a touchy topic on many, many fishing websites. New members get upset if all their short questions and requests for help aren't answered in detail by others. And 'old' members get upset that people come here, don't participate but only try to get 'free' information.

I've seen quite a few 'HELP' posts lately so it appears to be time for this reminder. Almost every single one of these posts already have the answers on the forum. Please, realize that if you only put 2 minutes into your request for help, don't expect someone else, or multiple someone, to put 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes into answering with detailed replies.

You will often get more detailed replies to short requests for help on here because of these very nice, friendly members, but not always. No one should be upset if a short request for detailed information gets a short, simple reply instead, especially if you're a new member and the request for fishing information is your 1 and only post.

Believe me, I get complaints about this sometimes from both the help requesters, who feel they didn't get enough help, and the people who tell me they aren't going to give detailed replies to people who don't otherwise participate. Please, everyone on here, think about that before you as you're asking questions.

I want you all to feel welcome and appreciated so I offer the above advice hoping it leads to continued, good and detailed involvement from more members.

Every single one of us has something to share and/or teach each other. I know I learned at least one thing from every angler I've ever fished with regardless of their experience level.

There are some very knowledgeable anglers on here that tend to only share with other active, participating members. I cannot ask for more from them and no one else should either. Thanks to those of you who are often willing to help newer members out. And newer members, or those who rarely post, please consider participating more. If you're a lurker who has not registered and gets any helpful information from the participating members of this website, please register and become a member. It is free and the least you can do. That is what makes this website grow and become a more helpful resource to everyone. Too many new members who only ask for help while providing no other participation on a forum tends to drive the most knowledgeable anglers who could help the most away from fishing forums. I have to make sure I address that every now and then. Thanks.

Again, Bassassin, don't take this is only addressed to you. You've posted more than once. You've posted a couple fishing reports about 2 other lakes that other people like to fish and I really appreciate that. Your brother posted an excellent fishing report about your trip to Lake St. Clair which makes me feel you have definitely 'returned the favor' for your answers about going there the first time. I cannot tell you how many times I have given out detailed fishing information to a new member or contact, and asked to join/for just a short fishing report post later in return only to never hear from that person again (now that they have their needs met apparently?). Frustrating. Glad to see you've shared. Thanks!!

I'm glad to see you got some answers, but you will find a lot more information out if you do targeted searches on the forum with your same questions, especially if you limit your searches to the this section and then the Lake St. Clair fishing report section. It really doesn't take that much time to glance at the search results posts and determine if they are related to your question enough to be worth your time to read. There are some easy to find posts that provide real good information to answer a number of your questions. You will probably not be surprised that some of your questions will be answered differently by every angler who answers them. That's smallmouth bass fishing on Lake St. Clair. I hope you get to do a lot more fishing out there and have more fishing reports and sharing back and forth in the future.

[Skulley]

Gosh he gets long winded sometimes!!!        



BD.                   

[Mojo]

That is one tall soap box eh ?   

I'm not sure why everyone is discounting the lake. I just scored another Top 10 in the FLW event as a co angler, cashed a check, and we never thought of the river.  All big quality fish, and my boater effectively gave me the boat after his stuff quit around 10 am.

Now the American side can get beat up, however, as I read Xtreme Bass Tackle HD maps, I am amazed and intrigued by the sheer number of quality areas that I KNOW aren't being fished. So for the new guys, use this site - because it is the #1 forum in the nation for great lakes small mouth information, but also utilize some of the sponsor tools.

If you are going on a body of water this big, this abundant in fish, take the cerebral moment to build from those who published their decades of experience, as well as learning the current trend.

[Mike S.]

I just wanted some info from somebody who has been on the lake recently, and didnt mind answering some questions.  Better than sifting through thousands of posts to maybe find what I am looking for.

Don't you think that's kind of a snotty way to get answers? 

[Skulley]

I get where Bassassin is coming from.  I myself don't mind answering questions that have been asked repetitively by others.  If I didn't want to answer, I just ignore the post rather than starting anything or posting that I'm tired of answering the same old questions over and over again or even inferring that some one is a snot for asking or snotty for the way it sounded.  It's tough on the internet on forums to really guess the tone and rather than draw conclusions or take something wrong that might not mean to be snotty is wrong too.  I just take the high road any more.  I am getting too old too fast to get all wound up about it.  I would rather help.  It's easier............much easier.  I go out there a lot.  Probably more than most and probably less than others.  The lake is in a constant state of change and these changes can occur in a matter of seconds, minutes, hours, days and so on.  Just because I did well in an area on one day doesn't mean that same area will be on fire the next day or the next week.  So what I learn, I log, and use for future reference on trips during different parts of the season.  Bassassin was trying to save time and I get that.  I don't think we should chastise him for trying to take the easy way out.  But I will say this to him, there are persons out there that will give you completely opposite info than what's really happening.  Myself, I'm not built that way so if I give info, I deem it credible because credibility and integrity mean a lot to me.  Like I said, if I didn't want to help, I would ignore the post.

A lot of people come a long way to fish LSC.  I am lucky because it's 40 minutes away.  So I never have a problem helping out a fellow angler that's coming many miles to fish our world class water.  I won't give specifics, but I will give enough information to help you figure it out in a short period of time.  I don't like to waste time or money so I don't like to see others either.  But that's just me. 


BD                     

[djkimmel]

Lots of good points (and I definitely wouldn't 'discount' the lake - the lake has been winning plenty the past few seasons). Well, maybe not the 'snotty' point but that is a great comment to highlight why I felt it was time to make some points again since I run this forum and I want to attract as many helpful and equally fair, sharing anglers as I can.

Especially the very knowledgeable anglers who can be the most difficult to attract and keep involved in a sharing forum. There's just not that much in it for them considering they get hammered by people wanting something for nothing. I hope Bassassin can 'take it' and understands this last point and why it is important to make it. I apologize if I have caused discomfort.

Having been a 'hardcore' tournament angler in the past, I have seen how hard the really good anglers get hammered for information. I have seen people move on complaining because someone didn't answer all of their questions in enough detail... uh huh... I know I always enjoyed all the 'new' friends I would pick up anytime I was fortunate to put a good weight down on the scale!

While everyone on here can participate however they want within the rules, I think it is a good thing to provide suggestions and guidelines on how to get more out of the site and remind people about why the site exists and what I would like to see everyone get out of it while remembering that we do have differences in opinion, ideas about fairness and expectations.

I don't think I can say thanks too often to the members who are willing to help new members and/or people who mostly just ask questions. I also don't blame the members who don't help those people. They just have a different idea of fair and sharing.

You can go on fishing forums all over the Internet and see new members who ask a bunch of questions and are never seen or heard from again. Often, whether or not they get the answers they 'expected.' You can also see posts by people on other forums complaining about the forum not being 'very friendly' or being mean which usually means they posted something along the lines of tell me everything about this lake so I can catch a bunch of fish without putting in all the time and effort you have. And they're shocked when they don't get a bunch of people tripping over themselves to answer that...

I would like to keep that to a minimum on here AND get more participation and sharing from everyone. It just plain makes this a better site if I can get all of your help in doing that.

Some people say they don't post more because they don't know much. That may be true. Or it might just be an excuse..? I really have learned something from everyone I have ever fished with no matter how seasoned they seemed or didn't seem to be.

We are ALL real busy. I hear that from pretty much everyone all the time. As long as we ALL remember that and consider it all goes both ways, we should be okay. If you share what you know, spending some time on here getting to know everyone better, you will probably get a pretty good return in better information from others. If you don't, please don't be surprised if you don't get any answers or your answers are equally short and generic. Pretty simple concepts. I don't know why so many people on some forums don't grasp this.

Since I've already wound things up, I will mention again, if you contact me for fishing spots and information and I help you, I will ask you to join the website if you haven't already and ask you for a fishing report afterwards. Maybe a picture or two on your report also. If you don't follow up and do this, please do not contact me again for spots and information. Fair is fair. You won't be getting anymore information. I'm real busy too.

[djkimmel]

I just wanted some info from somebody who has been on the lake recently, and didnt mind answering some questions.  Better than sifting through thousands of posts to maybe find what I am looking for.

Don't you think that's kind of a snotty way to get answers? 

I'm sure knowing Mike S that you weren't being mean (you don't have that in you) but trying to make a point in a much shorter manner than I do - if you don't put much effort into it, you probably won't get much out of it. And shouldn't be surprised about that.

The real good anglers I know tend to put an incredible amount of time into becoming the good anglers they are. I was in the boat a few years ago with someone who wanted to know how to find winning spots on Erie. I went through map-reading with him before launching and then we went out and tried the spots we identified. After not tearing things up on the first few spots, he asked me kind of frustrated if there wasn't an easier way to do this. I replied, don't you think we'd be doing it if there was a better way?

There are maps and tons of online information about many fishing locations if you're willing to spend the time finding and reviewing them. When I was fishing tournaments around the country, I put a ton of hours into research before I ever got near the water. It doesn't hurt to find some real good anglers and ask them questions but again, there's not anything in it for them to just give you real good information because you asked. Like finding good information, valuable sharing relationships take time to develop and earn.

Really, mentioning to anyone who uses this site about searching for existing information is a valuable service to them. The information is already on here so you can find it at your own pace whenever you want to without waiting and wondering if someone else will take the time to give you the answers you expect. If you get additional answers and information, that is just a bonus that is hopefully 'answered' by taking time later to answer someone else's questions to pay it forward. That really is a good concept.

[djkimmel]

Gosh he gets long winded sometimes!!!        

BD.                   

Takes one to know one!!!!!!!!!

[Skulley]

Gosh he gets long winded sometimes!!!        

BD.                   

Takes one to know one!!!!!!!!!

Ha ha ha ha ha.......it sure does doesn't it bro. That's why I can say that!! You crack me up!!


BD.                   

[Mike S.]

My apologies for my previous post. I was a little grumpy yesterday, and read that totally out of context. Good luck on your trip.

[Skulley]

My apologies for my previous post. I was a little grumpy yesterday, and read that totally out of context. Good luck on your trip.

Don't worry about it Mike. It's all good. We all get a little grumpy sometimes.......and long winded.



BD.                         

[Bassassin]

I appreciate all the help and info this site and its members has provided me since I have joined.  I am sorry if my comment came off as snotty, I was in kind of a bad mood that day as well.  While I realize that it takes years of experience to truly get dialed in to a body of water, I just did not want to drive all the way out to St. Clair and get skunked so I asked for some tips as well as read many St Clair fishing reports.  I plan on being an active member of the site, along with my brother because we are both completely addicted to bass fishing.  I look forward to learning more about the sport from the site and its anglers as well as to continue sharing my experiences on different bodies of water with other members as well.  Thanks for the time.

Dan

[djkimmel]

Well, thank you for joining, posting and sticking around despite a little bumpy period. I think we all have those days or hours where maybe we shouldn't post or should reread before posting. I know I can use my own advice as much or more than anyone on here!

I did notice someone else got frustrated on another post because no one answered questions and reacted to it with another follow complaint sounding post, but then rethought and deleted the reactive post. Probably a good move.

No one is required to answer anyone else's questions on this or any other forum. I try to do my best to create an atmosphere where at least some members want to give answers. I sometimes do a good job of things. I sometimes do a bad job. But I do try.

I probably should mostly just keep reminding people that come here that we ALL have things to share so please share. I hate to see it when someone asks for help and doesn't get it. I try to jump in when I can. There's no way I can answer all the questions on here of course so again, I do appreciate all of you that do take some of your busy time to provide answers. I really can't thank you too much.

[Revtro]

On the upside, often when someone asks questions like this, some of us will PM very detailed answers to the original poster.     So it's all good.

[djkimmel]

That does happen thanks to some of you real nice 'core group' members. That is fine too. You can pick and choose when you have time and who you feel like helping. I was hoping to help make it more likely that a poster will be in the position to have members willing to do that.

I have had a number of very knowledgeable members tell me that they only reply privately and then only after looking at how much the person has posted and if they have helped other members.

That is understandable to me. It's a lot to ask to get some types of information from anglers considering we all want to go out and catch a bunch of fish. If we have a hot spot and post it on here, the potential is that hundreds, maybe thousands of anglers will now know about it.

It NEVER hurts to ask. Just try to understand the dynamics of forums with lots of different people on them so expectations aren't unrealistic. Sometimes, it's just a matter of timing even. Weekends, everyone is out fishing so there's less eyes on the question.

Revtro, fiker, BD, all of you who offer help right up front in whatever way you are comfortable with - THANKS!