Another Red Neck Question??

[Rangerman]

I have been reading everything I can on LSC due to coming back up the end of Sept for a week of hopefully SMB Lip Jerking The name Firecracker keeps poping up, is this a hot spot? Is it in US or CAN. and last but not lease where the hell is it? Thanks I assure you I will leave all the fish in the lake, I am a catch an release fishermen. Just trying to get the most bang for the gas bill and 10 hours one way.

[Skulley]

The Firecracker can be a very hot spot.  It is at the mouth of the St. Clair River's south cutoff channel.  It is a large channel marker that looks like a firecracker.  It is the last red marker before entering Canadian water.  The east side of the marker is Canada and the west side of the marker is U.S.  I would highly recommend you get a Canadian License.  I would actually recommend you fish Erie in September.  It is better for fall smallmouth in my opinion.  I am sure there are others on the forum that would contest that statement but it is my preference to fish Erie in the fall as I think the fishing is better.  You will catch larger fish in Erie although St. Clair has had some impressive catches of larger fish over the last few years.  I have always said St. Clair for numbers and Erie for size.............but that's just me.  Good luck when you come up and let us know how you do.  Drop me a PM and maybe schedule permitting, I'll meet you out there and perhaps help you make the most of your trip.


BD                           

[motocross269]

The Fire cracker is a channel marker on the very North end of the lake...It is in Canadian water...(barely)....
I haven't heard much going on this year there...It is a community hole that some guys just stop buy on their way in...A couple of years ago it was hot for about 3 weeks......It is an ultra small area and it caused some major conflicts during tournament weekends...I don't ever fish it because even if i does get hot I don't want to deal with the BS during a tournament......
I have been out pretty much 3 days a week for the last 2 weeks and I haven't seen a boat on it...

[Rangerman]

Thanks Guys, at least I know where its located. May fish Erie on the way up, but we most likely will have a crowd of 4-6 boat coming up and leaving so money in Warren, Roseville and LSC area I will bring my own cold beer due to 10 cent can and bottle tax

[Mike S.]

We will not tolerate beer smuggling! 

[djkimmel]

My friend didn't know they built a new tower out into the lake a ways and mistook that one for the Firecracker last year (sorry 'friend' - I won't use your real name). He was surprised how much he had it to himself!

He called me and asks, "why are the 'known' anglers fishing that 'other' marker further in? Is there a 'new' hot spot?" Oh boy did I get a good laugh that day!

It used to be a pattern to fish all those towers. Anglers would even key in on whether the red ones were hotter than the green ones (more often it seemed that way). If I'm running by and there's no one else at the Firecracker, I often stop and check it out for a few minutes. I have lots of spots nearby that I like quite a bit. At times the other spots are more than fine with me.

The towers aren't as good as they used to be but neither am I. The Firecracker can still be a winning spot but the 'news' gets out pretty quick. If you're casting to the tower, you are fishing Canadian water. No two ways about it. The international line runs in between the big floating buoy (X32) and the 'Firecracker' tower (X32/2).

It was the first hot spot I heard everyone (non-tournament anglers in general) talking about when I started fishing the lake way back somewhere in the mid-80s. Several anglers 'own' it - both charter boats and tournament anglers ( ). I got 'permission' to fish it one tournament during the old TriState days when Phil was still king of the Michigan tournament scene.

I remember the 'owner's' partner checking by phone to see if he really gave us permission (not making that up). Despite having 'permission' from the 'owner,' we still had a 'bigtime' team go around telling everyone at the weigh in of the bigtime tournament the next day, Sunday, that they'd have won the bigger tournament but some guys they didn't know beat up their fish in a smaller tournament Saturday. I'd of won the Powerball too, but someone else bought my winning numbers!!!

It is a good, key spot but the big lake has quite a few good, key spots. I found some of my best by thinking about where do all those bass at the Firecracker come from? And where are they going? They don't all live there all year... I applied that thinking to other good, key spots. It actually works fairly often. Enough to make it worth thinking about and putting some effort into.

I had another old fishing friend that tournament day long ago that told me he tore up the big bass at the 'spot to be unnamed' but not the Firecracker. So, having both 'permission' and knowing my other friend wasn't going there, we went for it and got there boat one. Found out my fishing 'friend' actually caught all his fish in practice at the Firecracker and he didn't want to tell us hoping we wouldn't go there. The crazy part is, if he'd of told me that is where he caught all of his big bass and that he really wanted to go there that bad, I would have changed plans and gone somewhere else. I don't know if my partner would have gone along?

The truth shall set you free! Or maybe give you first crack at a good spot. Once he showed up there after were already catching 'em, I knew he lied to me (he admitted as much), I decided to stay at the Firecracker. I still told him he could fish there too and I wouldn't get mad. Shoot. We were catching bass anyway. And lots of walleye that day for a while.

I think that was the day a big ole charter boat ran by, saw us catching bass, pulled up and set up a multi-line live minnow drift directly upstream of us. Then proceeded to drift right into where we were casting and basically try to float right over the top of us, pushing us of the little strip we were getting our best bass bites on. My partner at that time was near-sighted. We were throwing heavy ball jigs with twin tail grubs on them. They make a fairly significant sound when the bounce hard of the side of flat fiberglass hull. I really enjoyed that discussion but the first mate of that boat appeared to be more reasonable than the cussing a blue streak captain so they didn't stay very long.

I would have probably left since it's a big lake with lots of spots but my fishing partner at that time could be really into principles. And he could bench press even obese charter captains... So we stayed and they didn't stay very long. Just long enough for the captain to verbally demonstrate a serious lack of professionalism in front of his 6 charter clients. The first mate was the smart one on that boat.

As soon as they realized we were going to move from the little slice of Firecracker pie we were fishing, and that we also were going to stop casting to it even if their big fat boat drifted straight into our life of fire, the first mate got the captain to pull up and leave. My partners jigheads really did make a loud thunk off the side of that boat. He wasn't casting at the boat. He was casting at the 'spot' on the side we were fishing and the big boat just got in the way.

My only part in the whole matter was to remind the captain that:
1) we were there when he pulled up;
2) we were fishing one specific spot and weren't going to move just because he setup a new, drift straight upcurrent from us;
3) we were just casting to the same spot over and over, and if his boat handling skills couldn't keep his boat out of our obvious repeated casting lane, there was a good chance we would probably accidentally hit his boat if he drifted too close;
4) so happy he decided for everyone that you could only fish the Firecracker if you drifted past it (and out of his way) but had not signed on as members of that 'treaty' apparently. So sorry.

As a bonus, I pointed out to him that there were 2 whole down current sides and if he went to the other side, he drift in complete and utter privacy and safety.

He didn't like pretty much anything I had to say. He did like to swear. He alos liked to tell us that he had more rights to fish there because he was running business and had paying client...

Yeah, I like the Firecracker but it can be just as good when no one else is already fishing it. Just make sure you have a Canadian fishing license since the whole tower is in Canada. Or... fishing one of the many other good spots nearby that are all in US waters.

Signed Red-headed stepchild (similar to Redneck, but without the funny accent)

[Rangerman]

We got a few of the same spots down here that are "Owned" by some of the Pro and Tournament Bass Holes Is is worth buy a Candad Release License, last trips we fish US only. If the fish is better there I'll bite the bullet, what about Wapol?? Just hate to do it this late in the year, most likely do it next spring when we come up.

[Team houston]

Canada is not open to bass fishing in the Spring.

[Rangerman]

Well That is One Problem I Don't Have Now Now worth it for one week only fishing and as to Beer Smugging It is all consumed and not frieghted back to save gas Bring the Bottled Water also

[djkimmel]

Ontario and Walpole bass fishing opens the 4th Saturday in June. No bass fishing before that. Legally anyway. I point that out since bass are caught because other gamefish are legal at that time like walleye and pike. If you are coming next year on or after the 4th Saturday in June, you might want to get the Ontario Outdoors Card. It is just under $10 for 3 years. You need that before you buy a license as I've mentioned before.

Remember, you can get an 8-day Ontario Conservation license for less than $30 online, specifying the days you want it good for ahead of time. The fishing in Ontario waters gets better and better in the fall to late fall. You just have to have the Outdoors Card (it identifies you uniquely in the Ontario computer system they use for online licenses).

You can skip the Walpole license since a lot of their water is closed around mid-September for their duck hunting. There are limited good places in the channels that are good in the early fall but you will still have plenty to fish if you leave this expense out.

Plenty of good fishing in the US waters if you'd rather not though. Especially late summer to early fall.

[djkimmel]

We got a few of the same spots down here that are "Owned" by some of the Pro and Tournament Bass Holes Is is worth buy a Candad Release License, last trips we fish US only. If the fish is better there I'll bite the bullet, what about Wapol?? Just hate to do it this late in the year, most likely do it next spring when we come up.

Besides my information above, what do you think about my idea to create an 'official' website where anglers can register a spot as theirs? First one to register would get a printed certificate with an embossed seal stating they have full rights to the 'spot' and control over who can and can't fish it! All they would have to do is show someone else the certificate and that person would be required to leave. Even if the other person 'got their first!'

Could solve lots of problems!!

[Rangerman]

That a great idea and charge a small fee to support our fishing addiction and of coarse a small renewal fee. Post the GPS numbers on a pay for view web site an for another small fee rent the hot spot site for another small fee for one hour or less. See I understand how the Great State of MI does there Sportsman pass, parking pass, fishing license. Everything is a small fee but I will not pay a 10 cent beer can fee

[djkimmel]

At least you can get the 10 cents back!

[motocross269]

There were a couple of blowouts in 2010 and 2011 at the Firecracker....I was fishing from the back of the boat and came in a little late to one of them...,.There were like 10 boats sitting on the firecracker and I am in the back thinking..."is this joker(my boater) really going to pull up in there?"....He did...tempers were already at a high when we got there and that just fueled the fire...I actually just cast into the channel and didn't even try to make a cast up into the mess...

All that water and these guys are killing themselves over about 1000 square feet....No thanks...That was it for me fishing as a Co angler. Some of the guys that were sitting on the spot were friends and I felt like I got forced into a bad situation...

As far as registering spots can I upload my requests with Humminbird PC...

[djkimmel]

I will take all 'feature' requests into consideration!

Existing GreatLakesBass.com members will get 'priority spot registration' benefits based on the post group and/or GLBass Friends status!!!

[Rangerman]

I do want to thank all you guys for the information on LSC it will help out greatly. Just trying to not get in trouble with the local law by not know Y'alls Rules and Regulations Like No Power Loading We'll be back for a week the very last of Sept for a week staying in Warren close to Buddys Pizza and Malones Bar and Grill Real Close

[djkimmel]

Sounds like a plan.

[Rangerman]

Non Taxed Beer freighted in along with bottle water

[djkimmel]

We do have really good water in Michigan. That is our most valuable resource.

[bob o]

I will take all 'feature' requests into consideration!

Existing GreatLakesBass.com members will get 'priority spot registration' benefits based on the post group and/or GLBass Friends status!!!

you will make the list available for all to see right? with gps cords too