Secord Lake 6-8-2013

[Big dreams]

For those of you not familiar with Secord Lake, it is a deep lake with LOTS of shelves!  There are a few flats that have shelves that drop from 4' down to 40' in a blink of an eye.

The water temps are ranging from 67 degrees on the main lake down to 61 up in the cuts.  Since the cuts are all fed by fast moving streams and creeks, the water tends to be cooler this time of year. 

First thing in the morning, I found baitfish breaking the surface on the breaks just off flats on the main lake.  I threw the Storm Chug Bug Jr. just past each surface break and ended up catching 3 keepers in less than 15 minutes.  Once the sun came out, the bass went to deeper water.  Secord is normally a clear lake so that also aided in them seeking deeper water. 

After the sun came out, bass could be found on the ledges.  Find a point on the main lake and position your boat in the deep.  Cast any type of soft plastic (tube, worm, craw, and jigs) towards the shallows and slowly bring it back down the break.  Usually I just raise the rod tip and let it drop down rather than using the reel.  This seemed to trigger strikes.  Using depth finders helped in finding the populations of baitfish.  Big bass was a largemouth, just over 4 lbs in 22' of water doing this same approach.

[YpsiBass]

But you're not drop shotting on the shelves??

[Genie]

But you're not drop shotting on the shelves??

... or throwing a jig or crankbait?

[gmetime24]

Great report! Hopefully I can get up to secord sometime soon

[Hollada]

Where is the access to second lake?

[Big dreams]

You know, I tried the drop shot for a few casts but I just am not comfortable with it yet.  I plan on going up to Sugar Springs Sudnay and trying drop and C-rig up there.  The weeds in Secord and Sugar Springs seem to be thick. 

[Big dreams]

But you're not drop shotting on the shelves??

... or throwing a jig or crankbait?

I did throw a jig with no success.  Also threw a square bill CB and caught a 30" pike along the weeds.

[Big dreams]

Where is the access to second lake?

There are a couple access points on Secord.  The main launch which I think is the best, is off M30.  Take M-30 to W. River Rd. and go East (only way you can go).  The launch is the DNR and it is free.  Down about 3/4 mile on the left side of the road.

[Genie]

Just curious if the jig or crankbait will work over time.  The setup sounds just like a small Kentucky Lake or something with all the ledges and channels ... Could become a good practice lake for those fishing southern river systems in the summer months when fish get deep.

[YpsiBass]

You know, I tried the drop shot for a few casts but I just am not comfortable with it yet. 

You need to come down here for a trip to LSC, friend.  I never was comfortable with drop shot until a day on the lake with Don.

[djkimmel]

Never tore them up on Secord but big bass! I've only fished it in late fall and it has been awhile since the almost once per fall annual pilgrimages.

I remember some of the cuts were loaded with big, lure stealing pike! I started out with Carolina rigs the very first time I visited and kept losing my entire rig over and over until I figured out I had a box of new shiny bullet sinkers! The pike were hitting the big sinker, not the trailing lures!!! Stupid pike!!

Jigs worked a lot better in the fall for bass anyway! Secord in the fall is up fairly high on my todo list. It is on my spring list too but not as high. Yet.

I had one log up there I caught big bass of a federation classic off of one day after catching one over 4 pounds before off the same log. I caught several big bass off that log over the span of a few seasons. I liked that log!! Especially with a white jig and white pig trailer!

Boat traffic can be pretty crazy there in the summer I'm always told? It looks busy even on Google Earth!

They were just finishing that new boat ramp about the last time or two I went there. Glad they put it in. I had a time or two at the older MDNR ramp up the other side of the lake. The ramp at the store was a little bumpy too.

[Big dreams]

You know, I tried the drop shot for a few casts but I just am not comfortable with it yet. 

You need to come down here for a trip to LSC, friend.  I never was comfortable with drop shot until a day on the lake with Don.

I plan on coming down to LSC some day.  I plan on making a weekend out of it and stay at a hotel or something.  Someone would need to show me lake and launch sites as I am not familiar with it at all.

[Big dreams]

Never tore them up on Secord but big bass! I've only fished it in late fall and it has been awhile since the almost once per fall annual pilgrimages.

I remember some of the cuts were loaded with big, lure stealing pike! I started out with Carolina rigs the very first time I visited and kept losing my entire rig over and over until I figured out I had a box of new shiny bullet sinkers! The pike were hitting the big sinker, not the trailing lures!!! Stupid pike!!

Jigs worked a lot better in the fall for bass anyway! Secord in the fall is up fairly high on my todo list. It is on my spring list too but not as high. Yet.

I had one log up there I caught big bass of a federation classic off of one day after catching one over 4 pounds before off the same log. I caught several big bass off that log over the span of a few seasons. I liked that log!! Especially with a white jig and white pig trailer!

Boat traffic can be pretty crazy there in the summer I'm always told? It looks busy even on Google Earth!

They were just finishing that new boat ramp about the last time or two I went there. Glad they put it in. I had a time or two at the older MDNR ramp up the other side of the lake. The ramp at the store was a little bumpy too.

I had limited success back in the cuts off of downed trees.  Most of the fish seem to come off main lake points when I fish there.  Our eoy tournament is there every year and big bass usually is well over 5lbs.

[djkimmel]

I usually fished it in September/October. Downed trees up the cuts. Fun! I think the 5.61 I caught in a Federation Classic was maybe my first or one of my first bass over 5 in a tournament back then. We didn't have as many big bass back then as there are now.

I've caught some jig-n-pig fish on the main lake of Secord but I often ended up with lots of bite offs from big, toothy critters. Especially if I threw anything shiny.