9 days

[stackenem]

So if you had 9 straight days to go fishing in June up around the Traverse city area which 9 would you take. Early in the month or more toward the middle. Going to be fishing Skegemog torch the bays and any where else that looks good.

[Waterfoul]

Early June is prime spawning time in the bays.  I've had 50+ fish days in the first 2 weeks of June.  That's when I'd go.  Book now though, things fill up quick once the summer starts.

[stackenem]

We have a place 5 minutes from torch so no need to book. Planning a vacation up there for this spring.

[Mike S.]

Sounds like a good 9 days. Maybe I could round up a partner and meet you out on the bay one of those days.......  I've been wanting to hit the bay in a bad way.  I bet I know someone who would go too.

[Got Fish??]

The beginning of the mouth is always rainy and windy, the bays can get worked up pretty good and fast.  The temps seem too mellow out as the month go's on. Too many people up for the Holiday anyway.

[Dan]

It's been my experience as meager as it is that if you are looking for bed fishing then the area lakes and not the bay would be where I'd be. That could be Elk, Torch, Skegemog, Lelanau, etc. I've had a lot of fun chasing smallies on Lelanau that time of year. The bays would be good for pre spawn and probably be some pigs around. Bed fishing on the bays is more end of June than beginning.

[Waterfoul]

Sounds like a good 9 days. Maybe I could round up a partner and meet you out on the bay one of those days.......  I've been wanting to hit the bay in a bad way.  I bet I know someone who would go too.

I know a guy....

[YpsiBass]

It's been a year or so, but nothing can undo the emotional scar Skegemog has imprinted on me.  Avoid it. Fish literally anywhere else.

[Team houston]

The way this winter is going, I would take the middle of June.

[Mike S.]

Sounds like a good 9 days. Maybe I could round up a partner and meet you out on the bay one of those days.......  I've been wanting to hit the bay in a bad way.  I bet I know someone who would go too.

I know a guy....

Funny. We must know the same exact person!

[Waterfoul]

I just asked my wife when we were there the last couple of times.  It was the 2nd week of June.  Many of the fish we caught were bucks, didn't see many big girls.


Hey Mike, I even know a guy who's parent's have a place up there that I can use just about any time I want.  Gotta love free lodging!

[TCook]

Of course it would come down to the weather patterns on if you time it right but I would shoot for mid June around the full moon on Charlevoix. I think that would be the safest bet for some part of that lake to trigger a big wave of smallies up to spawn. The water flows in from LM so the temps on the west end are cooler.

[stackenem]

I am looking at the 7th thru the 15th right now. I can change it later if need be.

[TheFishinPollock]

Just make sure ya call me. Hopefully the new motor will be rigged by then

[stackenem]

Matt, Back seat will be open I'm sure. I'll get ahold of you and you can show me around.

[djkimmel]

Anytime during the 1st 3 weeks could be real good depending upon weather going into it. You just have to adjust to more time on the smaller lakes if it is still colder, and the bigger lakes if it is warmer. Near the full moon is always a good consideration that time of year. The weather patterns will still have an effect on how good.

Last year, the 1st week was good prespawn on one big lake and beginning to middle of spawn on another big lake back-to-back days. The darker water/bottom lakes will be ahead generally of the sandier lakes.

I would check Skegemog that time of year for sure with that many days available. You'll be right there anyway. If it has been real warm the spawn will be going on somewhat advanced. If it has been cold you could hit the front end of the middle. Get a calm, sunny day in the spring on that lake and you'll find out it is still another great lake! Just look deeper. Every big log and weed patch.

You might even find a few bass on beds on Torch if it has been warming up and you're there the dates you mentioned. Just concentrate on the lower end of the lake. Maybe the bay in the very NW corner.

Might be a little late for the best of Crooked and Pickerel but those are great lakes for windy days and bad weather back up. You can usually just go around the back end of the lake tossing a spinnerbait and do well.

[motocross269]

Last year things didn't get going as far as the spawn on the main lake of  Charlevoix and the north end of Traverse bay until June 10th... Fishing was brutal on Charlevoix for the practice week up until our tournament weekend but all heck broke loose when the weekend came and we slayed them on Sunday...

Things were winding down on the East arm and Walloon...   I had to go offshore on Walloon to do any good...

So it is probably a toss up on when to go but I am sure you can find bedding fish that time of year with a little bit of trailering and looking around on the different lakes....It is all about timing, I barely caught a fish all week on Charlevoix but caught around 17lbs on Sunday.....We had a couple of guys around 24lbs...Solo....

[djkimmel]

Charlevoix can be a real good cold water lake if you can whittle down the amount of deep water you need to check, or where to look later on a sunny day. I had a few good summer days out there too fishing deeper. Mostly like I used to fish Torch in the summer - cruise around looking for suspended baitfish, and then fish underneath them, or the nearest bottom irregularity. It helps if the wind isn't blowing a lot.

If I'm not worrying about a bass tournament (which isn't an issue for me these days) I sometimes go after big pike, walleye and even some largemouth bass in the South Arm. Used to catch some real nice walleye in the lower end fairly shallow. Haven't tried it in a while though.

[motocross269]

Dan, The guy that was camped next to me was slaying the Walleye that entire week on Charlevoix....With his setup he really looked like he knew what he was doing and pretty much every night I saw him fileting out a nice limit of "eyes".... We caught quite a few bonus walleyes that week bass fishing...

On the main lake you would see the Smallmouth cruising the breakline. Staging I guess...I tried every technique that I know of with long casts, Finesse, Reaction, etc etc and they just wouldn't commit...My arm was so sore it took me a few weeks afterwards to get rid of the tennis elbow...Once they moved up though it was on like Donkey kong....

[djkimmel]

That's smallmouth bass for you sometimes...

I never put much time into walleyes on the main lake, catching the occasional 'bonus' walleye like you, but I did notice over the years that the eater-sized walleye in the main lake like to hang around some of deeper piling forests so if I wanted to catch one, there's a couple piling forests near the State Park and Horton Bay that were pretty consistent for a group of walleye. I wonder how your camp neighbor was doing it? I bet they are more numerous now than they were in the old days too.

Of course, sometimes I would chase after salmon and trout, and even some sightfeeding jumbo carp that would smash a crankbait or grub once in a while - monster freshwater bonefish!!

The one thing I haven't done hardly at all is go after the catfish there. There's some monsters in the lake and I only caught a few incidental over the years. None of the monster giants I saw a couple times and heard rumors of from anglers who weren't ready to 'share' yet... I can understand... when I started whacking the big walleye in the South Arm, I didn't really want to share at first either.

I was young still, and loved figuring out something 'different' and then have it be my own little secret. The day I couldn't hold it in any longer, I told a 'fish-eater' in my old club. Figured since we were practicing for the big federation tournament (the big events by far of those days) he wouldn't be interested.

I was wrong. We spent half the day me showing him my big, shallow walleye trick, and all those walleye fillets went into his cooler. 'But you don't even like eating fish,' he says... It drove me a little crazy for the first hour or so - I wanted to beat Kevin and Don!! not catch walleye. And beating Kevin and Don was going to take some determined, hardcore, dawn til dusk smallmouth bass hunting... but one of my longstanding 'weaknesses' overtook me that day as it has so many others - I like to catch fish. Any fish... so for a few hours I (slightly) guiltily played hooky on the serious job of beating Kevin and Don, and went walleye fishing instead. I even liked it a little...

We did spend the other half of the day seeking out the awesome, though sometimes confusing smallmouth bass. I have no idea if the walleye fishing in the South Arm is any good it has been so many years. From what I recall, the water and weeds have changed enough it probably is a long gone technique.

That just means I have to learn something new again! Oh gosh...