First fishing trip of the year is my biggest! So far!

[djkimmel]

I finally made it out fishing this 2017 season on April 14th. I went to one of my favorite spring lakes - Lower Crooked Lake in Barry County. It doesn't have a ton of bass but it has some big ones!

I started out in a shallow prespawn bay that was really good very early last year due to some early thick patches of Eurasian milfoil. Since I was hunting for the bass I started with my hot lure from last spring - the bream-colored Kustom Kicker Deposit Spin Titanium spinnerbait.


I don't know if it is good or bad to start off so well, but on the 1st sandy, brushy point leading into the bay maybe 12-15 casts in I had this 4+ wallop my 2K Jigs Deposit Spin causing a big v-wake and the brush to shake as it attacked the spinnerbait! I'm going to say it's a good thing to start with a really nice spring Michigan largemouth bass like this!

I worked my way down the shallow shore/brush edge but also casted out into the bay looking for roamers that usually occur this time of the year. I had a couple light hits but didn't hook up or see what they were though I think one was a small pike because I got a glimpse of skinny silver. I also saw one of those big muskie they've recently released in the lake for some reason. It was cruising the outside edge of the shoreline brush looking dangerous but disinterested.


It took awhile but going around the back corner I had another 3 pounder slam the spinnerbait. I was not seeing much milfoil this year, definitely very thin compared to last year. But this bass was roaming out in the mixed weeds and emerging lily pads.


To see if I was missing something, I switched to a small suspending jerkbait. I did catch a tiny, ornery bass and then got slapped by this aggressive pumpkinseed. I always like seeing the panfish around too, also hunting up food because I expect there should be bass in the same area. (I see one thing I have to watch - in some of these pictures I forgot to 'smile for the camera' as I was trying to take a quick picture getting it all lined up right - I guess on the alignment to use the better phone camera - I was doing my concentrating face - or some other dorky look!)


I moved around the bay and came to a small, but thick laydown tree. It was pretty shallow but the only really good cover nearby. I got closer than I should have but used my short, pistol-grip rod to make an underhand cast over the tree. As I cleared the edge of the tree maybe 3 feet from the side of my little rowboat this giant toad shot out and engulfed the Deposit Spin WHAM!! It was very cool to see the whole thing so close and have the bass completely ignore my presence. This is my biggest largemouth bass of the season so far - over 6 pounds!

I did flip back into the tree a few times with a Bullet Craw and caught one more bass out of it but it was only a small one.

For a little over 2 hours I worked my way back into the lower end of the lake trying some shore points, some holes, and lily pad roots and floating bog edges. It wasn't until I got almost to the back end of the lake when I started getting bit again, and did I ever!


I did catch one bass half way back and it was a nice one over 3 pounds though not a toad. I was pitching a Texas-rigged Bullet Craw into the pad roots when this bass shot out and snatched my craw! I did a nice Bassmaster-hookset and fought it to the boat!


But things really started to happen when I got to the back end! I picked up a green-pumpkin 2K Dock Monkey jig with a green-pumpkin Case Plastics Cash Craw trailer and was pitching it to the roots and bog edges when this big 5+ bass crushed it! I was using the lumber now and braid! It felt awesome to rear back and feel something really solid on the end that didn't want to come my way! I actually felt like I sprained my elbow a little on the hookset - mixed feelings of pain and pleasure!


20 minutes later pitching the big Dock Monkey and another jump in the line. Another Bassmaster-hookset and the heavy rod is doubled over again. Another twinge in my elbow. You know you're catching some hawgs when the hookset causes an impact effect on your body! Another 5 pounder!!


About 30 minutes later, another tap on the Dock Monkey jig and another solid bass though only a 3+ largemouth this time! Still felt real good to set the hook on a quality spring prespawn bass!


Only maybe 10 minutes later I pitched the Dock Monkey Cash Craw combo to another steep side of a floating bog and whap! Set the hook and another load on the heavy casting rod with another largemouth bass around 5 pounds! I can't tell you how happy I was feeling by then! What a day. What a day.


It wasn't quite over. On my way back towards the boat launch I managed to pitch up one more solid 3+ spring Michigan bass on the Dock Monkey jig! What a great day swinging the heavy lumber! My best 5 went over 25 pounds - still my biggest overall catch of the season to date! The only thing was my elbow was aching. Felt like I had a case of tennis elbow.

I guess you're getting old when simply bass fishing can do a little bodily damage. My elbow still hurts to this day a month and a half later. Every time I set the hook on a big fish I can feel it. But I won't let that stop me from going after some more bass!

[djkimmel]

I forgot to mention that I had several more pike on, mostly small ones I'm assuming survived from last seasons weird spawn. After years of not catching any, or hardly any pike at all on Lower Crooked, this year and last I'm seeing lots of pike - mostly small but nonetheless, annoying for someone who doesn't want to lose lures or deal with all those sharp teeth!