Grand River advice/tips

[Gbass]

Ok guys i just moved up from florida, i am fishing a few tournys this year up here and we got one coming up on grand river,not able to go to lake michigan it says so just the river.
I wont get any practice due to work so  i would appreciate any tips on lure selctions please!! i dont know jack! about this river.

Its a small and large mouth bass only tourny  early june is when it is also.I know its coulder than normal up here.

we just fished one at caddillac yesterday took me a little while to figure them out but got it done and got 5 in the boat but it was hard fishing compared to what i could have did in florida lol totally!! i mean tottaly different!!

any help would be appreciated and if anyone ever is heading to florida to do some fishing you can ask me and i will give you any advice i can because Wow there is a huge difference in how you fish in florida and up here that is forsure.

[1javelin]

Don't fish the tournament and save yourself some money.  Just kidding, the place does really fish hard though.  I'd look in the back of some bayous, or head to the north side of Spring Lake, shallow.  Frogs or flukes in the bayou, jigs in the thick stuff, and plastics in Spring Lake.
  Good Luck

1Jav

[Gbass]

yea well my pops can usually carry my weight if i have a bad day and i struggled at caddillac until around 2 hours before weigh in then i got a couple good keepers.

but i heard that river was good for some morning top water in one of the lakes
we just got a couple new lowrance gps finders so they will help alot i was planning on throwing some horney toads in the am then try some plastic for awhile but hopefully ill get to pre fish it to kinda get the feel!

i won several tournys in florida and thats some stiff compitition so i will win a tourny up here this year and be in the classic at the end lol even if it takes me pre fishing the heck out of every lake we fish ill figure them out.

but i appreciate the help anyone else got any input?
thanks man

[skeeterman190]

 THE GRAND BLOWS!! . Id assume from your post your fishing Shoreline? Cadillac was tough. We were happy with what we got. 12.3lbs. That cold weather really hurt things thursday we had 18+. Ummm not gonna get into things on the Grand but good luck!!! I know your new to the area and all but im not gonna give up too much info. heck you prolly whopped me on cadillac!!! Just keep plugging and the fish will show you the way. stay shallow and you'll be fine!!! thats all Ive got. if your not fishing against me let me know and ill tune you in to some other things. have you looked at the BBT tourneys? you can run and things are so much better at white and muskegon!!-skeeterman-

[Gbass]

yea fishing shorline

no actually you beat us we had right at 11 pounds witch sucks! i have had some  28-33 pound bags in florida and i come up here and a 15 pound bag wins lol i was in shock.

i didnt realy figure the fish out till about 45 minutes to go and i got 2 int he boat to fill the livewell with about 20 minutes left lol it was astruggle. i am gonna go fish the river 3 or 4 times before the tourny i dont do well with getting beat by 4 pounds it will be different next tourny!!! my goal is to make the classic and i am playing catch up right now and yea my dad fished bbt last year and di realy well and he said there were about 3 times the boats in that tourny.

oh well ill get it figured out i got my time off work to go fish  before the 14th so i can get them figured out i made this post thinking i wouldnt get to pre fish at all!! so  knew i would be getting smoked no getting any practice in.

thanks

[SethV]

First, let me extend my greatest sympathy to you for having to move to Michigan!  I have been here 2 years, and it will take a lot of adustment and I don't know that I will ever like November through April here.

The Grand can be tough for sure.  I have only fished 2 tournaments over there.  Both times I did very well by running Lake Michigan - but that does not help you.

I found the rocks on the break walls near the mouth of the river and the south end of Spring lake to be the best areas for me in the Grand.  You can also run a patten of flipping wood, the really shallow stuff will hold fish.

Seth

[bshaner]

Let me echo Seth on several points - first and foremost my sympathies. 


Flipping shallow wood along the banks is a great pattern on the Grand.  Although I've only fished one tournament there and didnt put it together very well in the tournament, I did develop that pattern very well in practice.  I flipped a berkley power flipping tube in black w/ red flake and did very well.

The Grand can be really tough and it's possible alot of that shallow wood is now dried up.  I havent been there this year but if the water level continues to drop it could be dry.  If you can get to the bayous you can frog the pads and flip the pads.  Great pattern there on the right days.

Welcome to the boards!

B

[Gbass]

appreciate all the help guys yea i fished alot of top water in florida and flipped seinkos in cat tail weeds down there to catch some nice 7 8 pounders.

some of the same methods hav worked for me up here just alot smaller fish lol.

well i am gonna pre fish this soon so ill deff keep your ideas in mind thanks very much.