Newton Lake

[Durand Dan]

I know there is a limit of a 25hp motor on Newton. Can you launch a boat with a larger motor and just use your trolling motor?

[TCook]

Yes you can, I was told they are very strict there on using your big motor though and only allow it when loading and unloading. We had to use the big motor in Dec to get back to the ramp in the head on 35mph winds and did not get cought. We fished close to the ramp most of the time and cought fish on an extreemly tough weekend so it still would likley be worth it to go there without a kicker.

[TCook]

Check these sites for any info or reports on Newton.

http://www.outdoorsportsmanslodge.com/report/index.php?PHPSESSID=1d8f7d203907267176be9b28f291b356&board=4.0

http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?board=57.0

[LGMOUTH]

Im heading down there thursday and friday, looks like the weather is going to be pretty good in the 60s.

Yes you can, I was told they are very strict there on using your big motor though and only allow it when loading and unloading.

Just talked to the fish and game down there this morning and thats exactly what they said. If I correct the arm to the west is the warm arm and the guy said the launch by the dam is the one to use to get there. Did you use this ramp when you were there?

Thanks for the info TCook Im looking forward to it.

[TCook]

Yes the west arm is the hot side and the plant is at the northern end of it. I beleive if you look at google the ramp we used was at the end of E 300th ave on the southern end of the west arm. From what I understand that is the only ramp on the hot side. Good luck let us know how you do, me and some buddies were supposed to go this weekend but thats still up in the air.

[thedude]

looks like i'm hauling the duck boat down on the 13th to give it a go...

[TCook]

So LGMOUTH was it worth the trip?

[thedude]

yeah no kiddin - hopefully the weather was a little better than it was up here for you.

[LGMOUTH]

It wasnt quite as good as I was hoping, Probably because the wind was blowing 110mph straight up the lake. Ok Im exaggerating a little but man did it blow. Caught a lot of fish just not very many big ones. Probably only 10 keepers over the two days. Two were around the 5lb mark. Both days were nice except for the wind. Im willing to be there were between 50 to 75 boats there on thursday and 75 to 100 there on Friday. Everywhere you looked there was a boat fishing, the parking lot was full on Friday not counting the cold water ramp. The wind was blowing so hard I was afraid to go to far from the ramp since I took my bass boat and couldnt use the motor (although we did idle it and use the trolling motor to steer on the way back to the ramp) All and all I would definitley go back on a better day, maybe a monday or tuesday when there werent going to be so many people. Good luck down there dude.

[thedude]

we're gonna be there on a weekend so i'm sure it will be packed.... weather is looking decent at least.
Thats ok though, i'm goin with my old partner from Indiana.... we are used to 4 boats per Acre of water - you grow accustomed to it fishing in indiana.

[TCook]

Wow thats alot of pressure, I would hate to see the weekend if its like that during the week. Sounds like you had to deal with similar wind that we did in Dec although 10 bass over 18" in 2 days sounds ok to me. Good luck this weekend dude.

[thedude]

thanks - right now they are calling for partly sunny, 45-50 and n/e winds < 10mph.  just booked the super in in Olney just south of there, can't wait! If i catch 1 fish, i will be a happy man.

[thedude]

i'm off!

[bigjc]

Dude,

Good luck, can't wait for the report....

[bigjc]

How far of a drive is it from Det. area?

[LGMOUTH]

Im guessing around 7 hours from detroit. It took me just over 6 from North of Grand Rapids.

[thedude]

just got back and here's the report -

I met a buddy in NW indiana and we left from there in the AM, got in the water and was fishing by 8:30. We had mild temps in the 50s, overcast and a light ENE wind - which later shifted to the E. Started off by throwing a pointer and a jig. About 30 casts into the day i hook into my first fish on a jig - a solid 4.5lber! Nice way to start the trip and 2009. My buddy picked up 2 "short" 2lbers on a shakey head and then things turned sour for me. I hook into another fish on the jig - get it to the boat and its about a 2lb channel cat. Long story short, in the process of wrenching my jig free, i sent the base of my palm right below my thumb right down on the spiked fin... about 1/4". Started gushing blood and then spent the next 15 minutes sitting in the bottom of the boat from being really dizzy. Downed a gatorade and found some super-glue to patch everything and i was feeling ok again.
From there it was bittersweet - we fished the rest of the day and i didn't get another bite. My buddy on the other hand caught about 10 more fish.... a couple 3lbers... a 4.5lber... a 5.5-6lber... you get the idea. Late in the day we (he) got onto a decent spinner bait pattern which accounted for about half our fish. We checked out a local tourney weighin and looks like we did ok, top 3 fish went 12.5 or so, big fish being around 4.5lbs. A tough day to get bit - fish seemed to either be roaming off the breaks on main lake points or the they were in 6" of water buried in weeds. Had to tip-toe a light spinnerbait right onto their nose to get bit. The evening bite was pretty decent, we did the best in our last 2hrs and also saw a lot of other boats getting smaller fish.

Sunday was beautiful out, 65 degrees, sunny (high blue skies and the same E wind unfortunately). The big bite was off and we managed 1 more keeper on the spinnerbaits and a handful of 16" shorts on jigs, traps, and shakey heads. I did get a nice fish in the mouth of one the creek arms on my new comically large 1oz xcalibur one-knocker. Shad were busting everywhere in the middle of this cove both days, and we fished the crap out of it with cranks, traps, jerkbaits, flukes, drop shots, jigs - and nothing to show. Pulling that fish was a small personal victory for me i guess.

All the fish we found were pre-spawn and showed no indication of being ready to bed. we had 65* water way-way up in the warm arm, 60-62 by the ramp and 55 on the cold side - we got one 4.5lber on the cold side, everything else came on the warm.

[TCook]

Still sounds worth it for March, nice fish.

[thedude]

absolutely. definitely be going back next winter, would like to try it earlier in Feb and again in march i think.

btw - we stayed at the super-8 in Olney, IL which was about 30 min south of the ramp. worked out well.

[TCook]

Dude, did you spend much time in the cold side? From what I read the majority or the bigger bass are cought on the cold side.