Planning a Michigan trip...and need ideas.

[Rocknfish]

Hey guys, I have 2 open weekends this coming spring and am looking to make a 4-5 day trip.The weekends are May 15th,16th and June 6th,7th.I live in Cleveland,Ohio and love bass fishing in the wolverine state...Ohio doesnt hold a candle(minus Erie).Have only fished Arcadia(once),Tippy(once),and St.Clair(twice).My boat is a 17' Bass Tracker with a 25hp.Merc.Somewhere with nice camping and great smallie and largie fishin.Also-if anyone ever needs a co-angler,feel free to drop me a line.Have never fished a tourney but would love to get involved.Thanks to all.
Aaron

[yukonjack2]

Aaron - feel free to check out our club under TBF club header - the Eastside bass club.  We are a non-competitive group that goes out just for fun, mostly on St. Clair.  If you want to back seat just for education with us, let us know on the board and we'll do our best to accomodate you. 

Jack

[BigSmallie]

I posted on your other thread to go to Alpena MI.

BS 

[Cheetam]

Excluding St. Clair and Erie, you may want to look at the Traverse City area.  Interlochen has a really nice campground and is surrounded by Duck and Green Lakes, which offer both large and smallmouth fishing.  Within an hours drive of there are some of the most beautiful and best fishing lakes in the state.

[thedude]

early june would be a great time to go to traverse city - lots of options up there and camping.

[joshimoto son]

May is a great time to go to Hardy Dam. It is located aprox. an hour north of Grand Rapids, near Big Rapids.
There is a great county park "Brower Park" they have some very affordable cabins for rent with electricity, you need to supply your own heater.
It's right on the water and very family oriented. At that time of the year the smallmouths come out of the woodwark and can be extremely easy to catch.

http://www.mecostacountyparks.com/Brower.htm

Here is the link.

Although it is a very big body of water, it has many little back creeks and canals that would be perfect for your boat. Not to mention, that is where you're going to want to be at that time of year.

If you decide to go there, shoot me a PM. I can direct you to a lot of places to catch fish.

joshimoto son

[jgip087]

If you are planning on taking those days in May to come up and you want a little variety try Muskegon Lake, you can camp right at the landing. Muskegon has excellent largemouth fishing and good smallmouth fishing that time of year. You could then take a couple days and go to White Lake, which is maybe a 20 minute drive from Muskegon and the largemouth fishing is out of this world at times. Many probably consider White the best largemouth lake on the west side, if not in the whole state. Muskegon also offers a large variety of techniques to catch fish and habitat.

[Rocknfish]

Ok,so far its looking like the Traverse City area lakes and the areas of Long and Grand on the eastern side of the state.Both look like quite a trip for me but well worth it if they include a peaceful setting with beautiful clear lakes loaded with bronze and green.Of the 2 groups of lakes,wich ones offer great camping and/or lodging and that my 17' aluminum Bass Tracker w.25hp can handle?Dont wanna get in over my head(literally)with huge lakes and big waves.So the weekend of June 6th and 7th would be better that far north?

[Cheetam]

Ok,so far its looking like the Traverse City area lakes and the areas of Long and Grand on the eastern side of the state.Both look like quite a trip for me but well worth it if they include a peaceful setting with beautiful clear lakes loaded with bronze and green.Of the 2 groups of lakes,wich ones offer great camping and/or lodging and that my 17' aluminum Bass Tracker w.25hp can handle?Dont wanna get in over my head(literally)with huge lakes and big waves.So the weekend of June 6th and 7th would be better that far north?

My personal opinion would be Interlochen State Park near TC (although I haven't camped near Long or Grand).  There are units right on Duck Lake and a launch right there.  No need to go far to get into some good fishing.

[River Walker]

 I talked to Aaron earlier today,I like all of the areas he's considering.If I were going to do the Long Lake/Grand Lake trip,I would prolly stay near Alpena and include a day on Fletcher too.I love the TC area,but instead of fishing Duck,Green or Long Lake,I would go a little more east and fish Torch,Elk and Intermediate Lakes.Smallie heaven! Another option I told him was Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell,great camping at the state park there,and awesome fishing for smallies and green bass.Personally myself if I had 5 days to go anywhere up that ways I wanted,I would head for northern Manistee County.I would stay at the city campground at Bear Lake(Hopkins Park),I would then have easy access to some of the finest smallmouth action anywhere in the state,namely Portage Lake,Arcadia Lake,Manistee Lake,both of the Herring Lakes and Betsie Lake,not to mention Bear Lake itself.Portage,Manistee,Arcadia and Betsie all have Lake Michigan access,and in late May and early June,big smallies from the big lake spawn in these flooded(lakes)rivermouths,not at all uncommon to catch not only big numbers,but very large bass as well.Very scenic area as well with the big dunes and all,did I mention shrooms.............

[jgip087]

Interlochen State Park by far. You will far..far out fish Cadillac and Mitchell lakes. Long, Duck, and Green have some giant smallies.

[FSU Basser]

Check out www.loons-landing.com its a great place to stay on clam lake just outside of Bellaire and about a half hour out from Traverse city. from there u can get to torch, skegmog ,elk, and bellaire. All there lakes have great fishing. Check out the website for more information.

[Buckeye]

Okay, Okay...I think that's just about enough!

You guys go posting more of these pictures and I'm going to have to quit my job and move to Michigan.  Do they hang Buckeye fans in MI?

The season is just starting here, and I know your season is a little bit out yet.  How you guys can stand all of this I have no idea. 

Aaron, I think what you should do is get RW and his Ranger, and head to ANYWHERE in MI to fish.  I can't go on the 16th/17th, as I have regionals that week in OHIO!, and I'll already be at Burt/Mullet the weekend of the 6th/7th of June.  I will be pre-fishing the weekend prior.  I have to return to Ohio on the 7th to fish Clear Fork, but it will be hard to leave MI.

Eric

[skeeterman190]

 Hey if your doing the whole Manistee,Portage,Aracida deal dont forget about Pere Marquete and oh yeah Pentwater. My favorite smallmouth lake on the westside in the spring.. 5lbers what!-skeeterman-dont stick too many leave a few for me for the BBT OPEN.

[skeeterman190]

Dont stick em all @ Burt/Mullet alot of families are counting on a check to eat from there.