2010 DK Open East Sat May 15 L St Clair - Info & Signup Here

[mchesney]

I don't have ANY spots on St Clair! I'm hoping the draw partner will!!

[djkimmel]

I don't have ANY spots on St Clair! I'm hoping the draw partner will!!

One way or another, I'll make sure you have spots to fish. Thanks for joining in the fun.

[djkimmel]

Hey Dan,

  Please forgive me.  I haven't been on the site for over a week.  I knew I'd need some time to make it through ALL the posts I missed.  I'd like to fish Saturday if it's not too late.  I don't have a lot of spots on St. Clair but I could come as a boater.  I'll be looking for your response later today.  12:25am now.

Couple questions,  What area is considered Metro Basin??

I saw you warning about following Skip... what's so tough about where he fishes?

Glad to hear you're signing on now. Especially as a boater. That puts me even as long as the last boater is able to fish too. I'll edit the draw and give you a fishing partner.

I'll have some waypoints and landmarks to give people to have fishing spots. People can follow me too if they want depending on the weather and wind.

I believe by Metro basin he is referring to the bays back up in Black Creek near the Metro Park boat ramp and marina. There are largemouth bass usually back in the channels and along the main creek (Huron Point).

There are very shallow places to run through to get to some fishing here and there on the lake. Some of it is no good and a little of it is good depending on weather. If you don't know exactly where you are going in the real shallow areas, you can run aground, hit a rock or some manmade solid object such as the car in the middle of Goose Bay.

The main lake away from the shallow bays and a few of the channel mouth/edges is relatively safe. A chart is a big help, but things do change a little on a big body of water with all the current. Before I run in some of the shallow areas, I do some reconnaissance to make sure there are no new hazards (maybe a sunken jet ski or something). Some shallow areas I just don't run in. Wind can push or pull water from an area too. Don't want to get stuck or hit a log or something. There's plenty of safe water in the open lake that has a bunch of bass this time of year. Usually more dependable too with the temp changes this time of year.

[djkimmel]

Okay. We're even at the moment with 49 members and 2 youngsters fishing. Still haven't heard from 1 boater and 3 nonboaters. 1 boater to confirm later tomorrow.

Going to need all the help I can get from assistant tournament director Bobber and 'head chef' Mikesmiph. Maybe a few others. Don't forget about the cookout afterwards and that Brandi Rawks Productions will be taping some of the activities.

[Firefighter Jeff]

Am I correct in assuming we might be able to purchase such tapings???

Will there be any door prizes???  That's about the only way i'll win anything.  lololol  Sorry Jerkbait.   lololol   

[1javelin]

Did well as a boater last time I was there, but unfortunately the boat is still in the shop and won't be done by the weekend, or if it is I won't have time to run it and make sure it is fine .  Definitely coming as a non-boater though, looking forward to tearing up some smallies!!

1jav

I've got you covered.

You da man Dan, you da man.  Hope my first trip out in almost a year is great!!!  Knowing it will be!!

1jav

[motocross269]

I didn't see bshaner on the boater list...I am sure he has been pretty busy with the military...
If he isn't fishing I have an extra Golden Rule that someone can borrow...I need it back at the end of the tourney..I keep on for an extra....

[motocross269]

Last time I launched out of Harley as a Co angler I got a little note from the DNR...They wanted me to park in the designated area..Wherever that is....There were only about 10 boats in the launch the day I was there....So there were plenty of spots...
Just something to be aware of.....There may be something marked as single vehicle parking or something like that..I would just make sure if your a Co to park there before we launch....

[MadWags]

Brian, I would like to use that Golden Rule.

[motocross269]

Brian, I would like to use that Golden Rule.

It's yours...

[Skip Johnson]

I saw you warning about following Skip... what's so tough about where he fishes?

Growing up on the Colorado River below and above Havasue...and running a Skeeter that rides real high @ 70mph Im not afraid to run 10 to 12" of water.
I sometimes fish areas that I cut through Sni's and back bays to get too, If you come off plane in 10" of water your boat is hard aground...and you can rip your motor and or transom off which Ive done both.

Ive marked the hazards on my GPS the hard way...by push pulling my way through or just hitting them...another trick is I learned them during high water in the summer so I had a little extra water to deal with then we do right now, I have them marked now but it wasnt easy.

I run light on fuel and raise my jack plate an inch during the spring which helps and when I have got stuck Ive had to pull all 5 of my batteries and tackle out and stack them up in the marsh, push the boat out then carry the batteries and boxes hundreds of yards...sounds alot easier than it is.

I allso run a skeg guard that breaks away and I carry a spare skeg guard with 3 spare sets of pins and a spare prop.

I doubt I'll be running back there this weekend with the temp drop and the sni and river still dumping real cold water from Lk Huron...but dont trust me to live up to that. 

Muskemoot bays, Goose Bay, Fisher bay Bouvier bay, some little off shoot bays that I dont know the name of if they have a name and the Sni's linking them have some real prop wreckers in them, cars, quads, snow mobiles, lawn mowers, old wrecks, shopping carts, engine blocks, sunken timber, rail ties, bricks and rocks, if you dont know the bays and Sni's dont run them....especialy when the waters this cold theres not enough fish back there to make it worth it.

[Firefighter Jeff]

I saw you warning about following Skip... what's so tough about where he fishes?

Growing up on the Colorado River below and above Havasue...and running a Skeeter that rides real high @ 70mph Im not afraid to run 10 to 12" of water.
I sometimes fish areas that I cut through Sni's and back bays to get too, If you come off plane in 10" of water your boat is hard aground...and you can rip your motor and or transom off which Ive done both.

Ive marked the hazards on my GPS the hard way...by push pulling my way through or just hitting them...another trick is I learned them during high water in the summer so I had a little extra water to deal with then we do right now, I have them marked now but it wasnt easy.

I run light on fuel and raise my jack plate an inch during the spring which helps and when I have got stuck Ive had to pull all 5 of my batteries and tackle out and stack them up in the marsh, push the boat out then carry the batteries and boxes hundreds of yards...sounds alot easier than it is.

I allso run a skeg guard that breaks away and I carry a spare skeg guard with 3 spare sets of pins and a spare prop.

I doubt I'll be running back there this weekend with the temp drop and the sni and river still dumping real cold water from Lk Huron...but dont trust me to live up to that. 

Muskemoot bays, Goose Bay, Fisher bay Bouvier bay, some little off shoot bays that I dont know the name of if they have a name and the Sni's linking them have some real prop wreckers in them, cars, quads, snow mobiles, lawn mowers, old wrecks, shopping carts, engine blocks, sunken timber, rail ties, bricks and rocks, if you dont know the bays and Sni's dont run them....especialy when the waters this cold theres not enough fish back there to make it worth it.

Holy crap  !!!!  I understand now.  lol  You won't catch me in those areas.  All to catch fish.  Now would these adventures accross skinny water be for tournament or fun fishing??

Also what does sni's stand for??

[Mike S.]

Cars and smowmobiles?  In the water?  Still?  They don't clean that stuff up?  Skip, you sound like an animal....THAT'S AWESOME!

[McCarter]

I gave bobber 30 bags to of 3" gobies to bring.  If anyone wants to buy some, see him or mike smith.  DK Open special pricing $4 per bag of 10.

Didnt have time to make any colors up so i just gave him what i had in stock which was:

Real Goby

KLK

Dark Cin. Purple

Cucumber

i think that was it.

McCarter himself

[mikesmiph]

You're the MAN McCarter. Thats at least 300 fish that can be caught Saturday LOL

[djkimmel]

Thanks McCarter. I should have suggested that.

[MadWags]

Yeh, Skip has his spring areas pretty well protected! LOL! Did you know that 4 bass can bed on a quad. Strange huh.

[djkimmel]

For anyone who hasn't spent much time on St. Clair, there's all kinds of interesting things out there with mysterious histories. Talking to some oldtimers about it can sometimes be pretty entertaining though you should expect multiple stories about any one object.

If you're caught nowadays dumping something into the water, they will make you get it out of there, but it is a BIG place and some of the stuff has been there a looonnnnggg time. Don't run through the small side cuts or backs of bays unless you know them very well and preferably have checked them out again each spring.

The main lake is pretty safe. Just get a chart and watch out for the few bars (near the Middle Channel for example) and shallow rocks, along with the spring floaters. It's a pretty safe place for sober boaters who obey channel markers and practice safe boating.

[djkimmel]

Am I correct in assuming we might be able to purchase such tapings???

Will there be any door prizes???  That's about the only way i'll win anything.  lololol  Sorry Jerkbait.   lololol   

I don't know what Dinkfinders complete plans for his taping our. He has his new show Sunday Morning Fishing and hopefully will put some of the video up here.

There are 'door' prizes. Depends on what I end up with Saturday.

[djkimmel]

Last time I launched out of Harley as a Co angler I got a little note from the DNR...They wanted me to park in the designated area..Wherever that is....There were only about 10 boats in the launch the day I was there....So there were plenty of spots...
Just something to be aware of.....There may be something marked as single vehicle parking or something like that..I would just make sure if your a Co to park there before we launch....

There's a whole role of non-trailer parking along the outside edge of the parking lot when you first drive into Harley Ensign. If boaters all park along that outside edge also first thing in the morning, nonboaters can park in the correct parking and easily walk their stuff over the the boats. Then we can pull around to the ramp area quickly. This time of year it should be pretty easy.