Weekly fishing tip - go small for early season bass.
As a kid, I was fortunate to have grandparents with access to a paddleboat on a weedchoked lake that was loaded with bass. When pesky commitments like school would allow, I'd take the boat out (with or without my grandmother or cousins) and fish the weedy environs of Gale Lake.
The bass were mostly decent-sized, with a few stand-out near-trophies. Most times of the year found them willing to play, from my beginnings of dunking a worm under a bobber, to stop-n- start cranking jointed rapalas, to chugging a noisy bassbug through the lilypads and over the sunken boat at the far east end of the lake. The lake sported two deadend canals and a channel
that connected it to Coon Lake, an all-sports lake that we mostly avoided due to the typical boat and jetski traffic.
One chill April morning, I shivered away at the peddles, working toward the far canal. Ice hadnt been off the water for a month, and I hoped the bass, though lethargic, would be in a biting mood. I snapped a bright chartreuse rapala to my line in preparation for my first cast of the new season. A rime of frost had settled on the horizontal surfaces of the plastic boat overnight, and a few fluffy snowflakes drifted down from the lead-grey sky. With my days of swilling coffee with a splash of Grand Marnier years away, a rapidly cooling cup of hot chocolate and the potential adrenaline rush of the season's first strike were the only options to dispel the chill. I wouldn't have to wait long.
The left shore of the canal was crowded with brush that extended down into the water. There was no bank there, just a straight drop of six or eight feet with weeds and brush along the drop. A few fallen trees lay across the canal at odd angles, mostly sunk, with the occasional ghostly branch extending up to the surface.
My first cast paralleled the left bank, and I cranked it down briskly, trying to get some depth with the floating crankbait. It came back to the rodtip with the usual wiggling action afforded by its jointed body. I flipped the bail open and cast, farther this time, and started cranking again. Halfway through the retrieve the lure stopped hard - I reared back and set the hook - and felt the unmistakable deadweight of a snag.
Keeping the line tight, I paddled that way, peering into the water. Sure enough, on a deep, submerged branch my fluorescent lure glowed in the inky water. After trying to dislodge it with the rodtip (too deep), and pulling at different angles, I finally tried a long, steady pull to see if it would pop loose. The line broke, and I reeled in the slack, already glancing at my box for a replacement. A Rebel Crickhopper, pale green and brown with grasshopper-type markings, lay in the top tray. It was a tiny lure, not even two inches long, looking like a molded plastic grasshopper with a clear plastic diving lip. Purchased from a clearance table the year before, it had never been used. I knotted it to my line, happy that there was no wind - it was so lightweight I wondered if I could cast it, even with my limp 6-pound test.
The first cast paralleled the shoreline of the canal. After giving a few hard yanks to see how the crickhopper would behave, I started a slow, steady retrieve in the hopes of getting a few feet deep. The lure wiggled and shook the rod tip when reeled, assuring me it was plenty lively below the surface. Then the line stopped hard as a big, sluggish bass inhaled the Crickhopper, turned sideways at the hookset, and began a bulldog-esque tug of war with me.
A minute or two later, it was laying on its side in the dark water next to the boat, flaring her gills and headshaking, trying to rid itself of the the two tiny treble hooks at the corner of that bucketmouth. The sandpaper-like caniform pads of its jaws were bright red, much like one
caught through the ice, and the curve of the belly told me she was a gravid hen, just waiting for warmer temps to build a nest. I held her upright in the water, unpinned her from the tiny lure, and received an indignant tailsplash of cold water when she took off.
An hour and four bass later, I was convinced that the small lure was the key to early season bass. Where I had usually plumbed the depths with a large jointed rapala, sometimes turning upa fish or two, this tiny crankbait was drew strikes everywhere. I know now that small baits, even those that barely seem worthy of a bucketmouth's attention, are just the thing to trigger
strikes when conditions aren't perfect.
Now, in my early-season forays, I frequently start out with a tiny minnow pattern, or even a Wiggle Minnow fished on a sinking line - this allows the lure to suspend against the line at pause, but dive and wiggle when stripped. I focus my attention along south-facing shores (most likely to warm up first in sunlight), especially areas with brushpiles, decent drop-offs, and other structure that allow bass to stage for quick, short-range ambushes.
Be mindful that catch and immediate release bass season doesn't begin until late April, 2013. It is possible to be warned or cited for purposely targetting bass out of season. However, the use of small minnow-type flies can attract crappie, perch and green sunfish, and should keep you legal in the eyes of most Conservation Officers.
Southeastern Michigan weekly fishing report
Lake Erie: Boat anglers are picking up a few walleye in Brest Bay and near Luna Pier. While marking lots of fish the bite was still slow. Most are using Husky Jerks or Reef Runners.
Huron River: Steelhead were caught on flies, small hair jigs and Little Cleos.
Detroit River: Perch were caught in the marinas and canals around Grosse Ile, however the bite was starting to slow. Try a slip bobber with a minnow. A few walleye were caught in the lower Trenton Channel in 12 to 15 feet of water.
Lake St. Clair: A few perch were taken along the shoreline and in the marinas.
Port Huron: Activity was starting to pick up along the wall as anglers try smelt dipping or fishing for trout and salmon.
Lexington: Ice is slowly opening. Look for steelhead and browns to begin cruising as the water warms up. Perch anglers fishing minnows under bobbers can find themselves hooked into some large pike.
Harbor Beach: A couple steelhead and brown trout were caught. The bigger live minnows worked best but hardware is worth a try. For now, try still-fishing with a live minnow on one rod while casting a spoon on another.
Saginaw Bay: The ice off Palmer Road is gone. Boat anglers fishing lakeward of the Saginaw River mouth are taking good catches of walleye. Most are using jigs with minnows. Sebewaing had good perch fishing in the river during the warm-up.
Saginaw River: Anglers between the mouth and Essexville have taken limit catches of large perch. They are using perch rigs with shiners.
Quanicassee River: Was producing limits of large perch for those using perch rigs with shiners between the bay and the M-25 Bridge. Catch rates were not as good off the old State Road Bridge.
Pinnebog River: A few suckers were just starting to show up. It is still early for large numbers of them at this location.
Ice fishing, at least for the Lower Peninsula, should be considered done for the year. Stick to open water, be safe, and enjoy early spring fishing. Tight lines!
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