Just Another Photo-Op in "Paradise"

Find one, stand or sit quietly and just be.

Peace and tranquility at it's best...

During my many years I have spent lots of happy times walking such paths along creeks and streams.  Fond memories. Thanks for posting such reminders.

Beautiful shot Mac.  I was out fishing yesterday and got one.  Not the best one I've done, just one of the weed bed extending East from the island.  Beyond the weeds to the East and the entire area to the South extending about 150 yards is a large sand bar, no more than 3.5 feet deep  No fish there, of course.  Getting across it doesn't give me any problems since my boat/electric motor combo can run on a heavy dew but the heavier boats have to go around almost to the far shoreline.  The reason I didn't get more pics is that, while I was taking them, I got a strike.  Turned out to be a little (very little) 4" Perch.  Aggressive little guy, the worm was almost bigger than he was.

The white specks are reflections from sunlight on water or wet leaves.  I don't know how to get rid of them.  Feel free to give it a try if you think you can.

New computer tower coming on Thursday or Friday.  Has lots of storage space for pictures. I'll be really glad to be back in my office and no longer cluttering up the dining room.  Not half as glad as my wife will be, though.

Beyond the weeds to the East and the entire area to the South extending about 150 yards is a large sand bar, no more than 3.5 feet deep  No fish there, of course.

When I fish areas like that, if there is wind or decent breeze, I try and hold on a windward edge and cast out over the downward slope into the wind as far as I can with a weighted streamer or bead head fly or grub imitation. I let it sing then drag it in short strips over the slope back towards the sandbar.

I find in streams with moderate to strong currents, and, lakes on windy days, that fish will tend to face into the direction of current or wind as food sources for forage fish, and, insects that appeal to trout, bass, perch, sunfish, etc., can be picked off without their expending a lot of energy to chase them down.

My experience anyway.

Cool.  Since the prevailing wind is from the West, the best spot should be just offshore on the other side of the island at a spot about an inch and a half off the right side of the picture. Next time I'm out when there's a wind blowing, I'll try it out.  I might have a cricket lure somewhere in the tackle box, heavy enough to cast into the wind but buoyant enough to float.  If I put the bow anchor down, the fish finder should be pointed at just the right spot. Also if you look closely at the island end of the weeds, you should see the opening of a very small inlet between the weeds and the clump of land beyond them.  I haven't checked that for depth but, if it's a couple of feet deep, since it's on the East end of the island, it may be a cooler sanctuary from the afternoon sun.  I'll check that out too.  With calm, relatively cool water and a food source close by in the weeds; if I were a Bass, that's a spot I might like.

Bass are ambush predators, you will always find some in the weed beds TTGA or around any type structure.. trees, docks, rocks etc.

It's the first place that I look for when bass fishing.

I usually use a medium heavy 7 foot rod and braided line with a 15 lb test mono leader. a size 4 large gap hook with a 6 to 10 inch plastic worm and pitch it into the center of the weeds beds. I've pulled out some real beauties doing that. I also do the same around docks except I use a 6 1/2 rod, medium action with the 12 lb momo line. Still use the plastic worm around the docks.

The lake was quite shallow near my dock and shore, but around 100' out there was an abrupt drop down, and weeds grew there. That's where I caught most of my fish.  Although my lake was known for lake trout, I never caught one because they were usually caught by trolling, which I didn't like doing.

I know I've got one of the plastic worm rigs in the tackle box, inherited from my dad.  I think he used it on Coho up by Frankfort (NE coast of Lake Michigan).  Usually I use 6 pound monofiliment with a fairly light drag and a light hook, although that technique works better in an open lake where the fish can't tangle the line in the weeds. I might just put some heavier line on one of the spinning reels in the garage and try the weed beds with that.  Even without action from the fish, casting with a 6 pound line directly into the weeds is a good way to lose tackle.  I usually work around the edges of the weeds and try to steer the Bass away from the cover once I get them on.  Usually bait with night crawlers; not only do they look like the worm lures but have the advantage of smelling and tasting like real worms. One tip though; never bait your hook and then eat a candy bar before washing your hands.   Yep, that's experience talking; I did it once when I was about 14 and have made sure to never do it again.

I learned the light line and drag method from my dad too.  From mid July until the end of August is the spawning run for Herring in the northern parts of Lakes Michigan and Huron.  He would go out into one of the smaller bays on the northern coast of Lake Huron after Herring.  He used 3 pound line (about 8 or 9 hundred yards of it) and a very small brass hook.  They were baited with Mayflies caught the night before using a white sheet with a Coleman lantern in the middle of it.  This rig was necessary because Herring have very tender mouths and any strong pull will just tear the hook out.  Since the average Herring will weigh between 10 and 25 pounds, you have to handle them very gently and let them tire themselves out with long runs.  It might take three hours to land one fish.  Might be what gave Hemingway the idea for Old Man and the Sea .  He was known to have fished that area, although he usually went after Bass or Northern Pike.

What I like about pitching into the center of the weed beds is that some of the real lunkers lurk in that area. With the plastic worm, (I use Gary Yamamot's senko's) you can bury the the hook with the tip right at the edge of the worm...No snags that way. 

I rarely fish for large mouth in open water. I do fish for small mouth over smooth rock beds...Than I use a 7 ft medium light spinning rod with 6 to 8 pound test.

My biggest large mouth is 10 lbs 15 oz....Largest small mouth is 5 lbs 12 oz. 

I'm still looking for the 15 lb hawg.

Interesting how you fish for herring. 

LOL the candy bar is a real experience.

Interesting how you fish for herring. 

That method can get pretty hairy.  My folks usually stayed at a campground on St. Martin's Bay, just East of the Straits along with many of my uncles and aunts.  St. Martin's has a channel on its Southern end, partially blocked by an island, leading into Lake Huron.  Most storms came in from the North and came up suddenly. Until we taught him about larger runabouts, my dad used a 10 foot soapdish with a 7hp kicker on the back. His rule about fishing there was, "If you feel the air cool suddenly, look to the North and see dark clouds, get the hell off the bay, right now."  That means that, if you've got a fish on with 300 yards of line out, cut it and start the engine, you have about ten minutes to be off the water.  The storm winds in that area blow North to South, directly toward the channel into Lake Huron.  If you're not paying attention or if your engine doesn't start, you will be blown right out into the lake unless you're lucky enough to pile up on the rocks in the island.  Once into Lake Huron the wind shifts to a West to East direction, funneling through the Straits.  If you're still afloat, your next stop is Georgian Bay, where you can explain to Canadian customs officers exactly why you're there.  Not that they need the explanation, it's happened before, about every five years or so.

The last year my dad used the ten foot boat, my wife and I brought up our 14 foot runabout with 40 horses on the back.  Dad thought that was great, if a storm did come up, he could get off the water even faster.  The second day that we were up there, he went out on the bay with my wife.  Sure enough, a storm did start coming up.  He started back and, halfway to the camp, the engine stopped.  He tried everything you would try to start a car engine and nothing worked.  He wasn't really familiar with motors that big and he panicked.  Finally, he thought to ask my wife what she thought was wrong (my dad was a great guy but his viewpoint was from the 1930's and he never considered that women could possibly know anything about machinery).  My wife, who did know about large boat motors, specifically that one since she had me show her about it when we got the boat, just said, "Why don't we try this", walked to the stern, unplugged the fuel hose from the empty tank, plugged it into the full one and turned the key.  After that, my dad thought she was a genius.  He liked the boat so much that he went out and bought one of his own, being very careful to have the guy who sold it to him explain how to refuel a large motor that doesn't take the gas through a hole in the top (and other stuff that he didn't know about).  He sometimes made mistakes but he learned very fast.

LMAO, that's quite the story...

Actually the area your describing sounds a lot like White Fish Bay area on Lake Superior.

Gotta love the part about your wife and the gas tank...LOL

Matter of fact, this place is about 100 miles South of Whitefish Bay.  Anything that hits Whitefish will hit St. Martin's in a couple of hours.

Don't forget that the Edmund Fitzgerald tried desperately to get to Whitefish Bay, but was sunk by the storm before it could make it.

That's correct Buzz, the Fitzgerald and the Arthur M. Anderson left port at Superior WI. together and were in radio contact through out much of the voyage. The Anderson made White Fish Bay, the Fitzgerald did not. 

If I remember correctly the Anderson left the safety of White Fish Bay to search for the Fitzgerald.

In 2001, we took a trip into the UP.  One of the places we stopped was the museum at Whitefish Point.

Above are a picture of the museum and the recovered bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Many thanks to Mac for helping me improve the last picture.  It started out almost too dark to see.

Great photos TTGA. 

There was a documentary awhile ago where they got down to the Fitzgerald and asked the families if they wanted their loved ones removed for burial...All said no, that it was where they belonged, together with their mates.

I have to admit, when you said you had 40 horses behind your boat, I thought of this:

I couldn't help but wonder, wouldn't their legs churning away scare off all the fish?  I'm obviously having a very slow day...

Well done again AMAC.  If only I could transport myself into your pic.  I'm packed and ready to go but I have a hitchhiker.....  lol - He hates when mommy has to go away.  :0(

Your photo makes it pretty obvious that he wants you to take him with you.

What a sweetie!

Peaceful, indeed!  Thank you for sharing.  

Lovely pictures, all of them!  A. Mac, once again, you've done a spectacular job!

More paradise and butterflies tomorrow.

Great Pics!  Keep them coming!