Slip’s 2016 LOGS, STATUS AND STRATEGIES

[Slip Sinker]

The past few seasons it’s been season outdoing the last. Knowledge base on top of knowledge base. Building on some great info from this site and time on the water. I’m anticipating and looking forward to even better results with more citation fish. Anyway that’s the game plan.

Last year was the season of fishing TINY. Thin UL Lines loaded on tiny 50 series reels and light UL rods tossing tiny baits in front of fish targets…quantities of quality panfish and trophy SMB. Tossed the baits into thick cover with reckless abandon. Tiny presentations under slip bobbers thrown next to thick weed slop and weed pockets. Mid day fishing out of the kayak in less than two feet of water and tagging quality fish. Never really had another fishing boat come close to me fishing. it was like i had the lake to myself. looking forward to making some more good memories in the upcoming season.

Looking forward to any hints suggestions or comments from the BBG membership… sharing is the best way to learn and progress!

hope everyone a successful "2016 Open Water Season"

[Slip Sinker]

20160630- welcome aboard Garett!...

awesome pictures of those Mn b.gills! wish Michigan had some of those genetics in their gills

[Slip Sinker]

20160629- ...----~~<")))))><(----------------------------

[Slip Sinker]

20160629-Started out the trip fishing the shallow flats in Wixom Lake just like we've been doing since ice-out…if you have success in a pattern… I mean really good success in a pattern of fishing ya have a tendency to stick with it till it fails. Well the pattern has completely slowed on the long casting tiny swim jigs with super lines and its time to move on to the pre summer- summer patterns. Earl tagged one really nice lunker P.Seed in the shallows less than 3 FOW with a sub 1.5” swim bait on a 1/64 oz. jig head… that was it basically for action.

The herbicides were working full force in some of my favorite spots where I expected curly tail pond weed and eel grass. Some of my favcorite cover for the jumbo p.seeds. the cover was just missing and so were the fish. Master Angler b.crappie and the p.seeds are my top priority right now on the water. I will never pass up the opportunity to tag another b.gill Master Angler though…. That is a given!

Todays trip I brought along jigging and slip float systems and left the drop shot rigs at home… and that’s where I believe the b.gills were in the deeper basins on the deep break edges.

So the next logical choice was to fish for the b.crappie and we soon found them with the sonar in bunches along the deep 15’ breaks chasing baitballs. Earl tagged a jumbo b.gill twitching a swim jig along the sandy bottom at 18’. This fish was gorged or full of spawn.

This is where my sonar comes in handy… and everytime the sonar responds as a necessary tool in my arsenal I feel like cutting Lowrance another check. This unit has paid for itself in worth several times over in my sport of fishing. People if you love fishing budget yourself a new technology depth sounder and buy the next model up till it hurts… get out on the water and use the heck out of it…youll never regret it. I dropped an ice jig over the side yesterday in 15-20’ FOW and started tagging 11-12” b.crappies… what a blast! Seen the fish approach and hit the jig right on the sonar screen just like ice fishing..

The trip started off slow but ended up with some quality panfish on chip… all cpr’ed. We also ended up finding new waypoints on probable  trophy crappie locations for some night fishing.

near miss Certificate fish... Earl's Hawg!!!

My BFOTD!!! 12" class b.crappie vertical jigging a deep school

Earls Lunker P.Seed

today's catch... all CPR'ed

9" class fat bottomed gill!

[Slip Sinker]

20160630- ...----~~<")))))><(----------------------------

[Slip Sinker]

Started out the afternoon fishing the pattern like last year at this time in the shallow slop weed edges and holes and found an absence of fish. With sore arms and shoulders more than usual today I decided to do less paddling but work some deeper edges and breaks. Scrounged up a few 9-11” b.crappie 5 total with no gills or other panfish. swim jigs and spring cricket in 1/64 oz and 1/32 oz tagged the few fish.

Expecting to fish shallow I was without the sonar today so I really had to work for these few fish. Ill be bringing drop shot rigs on the next trip

[Slip Sinker]

20160702- ...----~~<")))))><(----------------------------

[Slip Sinker]

Hello July 2016!! 

I cant believe the month of June is already over! I have to say the month of June 2016 was a very special month in my career fishing. I hit that elusive 10” B.gill ive been working so hard at for almost 3.5 years! Checking on the stats there has been 14 b.gills over 10” caught in my county within the past ten years and just two within 10 in my home lake....mine is now one of them!

So the month of July is here and time to take advantage of it! Summer peak is just around the corner. It’s a great time to tag the fish!

Good luck everyone!

[Slip Sinker]

Well its transition time from post spawn to pre summer-summer periods here in mid-michigan and depending on the lakes we fish they (the b.gills) could be tough to find at this time. Easy to tell just cast those slip bobbers in tight and shallow and I soon found out. They were gone. They’ve been off the beds in majority for a couple weeks now but according to my records I caught them all the way to late summer periods last year in the shallow slop. So different this year. Fish are absent in the slop less than 3 FOW.

So fish where the fish are! Exploring the deep weed line and into the deep weed themselves found a couple fish above the nine inch mark with the drop shot. Loaded the drop shot a little differently with a #10 circle hook… nearly weedless by design they got me into some deep weeds. The pink waxie is still producing by saving time, money, production and portability over the use of live bait. Ive heard from the DNR some good ol boys down lake were using leeches on the bottom with split shot and doing well.

I rigged the drop shot a little differently using a six ft Diawa SpinMatic series ultra light with a Shimano 1000 series Spirex rear drag… awesome reel loaded with 6# Spider wire green braid. i believe and have faith in this system to tag some nice trophy fish this year

I will continue fishing and testing the slop for fish as summer progresses.

BFOTD!!!

one of the nice ones!

[Slip Sinker]

20160704- ...----~~<")))))><(----------------------------

[Slip Sinker]

as long as i can remember it seems i somehow manage to get a fishing pole in my hands on the 4th of july... i have my Mom and Dad to thank for that especially my Dad ... he was a fishing fanatic and addict. i am so thankful in so many ways that i have this interest... its getting me thru some very rough times.

[Gary Boysen]

Slip, I agree...July 4th fishing is a slice of heaven. Hit the pond for a few hours just to celebrate the holiday and beauty our great country and Mother Nature have to offer. I was ecstatic to land this nice LMB, only to snap my new Fenwick rod as I landed it. So it goes. HAPPY 4TH everyone!! Tight lines.

[Slip Sinker]

nice looking LMB Gary ... your catching some quality fish there.

sorry about the fishing rod... those are some nice rods. what model is it?

i bought a shakespeare wild series spinning rod ... kinda looks like the premium brand rods in look and feel ... ends up being one of the best rods i own at only 30.00 ish dollars. i can feel a 1.5 inch twister tail flutter 75 ft away. ive seen this rod take some serious abuse from my cousin without a problem.

my daily use jigging rod ... so i recommend to anyone