Slip’s 2015 LOGS, STATUS AND STRATEGIES… 2ND HALF EDITION

[Slip Sinker]

... postings concerning the second half season of fishing 2015

[Slip Sinker]

20150927- ...------<")))))><(

[Slip Sinker]

20150927 ~ Full Blood Moon tonight ...Be on the Water!!!

[Slip Sinker]

20150927 ~ well its been awhile since ive been on this leg of the reservoir... and she has again proven she can be a tough water to tame... so much structure and deep contour changes that its tough to keep  a pulse on fish activity when you've been away for so long. The last day i spent on this leg of Wixom was mid May when I was on my way to a 200 fish B.Crappie type of day. Seems like so long ago.

Earl and I had a late afternoon start... the early afternoon was hot and calm and by the time we got launched and on our spots the winds shifted strong  from the south to the East. I had a series of locations to fish and we went from one barren spot to the next. The B’Gill were just not there. Last year these were my choice spots! We were getting skunked and the evening  was ending and we had nothing to show for our efferts. I pulled up to a popular location for me most noted for SMB and Rock Bass. I noticed on the sonar a school of fish spread through out the water column. We anchored and decided to fish the school. I tossed out a 2” Berkley Ripple Shad in olive green and shortly rewarded with a strong strike … I believed I was being toyed with by a SMB when to my surprise I eased in a top tier 9” Michigan Gill. Measurements and pictures and it was quickly released. Earl was shortly hooked up with one slightly larger. Saved the evening and brought new light to an old fishing waypoint.

Hopefully better luck tomorrow morning during the full moon.

[Slip Sinker]

typo* should read 20150926

[Slip Sinker]

20150927 – Fish Were Shallow and Deep and everywhere in between …

Started out cloudy, mild and calm winds water temp at 71 degs… I quickly scanned the depths to look for schooling fish or any activity… fish were everywhere. I marked a few waypoints and continued to the shallow weedy flats to start the day fishing. The flats were loaded with algae blobs due to the few weeks of sunny, warm and calm period Michigan just experienced.

  Food being generated is my first thought. We proceeded slip bobbering baited with Gulp and nite crawler segments. We were catching fish but at a very slow pace…I decided to attach my chain n crank rig  and the action increased significantly for me. I saw  fish race to attack this presentation from over 10’ away. Caught many fish with this presentation b’gills from 6 to 8.6” Hybrids including a bonus chunk LMB. What an exciting way to fish!

Fish caught with the ULTRA LIGHT "Bait Dropper Chain 'n Crank"

We eventually eased our way to the deeper breaks tagging fish with varied presentations… UL jigs with plastic tails, drop shot and deep jigging with ice jigs tipped with gulp. Using my sonar and presenting my bait in 30 FOW I tagged a B’Gill that was a foot off the bottom… just like ice fishing. Lifting the fish to the boat I suddenly felt a huge tug and some screaming runs with my UL 2# braid setup. A huge Northern grabbed the b’gill and took off with it. Nearly brought the fish to the surface when it let go and left me with an injured b’gill. Exciting nonetheless. After losing a few jigs to pike with sheared lines on hooksets… earl tied on a spinner  bait and quickly connected with a 36” class pike… nearly made it into the boat when the spinnerbait pulled free. Kind of glad it didn’t make it into the boat … without proper handling these fish can do a lot of damage.

So the overall breakdown  for the day is the fish were widely scattered with no concentrated schools and require a variety of presentations to “tag” them. A generally nice fish outing.

My BFOTD!!...

 

Collage of my partial virtual creel for the day…

[Steve Wilson]

      Hey Carl..... check here...

              http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/fishing-scales-stringers/795129.aspx

[Slip Sinker]

yep thats the one

[carl hendrix]

thanks Steve;;  I need to get one of these digital scales;;  Christmas list keeps adding up !! LOL

[carl hendrix]

thanks slip stinker;;  right now all I have is one of those springy scale units;  ok for bigger fish;; within a few ounces of correct weight; I guess;; but for weighting blue gills;; a lot to be desired ! the size of that one; looks to be what I have  been looking for;; something small enough to slip into a pocket;  or somewhere handy to get to !

[Slip Sinker]

20150928- ...------<")))))><(

[Slip Sinker]

Just caught a smallmouth bass at twenty one and a quarter inches

[Slip Sinker]

that would be a Master Angler LMB!!