Saginaw Bay 7/23/05

[savage912]

Hit the Bay for a tournament on Saturday, the weather was outstanding and the water was relatively flat, especially for the Bay. I am still new to the Bay, so I really didn't have a great pattern ready to go. Started with a run out to the Charities, more because I could than because I had any solid fish out there.

Tried a good reef on the North side of big Charity, but the water was really murky and finding the sweet spot was tough. I had forgotten my tube rattles, so I headed in closer to the North shore looking for clear water. Found some weeds near the marina and managed to coax out a couple keepers - get this- they were largemouth. Yep, largies out on the Charities, who would have thought. Both ran about 2-5.

Getting near halfway through, so I pull up the trolling motor and run back to a channel I did well in during practice. Everything looks good in the channel, nice muddy water, the sun is up so the fish should be under the docks. Nothing took even a swipe at the jig-n-pig though, so back out into the bay and over to the Rifle bar.

I didn't have a good spot on the bar, so I motored around for a while just looking. Found a good weed bed with descent depth and gave it a try. My buddy pulls up just in time to see me land my third keeper, a solid little chuck of smally that weighed a hair under 3 pounds. Now I have about 7 1/2 pounds and I'm feeling a little better.

Now we are spotting bass swimming around (my buddy stayed in the area, of course!) but not getting much action. My buddy spots a good one near his boat, about 10 feet out, and starts flipping a small bait carefully in front of it. Next thing I know, POW! his non-boater whips a Frenzy crankbait right on top of the fish. He reels it in and does it again, and no kidding, the fish hits. After a tense fight and and a few "can you believe this?" looks exchanged between me and my buddy, the guy boats a nice 3-8 smallie. Unreal.

That ended up being the last fish either boat took in. The fish seemed to scatter after that, probably to deeper water. I spent about an hour in the area, checking it out and logging GPS points for future reference.

I headed back to the dock with 3, not knowing what it would get me. Ended up with third with 7.82 pounds. Both of the guys ahead of me stayed right on the bars and hammered them early, just like I should have done, too. The spot we hit at the end of the day had loads of potential, rocks, depth changes, weeds and fish. I will be going back there for sure, and that area opened my eyes about what to look for next time i get out there.

I won't tell you what my buddy ended up with, you'll have to ask him (Blakstr1), but I know the other guy in out club that is on this board (Ronhuntfish) may have done slightly better!

All-in-all, a good learning experience and very valuable time on the water. Can't wait to get back out there!

[djkimmel]

Learn every time! Very important. Thanks for the reminder.

The Bay is full of new things. I've fished it a bunch and yet there's big chunks of it I know nothing about...

[MBell]

I was out there as well on saturday fun fishing for a few hours. When the bays that flat you have to get out there. With the flat water I was able to do some sight fishing on some 25-30ft reefs. I was finding schooling fish on the windward side of reefs. The small fish were everywhere, every cast with a drop shop goby was a short fish. The big fish were all on specific points of the reefs. Because of the little fish I had to catch them on a tube, they would swim up to it on the fall and just stare at it. I caught them by swimming the tube on the bottom then just stopped and they would hammer it. A fun few hours, my best 5 went 16lbs and with my biggest going 3-8 all smallies. I did see one cruising that was an easy 6lbs may be even 7. I've caught a few 4lb largemouths in the marina @ charity but always in the early early spring. The reefs on the north end of charity have never produced great for me, they look great but I've never found the magic spot out there. I've always assumed they were walleye territory, that's all I ever get out there. Hopefully we get a few more flat days before the summers over.
-Matt

[savage912]

Matt you must have been up the shore a a few miles. I never really found any clear water near the charities that day. I would suspect that up the coast would have been a little better water....

The spot I fished on the Rifle bar was actually the clearest water I ran into, with visibility to bottom in 6 feet. Everywhere else was riled up pretty good. I was hoping to get some sight fishing in out on the islands, but no luck. Next time things will be different out there. (how many times have I said that?) I was impressed by a new bait for me, a wacky rigged 3" stickworm. Fish seem to not be able to resist something that small floating slowly to bottom. I have to work it into my arsenal under the finesse category!

[MBell]

I was 15-20 miles up from the charitys on the thumb side, this may be considered lake huron not sure. I tend to hang up there when the fish go into summer patterns, with the fish so spread out and unpredictable It saves time when you can see them. Those smallies are funny, the other week I was catching them in 25ft and 1ft of water and nowhere in between. Between the north winds and the run off from the rains, the water is dirty anywhere within a mile of shore. I fish the 3" senkos on a split shot rig and 4-8lb test when I can't get bit, a 2lb smallie on 4lb test is a riot! Have been tryig to get back out, with the north winds the bay has had 4ft+ waves all week.
-Matt