View Full Version : How would you fish this lake?
My parents live on a Bar Lake, a 100 acre lake in Manistee Michigan. The lake is predominately shallow with a few deep holes (12-feet plus) and lots of weed growth. I can drift along weedlines casting a spinner bait or buzz bait and catch 18-inch northerns all day long and occassional bass up to 16-inches.
I keep thinking larger northerns must be in this lake but don't have a clue how to catch them as I live in central Iowa and fish primarily for pan fish and bass.
Any advice for my next visit on how to fish this lake for larger bass and northerns would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Buck, you could try to use a little joe spinner tipped with a larger minnow approx 3 inches long. We use a #3 indiana blade and I think the #2 baitholder hook works best with the larger bait and a 1/4 oz rubber core sinker to get the rig down. You could catch both the bass and northerns with this set up. Back troll (assuming you are in a boat). Hope this helps.
Tim
I guess you did say you were in a boat. Sorry.
Tim
ice fish it or hit it late fall. but ice fish would be #1 choice.
ice fish it early ice or hit it late fall. but ice fish would be #1 choice.
Ice Fish it in late Feb. Use Smelt for bait, hang the bait in one of the deeper holes, hang it 6 inches off the bottom or tight to the bottom.
Juls_WI
05-30-2000, 08:37 PM
This lake sounds alot like the lake my parents live on...except their lake does not have any deep holes in it.
Rome pond is a very weedy lake, with an average depth of 3-5 feet, and in mid summer becomes almost completely covered with bloom.
The best baits I have found for Northerns in late spring and early summer there are the #4 and #5 Mepps spinner (gold blades), and what your already using.
For the bigger bass, I get right into the slop and lilly pads with top baits, like a weedless frog or mouse and work it on top of the lilly pads, or right through the thick carpet of bloom. To work the weed beds before the bloom covers everything up, I like to use "The Worm". It's a weedless worm that comes in a variety of colors, and produces well. Purple and natural crawler color work the best for me.
Floating jointed Rapalas in perch and blue/white work great for bass in the early morning on Rome. But it seems once the sun hits the top of the treeline coming up, the bite on the Rapalas always turns off. I don't know why that is, but that's when I turn to the Mepps.
Well, I don't know if this will help you at all, but ...
Good fishing to you...
Juls
Bruce/MN
05-31-2000, 06:54 AM
The MN DNR has always stated that shallow lakes cannot have pike over 5-6 lbs. Larger pike MUST have water cooler than 65 degrees to retreat to in summer. Otherwise heat stress kills em early. Your small lake ain't gonna cut it for pike. Sounds great for Bass in a canoe or tube!
Juls_WI
05-31-2000, 09:42 AM
That makes sense...although in spring we can catch some big pike, we cannot find the pike in mid summer...they retreat to the river feeding the impoundment. There they find cool deep holes to hang out in.
Then again, I remember back in 87, I was fishing some bull rush, in about 3 feet of water, and catching some bull bluegills, in mid summer. It was hot out...85 degrees. A hugh pike was chasing the bluegills I would hook. He managed to hang on to one, and made lunch of it. Of course, with only 2# test, he got the fish and my hook. This fish was longer than a yard stick!! I have a 15#er on the wall here, (38"), and the fish that was chasing my gills was bigger than this one. If the DNR is correct on this one, how do you explain this?
The river was across the lake on the other side about a 1/2 mile.
I guess that pike did not know the rules...;-)
Oh, and yes, I did get a good clear look at him, and yes it was a pike.
I guess there is always an exception to the rule.
Juls
Fin Addict
05-31-2000, 12:38 PM
10" Plastic worms w/ no weight Texas rig on the inside weed edge for bass. #5 mepps w/ soft plastic grub on the tail or a buzz bait fished slow on the outside weed edge for northern or bass.
I think there are more exceptions than rules. We have several lakes here in NE SD that don't get any deeper than 10 feet that routinely give up 10 pound northerns. I've caught 2 just in the last 3 years, one was 10 even and one I let go was 41 inches.
Eyez
AquaMan
05-31-2000, 02:29 PM
Yellow Perch JawBreaker in the weeds! Really finds the fish quickly. Weedless, great action(really pisses them off) and easy to cast a country mile. Bass(large and small), Northerns, Muskie and even the big perch have hit this bugger.
Tie on some Fireline and possibly a leader to prevent loss.
No matter what you choose, use your instincts, be the fish..LOL...and most of all, enjoy the day.
AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey Aquaman- What's a Yellow Perch Jawbreaker and where are they sold?
cisco
05-31-2000, 07:15 PM
From a management standpoint, this sounds like the kind of lake where everyone should be urged to keep 8 or 10 small northerns daily. If the little guys are so abundant, how can they gain the bulk with a fixed biomass? Little pike eat forage the same as big pike -- if there are too many little pike there simply won't be biguns.
The large pike can use the cool water from the river.
Jawbreakers are made by Northland Fishing Tackle 3209 Mill St NE Bemidji, MN 56601