OK...now whatcha gonna do? Morning plans to join a buddy and take the boat out into Lake Michigan for lake trout today had to be placed on the back burner this morning! I still wanted...

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Morning plans to join a buddy and take the boat out into Lake Michigan for lake trout today had to be placed on the back burner this morning! I still wanted to fish, so here goes the kayak once again onto another local lake in a series of water bodies that I refer to as "resort lakes".

I arrived at Spider Lake in Grand Traverse County, unloaded the kayak and started to gear up for the paddle. Upon opening the back door of my truck I remembered that last night I had transferred the majority of the fishing lures into my wife's vehicle, which tows the boat better than the little tyke truck I'm driving. Bugger...no lures that I had in mind to use this morning. Upon scrounging around a bit, much to my delight I managed to find a small tackle tote that was hidden from view in my haste last night.

Although somewhat limited, I would have to make do with what I had on hand.

These are spectacular bodies of water that support good fish populations, but are more well known for the allure of Summer homes, kids camps, tourist resorts and a few year round residents. If you walk into the local rural "party store" that supplies everything from soup to nuts for that lake region you'll see the cork board behind the cashier loaded with vintage Kodak memories and Polaroid snapshots from the 60's and 70's showcasing trophy fish that have been taken from the local waters. Not many new postings, but I think that there are still big fish to be caught.

I started out trolling a couple of old Rapala balsawood body baits in silver and only caught one small LM bass. I gave up on trolling and started to drift and cast with the breeze in about 3 to 6' of water close to shore. Caught 2 more LM bass...everything being in the 10 to 12" range. There are larger bass in this lake, but I just could not find any today. Oh well, that's the way it goes. Wish I had a scum frog with me, as every now and then I heard some thrashing going on in the newly forming lily pads. Probably bigger bass...and I thought of "frogman" Andy from the Forum!

Decided to head out into some deep water (30') and troll for northern pike. Switched to a pair of Berkley flicker shads and began to troll thru a nice series of suspended bait balls with a few larger fish "picking" off stray minnows near the edges. Lucky for me some northern pike had indeed gotten the morning memo to show up for a late breakfast snack in this part of the lake. Managed to catch 2 decent sized ones...at 2 and 3 feet long apiece.

The largest fish came first, and felt just like I had set anchor. Once she dug her heels in I felt like I had stepped onto an amusement ride at the carnival. Spinning, twirling and paddling to steer with the oar shaft tucked under my armpits to maintain control as I was being towed away! The fight lasted for quite a duration, and pulled the kayak about 400' away from the initial strike zone. What a blast! I keep the drag loose enough for smallmouth bass, so I felt like I was in good shape, although I did end up loosening things up over the course of the struggle. Good thing I did, as some of the lunging runs had the boat tipping sideways at times.

The second pike was proportionately as much fun as the first one...only scaled down to a smaller size ratio. The lure was a brand new custom painted one that was on it's maiden voyage in the water that my father had picked up for me last Memorial Day. He'll get a big grin when he sees that lure stuck in a Northern pike's jaw! The local company that paints these is known as Warrior Lures. They do a nice job and have their own line of custom tackle products.

Sometimes a failed plan can end up having a silver lining...and having just a handful of lures to work with makes you sweat just a little bit more!

Good morning Spider Lake...nice to be here!

One of 3 small LM bass that gave me a modest thrill today. Humbly sized ten to twelve inchers in order to keep my heart rate from spiking!

A view over the dashboard. Slightly breezy but calm enough to kayak.

Mr. "big guy"...the first pike of the morning. Based on ticks from my paddle...just over the 3' mark. A very strong fish!

Cousin to the first pike, although shorter by a foot, still a respectable customer on the end of a line!

The morning "arsenal" of lures that I was very glad to have rummaged up today, since all my other favorite gear was back at home.

kandydisbar Loc: West Orange, NJ

Looks like a great time!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

kandydisbar wrote:

Looks like a great time!

Thank you Kandydisbar! It sure was. I was really looking forward to heading out on the big water today...but hey...any chance to fish is a good day in my book no matter where you go! I definitely did not want to roll over and sleep in!

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

fishyaker wrote:

Morning plans to join a buddy and take the boat out into Lake Michigan for lake trout today had to be placed on the back burner this morning! I still wanted to fish, so here goes the kayak once again onto another local lake in a series of water bodies that I refer to as "resort lakes".

I arrived at Spider Lake in Grand Traverse County, unloaded the kayak and started to gear up for the paddle. Upon opening the back door of my truck I remembered that last night I had transferred the majority of the fishing lures into my wife's vehicle, which tows the boat better than the little tyke truck I'm driving. Bugger...no lures that I had in mind to use this morning. Upon scrounging around a bit, much to my delight I managed to find a small tackle tote that was hidden from view in my haste last night.

Although somewhat limited, I would have to make do with what I had on hand.

These are spectacular bodies of water that support good fish populations, but are more well known for the allure of Summer homes, kids camps, tourist resorts and a few year round residents. If you walk into the local rural "party store" that supplies everything from soup to nuts for that lake region you'll see the cork board behind the cashier loaded with vintage Kodak memories and Polaroid snapshots from the 60's and 70's showcasing trophy fish that have been taken from the local waters. Not many new postings, but I think that there are still big fish to be caught.

I started out trolling a couple of old Rapala balsawood body baits in silver and only caught one small LM bass. I gave up on trolling and started to drift and cast with the breeze in about 3 to 6' of water close to shore. Caught 2 more LM bass...everything being in the 10 to 12" range. There are larger bass in this lake, but I just could not find any today. Oh well, that's the way it goes. Wish I had a scum frog with me, as every now and then I heard some thrashing going on in the newly forming lily pads. Probably bigger bass...and I thought of "frogman" Andy from the Forum!

Decided to head out into some deep water (30') and troll for northern pike. Switched to a pair of Berkley flicker shads and began to troll thru a nice series of suspended bait balls with a few larger fish "picking" off stray minnows near the edges. Lucky for me some northern pike had indeed gotten the morning memo to show up for a late breakfast snack in this part of the lake. Managed to catch 2 decent sized ones...at 2 and 3 feet long apiece.

The largest fish came first, and felt just like I had set anchor. Once she dug her heels in I felt like I had stepped onto an amusement ride at the carnival. Spinning, twirling and paddling to steer with the oar shaft tucked under my armpits to maintain control as I was being towed away! The fight lasted for quite a duration, and pulled the kayak about 400' away from the initial strike zone. What a blast! I keep the drag loose enough for smallmouth bass, so I felt like I was in good shape, although I did end up loosening things up over the course of the struggle. Good thing I did, as some of the lunging runs had the boat tipping sideways at times.

The second pike was proportionately as much fun as the first one...only scaled down to a smaller size ratio. The lure was a brand new custom painted one that was on it's maiden voyage in the water that my father had picked up for me last Memorial Day. He'll get a big grin when he sees that lure stuck in a Northern pike's jaw! The local company that paints these is known as Warrior Lures. They do a nice job and have their own line of custom tackle products.

Sometimes a failed plan can end up having a silver lining...and having just a handful of lures to work with makes you sweat just a little bit more!

Morning plans to join a buddy and take the boat ou... (show quote)

Great job executing plan B Yaker! Even more impressive with a "forgotten " array of weapons. Excellent story and pictures, thanks for sharing.

bknecht Loc: Northeast pa

fishyaker wrote:

Morning plans to join a buddy and take the boat out into Lake Michigan for lake trout today had to be placed on the back burner this morning! I still wanted to fish, so here goes the kayak once again onto another local lake in a series of water bodies that I refer to as "resort lakes".

I arrived at Spider Lake in Grand Traverse County, unloaded the kayak and started to gear up for the paddle. Upon opening the back door of my truck I remembered that last night I had transferred the majority of the fishing lures into my wife's vehicle, which tows the boat better than the little tyke truck I'm driving. Bugger...no lures that I had in mind to use this morning. Upon scrounging around a bit, much to my delight I managed to find a small tackle tote that was hidden from view in my haste last night.

Although somewhat limited, I would have to make do with what I had on hand.

These are spectacular bodies of water that support good fish populations, but are more well known for the allure of Summer homes, kids camps, tourist resorts and a few year round residents. If you walk into the local rural "party store" that supplies everything from soup to nuts for that lake region you'll see the cork board behind the cashier loaded with vintage Kodak memories and Polaroid snapshots from the 60's and 70's showcasing trophy fish that have been taken from the local waters. Not many new postings, but I think that there are still big fish to be caught.

I started out trolling a couple of old Rapala balsawood body baits in silver and only caught one small LM bass. I gave up on trolling and started to drift and cast with the breeze in about 3 to 6' of water close to shore. Caught 2 more LM bass...everything being in the 10 to 12" range. There are larger bass in this lake, but I just could not find any today. Oh well, that's the way it goes. Wish I had a scum frog with me, as every now and then I heard some thrashing going on in the newly forming lily pads. Probably bigger bass...and I thought of "frogman" Andy from the Forum!

Decided to head out into some deep water (30') and troll for northern pike. Switched to a pair of Berkley flicker shads and began to troll thru a nice series of suspended bait balls with a few larger fish "picking" off stray minnows near the edges. Lucky for me some northern pike had indeed gotten the morning memo to show up for a late breakfast snack in this part of the lake. Managed to catch 2 decent sized ones...at 2 and 3 feet long apiece.

The largest fish came first, and felt just like I had set anchor. Once she dug her heels in I felt like I had stepped onto an amusement ride at the carnival. Spinning, twirling and paddling to steer with the oar shaft tucked under my armpits to maintain control as I was being towed away! The fight lasted for quite a duration, and pulled the kayak about 400' away from the initial strike zone. What a blast! I keep the drag loose enough for smallmouth bass, so I felt like I was in good shape, although I did end up loosening things up over the course of the struggle. Good thing I did, as some of the lunging runs had the boat tipping sideways at times.

The second pike was proportionately as much fun as the first one...only scaled down to a smaller size ratio. The lure was a brand new custom painted one that was on it's maiden voyage in the water that my father had picked up for me last Memorial Day. He'll get a big grin when he sees that lure stuck in a Northern pike's jaw! The local company that paints these is known as Warrior Lures. They do a nice job and have their own line of custom tackle products.

Sometimes a failed plan can end up having a silver lining...and having just a handful of lures to work with makes you sweat just a little bit more!

Morning plans to join a buddy and take the boat ou... (show quote)

Great description of your outing there FY, felt like I was reading “Field and Stream” from your words. Appears you’ve got quite a talent for writing and not so bad on the fishi’n either. Thanks for sharing your experience, I’m sure fly (Leo) will adore the photos of the northerns.

Wv mike Loc: Parkersburg area. Wv

Always a adventure
That’s what my buddy says

E.pa.al Loc: Martin's Creek

Sling what you bring!! Great job making due
FY

NJ219bands Loc: New Jersey

Nice 👍

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Fredfish wrote:

Great job executing plan B Yaker! Even more impressive with a "forgotten " array of weapons. Excellent story and pictures, thanks for sharing.

Thank you Fredfish! Although I struck out on some decent LM bass, the Northern's sure made up for it. If it was not for an afternoon dental appointment, I think I would have stayed out all day!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

bknecht wrote:

Great description of your outing there FY, felt like I was reading “Field and Stream” from your words. Appears you’ve got quite a talent for writing and not so bad on the fishi’n either. Thanks for sharing your experience, I’m sure fly (Leo) will adore the photos of the northerns.

Thank you BK! Funny you should mention Flyguy! When I first saw the pike, and I was pretty sure that was what it would be, I thought of Leo right away! I know they are not his favorite quarry! I would never bring one into the kayak...it would be a disaster!

I appreciate the compliments. I never was much for English class back in HS, but somehow maybe I find some enjoyment these days not having to turn anything in as a dedicated assignment for the teacher!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Wv mike wrote:

Always a adventure
That’s what my buddy says

Thank you WV Mike! An adventure it was! When I looked at my lure choices, and pondered what I would do, I "almost" left and went home...but I'm not a quitter! None of the lures I used today would have been my first choices...but somehow they held up their end of the bargain for me despite my thoughts to chicken out!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

E.pa.al wrote:

Sling what you bring!! Great job making due
FY

Thank you E.ps.al! You are 100% correct! Sometimes I think that "confidence" plays a role in success too! Except for the "new" red headed Flicker Shad, I have caught fish on all the other lures in the past...so what the heck...get'em wet and see what happens!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

NJ219bands wrote:

Nice 👍

Thank you NJ 219! It was another fun day in a series for me this week. My wife just shakes her head in amazement how a guy can enjoy fishing and kayaking so much! When I get home, the first thing my wife says is "My morning coffee was delicious...thanks for making it!"

Then she asks how the outing was....and if there are any funny stories to share...which there typically are!

Whitey Loc: Southeast ohio

fishyaker wrote:

Morning plans to join a buddy and take the boat out into Lake Michigan for lake trout today had to be placed on the back burner this morning! I still wanted to fish, so here goes the kayak once again onto another local lake in a series of water bodies that I refer to as "resort lakes".

I arrived at Spider Lake in Grand Traverse County, unloaded the kayak and started to gear up for the paddle. Upon opening the back door of my truck I remembered that last night I had transferred the majority of the fishing lures into my wife's vehicle, which tows the boat better than the little tyke truck I'm driving. Bugger...no lures that I had in mind to use this morning. Upon scrounging around a bit, much to my delight I managed to find a small tackle tote that was hidden from view in my haste last night.

Although somewhat limited, I would have to make do with what I had on hand.

These are spectacular bodies of water that support good fish populations, but are more well known for the allure of Summer homes, kids camps, tourist resorts and a few year round residents. If you walk into the local rural "party store" that supplies everything from soup to nuts for that lake region you'll see the cork board behind the cashier loaded with vintage Kodak memories and Polaroid snapshots from the 60's and 70's showcasing trophy fish that have been taken from the local waters. Not many new postings, but I think that there are still big fish to be caught.

I started out trolling a couple of old Rapala balsawood body baits in silver and only caught one small LM bass. I gave up on trolling and started to drift and cast with the breeze in about 3 to 6' of water close to shore. Caught 2 more LM bass...everything being in the 10 to 12" range. There are larger bass in this lake, but I just could not find any today. Oh well, that's the way it goes. Wish I had a scum frog with me, as every now and then I heard some thrashing going on in the newly forming lily pads. Probably bigger bass...and I thought of "frogman" Andy from the Forum!

Decided to head out into some deep water (30') and troll for northern pike. Switched to a pair of Berkley flicker shads and began to troll thru a nice series of suspended bait balls with a few larger fish "picking" off stray minnows near the edges. Lucky for me some northern pike had indeed gotten the morning memo to show up for a late breakfast snack in this part of the lake. Managed to catch 2 decent sized ones...at 2 and 3 feet long apiece.

The largest fish came first, and felt just like I had set anchor. Once she dug her heels in I felt like I had stepped onto an amusement ride at the carnival. Spinning, twirling and paddling to steer with the oar shaft tucked under my armpits to maintain control as I was being towed away! The fight lasted for quite a duration, and pulled the kayak about 400' away from the initial strike zone. What a blast! I keep the drag loose enough for smallmouth bass, so I felt like I was in good shape, although I did end up loosening things up over the course of the struggle. Good thing I did, as some of the lunging runs had the boat tipping sideways at times.

The second pike was proportionately as much fun as the first one...only scaled down to a smaller size ratio. The lure was a brand new custom painted one that was on it's maiden voyage in the water that my father had picked up for me last Memorial Day. He'll get a big grin when he sees that lure stuck in a Northern pike's jaw! The local company that paints these is known as Warrior Lures. They do a nice job and have their own line of custom tackle products.

Sometimes a failed plan can end up having a silver lining...and having just a handful of lures to work with makes you sweat just a little bit more!

Morning plans to join a buddy and take the boat ou... (show quote)

They saved the day an ya caught some nice fish. Way to hang in there 👍

OJdidit Loc: Oak Creek Wisconsin

Way to go in making the best of it! Have a small stash of lures in whatever you’re driving!
Great story and nice fish, too!