fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

This morning was foiled by weather to join a local buddy and pursue walleye in our kayaks today. A rain system that was forecasted to pass last night showed up right as we had planned to depart for the lake. Another kayaking friend sent me a couple of photos from yesterday morning where he was pulling largemouth bass out of some thick weeds...and it reminded me of a paddle that my wife and I made a few years ago...the season before I joined this Forum.

With idle time on my hands, I thought it would be fun to post a little "flashback" story....so here it goes....

We spent 3 hours exploring a brand new section of a wide river that connects a few lakes about an hour North of where we live. The weather was "supposed" to be warm and sunny, but ended up as a mixture of chilly temps, rainy drizzle and an occasional spot of sunlight.

Without any rain gear, we did get a bit wet, but stood the course and had a fun outing despite getting a little soaked. I normally don't bother to fish when we paddle together because it slows us down and she is not into fishing that much. On this particular trip she said "You should fish, especially since it is new water we'll be covering". It only took me a couple of seconds to load up just one rod and a small case of lures!

Caught just one small Northern Pike and a single Largemouth bass as we sleuthed our way up and down a one mile stretch of river corridor.

She enjoys photography, so while I spent time plying the waters her camera lens wandered around and captured a handful of sights along the way....

A pause in the drizzle that followed us during most of the paddle.


Place my wife near some lily pads and she'll spend all day taking pictures! I wonder if I could encourage her to flick a weedless Hula Popper in amongst them....?


A little "hammer handle"...Northern Pike. By now probably as large as the parents! Fell prey to a balsawood J-11 sized jointed Rapala with gold foil sides and the classic black top.


More time spent up close to the blooming flowers of the lily pad zones.


What was probably a 2 pound LM bass, although it was also carrying the same weight in vegetation! I wonder what kind of salad dressing goes with bass sashimi?


The author of the photos from this post, aside from this particular one!

OJdidit Loc: Oak Creek Wisconsin

Nice post, great pics!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you OJ! Kind of ended up being a cold and dreary day around here so it was fun to reflect back on a vintage trip from a few years back. I thought I was into something really big when that bass struck...and then kept up picking up debris during the "reel in"!

Bassmatter Loc: Rohnert Park Ca.

Great post fishyaker! And great photos! And nice catch! Good luck and be safe!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you Bassmatter! When my buddy had sent me the photo of his big bass yesterday, all covered in weeds, it made my mind flashback to that old trip and I had to chuckle. They will do anything to escape being caught after the bite! I'm sure that you have had some do that too over the years!

Glad you enjoyed the story and photos!

Rhyno Loc: Santa Rosa,California

Looks like you two had an awesome outing!! Good job on pushing forward and continuing with the fishing!! I would’ve stayed home and had coffee 🤷‍♂️

DVTracker Loc: Harrisburg, PA.

Nice fish and pics, good catching. Thank you for sharing.

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Great story and pictures Yaker. Love the Ghillie suit.

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you Rhyno! When we left home I had no idea that something would pop up as far as weather...so thankfully at least it was not a monsoon! The water/habitat looked "El primo" for LM bass, and I thought that the action would be non stop. Weed choked in the middle of the slough, and both shorelines thick with lily pads. I could only run that Rapala in the top 2 feet of water without getting fouled up!

I trolled a little, but spent most of the time casting.

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you DVtracker! Glad you enjoyed the post! Time spent on the water is priceless...especially if you get a chance to fish while you're at it!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you Fredfish! We had quite a time of it enjoying the solitude of the river. Although there are numerous homes/cabins speckled along the way at times, we pretty much had the river to ourselves.

I just had to laugh at that bass when I got it up to the kayak. It was almost as if he swore an oath never to become captured, and he was taking a ton of weeds with him to prove his determination!

NJ219bands Loc: New Jersey

Nice 👍

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you NJ219! I can still replay that day in my mind like it was yesterday!

Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa

Yaker looks like y'all had a beautiful day.
Your wife took some GREAT PICTURES brother 👍👍

OldBassGuy Loc: Temecula, CA

Looks like a great outing Yak, and thanks for sharing the great pics. Keep em' coming