I live 4.2 miles from the northern launch on Higgins lake. I didn't get out much last year as I was doing some up grades to my boat. This year I want to look at Reedsburg dam. It's just west of Houghton lake. It's just small enough to be able to fish in a day. Plus I can through my crawdad traps in the water while I am fishing and enjoy them for dinner. Both Houghton and Higgins lakes are supposed to be good. I also want to look at lake Saint Helen. The walleye and crappie fishing is supposed to be good there.

Welcome to Northern Michigan. We live in Grayling and are also retired. We have our bass boat ready to go when the ice leaves the water. I am looking forward to spring fishing on Michigan lakes and rivers. You are welcome to join us any time we are going out. We are looking for a fishing partner because my wife doesn't like to fish as much as I do. Again welcome to Northern Michigan.

Hello, I would try someplace that doesn't get as much presser. Try Dworshack res. It is full of kokanee and I think the limit is higher there because there are so many that they are smaller. The bass feed on them and get real fat there also. I lived and went to University of Idaho in Moscow and fished Dworshack as often as possible. If you go to the Dworshak state park camp site on the west side of the lake you will find very few people. I would spend my weekdays when I had free time on this lake and you could fish all day and maybe see 5 boats on this 50 mile long lake. It may be more popular now since it has been 4 years since I fished this wonderful lake.

Dang why didn't i think of that. I am going to throw some in the freezer and see what happens. Then I will report what happened to it. Thank you all for your replies. They are all helpful.

Have a great day andf better tomorrow.

I was cleaning out the boat today to get ready for winter. Here in northern Michigan the winters are cold and snowy. I loaded my wagon with all the soft plastics in the boat and put it in the garage. Tonight we got our first heavy frost and I was thinking about all that money setting in an un-heated garage all winter.

Can I leave the soft plastics in the garage this winter or should I bring them in the house?

How do soft plastics hold up to being frozen? Will the freezing hurt the baits? Yes I know they ice fish with soft plastics but that is really a very short period of time. I am talking 5 months with a couple of months with temps below freezing and sometimes below zero. Any help or info will be highly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Have a great day and better tomorrow.

To find lots that will have good baits in them is eBay. I bought a box of 50 storm thundersticks and thundersticks jr's and payed 47 dollars for them. The bonus was they where all mega flash colors and all deep diving. I also bought a 3700 Plano box full of square bill crankbaits for 20 bucks and I mean the box was full with 2 and 3 baits per space. It had all the dividers in it. Must have been 25 or more baits in it. So if you go to eBay and take all those suggestions for brands and you can find some very good deals there. You can also buy tackle boxes that are for sale and take the crankbaits out of them and re-sell what is left. That will save you on costs and you can fill your tackle box pretty quick with good baits at a fraction of the cost of new. I would recommend changing all the treble hooks on any used bait you buy. I like Mustad hooks. They come sharp right out of the box.

One place I have not seen is church. Go to the local churches and see if they will help. Churches like getting involved with kid programs. Just a thought. Kelly

Thank you for your help. I couldn't remember the name. I hope you are still catching big fish in it. Kelly

I lived in Boise for 15 years and found the Boise river all the way to the dam is good fishing. You have several parks around Boise and on the river. You can fish the green belt that runs right through town on the Boise river. If you want a bigger challenge then drive north to Payette Idaho and fish the Payette river. It a much narrower river then the Boise but runs much faster. There are class 5 rapids on the Payette River. Up hwy 95 you can fish a lot of places all the way to Cascade Idaho. Then of course the3re is the world class fly fishing on the eastern and northern Idaho. In eastern Idaho you have the north fork of the Snake river. It draws fly fisherpersons from all over the world. In northern Idaho you have the clearwater river that runs through Lewiston and dumps into the snake river. Yes the snake river runs from eastern Idaho to western Idaho and turns north and makes the border with Oregon and at Lewiston turns west to empty into the Colombia river. You also have the lochsa and the selway rivers. Of course there is always the river of no return, the great salmon river. It has world class cutthroat trout fishing and the south fork of the north fork salmon river is just a couple of hours north of Boise. About three and half hours east of Boise you have the Big and Little Lost river system that has good fly fishing. About an hour to an hour and a half you have the bruneau river that has good fly fishing on it. Just north of Twin Falls Idaho which is about a hundred and thirty miles is silver creek and the big and little wood river. Silver creek is such world class fishing that there is a book out about just that creek and the fishing available in it. It seem to have a hot spring run into it because it stays warmer then most. Speaking of hot springs, Idaho has the largest number of hot springs that come to the surface then any other state. So some of the rivers are warmer then those around them. Just keep that in mind. This time of year it is easy to spot hot springs because of the steam they put off. I moved away because I am now disabled and can't get to these places anymore. I moved to Michigan so I could continue fishing out of my wheelchair. Back to Idaho, if you can take a little time and can travel a up to three hours you can find world class fishing that is not being fished very heavily this time of year. Most all lakes and rivers are open to catch and release but be sure to check the regs to make sure where you want to fish is open to fishing. If you want to make sure you catch some fish, go to barber park and walk out on the diversion dam and cast up next to the dam. They stock fish there all year long so there are always fish to catch there. more if you want privacy then go to the park just below luck peak dam. It's about fifteen to twenty minutes east of Boise. Just ask anyone because everyone knows where lucky peak is. They also stock fish just a little north of that park. It is also on the Boise river. There is just some ideas for you to look at and yes you should pack your fly rod and for sure try to find a way to go fish silver creek. If you7 want to fish a little stream that you can just about jump across that has twenty inch plus trout in it. They are escapees from the fish hatchery. Go over to Nampa and go to south junior high. Across the road from that is a little creek. I don't think it even has a name but there are some big fish in it and you can always catch fish there because of the hatchery. Nampa is about twenty five miles west of Boise. Last time I was there they had put in some new ponds and the little creek feeds some of them. We always walked west wear the creek crosses he main road, That field was open to people that wanted to fish. There is a wonderful hole about football fields walk that was always hard to cast to but if you got the cast right you could catch a big fish out of it. I guarantee that if you take your fly rod you can find a place to use it with\in ten minute of where you are staying. Some good fishing with-in a half hour and world class with-in two hours of Boise. So to answer your question on if you should take your fly rod. Yes you should take it. Kelly

I have found you should shop around for all your components. I find Barlow's tackle has the best price on most things. If you get into pouring your own lures, Barlow's has a better price on do-it molds then do-it does. Just search Barlow's tackle and watch your prices. Barlow's has them around 36 bucks on average but Jann's netcraft has and average price of 45 bucks nut Jann's is cheaper on their vinyl paint. Just saying to be careful when you buy components because there is such a difference between companies selling lure components.

Wow, thank you for such a warm welcome. I will be contacting each of you so please watch for a PM. It may take me a little while to answer each of you as my hands hurt sometimes and it is hard to type. That's why I put rod holders in my boat. If my hands start hurting I can put my rod in its holder and work the lure back that way. Works best with something you crank in or troll with. I am working on a brace I can put on and keep fishing when my hands hurt. I used to hunt and spend most my time outdoors until I got tired of falling down and started using this chair. I have spent 2 1/2 years in therapy to be able to go fishing and to stand for a short period. I will start back in therapy this fall to try and build on what I have now. One thing I did was avoid surgery doing therapy. Ok talk at you all later. Thank you for your time. Kelly

I like the uni-knot system. You can tie loop knots, line to line, and it is easy to tie once you learn it. It is similar to the clinch knot in looks and the way the line is wrapped around it. I also like the palomar knot but mine doesn't look right so I don't use it much. The clinch knot is good. I also have had problems with the improved clench knot. I have looked at all kinds of descriptions to tie it but have never had good knots that hold. I am trying to learn the dropper loop. It seems to be a good knot for a lot of uses. after it is tied right you can cut the line and use it to tie a leader to or another lure. Those are some of the knots I use and I recommend you find a half dozen knots and learn to tie them with your eyes closed. You will be much happier then trying to learn every knot that someone recommends. Thank you for your time. Kelly

Great for you!!!! I also am disabled but not as bad as yours is. I still have my legs if I need to us them. No stamina though. I don't know anything about clear lake but just wanted to tell you how much respect I have for you not giving into it. I try to teach others with disabilities that they are not stuck in that house. Clear lake, isn't it a trophy largemouth fishery? If you are fishing that clear lake I hope you catch a 15+ pound largemouth. Have great fun and don't forget to enjoy just being outdoors. It's the greatest feeling. Have a great day and better tomorrow. Kelly

Hello everyone;
My name is Kelly and my wife and I moved to Michigan in Jan 2016. Found a nice house on 2.8 acres of wooded property. We have turkeys that eat the corn I put down to feed the other birds and wildlife. We have had 20 whitetail in the back yard one morning. We live in Grayling and the wildlife around the place is wonderful.
Ok lets talk about me. I am an older disabled veteran ( if 59 is older) that bought another boat because everyone thinks I am helpless because I use a wheelchair to move around outside. I love to garden and have a lot of raised beds all over the place. I am going to start a bee hive next year. I will have to put an electric fence around it if I cant get DNR to remove the bear we have around us. The first year we lived here I came face to face with him on my back porch. Luckily I had my 45 with me. He huffed at me a couple of times then left. He forages on the berries we have on the back side of the property.
I have a 1990 ranger 393V comanche boat that has been some what redone for me. I made a space I can put my manual wheelchair in it and strap it down if I need to. I spent 3 years in therapy getting to where I can stand and move around but I have no stamina and tire very fast when I have to stand and move around. My boat is set up that I remove three strips and the boats free. I have a latter that I use to get in if needed but normally I clip a rope to the front and use it to bring it to dock after launching. My wife was going to be my partner but she is not doing well so I am looking for someone I can fish with on a regular bases.
I fish mostly for bass. My favorite is the smallmouth but I am ready for both. I make me own lures for fun. I have almost 30 models and used to love going to club meetings and sitting around making lures for the club members. I have not found any clubs close to me and if I want the folks at bass nation say I could start one locally. Being new to the area I don't know anyone except the people close around me. Like the guy across the street. Yes I am a member of B.A.S.S. and would like to start tournament fishing but again I need a club around me to do that. Stop before you think I am just a bass fisherman. I am trying to learn about walleye for eating and salmon. We are building a smokehouse and love smoked salmon. So don't think all I want to do is chase bass. Everyone needs a break from the main fishing they do. Also learning about how to catch other species gives you new ideas on how to catch the main fish species you are after.

I am always looking to go fishing for anything. Love just being outdoors and enjoying some of the things I used to do. Everyone thank you for taking the time to ride all this rambling I have done.

Have a great day and better tomorrow. Kelly

I pore and make my own lures and sell a few to pay for my fishing trips. I mainly do bass baits but now that I live in Michigan I am thinking about expanding into walleye rigs and cow bells for trout/salmon. You can buy the molds online at eBay or Barlow's tackle. I have done a lot of business with Barlow's and they are great people to work with. I saw a show about making your own molds and want to try that but just haven't got around to it. I find it is easier to make and sell lures then trying to find a sponsor to fish. Most everyone that can sponsor you has had 100 others present information to them and you have to be in the upper levels to get any of them to even consider you. If you are determined to find a sponsor try looking out said the box and businesses that normally don't have anything to do with the industry. You will have to show them how sponsorship could increase there business and provide them more info about the industry. Just some things I thought about after reading this post. Good luck on your search.