Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Bring on the Nice Weather
Finally a day in the fifties with the radiant sun painting life back into our dreary landscape. Getting lots of reports of crappie and gills starting to get in the shallows and canals. Locals around the Two Heart are catching lots of steelhead with no trolls in the river. We need to get some trolls across the bridge so they do not have all the fun.
Many lakes still have ice up here locally Long Lake by Traverse City is still froze.
Spring is here! Lake Cadillac and Mitchell were declared thawed Thursday April 9.
As stated in an earlier report, the first place to catch a mess of crappies once the ice goes out, will be the causeway on the west side of Lake Cadillac. It??s happening. Driving along M-115 you??ll see a line of shore fishermen and a few boats within casting distance from shore. Every year this is the place to begin.
It may not last long. First the crappies move in pre-spawn. After they leave bluegill and sunfish move into the neighbor hood to start their beds. The pike are always there looking for an easy meal. Lastly, large mouths frequently spawn along the west shore.
Crappie fishing is easy and inexpensive. Many use 9?? rods, making it easier to cast further from shore. Bobber fishing with small minnows usually does the trick.
The Causeway??s shoreline is rocky. Benches and trash containers are now available.
John Culp was the first to show us his catch. He??s pictured with a limit of 9 and 10 inchers.
Steelhead:
The Manistee River has been strong. Good catches of steelhead and as a bonus, big walleye. Walleye must be released but are fun to catch. Steelhead have not been particular when it comes to bait. Spawn bags, flies, waxworms, wobble glos all are working.
Sucker fishing hasn??t started for real yet. However, Jack Powell caught a Master Angler Red Horse sucker already. He is pictured with a 23?, 5.3 pounder. The Trashman will get several Master Angler size this spring.