kroppe
12-04-2000, 12:21 AM
Today canoed most of the stretch between Dexter and Ann Arbor. Found two new potential holes. I stopped to fish them for a few minutes, but I was racing the sunlight, and didn't want to get stuck on the river at dark so I had to keep moving. I finished the float trip at my honey hole and nailed two 17" smallies. The first one didn't strike the lure, he just inhaled it and I didn't feel the take. I thought I was stuck on weeds, but the weight stayed on and I landed him. Next one slammed the lure, and fought admirably all the way to my waiting landing hand (net was frozen to the bottom of the canoe), considering the water temperature. The second fish, while the same length as the first, seemed heavier, about 4 pounds by my guess. Both fish took black plastic grubs on black jigs, fished slowly on the bottom of a deep wintering hole. Time of catch was about 4:45 p.m. The sun was pretty well gone by then.
Also along the way while canoeing, I noted lots of good looking spawning gravel in the metroparks. Does anyone know for sure if there are smallmouth spawning beds on the shallow gravel in the metroparks (Hudson Mills, Dexter-Huron and Delhi)?
Flow was a little high, and the water was gin-clear. It was a bluebird day, cloudless with slight breezes. Air temperature was just under 30, but dropped noticeably after 4pm when the sun went behind the trees. The barometer was rising, which may account for the hard strike the one fish gave me. Everything in the canoe was frozen to the bottom of the boat.
Also along the way while canoeing, I noted lots of good looking spawning gravel in the metroparks. Does anyone know for sure if there are smallmouth spawning beds on the shallow gravel in the metroparks (Hudson Mills, Dexter-Huron and Delhi)?
Flow was a little high, and the water was gin-clear. It was a bluebird day, cloudless with slight breezes. Air temperature was just under 30, but dropped noticeably after 4pm when the sun went behind the trees. The barometer was rising, which may account for the hard strike the one fish gave me. Everything in the canoe was frozen to the bottom of the boat.