Charity Island Smallie bite

[lobo1]

I saw something about the spring time smallies out near the big island a couple years ago on a TV show.

Any of you guys know what the program is or approx when the bite is ?

All C&R here

thanks for your thoughts,

lobo1

[MSUICEMAN]

season doesn't open til sat. before memorial day. So if the bite is on before then, we'll, you're SOL.

steve

[lobo1]

MSUICEMAN,

Thanks so much for clarifying the season opener.

If I gave you the impression that I wanted info on how to target an out of season species - my apologies - that wasn't what I wanted.

I have fished this area dozens of times for walleye but never early season for smallies - was just looking for a little help.

thanks,

lobo1

[MSUICEMAN]

yeah, thats one of my typical 2AM postings.... get a little rough around the edges and am a little bit concise. sorry to sound like i jumped on ya. I just see a LOT of people fishing bass out of season on LSC, though the DNR has really started to clamp down on it (thank god).

I dunno really, I saw prolly the same tv show about fishin smallies up there, but they were fishing the beds with tubes. Whether or not they are on their beds still after the opener, i have no idea. kinda made me scratch my head. If they're still there during season, have at em. I'm not about to tell someone they can't fish something thats legal.

steve

[lobo1]

That's what got me thinkin about this - I bought some nice tubes and rattlin jigs from a vendor at Ford Field. I dont even bass fish but these looked so good I "had to" buy them...you know how it goes. Now I gotta find a place to fish em.
I think it was the Mike Avery show. I sent an email there but who knows if it will ever come back.

thanks anyhow - the walleyes will east these things if I cant find any bass !

lobo1

[Skeeter]

I saw Bob Garner on Michigan out of doors once when they were at the Islands catching small mouth. They were catching and releasing them hand over fist. Nice fish, looked like a lot of fun. I don't spend any time out close to the island because I do not know the area good enough. I am talking about rocks as big as your house just under the surface. Heard of a LOT of lower ends being taken off, guess you would say I am scared of the area unless I would be out with someone that was knowledgable of the area. Would love to try it. Lobo your boys would love that experience in that new boat.

[lobo1]

It certainly is strewn with boulders in there. Used to be the only real taboo area was between the islands but now - who knows.

I saw boulders last year that were small islands - we used to call them humps !

Them steeples is probly all boulders too - you ever put your camera down there ? ought to try it this summer. We'll keep you company.

lobo1

[Skeeter]

That would sure be an idea wouldn't it. Have to try that on a calm day.

[djkimmel]

As is common throughout a lot of the state, you'll find quite a few bass on beds and coming on to beds from opening weekend into June at the Charity's. (Our closed season hasn't protected most of the bass spawn for over 30 years - that our season protects the bass spawn is a myth unsupported by studies.) Anglers have been fishing bedding bass legally at the Charities for many, many years.

You don't need them on beds up there though to catch some really nice smallies with a better than average shot at 5-pound plus fish. Many bass don't get real deep. They just move farther offshore as the season progesses, but not necessarily a lot deeper. They use structure to hang on or near like many other places - rock piles and rock bars, but different than the millions up near the islands where a lot of them spawn.

Look for long bars heading out to the deeper water where they can drop deeper if they need to, but often they just move out and roam the rock flats around the bars. These are some of the dumbest smallmouths in the Northern Hemisphere at times. They will follow your boat and still bite. Not that easy all the time, but it can be. When you find a few, you'll usually find a bunch.

Many of the bass that do bed in the early part of the season, bed deeper than ever now because of the incredibly clear water. Some will bed in 2 or 3 feet of water, but most bed in 4 to 9 foot, with some bedding in up to 12 feet of water. In late May through June, even if you don't see the bed, many of the bass you catch will be bedding bass. If you get into schools during that time, those are probably post-spawn bass.

You don't have to fish bedding fish either even during the spawn if you don't want to. You can concentrate on bass that have spawned earlier or not spawned at all (not all bass spawn each year, particularly smallies) by moving out to the same areas described above. Sometimes, you can catch more bass faster that way when conditions are not conducive to sight-fishing and/or bedding bass are real scattered when you go. You can catch prespawn bass by fishing the rock bars and gravel runs leading into the bedding areas too. These will usually hold small pods of bass moving around the bedding areas. It all depends on what you want to do and how you personally prefer to fish.

There's some great smallie fishing around Wildfowl Bay and from the Pine River to Tawas also. It can be awesome or non-existent. They come and go at times after the spawn. Persistence will pay off though, so you don't have to make it out to the Islands to catch some nice smallies. They're moving farther South into the Bay too as the water clears more and more.

There are now some smallies spawning as far South as Linwood. Despite fishing pressure, they're numbers are expanding because conditions that favor smallmouths - clear water - are improving and in a big water like Saginaw Bay, Mother Nature will usually outdo fishing pressure.

The bass are there. I catch them every year in quite a few different spots around the Bay in the spring/summer and/or fall even though I don't fish there anywhere near as often as I do on St. Clair and Erie.

[lobo1]

djkimmel


thanks for the great reply

[djkimmel]

you're welcome