For the Week Ending Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017

Monday, Sept. 4 (from Charlie)...Things are slowing down. Water was high and 75 degrees, with visibility about 18 inches. Tried frogs, Senkos and swimbaits in the grass today and never got the first hint of a bite. Had to resort to Plan B, a ditch with deep water, using crankbaits and an 8WT fly rod with a Clouser Minnow. It was a long time between fish but did get seven, mostly dinks, but the best bass of the day was on the fly rod with the Clouser, a 2-7. That was a great fight, and I almost lost him when he went under an undercut bank and got stuck. I had to reach under and free him to finish the fight. After two days in a row on the water, I'm taking a break fro a couple of days.

Monday, Sept. 4 (from Ron)...Launched Munden Point Park and crossed to Milldam at 0700. I knew the trip back would be a gauntlet, and the jet skiers and boaters didn't disappoint! Caught five bass, including three dinks, a 1-10, and a 3-0. All the bass were caught on SwimSenkos. Also caught about 10 very small panfish on the beetlespin, including five yellow perch, three white perch, and a bluegill, but all were too small for the stringer. Tried an evening trip to upper West Neck from Indian River Road. Had two on that threw the hook and nothing else. High water is difficult, but it was a beautiful evening.

Wednesday, Sept. 6 (from Ron)...Fished Tecumseh after a very long time away. Never have seen it so murky or high. Managed a dink, 1-3, 1-5, and lost several. As usual, the ones I lost were bigger. Lost a bowfin on the beetlespin. One bass caught on beetlespin and the other two on Whopper Plopper, as the sun set.

Friday, Sept. 8 (from Charlie)...Still high water but clear, 75° and strong current flowing out.  Another great day with the 6 wt fly rod. Got four bass on a popper (two were 2-pounders) and a 1-13 on a Clouser--a great fight on the 6 wt. Another 12 fell for swimbaits or SwimSenkos. The Clouser also scored five nice crappie. Of the 17 bass caught, the top five went 1-5, 1-10, 1-13, 2-0, and 2-1, for a total of 8-13. I had to paddle 4.1 miles to find them, but it was worth it.

Friday, Sept. 8 (from Ron)...Was after panfish for dinner and found a pocket on a bend in Milldam that was holding them. They were not interested in the trolled beetlespin, would only hit the one I was casting. Ended up with fish for tacos, plus two dink bass and a 1-2, even though I really wasn't targeting the latter.

Saturday, Sept. 9 (from Ron)...Fished Milldam Creek this morning. Don't recall ever seeing the feeder creeks as clear as they were. However, I think that crystal clarity actually hurt the bite.  Had to hug the grass lines to find 'em on a Strike King Mini spinnerbait. Ended up with 16 bass, including 14 dinks, a 1-13, and a 1-14. Oddly, I only caught one panfish.

Sunday, Sept. 10 (from Ron)...With the river gauge at 1.3 and winds forecast at 20, I sought some refuge in Crystal Lake. There was one drawback to my pre-dawn launch, though: I forgot my sunglasses, and by 0745, I was regretting that mistake. Should have brought a light jacket, as well, because it's that time of year. Crystal Lake was wind-protected, for sure, and clear as its namesake. Tried a few different crankbaits, a chatterbait, and some swimbaits, but nothing was working. Then tied on a spinnerbait, which I rarely ever use, but after yesterday's success with the Mini-King, thought I would try one. Soon found three small bass and three slime darts (pickerel?), for a nice change of pace. Also got one decent crappie on the crankbait.