Huron River Bass Fishing

I brought my kayaks down to Ann Arbor a few weeks ago. Living as close to the river as we do we should have brought them down years ago.

Going out for a paddle is a great way to unwind after a day at work. It's tranquil, smooth, and  The boats also allow me to fish in new places that were unreachable by foot, BONUS!

The closest part of the "river" is a long oligotrophic lake that happens to have a vestigial vein of the Huron River running through it. It is totally choked with plant life and nearly unfishable with anything other than topwater flies right now. That being said, smallmouth and largemouth will rise to take a frog pattern all afternoon.

FISH ON. Captured from my deck-mounted GoPro.

I hope to do some recon on other parts of the river soon. Pics to come.

-J

Spring Bass in Southeast Michigan

Spring fishing is turning up to 11 on the Huron. I have been doing well with clouser minnows, woolly buggers, and leaches.

I hear that the hatch may be on. Time to bring out the big bugs.

-j

Success on many fronts!

Time for some updates readers.

In continuing to test the Friday Harbor jacket by Eddie Bauer I took it on a quick fishing trip today.

With the prediction of a light mist for the entire afternoon the jacket should have been overkill. However, as usual with the weatherpeople, they were very wrong. The jacket took some pretty heavy continuous rain for an hour and a half. This test helped to instill in me the true versatility of this thing, when you slide the sleeves up to the elbow and strap them tight they provide a near waterproof seal, and the wide opening hood allows the wearer to utilize peripheral vision and reduces head turning.

So to that, the jacket is still a winner!

It takes rain this hard,

And you stay this dry, surely a winner.

News numba two! While testing out the jacket I did some casting around the Barton Dam on the Huron River. I was met with some success in the form of two smallmouth bass. I have read online that the smallies in the Huron put up a decent fight and for these two did not let me down. I now know where to go and what to use, head for the holes fishies, here I come!

I am looking for a backpack/ chestpack/ fannypack that I can use for fishing, as my current bags are not suitable at all. Please send me some suggestions if you know of any.

I am thinking this one:















News, more news:
     There are new additions coming to Randomstream, however they are going to require participation from you people.

1. Of the months, and spotlight specials.
          In an effort to tailor this blog to your likings I would like suggestions for outdoor athletes, events, festivals, products, news and other things to feature and or cover. Leave them as comments, or email them to yonkerj3@gmail.com with the tag OTM/ FEATURE.

2. Website lists.
          RSOC will soon be featuring a list of suggested blogs and sites for your dedicated reader to check out!

3. Guest writers/ reviewers.
          Look for upcoming reviews, guest commentaries and contributions from: Chelsea Bromley, Matthew Preston, Cassidy Butler, Zach Yonkers and many more!

I smell change on the horizon!

Keep up, if you can.

-J

What a nice day

I had the day off today so after some much needed cleaning of the apartment I snuck away for some casting. Though I did not catch anything the bike ride to the Huron River and the curious minnows that followed my lures was enough to satisfy me for a while.

The view from my first casting spot.

Trusty bike and the Ugly Stick.

A week ago we traveled south to Dundee for the afternoon to visit the local Cabela's. It is a remarkable store, and I encourage all outdoor enthusiasts to make a pilgrimage to the holy land, however, take warning; the weekend at Cabela's could be compared to a trip to the state fair... There were so many unique spectacles of humanoids present that I had to take routine breathers. Clad from head to toe in camo and hunter's orange, they belted out phrases including, "get'r dun!" and, "ahh bee damned if they don't."

Aside from the patrons the store has many great displays of animals for your viewing pleasure!

Enjoy:

Please share your Cabela's stories!

-J

Fish fish, caught some fish

After my graduation party with my dad's side of the family Chels and I hiked over the Charlie's lake for some bass fishing.

It was a hot mid-summer afternoon, perfect for reeling in some inland lake largemouths.

Two casts in I hooked in to this monster:

He had my rod bent into a teardrop, what a beast of a fish.

We caught a handful of fish, mostly all keepers, but as is my practice most of the time we released them all.

Here is Chelsea's first fish of the day, she even took it off by herself:

This lake is private, so I am sorry to say that you will not be able to fish on it. It holds some of the largest bass that I have ever seen in Northern Michigan. A few years ago my brother caught a huge one with a jitterbug after dark that pulled the boat all around. Maybe it is the spring that feeds the lake that causes them to grow so large, or maybe it is the fact that not too many people over fish and keep everything they catch. Either way its a great place to spend a hot afternoon.

What a pretty spot. If you know of any good fishing holes let me know, I would love to check them out.

We also made a trip to Tippy Dam on the Manistee River. Chelsea's dad and I caught some very nice rock bass, but decided not to eat them. We opted for a Big Al's sub instead, great choice on our part. (Pics of this coming soon.)

-J