Any tips for early season largemouth bass fishing in MI?

[OutboardNewbie313]

I'm going to Fletcher's Floodwaters in Hillman MI in mid May for some serious bass and northern pike fishing. Are there any rigs, techniques, or lures in particular that I should use for this early in the season?

All info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Any tips for early season largemouth bass fishing in MI?

Will bass season be open yet?
I have had my best early season luck fishing inlets and any other warmer (relative to the rest of the lake) waters.
Live bait has been my best bet.
Tight lines!

 

[rndn]

Re: Any tips for early season largemouth bass fishing in MI?

Around here for pre-season bass fishing it's catch and release with only artificial bait allowed.

 

[OutboardNewbie313]

Re: Any tips for early season largemouth bass fishing in MI?

Yeah Bass season is not "officially" open yet but I'm only a catch and release kinda guy anyways. Pike season will be open however and if I latch onto a nice 35 to 40 incher he may be getting mounted and displayed. Anything less than a trophy gets to go back and grow up into a trophy.

Just bought three packs of 6 inch Zoom ss lizards. Last year in August these worked good for both bass and pike at Fletcher's. White an also pumkin w/chartruse tail seemed to be the two colors of choice. I'm hoping this works early in the season as well.

Please keep this thread going with more early season bass fising help!!!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Any tips for early season largemouth bass fishing in MI?

Around here for pre-season bass fishing it's catch and release with only artificial bait allowed.

Here in MN, they'll bust you for fishing for bass during the closed season. Walleye and Northern season opens May 10, but you can't fish for bass until May 24.

I'm always 100% catch-and-release, so I just put a six-inch braided steel leader on when I'm fishing for Northerns before bass season opens. That way, when a CO shows up, I just show him my rig, and he thinks, "What kind of idiot would be fishing for largemouths with a steel leader?" then leaves me alone.

The thing is, I never seem to have any trouble hooking up largemouths with that leader in place. They don't seem to care. They all get released, anyhow, and the bass and the northerns always seem to be in the same places.

COs have a job to do, but they also have a habit of pulling up alongside just when I'm getting some action. They aren't all that quiet about it, either. Very annoying. On my favorite lakes, though, they recognize my ugly boat, now, and pretty much leave me alone.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Any tips for early season largemouth bass fishing in MI?

Find the area with the warmest surface water temperature you can within that lake. Throw a crankbait, spinnerbait, rattletrap (lipless crankbait). If the temp. is still in the 40's and low 50's then work a jerkbait reallllllyyyy slow. Pike likes weedy area and they love anything flashy such as a spinnerbait with white skirt and tandem silver blades. What was working for you in August won't work in the spring.