John Johnson's Fishing Log:
July 21, 6:30-9:30 pm ,
Tittabawassee River above Midland
The water temperature was 82oF,
level low , and visibility 3 feet. I started fishing
a SM Zonker that has been working very well in clear
water. I started catching two fourteen inch bass in
just a few minutes. The fish were caught within a
few inches of the bank in shaded rubble covered banks
with the water about eighteen inches deep at the
bank. After about fifteen minutes a nice bass hit and
made a quick move downstream and then a two foot
jump. I was able to turn him back and after a few
deep circles near the canoe I landed a fifteen inch
bass. I caught two more medium bass and four more
smaller bass before switching to a dark chartreuse
balsa popper. During the next thirty minutes the fish
continued to hit well with another five medium and
small bass. I changed to a black balsa popper and
caught three more medium and small bass. I next tried
a Bluegill fly made with Puglshi fibers but got no
strikes after a half hour. At 9:00 I tied on a dark
chartreuse deerhair popper and caught three more
medium and small bass. It appears as I expected that
the large bass have moved out of the Tittabawassee
into the smaller rivers where there is more food for
them.
July 26, 6:00-9:30 pm ,
Tittabawassee River above Midland
The water temperature was 78F,
level med. , and visibility 2 feet. I started
fishing a SM Zonker that has been working very well in
clear water. The Zonker was effective right away and
caught three medium and small bass. At 6:50 I cast the
streamer within a few inches of a shaded undercut bank
and a decent smallmouth hit and turned out to be a
decent fifteen inch smallmouth. At 8:00 we came to an
open area that had sometimes produced northern pike.
This time we noticed several minnows frantically
jumping out of the water just a few inches from the
bank. We were downstream of the minnows but I was
able to get a fourty foot cast into the area were we
saw the minnows. Instantly a large fish hit the fly
and charged down stream. After three hard runs and one
jump we landed a nice eighteen inch smallmouth. We
caught three more rockbass and two more bass before we
switched to a dark chartreuse balsa popper. As the
sun was setting we caught three more small and medium.
July 27 , 11:15 -1:15 pm , Pine
River above Midland
The water temperature was 77oF,
level low , and visibility 2.5 feet. We returned to
a spot on the Pine where we had lost a nice smallmouth
the week before. We tied on a SM Zonker fly that had
been working very well on the Pine in clear water. We
started by fishing a shaded pool that I had often
caught several small bass in the past but this time
just one small bass. We paddled down about 200 yards
and we encountered three big tame geese that were
swimming through the area that we wanted to fish. I
thought about letting Baxter chase them away but they
decided to fly away on their own. I had tied up a new
fourteen foot low water smallmouth leader with a 2x
flourocarbon tippit that I was anxious to try in the
clear water. I fished for a minutes by making about
sixty to seventy foot casts quartering downstream
across the river into the shaded rocky side of the
river. In almost the same place that I lost the fish
last time anther nice fish hit. For some reason it
did not try to jump or make a screaming run like
most big smallmouth do. After a few circles it
gave up and I was able to land a seventeen inch
smallmouth. I continued to make the long casts in the
two to three foot water and soon another fish hit.
Like the first one it did not make a screaming run or
a jump but took off downstream on a hard deliberate
run. I was able to get a good look at it and realized
it was a rather large fish. After several long slow
runs it finally started to get tired and I was able to
land it – a nineteen inch smallmouth. I paddled
through some shallow water and fished for a while in
less a foot of rocky water with out a hit. I came to
another flat shaded section and hooked and landed
another smallmouth –a fifteen incher. Before we
reached our-take out we caught another six small and
medium bass and four rockbass.
August 1 , 5:00 -7:30 pm ,
Chippewa River above Midland
The water temperature was 80oF,
level low , and visibility 2.5 feet. I decided to
fish a section of the Chippewa that in the past I had
often waded and caught nice smallmouth. I came to one
of the narrowest sections of the river that was shaded
and rocky. I cast the SM Zonker into an area below
a new house that appeared to have a fork stick that
to me indicated that there were likely bank
fisherman. I thought to my self this would be a
waste of time but as I retrieved the fly from about a
foot from the bank a big fish hit the fly. It quickly
ran off about forty feet of line downstream in the
deep slot. I was able to finally stop his run and
start him back towards the canoe. After a shallow
tail-walking jump and two circles around the canoe I
landed an eighteen inch smallmouth. I paddled
through some unproductive sandy water and came to
another long rocky run that was below a new house. I
switched to a dark chartreuse balsa popper and started
catching smallmouth and rockbass. I big fish hit in
about a foot of water but quickly ejected the hook.
The last hour produced two more small and medium bass
and a rockbass.
August 2, 5 :00-7:30 pm ,
Tittabawassee River above Midland
The water temperature was 78F,
level low , and visibility 2 feet. I started fishing
a SM Zonker that has been working very well in clear
water. The Zonker was effective right away and caught
three medium and small bass. At 6:50 I cast the
streamer within a few inches of a shaded undercut bank
and a smallmouth hit and turned out to be a decent
fifteen inch smallmouth. At 8:00 we came to an open
area that had sometimes produced northern pike. This
time we noticed several minnows frantically jumping
out of the water just a few inches from the bank. We
were downsteam of the minnows but I was able to get a
fourty foot cast into the area were we saw the
minnows. Instantly a large fish hit the fly and
charged down stream. After three hard runs and one
jump we landed a nice eighteen inch smallmouth. We
caught three more rockbass and two more bass before we
switched to a dark chartreuse balsa popper. As the
sun was setting we caught three more small and medium
bass.
Aug 7, 7:30-8:30 pm , Chippewa
River above Midland
The water temperature was 76oF,
level high , and visibility 1.5 feet. After a late
start we fished a SM Zonker through a long curving
run that had in the past produced fish but this time
no strikes. We fished along a shaded bank until a
decent fish finally hit in about a foot of water.
After a downstream run and an attempt to circle the
raft we landed a sixteen inch smallmouth. We continued
to fish the fly until dark with no additional strikes.
July 18 , 2:30 -9:00 pm , Pine
River above Midland
The water temperature was 76oF,
level high, and visibility 2 feet. The water was up
slightly from some over night rains but still in good
shape. I took John Genau and Dave Krzyzaniak for an
afternoon and evening of fishing on the Pine River.
John is an experienced trout fisherman who is able to
handle streamers quite well. John is an experienced
spin fisherman who was trying fly fishing for the
first time. We caught several smallmouth in the six
to fourteen inch range. After looking at the
picture of Dave with a nice smallmouth that was caught
near were we had our shore dinner I must conclude that
this was the largest fish that was caught – we did not
measure it but I am guessing from the picture a
fifteen or sixteen inch fish. Most of the fish were
caught on a rootbeer Sparkle Grub fly. For some
reason the zonkers and poppers that had been working
this year did not get many strikes. I am guessing that
the recent rains might be the reason for this. John
and Dave hooked a couple of big fish but for some
reason the flies came loose or broke off.
July 19 , 5:30 -9:00 pm , Pine
River above Midland
The water temperature was 77oF,
level high, and visibility 2 feet. The water was at
last down from the flooded muddy conditions that we
have had for a week. I went back to using a twelve
foot low water leader with a florocarbon tippit in
hopes that it would not spook the big smallmouth in
clear shallow water. I tied on a SM Zonker that had
been working so well in the clear water. A few minutes
after we put in we noticed three big smallmouth in the
middle of the river in about two feet of water. We
also saw the white tail of an eagle as it flared out
of a big tree in front of us. I fished some shallow
water that had given up sixteen inch smallmouth a few
weeks earlier but no strikes this time. Another fifty
feet down above a big rock one of the bass hit. It
managed to swim under the anchor rope and I thought I
was going to break off the rod as it took a big bend
with the fish pulling from under the canoe. I was able
to flip the anchor over the line and get the fish
under control again. After a big jump and another
hard run I was able to land the sixteen inch
smallmouth. During the rest of the first hour the
Zonker continued to work well with ten more small and
medium bass being landed. At 6:30 we switched to a
grasshopper fly and in the lower end of a shaded pool
hooked another good smallmouth that turned out to be
another sixteen incher. We caught eight more small
and medium bass before we switched to a Silver Zonker.
It continued to work well with five more medium and
small bass. We hooked a very nice bass with the sun
going down and for some reason the fly pulled out. A
few minutes later another big bass was hooked and
again it got off. I looked at the hook and it was
quite dull. A lesson to be learned- even a new fly
can be dull when fished in the shallow rocky water
that we were fishing.
Sept 17 , 2:00- 5:00 pm , Pine
River above Midland
The water temperature was 64oF,
level low, and visibility 3 feet. After three weeks
of frustrating trout fishing in Montana I am looking
forward to fishing for some more big smallmouth in
Michigan. The water conditions were very good except
for a strong east wind that makes it impossible to
drift and fish from the canoe. All you can do is
drift down stream backwards and paddle through the
slow pools. I started fishing a large (#2) grey
grasshopper pattern that I hopped would work with all
of the natural grasshoppers in the area. With the
clear shallow water I used a long twelve foot leader
with a flourocarbon 2x tippet. I made long fifty to
sixty foot casts to optimize my chances of catching
the large very spooky smallmouth. I was able to catch
ten bass with four of them in the ten to fourteen inch
range. It was enjoyable fishing but it was not the big
fish that I was looking for. Seeing an osprey and an
eagle during this time made the trip even more
interesting. My luck was to change as I came to a
deep “L” shaped pool that had in the past given up
large fish in the head of the pool. I switched to a
Silver Zonker and cast it carefully though the upper
part of the deep pool with out a strike. I cast the
lightly weighted streamer across the pool under a
bush. A big fish hit the fly and made a hard charge
across the pool. I was able to turn the fish upstream
and avoid its swimming down through the riffle below
us. The fish charged upstream and with some effort I
was able to keep it out from under the canoe and the
anchor rope. One final two foot jump and I was able
to land a seventeen inch smallmouth. Fifteen minutes
later in another shaded rocky pool I caught a fifteen
inch smallmouth. I switched to a grey popper and
caught five more meduim and small bass along with
three rockbass.
Sept 18 , 2:00 – 6:00 pm , Pine
River above Midland
The water temperature was 63oF,
level high, and visibility 3 feet. The river
conditions were perfect except for the frustrating
east wind that again that made controlling the canoe
very tough. I stated with a #2 Silver Zonker and with
long casts in the shallow water less than two feet
deep I was able to catch five medium and small bass. I
switched to a dark chartreuse deer hair frog after
an hour. I came to a deep rocky pool that should have
had a good fish in it but did not produce even a
strike. I continued to fish through a long rocky flat
and caught a fifteen inch smallmouth in front of a big
rock. I caught three more medium bass and two small
bass and then switched to a Silver Zonker with a #10
Hare’s ear dropper. I came to a long rocky shaded
flat that before two years ago had always produced
eighteen inch smallmouth. With a new house and seeing
several other fisherman in the area I presumed that
they had taken the big fish out. I cast the flies
over the rocky bottom and I at last hooked a big
fish. The fish quickly ripped off about forty feet of
line as I was throwing the anchor chain over and
getting the line on the reel. The fish made a run
upstream and made a complete circle around the canoe.
I was lucky to avoid breaking the rod as I pulled him
from under the canoe. One two foot jump and he at
last was tired enough to grab him by the lower lip –
an eighteen inch smallmouth. It was caught on the
small Hare’sear dropper fly! I fished the dropper rig
for another hour and caught two more medium and two
small bass on the dropper. I caught four medium and
small bass on the zonker. I fished down through the
run and encountered a baitfisherman in a kayak who
reported no luck. I switched to a #2 yellow bodied
hopper and caught six more medium and small bass and
three rock bass.
Sept 19, 5 :30-8:30 pm ,
Tittabawassee River above Midland
The water temperature was 64F,
level high , and visibility 3 feet. After about a
half hour without a strike I cast a #2 SM Zonker
below a small drain inlet and as many times before a
smallmouth hit. It made a hard charge downstream and
after a minute or so I landed an over achieving
fourteen inch smallmouth. After an hour I switched to
a Rootbeer Sparkle grub. I came to a section of the
river with a steep shaded bank with water about a foot
deep at the bank. A big fish hit the fly as I
retrieved it back in short six inch strips. After a
run downstream it tried to circle the canoe but I was
able to hold him back from tangling in the anchor
rope. At last I was able to land a seventeen inch
smallmouth. It had a strong resemblance to other
similar smallmouth that were caught in a similar spot
earlier in the year. At 7:30 I switched to a dark
chartreuse Deerhair Frog. I lost one big fish that
porpoised over the fly but did not get hooked.
Sept 22 , 10:30 - 2:00 pm ,
Pine River above Midland
The water temperature was 62oF,
level low, and visibility 32 feet. I took Tom Clark
on a fishing trip on the Pine. The water was low and
clear and there was a concern about being able to get
the raft through the shallow riffles. Tom was a new
fly fisherman and was just getting use to fly casting
and landing fish. We fished a deep “L” shaped pool
that had produced big fish (a 20 incher in July) this
year but not a strike this time. Tom was able to
catch three small and medium bass in some of the
deeper shaded, rocky pools. We came to a pool that
was about three feet deep with some shade over the
water. Tom cast the SM Zonker down and across and as
he started to strip it back a nice fish hit. It was
obviously bigger than his others and made some strong
runs down stream . The fish made one small jump and
put a serious bend in Tom’s 5/6 wt rod. With some
help he was able to land a decent 15” inch
smallmouth. I fished with a Silver Zonker and
caught about fifteen smallmouth and a few rock bass.
About Six of them were 10 to 14 inches. We were able
to get the raft through the shallow riffles at the end
of the trip with minimal getting out to wade. It is
apparent the low water may be causing some of the
bigger smallmouth to move downstream to deeper water.
