GREAT DAY ON THE BAY

By: Ray Hansen

Life-long friend Duane Deno and I went out on Little Bay de Noc in Delta County, Michigan near Escanaba on August 25, 2008. This is one of the northernmost bays on Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. At 5 a.m. we launched his boat in the dark, bundled up in multiple layers of wool shirts and jackets against the 45 degree temperatures and foggy conditions. The day turned quite warm later on, but pre-dawn was cold.

I made the first catch of the day, and it was a fifteen pound heavyweight that was as solid as iron…. because it was iron! I’ll explain.

One of our first stops was a rocky submerged reef that is five feet deep on top and quickly drops into depths of thirty feet and more. While casting a diving crankbait to work the underwater slope along the east side of the rocky hump, I snagged into a piece of rope. Fortunately, this rope was long enough so I could get the lure back to the boat without losing it. Wondering what it was attached to, I began pulling it up, and found the other end connected to a fifteen pound navy style anchor! It was in very good shape so it will make a great spare.

The surprises were not done for the day. In another spot we were using two-hook perch rigs baited with nightcrawler pieces and fishing straight over the side of the boat in seventeen feet of water. Duane got a bite and set the hook into two smallmouth bass, one on each hook! Talk about a fight. They bulldogged back to the boat pulling against the line as well as each other. We released them alive as we did for the other fifteen or so bass we caught.

Perch were co-operating today and we landed a dozen with the largest measuring 12 ½”. These were kept, cleaned and frozen. They are among the tastiest fish found in these waters.

Three pike also came aboard long enough to be unhooked and released. No big ones today, but fun nevertheless.

Last but not least, we caught ten walleyes, but just two were above the fifteen inch minimum length for kept fish. So ended a great day on the bay. Old friends fishing together and a couple new stories to tell around the campfire.

Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008