Opener, where?

vano397 · Post by **vano397** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:38 pm

Hoping to get to the cedar and way upper then lower Jordan rivers... then maybe somewhere around ellsworth if for nothong else to scope it out... hopefully done spawning though and i can bug em a little.

swanezy · Post by **swanezy** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:48 am

scott, i was just joking, if i could id rather fish LSC anyway. just for the numbers and size

detroithardcore · Post by **detroithardcore** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:26 am

Sawnezy,

I know your were joking.. I was just making fun of some of the meatheads we see out there in the summer. Go to the launch on a Saturday morning in the middle of summer and you could literally pull up a lawn chair, take a seat with a couple beers and it's more entertaining than a comedy stand up show. Last year, we did some night fishing and we were going out when folks were coming in and it was amazing how many people were intoxicated trying to retreive their monster boats. It was funny yet scarey! Or the group that docks the boat, unloads everything on the dock, ties up and takes 20 minutes to put the boat back on the trailer. I've seen guys smash into docks, fall in and back up too far with truck only to get stuck. It really is a show come summer time.
It's also refreshing sometimes to fish smaller lakes and not have to burn tanks of gas or fight rough water. Plus, come early summer the mayfly hatch is really unbearable! You boat, body and gear is completely covered with mayflys every inch. It is so massive though that you could always get away from a crowd and fish tons of locations that have fish. I love LSC and it really is a gorgeous body of water. You just have to be fully prepared for the worst and enough power and length to get home safely because storms come on fast once crossing the lake and most times you can outrun them and find a safe harbor or beach your boat somewhere in US waters.
Does anyone know how many fish have been taken this year at Austin? I'm sure Bill has the scoup on what's been happening out there this winter?? Bill, what have you heard???

swanezy · Post by **swanezy** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:47 am

I agree with the drunk or idiotic people taking forever to get their boat out of the water, but that same thing happens wayyy too often at murray.

Most of the time murray must be avoided on the wkends, or even some wkdays people just tie up their boat or sit at the launch strapping up their oversized speed boat for 30 minutes.

As far as Austin, i read somewhere that more fish were taken out again this year. There were a few posts about it somewhere on here. I also read it on other forums i think

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 10:31 am

I'll prolly try to escape the opening day crowds and fish one of the small west michigan lakes not named thornapple or murray. It will prolly come down to a coin toss between Oster and Campau.

mskyprey · Post by **mskyprey** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 10:40 am

detroithardcore wrote:Sawnezy,

I know your were joking.. I was just making fun of some of the meatheads we see out there in the summer. Go to the launch on a Saturday morning in the middle of summer and you could literally pull up a lawn chair, take a seat with a couple beers and it's more entertaining than a comedy stand up show. Last year, we did some night fishing and we were going out when folks were coming in and it was amazing how many people were intoxicated trying to retreive their monster boats. It was funny yet scarey! Or the group that docks the boat, unloads everything on the dock, ties up and takes 20 minutes to put the boat back on the trailer. I've seen guys smash into docks, fall in and back up too far with truck only to get stuck. It really is a show come summer time.
It's also refreshing sometimes to fish smaller lakes and not have to burn tanks of gas or fight rough water. Plus, come early summer the mayfly hatch is really unbearable! You boat, body and gear is completely covered with mayflys every inch. It is so massive though that you could always get away from a crowd and fish tons of locations that have fish. I love LSC and it really is a gorgeous body of water. You just have to be fully prepared for the worst and enough power and length to get home safely because storms come on fast once crossing the lake and most times you can outrun them and find a safe harbor or beach your boat somewhere in US waters.
Does anyone know how many fish have been taken this year at Austin? I'm sure Bill has the scoup on what's been happening out there this winter?? Bill, what have you heard???

I havent heard of any large fish being taken. Talking with the bait shops though a fair number of 37"-41" Pike were taken.

Maybe Smada could help me here with what he has heard.

I will be out opening weekend morning early, then little league opener, then back for the whole week off for fishing and I am going to hit all the area lakes within 65 miles, 1 each day.

I will have a seat available in my tiller fishhawk if anyone wants to ride along May 2-5.

Scott, your welcome to hit these lakes with me anytime.

hemichemi · Post by **hemichemi** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 11:47 am

You routinely find the most accomplished idiots at a boat launch! It's slapstick entertainment at its finest (unless you're waiting for them to clear the ramp).

Like the guy who handed the cheap plastic 1/4" bow line to his skinny little wife/gf as he backed his 30' cabin cruiser into the lake and then did a jerk-stop to get the boat off the trailer. As the boat drifted back, the little woman tried in vain to keep the boat from drifting away, ultimately having to let go of the line to keep from getting pulled into the water herself! Hubby had to go wading up to his waist to retrieve it.

Or the guy in his massive pick-em-up-truck with the 12' rowboat on a trailer that he couldn't see any part of when backing in. After backing up just 10 feet, the trailer was at 90° to the truck! I think it took him 25-30 attempts to get his boat launched.

Or the guy who also had a little rowboat behind a large pickup, forgot to unstrap the boat from the trailer, and swamped the boat when he backed in just a little too far.

Or the many people who don't properly tie their boat to the dock when parking or retrieving their tow vehicle when its windy, and their boat ends up 90° to the dock, or knocking into your boat, or blocking multiple ramps, or beaching on the concrete, or...

I'll be either at Ovid or T-apple; it will likely depend on what the DNR ramp at Thorn is like given the weather. If it's been really rainy and/or the river is up really high, I'll be at Ovid instead.

Smada962 · Post by **Smada962** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:58 pm

mskyprey wrote: I havent heard of any large fish being taken. Talking with the bait shops though a fair number of 37"-41" Pike were taken.

Maybe Smada could help me here with what he has heard.

I will be out opening weekend morning early, then little league opener, then back for the whole week off for fishing and I am going to hit all the area lakes within 65 miles, 1 each day.

I will have a seat available in my tiller fishhawk if anyone wants to ride along May 2-5.

Scott, your welcome to hit these lakes with me anytime.

Obviously there will still be quite a few fish around this year, but definitely many less than last year. It wasn't good. Those of you who fish Austin know just how many less fish there appeared to be last year than the year before. I wouldn't let it stop me from going there, just might be a littler harder than previous years.

Myself, I will probably go to Long Lake, then Bankson in the afternoon. Haven't made up my mind yet though. Actually depends somewhat on the responses on this thread.

Kingfisher · Post by **Kingfisher** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:59 pm

Michelle and I will be moving around all weekend. Most likely start at Lower crooked because it looks like all the other lakes will have lots of pressure. Mike and Michelle

edalz · Post by **edalz** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:10 pm

Smada962 wrote:
mskyprey wrote: I havent heard of any large fish being taken. Talking with the bait shops though a fair number of 37"-41" Pike were taken.

Maybe Smada could help me here with what he has heard.

I will be out opening weekend morning early, then little league opener, then back for the whole week off for fishing and I am going to hit all the area lakes within 65 miles, 1 each day.

I will have a seat available in my tiller fishhawk if anyone wants to ride along May 2-5.

Scott, your welcome to hit these lakes with me anytime.
Well I heard lots of stories about this winter, including a couple from local CO Higashi. It wasn't good at all thats for sure. I have no facts, just a bunch of horror stories and rumors so take all this with a grain of salt. I heard one story of a 50" from a local taxidermist but that was the only real big one I heard of. Mostly just a bunch of undersized fish speared again, and a couple people who abuse the resource by spearing everything that comes through their holes. One of my old neighbors has some good friends who live on Austin and last I knew they were up to 15 fish speared out of 1 shantee! That story I know for sure because I talked to one the guys who used that shantee. The biggest was 46" which they were getting mounted, most the rest where sub-legal. I got into it with them pretty good one time and they "claimed" they do it for the food and they like to eat them. When I brought up the fact that most those fish weren't legal, his repsonse was :" theres nobody around to catch me, so who cares. This lake is full of them, so we aren't doing any harm."

Obviously there will still be quite a few fish around this year, but definitely many less than last year. Those of you who fish Austin know just how many less fish there appeared to be last year than the year before. I wouldn't let it stop me from going there, just might be a littler harder than previous years.

I really didn't want to end my self-imposed ban from posting with yet another spearing rant, but I couldn't help it. Myself, I will probably go to Long Lake, then Bankson in the afternoon. Haven't made up my mind yet though. Actually depends somewhat on the responses on this thread.

It's a nice lake and its sad to hear about so many stupid people ruining it.

robhj · Post by **robhj** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 5:53 pm

Mullett, Burt, or Black. Possibly fish 2 of the lakes over 3 days. I'm hoping to mix in a Webster trip and a walleye or steelie trip in before the opener just to keep me from going completely bonkers.

kid coulson · Post by **kid coulson** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:25 pm

Depends

???? Ill be with Badd Brad somewhere on opening day, and Ill be fishing hardcore with Hardcore somewhere on Sunday.

dlw681 · Post by **dlw681** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 7:41 am

Humm where to go.... where to go... Trevor and I will be joking and laughing somewhere in Mich, we might even get lucky...with a Musky!! Can't wait BRO...............

'FISH ON TEAM BRUCE"

chipdon · Post by **chipdon** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 8:06 pm

skegemog wish there was a fish camp on that lake lot more fun with others around the campfire

Mike Stinson · Post by **Mike Stinson** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:08 pm

I'm thinking Lake Margrethe for a change.