Looking Back at 2011

It is the day after Christmas and what a year it has been! I have had the chance today to sit back, relax and reflect on the past year. There were highs and lows, as there is with any fishing season, but for the most part we were on cloud nine all year long. The fishing and catching was the best that I can remember in quite some time. We had several "Fish of A Lifetime" caught this year. I would like to say Thank You to the some of the sponsors that helped put these TROPHY fish into several peoples hands. They are Vicious Fishing, Castaway Rods, WaveSpin Reels & D and R Sports Center. Once again Thank You!

It all started the first week of May when I started putting the miles on after the season opener to find fish for some up coming trips. Fortunately, I found the little bronze buggers right away and they were hungry. It was on from there and I never looked back. We had our day's that were tough early, but the quality was out of this world!

The month of June was great as it always is. We caught fish almost every place that we went. The size was great and the numbers were great as well. Again, there were a couple of tough day's, but that's fishing. A highlight in June was the opportunity that I had to film a show with Shaw Grigsby. The show will air sometime between now and March. Keep your eyes open on the Sportsman's Channel for "One More Cast" with Shaw Grigsby. It was a great time and we even caught some fish.

July started with me being out in Richmond, VA fishing the first of three Northern Opens. What a learning experience that was. Take a person from Michigan that has fished clear water all of his life and go fish the James River. It was an awesome time, but I was not ready for fishing tidal chocolate milk. I learned alot and with any luck I'll be back this June to fish the Open again! Once back home though, I was extremely happy to get back on the smallies.

The end of July and beginning of August, I bounced back and forth between smallmouth and salmon fishing. We had really good fishing all the way around and before I knew it Northern Open number two was here. I found myself fishing good ole Lake Erie again and I really love this body of water. I didn't have the finish that I hoped for, but that is motivation to keep fishing until you get where you want to be.

When September arrived there was a definite slow down with the fishing. I started to get geared up for heading out to Kansas and preparing for the last Northern Open on Oneida Lake in New York. A quick trip out to Kansas to get set up for hunting season and then it was back on the road to Oneida Lake. I was really surprised with Oneida! This is an awesome fishery, but can be a little tough to figure out. After several day's of pre fishing, I had the walleye bite figured out, but wait, we're supposed to be fishing smallmouth!! I didn't have a bad finish compared to the start, but once again my motivation increases!

The month of October was very unique this year. The smallie fishing was good when you found them, but finding them proved to be difficult from time to time! We finished strong on the inland lakes, but Grand Traverse Bay threw a few curve balls to say the least. Lake Michigan however, had some of the best late season salmon fishing that I have ever had the opportunity to be a part of!! I hope it is that good again this coming year.

With the fishing all done for me, it was time to head to Kansas and begin chasing monster whitetails. I had the opportunity to help 180 Outdoors (www.hunt180.com) an outfitter in SE Kansas. What an awesome season it was. The quality of the deer killed was actually making dreams become reality! The biggest deer that hit the ground was a giant 177" deer that weighed in right at 300 pounds!!! I am really looking forward to next year!

Now that the year is almost up, I can't help but look forward to 2012. Be sure to keep up to date on all of the new happenings as I update Facebook and Twitter. Hope to see you on the water or in the woods. Good Luck and Happy Fishing.

Capt Chris

Legends of the Fall

Wow! What a season it has been. I know it has been quite some time since my last post, but that happens when you are busy! So let's try and get caught up from the beginning of August and we will work our way through this past week.

I was finishing up salmon fishing and getting ready to head to Sandusky, OH for the second stop on the B.A.S.S. Northern Open tour. Arriving at Sandusky was great! The last time I fished here it was a great tournament and I finished 11th. I really enjoy chasing smallies in big water. I had a great first day, but couldn't get the job done on the second day. I ended up falling instead of climbing the leader board. I ended up 38th. It was a little disappointing, but you learn something new at every tournament and you just have to continue to build on what you learn.

After Sandusky I headed home to continue guiding on Grand Traverse Bay. Man it felt good to be back on home water! The fishing was great and then for no apparent reason it slowed to a slow crawl. We were still catching fish, just not the size or numbers I was hoping to see. We caught several 1-3pound fish and had the occasional lunker that would show up. Most of the fish were being caught on a dropshot in deep water.

As September arrived, I had a few day's off and headed to Kansas to prepare for the upcoming deer season out there. After I returned for Kansas it was back on the water and the fishing had improved dramatically. We were catching quantity and quality. We finally broke the six pound mark after quite a dry spell for big fish. I was bummed that I had to leave for Oneida Lake for the last B.A.S.S. Northern Open. I hated to leave good fishing.

Once I arrived in New York at Oneida, I quickly realized that this was a different fishery than I was used to. Practice was brutal for all but two day's. The wind blew out of the Northeast for what seemed like an eternity! I figured out the walleye bite in short order, but struggled with the smallies. I finally put it together and had a solid plan going into the tournament. The best plan however doesn't always work. Day one was dismal at best and I didn't even catch a limit. I picked myself up on Day two however and had a great second day climbing from 125th to 68th. I know we hear this a lot, but I never give up!!

On the ride home, I was getting excited to return to the land of giant smallmouth. You always here stories of giant fish being caught in the fall. The last couple weeks of September and all of October can be some of the best fishing of the year. The scenery with all of the fall colors a blaze is breathtaking in itself, not to mention a five pound plus smallie pulling on your string. Some of the biggest fish of the year will be caught in the next few weeks. I am looking forward to chasing the Legends of the Fall! Until next time, Good luck and Happy Fishing.

Capt Chris

Catching Up

What a season it has been so far. Not only has the fishing been great, but the weather for the most part has been great as well. That is until the last couple day's. So with this opportunity, I am catching up on the report and giving an update on the products used over the last couple months.

The fishing has been rock solid all season. From pre-spawn to the spawn and now we are fishing post spawn fish that have moved deep. The drop shot seems to be the ticket right now. We are catching several fish in the 2-3lb range with a few bigger ones mixed in. These fish are eating Gulp and finesse style baits on a regular basis. Some day's they are a little finicky, but they are eating once you find what they want.

I wanted to report on a couple items that were new to me this year. Being on the water almost everyday in all types of conditions puts products to the test and this is what I have observed.

First is the Frabil FXE storm suit. This rain gear has worked great when it needed to. I have been in some extreme down pours with lots of wind and this suit kept me dry. This suit is also easy to put on and take off in a hurry when needed, also, the suit is very comfortable to wear. I would recommend this rain gear to anyone for sure.

Another item that I credit for several big fish being caught this year were my sunglasses. I purchased Costa's this year with the 580 lens in a blue mirror and a copper lens. The clarity of these lenses allowed me to see fish that others couldn't see. What a great lens!! If you sight fish, be sure to check out Costa's line of sunglasses. They have several different frames and lens combinations to fit you and get you seeing more fish!!

I have a new rod for drop shoting this year and it is from Castaway. The rod that I am using is a SKMDSM7. This has the new Microwave guides and has performed flawlessly!!!!! The sensitivity is great and the rod cast light weight tackle better than any rod I have used to date. These rods have done battle with over a thousand smallmouth this year and have held up to the daily abuse! Definitely a great rod and gets a 5 star vote from me.

It will be back to smallmouth smashing and salmon fishing as soon as the wind let's up. I can't wait to get back after em!! Until next time Good Luck and Happy Fishing.

Capt Chris

Happy Face-Sad Face

Today is the day before Father's Day. As I wright this, I am reminded of the two greatest things in life, my daughter and my son. So many great times have been had with them out on the water and at home. This is the Happy Face.

I have been on the water more this year than I ever have in the past and haven't spent the time with my children that I normally do. Make no mistake, I am not complaining, I'm just proud of these two great kids and cherish the moments that I do get to spend with them on or off the water. Happy Face again.

There are many things in life you try to teach your children as they grow. One thing that I have tried to teach them on the water is the catch and release side of conservation. Ray Scott, the founder of B.A.S.S., started the catch and release mentality years ago on the tournament trail. This is more important here in Northern Michigan than other places in the country. The growing season here is shorter and the fish do not grow nearly as fast as they do in the south.

My children have asked me several questions about keeping fish. The main question is why do we keep walleye and salmon, but we don't keep bass. My explanation is simple. Our state plants walleye and salmon, but bass are not planted. Our bass population depends on natural reproduction. They seem to understand that some fish need to be harvested for eating, while others are just more fun to catch over and over.

In this state, there are several species of fish that are not planted and depend on natural reproduction as well. The perch is a prime example. There has seemed to be an endless supply until 10 years ago when over harvesting finally took it's toll. Do we still catch perch? The answer is yes, but not like it used to be.

Why am I rambling on this subject? The answer is simple. Over the last two weeks the fishing has been great to say the least. Unfortunately, I have witnessed the bass come onto there beds and be harvested relentlessly. I watched one boat keep 14 fish off of bed's in one morning. Here is the Sad Face. If these fish on there beds are continued to be harvested, we may not see the effect right away, but we will in the future.

I understand that all fish species need to be harvested, including bass, but if harvesting fish off beds continues the World Class fishery that we have here will be decimated in no time at all. Sad Face again. I would like to see trophy fish for generations to come.

I have been blessed to be able to get my kids out and enjoy both harvesting fish to eat and catch and release for fun. I hope this will continue until my children are able to teach there children the same things. Catch and release is the way to ensure our World Class smallmouth fishery will stay intact for generations to come. Until next time, Good Luck and Happy Fishing!

QUANTITY & QUALITY

Since my last post ten day's ago, I have been on a terror in the land of the smallmouth! The fishing on the inland lakes has been absolutely fantastic to say the least. The quality and quantity of fish that have been caught is absolutely amazing.

Quality has been the most consistent. Most fish that have been caught are in the three to five pound plus range. Several fish have been over six pounds. The biggest smallmouth of the year so far was caught just the other day and it came in at 7lbs 4oz!! What a giant fish!!!!

Quantity has not been an issue other than wearing a guy out. The best day of my fishing life was just the other day. We boated 201 smallmouth with over 100 of these fish over four pounds!!!!! That is no fish story. My arms are still rehabilitating themselves. The average day has bee 20-50 fish with the occasional 100 fish plus day in there. What a great start to the year.

The lakes are still extremely cold for this time of year. Almost all of the inland lakes are still in the low to mid fifties for temps as of today. I was on Grand Traverse Bay looking for fish and the water was 41 degrees!! Holy coldness!!! Back to the inland lakes I went and it has been great. Most fish are responding well to jerk baits and starting to eat lipless cranks fairly well.

I'm looking forward to being on the water for the next few weeks straight! Until next time Good Luck and Happy Fishing.

Capt Chris

Spring Madness

What a last couple of weeks. The fishing on the inland lakes has been spectacular for early spring. The water temperatures are still cool for this time of year, but the fish have responded nicely. Several smallmouth, as well as a few largemouth have been caught. The quality of the fish has been absolutely amazing!! We are only two weeks into the season and have boated four fish over six pounds and several over five pounds. The three biggest fish of the year so far a 7lb smallmouth, a 6lb 12oz smallmouth and a 7lb 3oz monster largemouth that is my personal best largemouth bass ever! What a great start to the year.

These fish have slowly starting to get more active as the water warms. The water temperatures are still in the mid to high 40's for the most part, but a few lakes have crept into the mid 50's. Most of the fish we have been catching are still fairly deep. The shallow jerk bait bite has been slowly picking up. A twister tail grub has been good as well fished on a slow steady retrieve.

There is a shallow bite that has produced fish also. I have been making extremely long cast into 2 feet of water with a small #8 X-Rap targeting fish that are desperately trying to warm up and feeding on shiners doing the same thing. The ability to cast this small bait a long distance, has been due the new Microwave guide that Castaway has introduced to there spinning rods. The performance of this guide is awesome! The Microwave guide has definitely increased the distance that I am able to cast. The complete set up is a WaveSpin 3000z spooled with 8# Vicious Pro Elite fluorocarbon on a Castaway SKMDSM7. Be sure to check these rods out at www.castawayrods.com.

I'll be giving fishing reports and reviews on the equipment/products that we are using to catch these monster smallmouth in the coming weeks. I need to get back out on the water and enjoy the Spring Madness while it last! Until next time, Good Luck and Happy Fishing.

Capt Chris

Fishing Again

After a long cold winter, the season has finally begun. We are fishing again here in Northern Michigan even though the temperatures don't seem to be much different than a month ago. It has been a slow warm up but the fishing has started off extremely well.

Most of the lakes here have not warmed past the 50 degree mark as of today. The fish are slowly starting to move up, but most are still being caught deep(25-45 feet). We have caught several fish in the 3-5 pound class this year already and were just getting started!

The majority of the bites have been on a jigging spoon or blade style bait. The few shallow bites have come on jerk baits or twister tail grubs. The most interesting bites this year have been the number of northern pike we have caught in deep water. These fish have been real aggressive and fun to catch even though they are not the intended species.

I'm looking forward to getting back on the water! The wind is howling here today, so I'll get caught up on a few of the "honey do" items and then it's back to fishing!Until next time Good Luck and Happy Fishing!

Capt Chris

Getting Ready

Here in Northern Michigan, the ice is finally starting to disappear after a long winter. If all went well when the boat was put away, getting the boat ready should be a fairly easy chore. I look forward to getting out on the water as soon as the ice is gone. Hopefully this will be in the next few day's.

Over the winter, you have a lot of time to look at new and old tackle. You remember the baits that worked, as well as the ones that made there way to the recycle bin. There were baits that consistently caught fish and ones that worked for a special situation. Now after going to Outdoor Expo's, looking at catalogs and reading product reviews all winter, you have ordered or bought a new arsenal of tackle/gear for the season ahead.

This year we will be using some of the same gear as last, but there will be some new additions as well. For starters, sight fishing is a very large part of smallmouth fishing in these parts and good glasses are the key to success. Costa Del Mar has a 580 lens that is out of this world for clarity!! I have these in different lens colors so I am able to see the best, depending on the brightness of the day. Costa glasses are available in several different frame styles and lens colors. Be sure to check them out.

Another important piece of equipment is your rain gear. Frabil has introduced a new rain suit that has been thought out really well! There are several features on this suit that will make fishing in the rain a lot more comfortable for me this year. This suit is definitely worth a look at!

A new addition in the line department will be the Vicious Pro Elite Fluorocarbon. This is a new line for Vicious. This fluorocarbon has less memory, cast smoother, has great knot strength and abrasion resistance. These are all essential qualities for fishing in clear water. I am excited to "GET VICIOUS" on the fish this year!

There is a company that has been out for a while, but I have never fished there baits. The Zipper Worm Company has a great selection of soft plastics and jigs. They are unique in there design and have my interest. I will be giving a few of there baits the ultimate test for Mister Bronzeback this season. Check them out at www.zipperwormcompany.com

It has been fun getting ready for this upcoming season. With the new gear and anticipation of catching the first bronzeback of the season, I am ready to go have some fun! You can follow Northern Adventures Fishing daily on Facebook www.facebook.com/northernadventuresfishing or on Twitter at Fishin4alivn. I will be updating the fishing report often as possible. Until next time Good Luck and Happy Fishing!

Capt Chris

Family, Friendships & Fishing

It has been quite some time since my last post!! Between hunting trips, end of season fishing trips, and holiday's, the time has flown by. It is now time to open the chapter on 2011. I look forward to what this year will bring in the way of family, friendships and fishing. These are three of the most important things to me in life.

Family to me is the most important thing of all! My wife and kids always make me happy no matter what. I love spending time with them whenever possible. We look forward to the slow time of the year so we can spend quality time together. Unfortunately, there is no warm weather get away this winter season, just hot chocolate after shoveling snow. I can't wait to get the boat out and take them on the first fishing trip of the year! It is always a great time.

Friendships come and go through the years, but every year I look forward to new friendships that will be made fishing. It is always fun to meet new people and go different places to fish. Watching people catch fish to me never gets old, especially when it is there personal best or there first. Let us not forget about good times to be had with old friends. Fishing with old buddies is a good time that never gets old. There always seems to be the one that got away or a fish tale of great proportion to be re-lived.

Fishing for me, has been more along the lines of work now for over 20+ years. I still look forward to the challenges of figuring those finned critters out. Also, I enjoy taking people fishing, no matter if they are a rookie or the next Fishing Hall of Fame inductee. This is always rewarding no matter what the outcome. This is why fishing never gets old to me.

We will see what 2011 has to offer in the way of family, friendships, and fishing. I'm sure it will be great. Hope to see you on the water Until next time Good Luck and Happy Fishing.

Capt Chris