With the water's surface as calm as it was and the high noon's clear skies having the sun directly overhead, while wearing a pair of Solar Bat polarized glasses it was like playing the part of A Toy Story's Buzz Light-year, as you could seen to see "to infinity and beyond".
You see, the lakes in this area, whether the Great Lakes or the many inland lakes, have some of the clearest water you'll ever see; they have been that way since the end of the last ice age; well before the invasive zebra muscle clammed their bottoms, and clearing their waters even more.
"It's nothing to see the bottom in 25 feet of water, and to see the very fish swimming around in it," says Don Patton, Director of NBAA's Weeknight Tournament Division 59, "and that is what blows away the Average Joe who comes here for the fish time to fish," he adds.
Tournaments in Division 59 are mostly fished near Kalkaska, MI, located on Traverse City's east side, concentrating on lakes from Lake Charlevoix down, throughout the Torch and Elk Chain-of-Lakes, and the northern half of East Grand Traverse Bay; all some of the most pristine smallmouth lakes in the world.
Bass in these waters act react differently to those in the more tannic-stained lakes to the north, and muddied water to the south. Besides picking up vibrations in the water, the bass here utilize their eyesight more than any other bass would, and although the lures you would use here are similar to those of other areas, the bass react differently to them.
Take for example, a Bill Norman Rat-L-Trap, one of Patton's favorite Northern Michigan bass lures. The only way a bass in shallow dirty water may even be able to zone in on it is from its high pitched rattle as it swims its nose while it sits and waits for food to pass by, where as a bass in these ultra clear waters, it is a reactionary strike from the fish, which may have spotted the lure literally yards away, and in water as deep as 40 plus feet.
Bass coming from water as deep as 40 plus feet you say? Yep, and that's what makes for even more unique bass fishing attributes to this area; bass coming from super deep water; and as you know,
deep fish can mean BIG fish.
"We gave out an awful lot of big fish license plates last year," says Gene Castle, Tournament Director for Division 38, covering the waters surrounding Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Benzie Counties, from the Torch / Elk Chain west "and, with the lakes we're going to fish this year, there will be a lot more to come" he adds.
It is not uncommon, during any of Castle's weeknight or his new "Cherry Bowl Weekend Tournaments." (named Cherry Bowl because Traverse City is the Cherry Capital of the World) for bass, especially smallmouth, to be weighed in exceeding five pounds. In fact, the right place for a tournament at the right time, and you could have a five bag limit of smallies weighting almost twentyfive pounds. It has happened here before, and during a three hour weeknight tournament no less.
As for Montgomery's and my trip this past summer, we were in no hurry; we just fished the day away as the bow mount trolling motor moved us along the sandy flat. We would watch for any dark colored areas well ahead of the boat, indicating a minor break or weed patch, and would then cast plastics and the occasional crankbait over and through them.
The part of the trip that reminded Montgomery of bone fishing the Florida Keys so much was watching smallmouth dart out from the shadows, and attacking his lure; something, that even with his many years worth of experiences in bass fishing, he could say he had never saw in such detail, and right there before his very eyes. It is an experience only the waters of the 45th parallel can give you.
New to the area in 2005, Divisions 38 and 59 will be hosting weekend tournaments to the waters of Northern Michigan, also hosted by Patten and Castle, along with their popular weeknight tournaments. If interested in fishing either of their weekday or weekend series, you can contact them through the N.B.A.A. website at www.nbaa-bass.com. |
Black Jack Shootout 
