Jack Packard's Fish

Trip report, Day 1. I decided to drive out here, here being Roseville, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Saint Clair, famous for its big and hard-fighting Smallmouth Bass.

We had dinner at a fabulous Spanish place called Mallorca, which Barbara had found when she was up in PGH dring the spring, and I was very impressed. All I can say is if you ever have to spend the night in Pittsburgh, this is a great place to start.

I had an uneventful 4 1/2 hour ride to my hotel here, had a decent dinner nearby and was ready for Art Ferguson Monday morning. We had been promised warm and sunny weather with light south winds, and we certainly had that, at least until 9:15. All I can say for the rest of the day is that it absolutely did not snow. Wind, rain, donner un blitzen, and we spent a lot of time just trying to stay out of trouble. That didn't always put us where the fish were, but we managed to stay busy, using various lures under various conditions. By the end of the day, which came a bit early because more "stuff" was coming our way, we had caught nineteen spunky bass and considered ourselves lucky to have done so.

Now we're drying off, looking forward to tomorrow when the forecast is....you guessed it....Warm and Sunny with Light South Winds.

Watch this space.

Trip Report, Day 2. This is going to be short, because a lot of what would make it long is pretty boring. Suffice it to say it was a mostly gorgeous day for everyone except the fish. I started slowly....at one time Art was ahead 11 fish to 1, but ended with the greatest Smallmouth extravaganza of my life, confirming, I hope for all time my nickname of JBB....Jack Big Bass. The fishing kept improving as the day progressed, and around 3:30 Art took us to a spot that he liked but hadn't been very productive of late. Good Grief! in less than 1/2 hour I hooked six Bass over 4#, four of which were over 5#. I say "hooked", because three of them jumped out of the water and spit out the hook. The others that didn't get away were 18" 4-1/2#, 19-1/2" 5-1/4#, and 21" 5-1/4", my all time biggest. (It might help to know that in Manitoba, if you catch and register an 18" Smallmouth, they give you a wall plaque declaring you a "Master Angler" and a pin for you fishing hat.) We caught a bunch more biggies in that same spot, and it was a never-to-be-forgotten event for both of us.

Happenings like this are why people, at least people like me, come to Lake Saint Clair. It has the reputation of containing lots of huge Smallmouth Bass, and all you need is good fortune and a great guide to help you find them. I have fished the lake six or eight times, always with Art Ferguson, and have had many good days and a few to be forgotten. Today was one to remember forever. I will have some photos for you later.

The weatherman has happy words for tomorrow, and you can believe we're going to retrace today's path to success.

Trip Report, Day 3. Into every life a little rain (and high wind) must fall, and today was our turn. Fortunately, the first two wonderful days made this another terrific adventure. Art and I spent the morning cruising around looking for places where there might be (a) little wind and (b) a reasonable number of smallies. We didn't have much success except at one or two "honey holes", and ended up calling it a day at lunchtime. I caught 7 fish, 6 Bass and a nice Walleye to pair with the one I caught yesterday for the Ferguson family's dinner.