Bass In The Lily Pads
click to count the lakes
Wisconsin claims to have 10,000 lakes, but I think Michigan must have many more. There are dozens within a 10-mile radius of Three Rivers, and each one must have many thousands of fish. The lakes were formed, of course, more than 10,000 years ago as the glacier was receding, leaving big chunks of ice behind to melt into lakes. But I have never understood why all the local lakes don’t have the same species of fish. Some, like Fisher Lake, have Bluegills, Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Pickerel, while others might have Perch, Crappies, or Walleyes.
- So I asked ChatGPT, and this was the ANSWER.
- What about Fisher Lake ? I asked – ANSWER.
- Aside from Blugills, the most common in The Lake are Largemouth Bass, and they are also the most fun to catch. The following offers some tips on that.
Generally speaking, fish are not renowned for their intellect, so it is not particularly difficult to catch them, and one way to do that is to study the habits of their prey[i]It’s like “follow the money” if you want to catch a politician. Bass will eat anything that moves. Among their favorites are bugs of all kinds, unsuspecting birds, careless rodents, and smaller fish of any species, including their own. That suggests that any fish of less than half the size of a nearby Bass needs to imagine itself as lunch for one of these savage predators or seek effective cover from them. Their prey seek cover (a) next to shore, where the water is shallow, (b) under overhanging brush and trees, and (c) next to man-made structures, like docks and piers. Another good spot is under lily pads, and such a patch of lily pads used to exist on the east side of the Cove, about halfway between home and the Cottages.[ii]According to Google Maps, it appears that the only lily pads left on The Lake are around the Outlet.
Smaller prey fish often hide under and among the lily pads, out of sight of the Bass. If one were to venture out, an ever-alert Bass would make a rush for that tasty morsel. Meanwhile, if a wise angler were to quietly row his boat around 30-40 feet out from the lily pads, he would be able to cast the appropriate lure gently into the area where the Bass were hanging out and enjoy a nice catch.