Right from the pro's mouth!

[Rob LaMoy]

As quoted by Clark Wendlandt: Where is the best lake to fish and when?



June: Lake Champlain

 

[Bill McElroy]

1st off...he's never been here in June!....and secondly, Walpole waters ARE open in June!! (end of the month anyway..LOL) Regardless,.....you can keep Champlain,..after one trip through the "Miracle Mile" and you're going to be so frikkin' scared of our water you'll never come back...which is FINE with us! Less pressure on the REAL toads!!! LOL save your energy Rob,...you're going to need it,...even the Navy SEALS look at the "Mile" as a whole 'nuther "Hell week!!" ahahah

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I knew this would get you going! HAAAAA!!!!

 

[Bill McElroy]

,...ahahhaha...I'm just savin' all my "paybacks" for when you're here.....i'll let the "Mile" do all of my talkin'!!

aahahhaahahhaha

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Hey, I'll go as long as your arse is in the seat next to me! LOL If I die, you're coming with me!!!

 

[Bill McElroy]

I don't wanna die!!! That's why I won't let YOU drive!!

Besides,.....one doesn't appreciate the true terror unless you're riding,,and you have no control over what's going on! The driving is easy....it's the rider who finds religion!....don't forget to update your Living Will before you come in April...just incase.....seeya soon!! :O)

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Oh no, Mini said he was gonna make me drive it!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

That's perfect Rob, as long as it's mini's boat!! Superglue your arse to the seat, open her up and run the tops!! Just make sure you don't spear one!! Fill the livewells to make the rear drop first and let her go. YEEEE-HAAAAA! Stress Cracks? We anin't got no stinkin stress cracks!!



TOXIC

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Whatchu talkin 'bout Skeeters cain't run WOT in dis stuff. Watch me! LOL I would never do that to Mini's new rig. But I am anxious to see how Skeeters do in big water. I love the design and layout of them and the fact that they all come with Yamahas, but I was leary of them for their rough water ride. We'll see. There are tons of them for sale, so maybe this ride might impact me down the road.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

"impact" is right!! LOL



TOXIC

 

[TrepMan]

Gang - Talked to one of my employee's who lives 1 mile from St. Clair (she lives in St. Clair Shore) and I asked her about the Miracle Mile. She confirmed what you guys have said and unless she knew it was glass smooth and NO freighters/tuna boats no way she'd try it in anything under a 30 footer!!!

 

[Chad Mitchell]

Ok I'm a landlocked Texas boy, please fill me in. What the heck is the "Miracle Mile" and why does is spawn such respect?

 

[Bill McElroy]

WHAT????...You thought we were BS'n ya??? You felt the need for verification?? the HORROR!!!.....Wait'll you get your skinny arss up here,.......we'll verify it for ya!!LOL

 

[Chad Mitchell]

I dont even know what yall are talking about. Much less want to ride thru it with some half crazed bass fisherman at the wheel, or maybe yall are whole crazed.

 

[Bill McElroy]

hahaahhaahahha......One hasn't experienced BAD WATER until they've experienced the Detroit River's "Miracle Mile" during the 4th of July weekend,..Lucifer himself would repent!lol

 

[Ken Neeley]

My uncle's cousin's stepsister's boyfriends ex-brother-in-law went through there on the 4th of July last summer and hasn't been seen since...

 

[TrepMan]

1fish - Read the post titled "Christmas in MI". I've included part of it below that explains this place i've never been too.



Mac - No I didn't doubt you, but you KNOW fisherpeople do have a tendancy to EXAGGERATE!!!!



re: Christmas in MI by Mac, 12/10/2002 11:05 ET



It's a one mile stretch between the Ambassador Bridge and Belle Isle,....seawalled on both sides (US & Canada)...1/2mile wide and a main bottle neck between Erie and 'clair...it's the only place for EVERY great lakes freighter and yacht going north or south to travel through!

I have been in there when there's 6-8ft waves 10feet apart and coming at you from side to side and front to back...there is no cadence to them.....it is absolutely brutal..and like NOTHING you've ever experienced!!! It can be terrifying to say the least!! Kiss your wife goodbye BEFORE you leave to come here,....cuz you won't be able to use the cell phone,..you'll be hanging on too tight!!! LOL

You'll see grasshoppa.....

Mac

re: Christmas in MI by TOXIC, 12/10/2002 11:08 ET



Killer Bathtub!!



TOXIC

re: Christmas in MI by mini, 12/10/2002 11:08 ET



Rob,



The Ambassador Bridge is the narrowest section of flowing water on the Detroit River. ALL of the water from St. Clair flows under that bridge in a bout 7 days (the lake replenishes itself with fresh water from Lake Huron on the average of 7 days, depending on the wind it can be 3 days or 30).



The boat traffic (more boats registered on the Detroit River, Lake St Clair and the St Clair River than any other body of water in the world) comibined with the barges and freighters wakes (MAJOR shipping on the Great Lakes), the narrowest section of the river with the seawalls sending all that water back to the middle make for a hell ride when it is a sunny day. When its not sunny you can reducee the pleasure boaters and it isnt AS bad, but still brutal. If the wind comes from the right direction you will not want to cross at a speed faster than keeping the nose of the boat high enough to crest the next wave, hoping they dont break over the side or rear....AND it still hurts landing! It turns into a bathtub of omni directional waves that can top 10 feet. No rhyme or reason to the waves, they come at you from all sides....



Ya know, that isnt even the worst spot....the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron is worse.....narrower and faster current. Not as much boat traffic, but when you have a lake as big as Lake Huron dumping into a "small" river like the St Clair River at about 7-14 mph worth of current.....it gets nasty real quick.



You will see soon enough....I hope for your sake it isnt that bad....the Pro circuits are usually blessed with good weather as they schedule them at the right times.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I can vouch for Ken's story, I was water-skiing right behind them.



TOXIC

 

[Bill McElroy]

a little inside info...FYI,...it's where the final scene in "The perfect storm" was filmed..........ahahahaa

and that was a nice day too....(Rob..bring a snorkel!!)

 

[bob daniels]

you da man mac tell mmm

 

[Dan J.]

I've never been on St. Clair, but friends have told me it's (the MM) like a strong west wind on Ontario while coming out (east, Clayton Lths.) of the St. Lawrence behind a slag hauler (300 footer). Yikes!!

 

[Bill McElroy]

ahahhaa...that's pretty close Dan....but it's more like being slightly behind and BETWEEN 2 of those slag haulers,..right where their wakes come together!!! LOL

 

[Bill McElroy]

When seasoned Pro's from the FLW and BASS tours come up to us and say,.."Ya'll got some mighty dad'gum ROUGH water up here"....you know it got their attention!!!

 

[Chad Mitchell]

thanks now I have some perspective. I was on Lake Austin in a 9ft Bassbuster with a 3hp motor. Those deep-v pleasure boat made a nice wake that would bounce of the brick seawalls in front of peoples homes. All I have to do is magnify the terror by a billions times and I can picture it. yall have fun. Maybe when I get rich enough to by a 100ft+ yacht I'll try it.

 

[Marke Cicero]

I'm with you 1fish...LOL There is not a Bass in the world worth driving through that.



Marke

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Sissy! You skirt Cicero! Quitcher crya$$in and let's whoop this miracle mile! On second thoughts, after you whimpered at the rally, you'd better stay on land and let Mac and I go! Haaaaaaa.......MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! LOL I'm just full of it today ain't I?

 

[gone bye bye]

Well I can see we dont have to worry about this group running to Erie from St Clair...lol



Heck a few years back i would run to Clair from Erie!!! But the average size fish is beggier now on Erie and I have reversed my thinking. Not only that the more time spend out on Erie the more new stuff I find!



Rob.....you are right. If you polled the FLW anglers and the BASS Tour Pros MOST of them would pick Champlain over St. Clair. But KVD's favorite lake is St Clair, of course he is as biased as me. I have talked with many people from Michigan that are now taking annual trips to Champlain becasue the fishing is so good. That is saying something when we have the kind of waters we do here. Personally, I havent been to Champlain, but I will make it one of these days. I still would rather fish St Clair than any other body of water in the world because of its diverse fishery and aquatic life. There are more species of freshwater animals and fish in St Clair than any other body of freshwater in the world. I know that Champlain has an awesome large and smallmouth population. How is the "other" fishing on Champlain? Musky, pike, walleye, perch, salmon, steelhead, lake trout, brown trout, catfish, rockbass, crappie, bowfin (dogfish), carp, white sucker, longnose sucker, sturgeon, spotted gar, longnose gar, white bass, bullhead, smelt, mooneye, herring, etc...?



The link below lists different types of fish in Michigan.....how lucky we are!



Mini
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_18958-45761--,00.html

 

[Ken Neeley]

Mini,

You forgot everyones favorite....the guvm't cheese fish....the Sheephead!!!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Pike is rivalled only by the Canadian remote ponds as stated by Field and Stream and I agree. Lake trout are awesome, walleye are bad and getting worse every year. Perch, sunnie, crappie, bowfin, ling, herring, gar, muskie, rainbow, browns, catfish, bullhead, carp, mooneye, suckers, rockbass, white perch, white bass, you name it....we got and by the truck load. In fact I could do with a little LESS rockbass! If I had a dollar for every one I caught, I would fish pro as a hobby to spend money that uncle sam wouldn't take! It is a great fishery as I'm sure St Clair and Erie are too. The pressure is having an impact but not as much as the damn cormmorants or zebra mussels. And the commercial fisherman keeping everything they hook, AND the reservations netting during the walleye spawn legally!!! You get your butt out here and I'll show you what it has to offer. Most likely one in the same. It's why I haven't moved. So next time yo hear about us in 4' of snow and ice or -30 f, believe me, it has GOT to be a great lake to keep me in this God forsaken hole of hell they call Plattsburgh NY! LOL

 

[Ken Neeley]

Rob,

How are the zebra mussels impacting the fishery there?

 

[gone bye bye]

How could have I forgotten the freshwater drum....doh!



We have thise problems here to Rob....I will be out there soon, and you WILL be my guide.



I say the same thing why I havent moved to a warmer climate.



Mini

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Ken, it's still too early to tell. Couple of things that I have observed. One is that because they clear the water so much, it increases the natural predation of the cormmorants who are sight feeders, so it was a double wammie against the lake. Don't even get me started about the sea lampreys! Then as I snorkel I notice that where there are over abundant zebras, which is not about everywhere, there are no natural clams. They've all starved to death because the zebras have taken all the nutrients. Then there are considerably less crawfish, same reason I believe. So now the bass have to forage for alewives and smelt which by the way.. you guessed it are being wiped out by the cormmorants. If something isn't done and done soon, Champlain will not be the fishery it is in say 5-6 years.

Mini, you're always welcome and I intend to put you on some spots that will make you feel right at home.

 

[gone bye bye]

Your a good man LaMoy....but you never called back this afternoon. They just set the food in front of me when you called......



BTW I read through your little "intro" pretty quick didnt I?



Mini