Hey everyone,
Well I caught my first muskie on my recent trip to the UP (30"), and I lost a couple that were both probablly over 40". What can I say, im hooked.
I was just looking for a little information on lakes in my area, Williamston, in the lansing area. I know lake Ovid is close, so does anyone have any information/help for fishing that lake, or any other lakes in my area?
Also, is there any muskie lakes worth checking out in the houghton lake area?
thanks for any help!
SpenserB,
Ovid is a relatively young lake with muskie stocking starting in 1999. The 1999 and 2000 year class are now in the mid-40" range. Ovid goes through some very distinct seasonal changes with times of clear water (spring and late fall) and times of very green water (algae bloom) with near zero visability. The lake also goes through drastic weed growth changes and in the spring and early summer you'll have pondweed that eventually grows so thick and tall that everything in 8' or less has weeds to the surface. Then comes the algae bloom and all the pondweed will be gone and you'll have milfoil start to take off. Milfoil grows well in dirty water and will be the predominant weed untl winter. The algae bloom will remain some years through October and you'll need to be comfortable fishing in green water.
Along with all of this Ovid usually gets very warm in the summer and will have long stretches of water temps over 80 degrees, even at night. This hot water can be lethal to muskies and most anglers will stop fishing because it is possible to fight a muskie to death. Hope that helps on Ovid.
As far as Houghton there isn't much nearby, Budd in Harrison is a small lake but it just experienced a large scale die off this spring due to VHS (see the Preservation-Restoration-Edication forum for details). To the SE of Houghton there are a number of lakes on the Tittabawassee chain that have muskies that can be reached in an hour or less.
After giving this information I am assume that you aren't in this to harvest the first legal fish you catch and that you'll practice selective harvest or catch and release. The future of this relies on catch and release but just as important is that we're releasing healthy fish that will survive the ordeal. Don't net them and remove them from the water, keeping them in the water and breathing becomes more important
Please be sure to read the release tips on the website: <url url="[Permission to view this media is denied]
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Proper equipment that can handle these fish and the appropriate gear is very important. Rods that can keep a larger fish under control and not play them completely. Appropriate leaders and line, preferably a superbraid no less than 65lb test (most use 80-100).
I would have to say ovid would be your best bet untill the water temps get too high (which will be soon most likely) You can have days out there where you get 30 follows, and then you can go out there several days in a row, and not see hardly a thing. I would say prime time on ovid has allready passed, but it will pick up again around late aug – nov
my two cents Adam
Spencer,
Water is stained and full of points,dips,and weeds(perfect).You can also troll all day without running into to many problems.Nice boat launch,smelly outhouse.Remember,not that it matters with CPR,but Thorn has a 50 inch limit.Youd be suprised how many people dont know that.
PS-Thorn is a tuff nut to crack. Good Luck.
Spense-
Glad you are interested in this great fishery. Becoming a member of this organization will get you access to the fishing reports for the last three years and all previous posts about these lakes. Compared to a generiv fishing guide this information is priceless and will shorten the learning curve for you.
Kevin
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