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Posts: 7
| Any news on the Musky bite on Bankson. Thinking about going out this Sunday. Ranger are you heading out this week-end? |
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Posts: 134
| Just got back from Bankson, very windy, rainy, and cold; in other words a good muskie day. Fished 7 1/2 hours, got rained on twice real good, had one follow that hit on the 8 and like the seasoned angler I am, pulled it away from her. Not a bad day on the water.
Joe Wishin |
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Posts: 3912
| !8 hours over the past few days with one 38" and two follows. Even tried verticle jigging 7" suckers over pods of baitfish in the deoper water.
The lake should be hot and there's zero preseure. I start with suicks and glides than move to hair.
Bring a spincast with fresh 6# and some lively fatheads. Many of those baitfish are walleys, but I think Walleyes shut down at dawn, so get there early. You can troll a muskie bait on one side and a shadrap (perch) or musky jerk (sSilver/black) on the other. |
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| It has been a few years since I fished Bankson, mainly due to low water at boat ramp and it not being a breeding stock lake, how is the population of muskies and the ramp? Al |
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Posts: 34
| Hey guys......... good to hear a post on this subject!!!! I've heard rumors that the ramp has been rebuilt??? Havent been to the area for a few years!!!.....used to fish it quite a bit in the spring and fall.......good for a few nice fish back in the day! !!!! ..........is the rock reef in the middle still exposed??? feel free to PM me on the subject as I would love to avoid the crowds and re-kindle an old flame.......always reminded me of being up north before the milfoil runied the weedlines.......LMK...... |
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Posts: 7
| Musky Al,
Boated a 37" 2 weeks ago, on a purple worm ( fishing for bass ), all I can tell you on the population is follow ups are normal pretty much every time out. Boat ramp was recently repaired but still pretty low. I fished w/ a friend who fished it often in the 1980's and he said the lake level is down at leat 5' from back in the day. Still 40' of water in some areas.
Musky Red |
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Posts: 3912
| Ramp is rebuilt, now easy access for bigger boats. The lake level is down like 8' from years past, very strange, other local lakes aren't down near so much. The sand bar between the two basins is like 3' most places, but there are nice weedlines on both sides facing the two basins.
Very tough lake this last season, no one I talked to boated many fish. Lots of pressure I guess. Very hard to boat a fish over 40", seems like anything close to 42" is taken out of there. All my fish are 34-38". Better bet may be Thornapple 50 or so miles to the northeast; there's a 50" limit there now.
Muskyred, are you Mike who I recently met there?? |
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Posts: 32930
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Ranger,
I know it's late here, so you are really up late! Hideout Awaits the next Ranger visit.... |
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Posts: 3912
| Shoot, it's not even 2:00am. But, truth be told, I left a local deer camp early to try to get some sleep. |
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Posts: 7
| Ranger,
Yes I'am, you were dead on this is a great site. Hoping to get out over the week-end. Been out lately?
Muskyred
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Posts: 576
Location: nappanee IN | hey red, mark zeak used to have a tourney every fall on bankson
and the hot lure was the big worm from jacks jigs, thrown up shallow
and brought out to deeper.
the guy in the house on the point used to live almost in the water and now he has a yard!!
the lake got me started on muskie and then i found out about webster.. end of story  |
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Posts: 7
| Thanks for the info on Webster, how far is it from the Mattawan MI area? Not alot of Musky lakes in my neck of the woods.
Muskyred |
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Posts: 134
| Where I live in South Bend, Mattawan is about 60 miles from me and Webster is 60 miles south east of me. It should be a little less than that for you if you drive straight down. Why don't you go about 30 miles north of you to Thornapple lake?
Joe Wishin
There are only two kinds of fish in fresh water;Muskies and things muskies eat. |
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Posts: 3912
| Red - Thorn is a closer bet during MI season, there's a 50" limit now, too. But, our season closes on 11/30, and I think IN stays open all year. Webster is worth the drive and there's always a couple folks here who have recently been on the water. |
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| I have been muskie fishing for about 3 years now so my experience is limited. I live in South Bend but am moving to Niles, MI so I would love more info about Bankson Lake. Does anyone have a map or something that can be emailed. If so, please send it to me at [email protected].
also, I have heard great things about Thornapple and play on fishing it this year, but I have traveled to Webster the past few years. EVERY time I go there I get follows and most times there are multiple strikes. Webster is a great lake to fish, but very busy on weekends!!! There's plenty of muskies for everyone in that lake.
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Posts: 3912
| I can provide you with a map of Bankson and Thorn. But I think I have to fax them, got a number? You'll have to meet up with Red and I in 2007. |
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Location: Illinois | Anybody got current watet temps? Thanks! |
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Posts: 257
Location: Valpo IN | Wow this is a old thread, if any of ya that live up near this area would PM me I have a few ??`s about the area for fishing, I have some friends that have a cottage close by. Thanks |
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| 84-89 degrees all throughout southern and west MI. Everyone in our club in the southern 1/2 of the lower peninsula stopped fishing a couple weeks ago. |
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Posts: 133
Location: South Bend, Indiana | I've never heard of this lake having musky... How was the fishing there this spring? |
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Posts: 78
| probably because it doesn't get hit that hard anymore.. some people in our club fish it, but i wouldn't drive the hour + to ever fish it |
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Posts: 134
| I remember Bankson lake back in the '70s and '80s when it was a brood stock lake. Many seven and eight fish days. I still fish it some because I just like the lake but one fish per trip is about the best I can do these days; I am getting older though. People using live bait kill a lot of muskies and the residents usually kill a muskie if they catch one fishing for something else. The access is not very good either. There are some very nice bass in there also and I have caught a few walleyes as well.
Joe W |
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Bankson Lake Michigan