Fish (and Food) from Traverse City, MI

BigBassin144 · 07-08-12, 03:56 PM

We were up in Northern Michigan during the last week in June. Well, my sister and I were there all week and my parents came up Wednesday night.

Anyways, I got to enjoy two of my favorite things: Fish and Food!

I'll start with the fishing, as this is the braggin' board.

We went out with a guide, Tony from Traverse City Bass, on Friday June 29th for a half day of fishing on Grand Traverse Bay.

We met him at the ramp at 6am and were quickly on our way. He had me tie on a tube as we cruised to our first stop. About my third cast, I hooked up with a keeper smallie. We were fishing in 8-10' of water that we could see pebbled on the bottom. We fished here for about an hour and a half. I landed 7, my dad 2 (after he switched to the same color tube)

We moved to a bit deeper water with real short "sand grass" when the sun came up more. The wind picked up as we were sight fishing the grass beds in 14' of water. My dad landed 5 here before I got one in the boat. I got about 4 more from various grass beds and he picked up about 8. Mostly keepers, all chunky, with the biggest coming in around 3.5lbs.

We moved from this about 5-6 square mile "flat" in the middle of the bay through some 100' water towards a shallow drop-off near the shore in about 12' of water. I picked up a couple more here, although they were undersized.

We headed to an area he said was holding a few big post-spawn females (including a 6.5lb'er that a 9 year old girl caught the previous weekend). We moved though the rocks without a bite to an area he knew of with some deeper bass beds in 14' of water. We basically went along, and when we saw the beds, we casted past them and brought the tube through it. I picked up another one here.

All in all, we landed about 25 fish in 5 hours. Not a bad day, and very relaxing not having to worry about boat position, other boats, or the TM in general.

We didn't get too many pictures, but here's a few.

And this is what I get for having someone else take the pic on my cell phone...

Can't see it, but I've got my BF.com shirt on!

We also saw Kim Stricker's truck and boat from the Hook'N'Look show.

And now on to the other portion. One of my favorite restaurants of all time is up here and you have to hit it if you're ever in the Traverse City area. Boone's Long Lake Inn. The food is great and the portions are HUGE!

The Seafood platter:

"16oz." Seasoned Ribeye (it's actually a slab of prime rib seasoned and charred on the grill). It was probably closer to 24-26oz.

One of my favorite dishes from a tapas restaurant called Firefly. Tuna Tartare with Wasabi Creme Fraiche. Lots of other good stuff there too.

We also took a kayak trip on the beatiful Boardman River, climbed the dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, and enjoyed our beach on the bay.

BB

WatterBoy · 07-08-12, 05:00 PM

Good stuff, Anthony. Looks like you enjoyed your week away! That cell phone pic of you is hilarious.

Jrob78 · 07-08-12, 05:39 PM

Sounds like a fun trip! I would love to get up there and do some smallie fishing. That seafood platter and steak look amazing! I'm starving right now

Bassboss · 07-08-12, 06:43 PM

Looks like it was a great day of fishing! That's some pretty good looking food too.

bamabassman · 07-08-12, 08:23 PM

mannnn...........fantastic trip anthony. the fish are BEAUTIFUL, and food.........aaahhhh the food.

i am so glad to see you and jeff having such a great time buddy. and ya'll should've left a note on the truck telling them about us here, hahaha.i have watched the show and love it. thanks for the pics pal. tell everyone we said hi and we hope everything is going good.

islandbass · 07-09-12, 03:19 AM

Nice report. I felt like I was there and could almost taste the food.

MIbasser · 07-09-12, 10:06 AM

Nice job BB!! I didn't get a chance to get up there this spring, but I heard it was on fire once again. I've never been to Boone's so I'll have to give it a try. My favorite place is Mode's Bum Steer in downtown TC. Great food at a really good price.

BigBassin144 · 07-09-12, 07:56 PM

Thanks guys, it really was a great trip. Not to mention, it was in the mid 70's most of the week while it was hitting 90-104 every day back home.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIbasser

Nice job BB!! I didn't get a chance to get up there this spring, but I heard it was on fire once again. I've never been to Boone's so I'll have to give it a try. My favorite place is Mode's Bum Steer in downtown TC. Great food at a really good price.

Mode's was on our list of restaurants to hit, but we had to cut it out. Cajun Bayou Pasta at North Peak Brewing Co. was AMAZING though! Apache Trout Grill was one of my favorite meals up there the whole week. And the hour and a half wait wasn't as bad with the beautiful view of the bay. Boone's isn't cheap, but it's a great deal considering how much food you get.

BB

DaveW731 · 07-11-12, 01:44 PM

I love the TC area and the bay is KILLER for smallies! Another great area about 30 miles up the coast is Lake Charlevoix. Same strategies as T Bay, with very similar fish.

If you want a truly unique experience in the area, pay a visit to the grounds of what used to be the psychiatric hospital on the south side of town. The main building looks like it belongs in a Frankenstein movie. It has been changed into a commercial district, with tons of shops, places to eat and even condos and office space. Besides, it has a great eerie feeling to it, especially on the basement level of the main building....

lowrider · 07-11-12, 02:38 PM

Looks like y'all had a good time for sure. And, props to spelling Creme Fraiche correctly! Only a real "foodie" gets that one right

keithdog · 07-11-12, 08:36 PM

I loved the phtos you sent me and these are icing on the cake. You both sure look like your having a ball. And that food......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

07-08-12, 03:56 PM	#1
BigBassin144 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9,463	Fish (and Food) from Traverse City, MI We were up in Northern Michigan during the last week in June. Well, my sister and I were there all week and my parents came up Wednesday night. Anyways, I got to enjoy two of my favorite things: Fish and Food! I'll start with the fishing, as this is the braggin' board. We went out with a guide, Tony from Traverse City Bass, on Friday June 29th for a half day of fishing on Grand Traverse Bay. We met him at the ramp at 6am and were quickly on our way. He had me tie on a tube as we cruised to our first stop. About my third cast, I hooked up with a keeper smallie. We were fishing in 8-10' of water that we could see pebbled on the bottom. We fished here for about an hour and a half. I landed 7, my dad 2 (after he switched to the same color tube) We moved to a bit deeper water with real short "sand grass" when the sun came up more. The wind picked up as we were sight fishing the grass beds in 14' of water. My dad landed 5 here before I got one in the boat. I got about 4 more from various grass beds and he picked up about 8. Mostly keepers, all chunky, with the biggest coming in around 3.5lbs. We moved from this about 5-6 square mile "flat" in the middle of the bay through some 100' water towards a shallow drop-off near the shore in about 12' of water. I picked up a couple more here, although they were undersized. We headed to an area he said was holding a few big post-spawn females (including a 6.5lb'er that a 9 year old girl caught the previous weekend). We moved though the rocks without a bite to an area he knew of with some deeper bass beds in 14' of water. We basically went along, and when we saw the beds, we casted past them and brought the tube through it. I picked up another one here. All in all, we landed about 25 fish in 5 hours. Not a bad day, and very relaxing not having to worry about boat position, other boats, or the TM in general. We didn't get too many pictures, but here's a few. And this is what I get for having someone else take the pic on my cell phone... Can't see it, but I've got my BF.com shirt on! We also saw Kim Stricker's truck and boat from the Hook'N'Look show. And now on to the other portion. One of my favorite restaurants of all time is up here and you have to hit it if you're ever in the Traverse City area. Boone's Long Lake Inn. The food is great and the portions are HUGE! The Seafood platter: "16oz." Seasoned Ribeye (it's actually a slab of prime rib seasoned and charred on the grill). It was probably closer to 24-26oz. One of my favorite dishes from a tapas restaurant called Firefly. Tuna Tartare with Wasabi Creme Fraiche. Lots of other good stuff there too. We also took a kayak trip on the beatiful Boardman River, climbed the dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, and enjoyed our beach on the bay. BB __________________ As of June 14, 2014 the members of the BF.com forum have moved to basschat.yuku.com!

07-08-12, 05:39 PM	#3
Jrob78 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 4,671	Sounds like a fun trip! I would love to get up there and do some smallie fishing. That seafood platter and steak look amazing! I'm starving right now __________________ There are 3 kinds of people in the world…those who can count and those who can’t. HRN4L

07-08-12, 06:43 PM	#4
Bassboss BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Shawano, WI Posts: 7,761	Looks like it was a great day of fishing! That's some pretty good looking food too. __________________ If you can't fix it with heavy squats or fish oil, you're probably going to die.

07-08-12, 08:23 PM	#5
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	mannnn...........fantastic trip anthony. the fish are BEAUTIFUL, and food.........aaahhhh the food. i am so glad to see you and jeff having such a great time buddy. and ya'll should've left a note on the truck telling them about us here, hahaha.i have watched the show and love it. thanks for the pics pal. tell everyone we said hi and we hope everything is going good. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

07-09-12, 03:19 AM	#6
islandbass BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: WA State Posts: 1,783	Nice report. I felt like I was there and could almost taste the food. __________________ ARX "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." Doug Larson (Shimano 2005 Reel Catalog)

07-08-12, 05:00 PM	#2
WatterBoy BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Owatonna, MN Posts: 2,280	Good stuff, Anthony. Looks like you enjoyed your week away! That cell phone pic of you is hilarious.

07-09-12, 10:06 AM	#7
MIbasser BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Okemos, MI Posts: 1,447	Nice job BB!! I didn't get a chance to get up there this spring, but I heard it was on fire once again. I've never been to Boone's so I'll have to give it a try. My favorite place is Mode's Bum Steer in downtown TC. Great food at a really good price.

07-11-12, 01:44 PM	#9
DaveW731 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Lansing, Michigan Posts: 229	I am green with envy!! I love the TC area and the bay is KILLER for smallies! Another great area about 30 miles up the coast is Lake Charlevoix. Same strategies as T Bay, with very similar fish. If you want a truly unique experience in the area, pay a visit to the grounds of what used to be the psychiatric hospital on the south side of town. The main building looks like it belongs in a Frankenstein movie. It has been changed into a commercial district, with tons of shops, places to eat and even condos and office space. Besides, it has a great eerie feeling to it, especially on the basement level of the main building....

07-11-12, 02:38 PM	#10
lowrider BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 937	Looks like y'all had a good time for sure. And, props to spelling Creme Fraiche correctly! Only a real "foodie" gets that one right

07-11-12, 08:36 PM	#11
keithdog BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: IN Posts: 8,308	I loved the phtos you sent me and these are icing on the cake. You both sure look like your having a ball. And that food......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! __________________ Just one more cast, and then some!

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