Does anyone here fish for grass pikerel around Grand Rapids?

Once in a while right after the ice breaks above the dam at grand rapids ive gone fishing up there for pike. Basically i just run a giant baseball sized bobber, steel lead, and use creek chubs or something of that nature. i worked at the baitshop in maumee for about 6 years and we have seen quite a few pike come from that area along with steelhead in the last 3 or 4 years

Once in a while right after the ice breaks above the dam at grand rapids ive gone fishing up there for pike. Basically i just run a giant baseball sized bobber, steel lead, and use creek chubs or something of that nature. i worked at the baitshop in maumee for about 6 years and we have seen quite a few pike come from that area along with steelhead in the last 3 or 4 years

I think he is referring to Grand Rapids, Michigan(since that's where he is from).

Sorry, yes I meant Grand Rapids Michigan. And I am refering to grass pikerel as well as northern pike. I have even been told that a lake in Caladonia has been stocked with muskie and tiger muskie.

Sorry, just noticed this again. I'm not aware of any grass pickerel around here...I'd love to know different, however!

Grass pike are located in these waters...not exactly Grand Rapids, but well within an hours drive (I hope.)

1. Augusta Creek (Kalamazoo River Trib)
http://www.kbs.msu.e...natres/fish.htm

This creek has public access at a few sites...
http://www.maes.msu..../directions.htm

2. High Banks Creek (Thornapple River Trib)
http://www.michigand...erbody/93-1.htm

I just did a web-search. These streams are the closest I could find.

Any help with finding mudminnows would be greatly appreciated.

M.

Grass pike are located in these waters...not exactly Grand Rapids, but well within an hours drive (I hope.)

1. Augusta Creek (Kalamazoo River Trib)
http://www.kbs.msu.e...natres/fish.htm

This creek has public access at a few sites...
http://www.maes.msu..../directions.htm

2. High Banks Creek (Thornapple River Trib)
http://www.michigand...erbody/93-1.htm

I just did a web-search. These streams are the closest I could find.

Any help with finding mudminnows would be greatly appreciated.

M.

Thanks for the info!
As to mud minnows, any shallow, weedy lake margin with a soft mud bottom will have them. The way I find them is to stick a stout net right down into the silt(deeper the better) and scoop up a nice load. Sift it out of the net in the water and in short order, you will have plenty of mud minnows. I've yet to sample a lake(seriously!) with those conditions, that did not have lots of them. They do tend to be found in pockets, so you may need to poke around a bit..but I'm sure you will find them.
As to an exact location? I don't know Okemos that well, but if you drive over to Yankee Springs state. park(hour or so west of you), and sample pretty much any of the lakes there, you will find them in every water.

I have never personally sampled for grass pike in these waters. All the info was obtained via net-search. The good news is that they are close to Yankee Springs/Barry State Game Area. If you frequent those waters, you will be a "stone's throw" from Highbanks creek. I would think that grass pike are in Yankee Springs too...I fish for them with a crappie pole, red and white mini-tube on a 1/32oz jig.

I have attached a map of EAV locations.

I would recommend getting a Michigan DeLorme Topo Map. They do become invaluable.

Thanks for the tips. I didn't know that I had to physcially scoop mud. I have caught them in the past (before I knew about the species), but I hate wading in that Huron River Trib. It is 6 inches deep with water and about 2-3 ft deep in muck!!!!

Sounds like I have to get dirty.

M.

Grass pike? What is a grass pike? Is it a grass pickerel or a northern pike? Perhaps a newly concocted hybrid of the two?

I have never personally sampled for grass pike in these waters. All the info was obtained via net-search. The good news is that they are close to Yankee Springs/Barry State Game Area. If you frequent those waters, you will be a "stone's throw" from Highbanks creek. I would think that grass pike are in Yankee Springs too...I fish for them with a crappie pole, red and white mini-tube on a 1/32oz jig.

I have attached a map of EAV locations.

I would recommend getting a Michigan DeLorme Topo Map. They do become invaluable.

Thanks for the tips. I didn't know that I had to physcially scoop mud. I have caught them in the past (before I knew about the species), but I hate wading in that Huron River Trib. It is 6 inches deep with water and about 2-3 ft deep in muck!!!!

Sounds like I have to get dirty.

M.

I don't generally find I need to get too dirty looking for them. Usually you can find them right from shore. I've not personally needed any more then a pair of knee boots!

Grass pike are grass pickerel.

It is just slang. Although, I am sure some folks call small northern pike....grass pike. I think alot of anglers mistake grass pickerel for baby musky or baby northerns.

M.

I believe there is a location in Wisconsin where grass pickerel have bred with northern pike.

M.

Well it is final. I was able to collect 3 mudminnows today in a local creek. I must say, it was not easy. The population was not prolific. I think I shifted thru about 100 pounds of muck to find 3 fish.

The specimens were small as well. I thought they were bowfin fry.

Anyways, I caught them.

Your tips helped. I didn't see any fish activity. I scooped muck and found all kinds of nymphs, crayfish, and frogs too.

Then I found the mudminnows....

I would to find a very prolific location of mudminnows so my quest continues.

M.

Cool! Some places they are common, some places it takes alot of work to find them..but I really think they are present in every body of water to one degree or another.
Expect them to hide for a bit, mine were pretty leery for the first week or so, but once they get a bit hungry and realise YOU are the food God, they will become accomplished beggars!
If you decide you want more this spring, and want to hook up, I will be happy to take you to some of the waters near me that I found lots of them in.

I must admit, this has been very impulsive. Needless to say, I am going to give mudminnows a try much sooner than I had anticipated.

My grass pike now resides in my dad's pond. That was a hard decision to make. But I must admit, I wanted to try something new....it was eating at me.

So here I am...

I hope these mudminnows like freeze dried foods. Converting my pike was very time consuming.

Here we go again....

The season is ending, so hopefully my impulses are silenced for awhile.

And thanks for the invite. I would like to try fishing Yankee Springs/Barry Game Area....it is about an hour or less from my home, so it would be an easy trip.

I will have some pics up in the future.

M.

I must admit, this has been very impulsive. Needless to say, I am going to give mudminnows a try much sooner than I had anticipated.

My grass pike now resides in my dad's pond. That was a hard decision to make. But I must admit, I wanted to try something new....it was eating at me.

So here I am...

I hope these mudminnows like freeze dried foods. Converting my pike was very time consuming.

Here we go again....

The season is ending, so hopefully my impulses are silenced for awhile.

And thanks for the invite. I would like to try fishing Yankee Springs/Barry Game Area....it is about an hour or less from my home, so it would be an easy trip.

I will have some pics up in the future.

M.

I'll try to get some pics tonight of one of mine, if I can get my camera batteries charged. I don't know if the cold weather or what triggered this..but "he"(I assume a he) has developed some really intense almost neon light blue fin color! I've never seen this in them before. Indeed, most of them are showing some good color in the last week or so.

I almost got a pic today of one of my pygmy pikes. He was showcasing on my grass...just resting on the surface of it...

It looked cool, but as I approached the tank, he bolted.

One of the pygmy pikes pondered going to the surface for some freeze dried blood worms, but quickly changed his mine.

The 4 top minnows, 2 baby bluegill (sub 2 inches), and 2 Brassies were eating very well on freeze dried foods (all in less than a week).

I hope the pygmy pikes follow suit in short order.

M.

I almost got a pic today of one of my pygmy pikes. He was showcasing on my grass...just resting on the surface of it...

It looked cool, but as I approached the tank, he bolted.

One of the pygmy pikes pondered going to the surface for some freeze dried blood worms, but quickly changed his mine.

The 4 top minnows, 2 baby bluegill (sub 2 inches), and 2 Brassies were eating very well on freeze dried foods (all in less than a week).

I hope the pygmy pikes follow suit in short order.

M.

Mine took a while to come around, but they now eat pretty much anything that gets in the tank. Not only blackworm(their favorite!) but freeze dried anything, flake food, amphipods caught in the pond out back, mosquito larve, copepods, amano shrimp , gordons formula, table scraps and fruit flies.
The fruit flies are an interesting story. As always seems to happen in the fall, my apartment suddeny has a bunch of them. So, I decided to try to use this seasonal "hatch" to my fish's advantage. I have the water level in my tank down just a bit in order to get better surface disruption, so there is room under the top for a small butterdish to float on the suface. Into this, I place a piece of bananna. The fuit flies smell it, fly under the edges of the top, buz around under the glass and eventualy fall in or in a couple of occasions, are caught in the air(shiners are good at this!). The fish are in the habit of following the randomly floating butter dish around the tank now

Gordon's formula... how long have you been in the hobby? I haven't heard anybody mention that in a LONG time.

Gordon's formula... how long have you been in the hobby? I haven't heard anybody mention that in a LONG time.

I'll get out the blender and make some up on occasion, just to give the fish something different. Pretty much all fish seem to take it with relish so it's nice for picky eaters! Learned how to make it when I first kept tanks in the early 80's.