The Northern Spike: 5 in the AM

5 in the AM. Been up since 4. Will leave by 7 to catch the Sun on the rise over the Black River. Used my mountain bike to scope it out while doing a metro park circuit. There are a string of Lorain County Metro Parks up and down the Black River, mostly on the east side. There are kayak/canoe launches at Bur Oak park, and also one at French Creek park. Depending on the time of year the launch at Bur Oak can be altogether pointless as the water level is too low even for the most buoyant of kayaks. But the launch at French Creek stays fairly consistent, and once out of the tributary and into the river proper, it gets very deep (how deep? I’ll let you know when I take the fish finder out on it) and not-to further upriver it is dredged for larger vessels to port. Rumor has it that at the mouth of the Black River, where it opens into Lake Erie a launch is to be built this coming spring. I don’t really see the point in this, for on the east side is a beach front as an access point just a couple hundred yards from the parking lot. Maybe due to swimmers one may not be encouraged to set off from the beach?

It is currently 25 degrees, but may reach a high of lower forties by mid afternoon. Yesterday was a perfect kayak day and built/customized the car rack and would have loved to be out on the lake. Zero wind, water like mirrored glass, in the mid-forties, and a brand spanking new bait casting reel that is thirsty for its first water. But we all have obligations in life which must take priority at times, and my day was chopped and diced, driving here and there and back again until at the very end with just 45 minutes of daylight figured I could at least fish the (Miller Park) pier. But the very last stop was at my fishing buddy’s house and he greeted me with a beer and convinced me that it was not worth the effort (he knows I don’t enjoy that kind of fishing very much) and one beer turned into several and we agreed to give the Black River a go come morning. Amazingly steelhead have made it upriver despite this winter’s lack of precipitation. With the water temp the way it is I won’t be using lures. Would be using the standard jig & maggot with a floatation device, but I’m going to experiment with some ideas that have been fish bowling inside my head. And in all honesty I’m not really specifically targeting trout. I know during spring this one hole is a hot spot for crappie. I’m going to give it a go and see what happens.