# Carp and Chocolay Today!!



## Handlining Rules (Jan 17, 2002)

Hey everyone-

Well i decided to make my opening day today...am going to hit both rivers this afternoon...I've got a feeling after the rain we had yesterday, that today is going to be the day..will report when i get back...


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## gomer (Dec 30, 2000)

from what i have heard from Pikedevil, those rivers are EXTREMELY high...


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## Rat Fink (Feb 20, 2001)

Please use discretion when mentioning UP streams.


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## sunup (Oct 28, 2002)

Don't worry about names, there are only a handful of streams open now and none of them are secrets.


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## AceMcbanon (Apr 2, 2003)

Went this morning tuff to fish, but it dosen't look like the runoff is gonna be to bad this year, should come down soon enough. Almost took a nice plunge on the carp today when my strap button on my waders fell off.


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## Handlining Rules (Jan 17, 2002)

Rat Fink, sorry about giving away names of rivers....didnt really think it was that big of a deal.....

ANYWAY

Hit "one" of the places mentioned above today and like Gomer said....EXTREMEMLY high...the trail was even in the water....had one shaker on for about 3 seconds floating a sac.....moved to another location close by....

Talked to a guy who had caught two last sunday on HOt n Tots...one 7 pounds....saw a couple of people casting spawn out into the lake....personally i think some fish are in there already....but it;s only going to get better
Again, sorry if i got anyone excited about giving away names of rivers...just got al ittle excited about going out today...it wont happen again


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## AceMcbanon (Apr 2, 2003)

Don't worry about it hand, there is only 3 rivers open in the biggest county of michigan, well i guess 4 if you count lower harlow creek. Either way they are obvious and you ain't ever gonna produce the resultes of the lower michigan rivers. I will be on the chocolay bright and early tommorow hope to see you there.


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## Handlining Rules (Jan 17, 2002)

Hittin the Choc. early tomorrow am (sunday)....anyone else of the other handful on this site goin?


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## pikedevil (Feb 11, 2003)

the rivers are a bit too high for my liking, and the mass amount of bumkins out makes it about impossible to find fish that havnt seen 3927329 baits already. 

Also why hasnt this been moved to the UP rivers forum yet.


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## AceMcbanon (Apr 2, 2003)

Hit the choc this morning with nadda to show, went to the carp and got one about 4 pounds on a hot and tot, just a bit upstream from 28, buddy had a couple takers on crawlers but lost them both


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## Sam22 (Jan 22, 2003)

call me a hard a$$  , but I don't think those rivers should be mentioned, they are too small and fragile. I know it's the UP, but crowding is a problem here as much as anywhere when you put number of people against number of fish. Just my 2 cents.


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## Rat Fink (Feb 20, 2001)

I agree Sam22. I lived up there for 5 years and spent many hours on the rivers in the area. All of those streams have good natural reproduction. The hilljacks come out in force once the "word" is out that there are some steelhead in. The migration of bank billys rivals most of what I have seen down here in the NW. Posting on here only makes it worse cuz it spreads the word faster. They are all smaller streams that are fragile fisheries and I am appalled that the UP has been left as an open forum to toss around names like this. It is a wonderful place thats needs to be treated with respect. Seriously why must one post reports about these places? Does it make you feel like a Great Fisherman to throw up a few pics and a report on how you killed em? I learned a long time ago, that is the worst thing you can do. Talk about bringing undue pressure on a system. I'd hate to see you learn your lesson at the expense of some of the states best natural and scenic rivers.


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## UP_ROKTOY (Apr 4, 2005)

I miss fishing the carp and chocolay, got my first steelhead on the chocolay.


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## AceMcbanon (Apr 2, 2003)

There is barely even any access to the chocolay in the first place, and it is right on the highway where people fish same with the carp. I fished the carp and other then down by the mouth only saw a couple guys, the only place i have ever seen been crowded is the dead river, but these days seem to have a lot less people fishing it, i remember when it use to be almost shoulder to shoulder some days. Not like a ton of people are gonna drive over for a chance at 1 or 2 fish, i get skunked far more often then catching any, mabye that is just me but i normally don't see very many people with fish either. The runs you all remember back in the day are a lot less now, since the salmon and steel populations in the big lake are half of what they use to be

Not to mention there is about a total of 6or7 miles of river in all the county open to fishing, two of the rivers are in the city of marquette, the other is about a mile total of public fishing area, if that


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## pikedevil (Feb 11, 2003)

The amount of bank billies and clueless fishermen is worse here then anywhere i've ever fished in the entire state. Nothing like a truck pulling up and 6 guys jumping out and throwing spinner baits for steelhead because "some guy" got one here last week. The pressure per fish here this time of year might be worse than anywhere else in the whole state, pretty ironic when you consider its the UP and noone is supposed to live up here.


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## UP_ROKTOY (Apr 4, 2005)

When I went to NMU I would fish both rivers quite often and rarely did I have to share either with more then a handful of "billies".


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## AceMcbanon (Apr 2, 2003)

Me and my pals are definetly the clueless type, we never do to well for steel, and i think it's part of our glorified tradition to come home with the skunk, either way it's fun and with so little places to fish right now i have no idea why anyone would expect little crowds on the only open water other then the big lake, especially since two of the rivers are in city limits for the most part. As to everyone else fishing down there never had a problem in the spring everyone is pretty accomodating and spread out, most don't even fish good holding water, just cast and hope for one, no problem there.


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## Handlining Rules (Jan 17, 2002)

personally i think everyone that fishes there already knows the lingo....and have already fished there before...up here, i highly doubt anyone is going to read this and make a trip up here just becasue they read this...
my 02. cents...
people that fish there, know what they are doing already....take a survey down there, i bet many are not members of this site


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## Handlining Rules (Jan 17, 2002)

after re reading some of these posts,,,, ive decided i am done posting here...all i ever get is negative feedback complaining about something that really isint a big deal....not to mention all fish i catch, i release, so i will post no pictures of fish in a cooler, like some others....
Im tired of people hopping on others on here....it just seems like some people are members on this forum only to get pleasure to ream people out...
I personally believe there are more than enough fish for anyone...last time i checked fisherman were kind and courtious...and you know what...they were all out on the river...the only negative place about fishing i have experienced this year has been on this site....I think you really need to think about that if you disagree


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## Handlining Rules (Jan 17, 2002)

....


Rat Fink said:


> Posting on here only makes it worse cuz it spreads the word faster. They are all smaller streams that are fragile fisheries and I am appalled that the UP has been left as an open forum to toss around names like this.


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