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Fortunately, thanks to some timely help from local bystanders and a lot of luck, a Lapeer County Sheriff's Department marine deputy was able to avoid serious injury after being struck by his own boat when the wake of a much larger boat speeding nearby threw him into the water.

Unfortunately, most fishermen can relate similar experiences encountered on any one of several nearby waterways. I recall being pulled over by a marine sheriff's boat several years ago on Oakland County's Union Lake and reprimanded for driving "clockwise." I was unaware that boat traffic had become such a problem on the lake that boats were only allowed to drive counter-clockwise. When a quiet day of fishing starts to resemble a NASCAR race it's time to find a quieter lake.

When looking for places to catch bass where I don't have to contend with water skiers, personal watercraft or even other fisherman, my first choice is a "walk-in only" lake or pond. This is the most difficult type of water to access but the rewards are almost always worth it for those willing to go the extra mile (literally) to get away from the crowds. The nature of this fishery severely limits tackle selection.

A belly-boat (inflatable inner tube), waders, one rod/reel combo and a small box of tackle are about the extent of it when you have to carry everything on your back for a long distance.

There is nothing quite as serene as floating alone in the quiet solitude of a small wilderness pond at dawn, silently casting to likely looking spots. Frequently when I'm fishing in one of these remote lakes, half immersed in the water, I ponder some of life's more important questions like "what exactly do beavers eat anyway and can any part of my body currently dangling below the water line be mistaken for beaver food?" This question took on particular significance one morning while fishing a small pond with multiple beaver houses on it. Apparently, I'd ventured a little too close to one of those houses and one of the inhabitants decided to let me know it by surfacing about six feet away and slapping it's large tail on the water as a warning. Besides an important lesson in beaver-house-proximity, I also learned that beavers are considerably larger than they appear on the Discovery Channel and they have yellow teeth. Very big and very yellow.

"Walk-in only" waters can be found in many state recreation areas or county parks by examining a detailed map of the area you want to target.

Finding these out-of-the-way places is part of the fun of fishing them and because of the time and effort involved, most fishermen are pretty tight-lipped about their favorite spots.

Fish, like all wildlife are acutely aware of the environment in which they live and bass living in small, quiet bodies of water behave quite differently than those from larger bodies of water with lots of boat traffic.

As an analogy, imagine for a moment that you wanted to get the attention of someone standing on the other side of a busy downtown street. You'd undoubtedly need to yell and wave your arms frantically to stand out from all the other noises competing for that person's attention.

ÊHowever, using this same approach to get the attention of someone standing nearby in a quiet park might make them think you're a lunatic and cause them to run in the other direction. The same is true for bass.

ÊBass in busy lakes are accustomed to a higher degree of background noise and are not as easily turned off by large lures or loud presentations. Indeed, on these bodies of water, noisy and colorful presentations are often preferred. However, on a small wilderness pond, a tandem-bladed, chartreuse buzzbait churning overhead may turn off bass that are conditioned to listening for the sound of a small frog quietly entering the water several yards away.

When fishing for bass in these remote settings, I like to use subtle, quiet presentations in natural colors that are more in tune with the environment that the bass live in.

If like me, you have a low tolerance for being buzzed by personal watercraft or having four-foot cruiser wakes crashing over your bow, you may want to consider looking for quieter locations to fish for bass. It may require more exploration and experimentation but the journey will be its own reward.

And who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.