3/19 GOMH Skunk w/Sunset & Goal Idea

7:00-8:15pm GOMH NE SW

33℉, MC, 0-3 mph N

Water Low

It was cool and cloudy today, so there was little progress in the departing ice department. More birds were around tonight. I saw a muskrat. The sunset was quite nice. I didn't get any bites. I came up with a new goal or two for the 2025 Fishing Season. I want to catch a fish on at least 200 different lures this year; I will do that by being more intentional about what and how I pack, with a goal of carrying less or the same, but with greater diversity in my selections, hopefully allowing me to continually cycling through different baits in a given category. I plan to always have at least a couple of my extra rods rigged up with something I haven't caught them on yet. The Fish Swami "Other Patterns Tried" feature should help immensely with this goal. I'll just need to remember to stock that list after every trip with what I brought along but didn't catch anything with and replace what I did catch them on with new lures that I will need to get for the next trip. I did 11 laps tonight.

Skunked 

3/21 GOMH Trip

 

6:45-7:45pm GOMH SW

28-30℉, Sunny, 10-15mph WNW

Water Low

By the time I got to the GOMH, it was below freezing. There was a small open hole about the size of a couple of backyard swimming pools with ducks swimming in it when I arrived. Cold wind out of the WNW. I went through a bunch of lures and had my guides freezing up. A fair amount of geese were flying around tonight, as well as a few swans—a little more open water tonight, but nothing notable. One muskrat swam through. I decided it was too cold to do laps tonight; My iPhone battery was getting low from listening to the Classic weigh-in.

Skunked 

3/20 GOMH & Sully Inlet Trip

 

6:30-7:10pm GOMH SW NE & Sully Inlet

37℉, PC, 10-15mph SSE

Sunny Day but Cool and windy out of the South. Ice in Platte is a bit past the first dock. I didn't wear bibs, so the wind went right through me, making the conditions suck to fish in. Not as many birds around tonight. I went down to the inlet on the south end of Sully. Water is flowing and is getting close to being open on the marsh side. I was hungry, so I skipped doing laps and headed home early. Luca and Belle were in the field when I dropped by the lake place.

Skunked 

Skunked Again

 6:15-8:00pm    GOMH NE SW

37-39℉, Cloudy, 7-12mph NE

Breezy out of the North. Cloudy. Quite a bit less bird activity tonight. Not much more open water today. I didn't get a bite. Discovered I need to put more line on the Loomis GLX 783 Spinning rod. A few muskrats around. I haven't noticed any eagles flying around this year yet. I did 10 Laps.

Skunked 

Skunked Tonight

 

Birds were at the Intersection tonight

6:15-8:00pm GOMH NE SW

44-49℉, MS, 0-2mph

water Low with slight rise

It was sunny and 50 today, Most of the ice off progress was unseen. Lakes in the cities are getting close. Overnight, I discovered the Mojo Dock Skipper needed a new tip, and I put a reel on the 7'6" H Tatula Rod. I also brought Loomis Smallmouth Jerkbait Rod, which I never took a shine to, and the 5'6" Premium Spinning Rod. I need to put a line on that reel. I didn't get a bite tonight. I saw muskrats. Lots of swans and geese. I didn't hear any frogs with bird noise. I did six laps, and the skies were clear. A pair of C 130's flew in from the West to the North.

Skunked

Lost a Bullhead Tonight

 

Where the activity was

Red Wing in Fatso's Tree

6:30-7:45PM NE & SW GOMH

32℉, Cloudy, 0-2mph NW

Hardly any wind today. Roadside ponds were frozen back up. I immediately saw fish activity by the ice line to the north, but it was about 10' beyond where I could cast when I was on the bank E of GOMH. When I was on the NE side, something surfaced out by the ice line again. No bites on the N side. I got the one bite when I was almost through for the night. It bit up close on the jig. I didn't get a good hookset, the bullhead splashed and got off. I did 6 full laps. Swans showed up as it got dark.

1Pike 

Short Cold Trip Skunk

 

7:10-7:40pm NE SW GOMH

28℉, PC, 10-15mph NW

Water Low

I did not fish in the morning because I ran out of gas after I ate breakfast. It was cold and very windy. Road ditch ponds were open or opening up due to last night's rain. It was under 30 degrees and I didn't fish long on either side, no bites. Had a muskrat swim by. Red-wings and swans were around tonight. I did 5 short laps.

Skunked 

Not Skunked Again!

6:30-7:50pm GOMH NE SW

65-71℉, PC, 0-6mph SE

Water Low

Banga of a day. I opened the Tackle Warehouse. About a hundred yards of open water on the S side of the GOMH and the SW GOMH is just about ice free. There were good numbers of swans, geese, and ducks on the S side. I opened the car door to the sound of red-wing blackbirds. I could reach the ice on the N side with a long cast. The Fish Swami app loaded slowly because of an update. I fished on the Sw side for about 15 minutes and thought maybe I had a bite. About 10 minutes later I caught a gator from the same spot. No skunk tonight. I think I did 9 laps and walked for about 35 minutes. I didn't shine anything.

1Pike 

Did Not Fish

 It was a nice day in the 60's. Between my last PT session in Onamia and needing to be out the door to head to Elk River by 4:30 I didn't get a chance to make it to the GOMH today. Visiting with Belle, Kristen, and Todd was nice. 

Skunked

 

6:50-7:50pm GOMH NE SW

42-47℉, MC, 0-3mph SW

Water Low

When I arrived, there were geese and two swans on the S side and six geese on the N side. I heard a red-wing blackbird on the N side, but couldn't spot it in the marsh grass. Didn't gain very much open water today. I didn't get any bites. I did 10 laps across the bridge. I didn't shine anything.

Skunked 

1st Bullhead of 2025

 

There were geese on both sides of the bridge when I arrived. I cut some brush along the bridge before fishing. I started on the NE side then went to the SW side. It was getting dark and I was about to call it a night when I hooked into something that I thought was a stick by the way it was coming in. Turns out it was a skinny gator bullhead. I dropped it half on the rocks when I went to throw it back. I had to bump it with the butt of the rod for it to swim away. Had a couple of swans do a fly by and walked 6 laps. I didn't shine anything with the spotlight. First bullhead of 2025.

1Pike 

GOMH Skunk w/Otters and Swans

 

 

Skunked (Warm day. There was an otter on the N side when I arrived, and I think a bigger otter moving all over the place on the S side. I arrived a little before sunset and started on the N side; no bites. I also fished the SW side. More swans were flying around tonight. Not much for other birds yet. I then basically did my walking until the wind with the front hit. Maybe 3' to 4' more open on the S side tonight.)

First Trip of 2025, Skunked

 

I got my fishing license yesterday and headed over to the GOMH tonight. There is almost no current right now and the water is low and there is a lot of crap floating around. I didn't get any bites. I was also a bit surprised that the ice line didn't shift much with it being sunny and temperatures getting to the mid-50s. 

Skunked AT GOMH & Off the Dock

 

Mid 40's, M Sunny, 0-3mph N

Skunked! I arrived at the GOMH earlier than last night. I wish I would have not stopped at the GOMH and gone out on the Trophy instead. It got calm, and I would have gotten in about 45 minutes of fishing. Swans were flying all over tonight, especially at the lake place. One highly-flying large V, several small groups along the lake, and one pair of two and a single. Loons were calling as it got dark at the lake place. I did throw a few casts off the dock.

Skunked At GOMH & Off the Dock

 

Mid 40's, Partly Cloudy, 

Skunked (Beautiful night, no bites. I think I went to the Lake Place as well)

Final Fish of 2024 Is A Walleye From the Jetty

 

11:00-12:00am Eddy's Jetty

Low 40's, a little ripple on the water

I got to the Jetty much later than I wanted. I started at the N Harbor Mouth and threw the Rippin Rap first, then this X-Rap Shad Shallow, and thought maybe I got a bite. The first cast with the Ultimate Jerk Shad was fish on. 24.75" fat eye. That was the only bite I got. It would have been nice if I would have had more time. This was my last bite of 2024.

Final Bullhead of 2024

 

4:45-5:30 GOMH SW NE 

50℉, PC, 0-2mph NE

It was a beautiful November Day in the Northland. I got one quick small gator on the SW side. I was thinking about and praying for Mel the whole time until I got home.

 1Pike 

Skunked After Pre-OP Physcial

 I had my pre-op physical for the hip replacement at the Hillman Clinic. I threw a few cast at the GOMH and at the Lake Place. No bites, skunked!

Final Trip in the Trophy For 2024

 

5:00-6:30pm F Flat, N Reeds Across, NPBI

45-50℉, PC,  3mph S

I had to use a dock pole to move the Trophy backward. There were swans where I was headed on F Flat and loons in the wider bay. I got a pike in the first 10 minutes and missed another bite on F Flat. I fished the North Reeds Across Reed Edge for about 10 minutes, then went to NPBI. I didn't get a bite there.

1Pike

Despite the weather being nice in November until I took the Trophy out of the lake on the 17th of the month, this was my only trip in the boat for the month. I was preoccupied with the election, my surgery, and how sucky the fishing was in September and October.