Teen Challenge Wapo WI Openner

Man, this already seems like it is an eternity away.

Friday May 6th:
The original plan was to be there and fishing early but getting my stuff in order and getting there took a while and so I arrived just after dinner. I did get some salad and milk. Put my gear up in the new lodge (room to myself), Dave Villa helped me launch the boat and then took Matt and Nate fishing. Went to the Wapo mini channel which was full of fish and algae. Got to watch a small beaver and I got one small sunny. The scum was too much and we went back to Bear Trap. I did get a hammerhandle on a weed edge on a crappie jig.

Went in, got stuff ready and had devotional time around the camp fire. Got the rest of stuff organized and went to bed.

WI Opener Saturday May 7th:
It was a cool and windy morning. Nate did not get up at 5am so I took Matt and Shaun out instead. We bucked the wind out in front of camp and I may have gotten 1 small bass. Then we went to the South Point spot and I think I got a couple of bass and Matt maybe got one. Headed in for breakfast and was there on time but they started early so nothing was left.

I then took James out and we went to the South Point and fished rattletrap, Rogues, and Crankbaits. James landed this nice White Bass:
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I then landed this White Bass:

I think I may have gotten another small White, a pike, and a couple of bass. On out way in we hit the channel entrance and fished back to camp with both of us getting a few Larry's.

After Lunch I took Mark out (once we got my stuff back from Hurricane Peter) and we had a total blast. Mark was so excited to be out in God's Creation and we got to see a couple of Eagles close up not to mention Mark nabbing his 1st Pike.
Mark was super excited to have caught that fish.

I later nabbed a small pike and then this cute mini-Ski:

Mark and I were mostly trolling cranks and I thought I noticed a pontoon deep in the Balsam Branch which is a wide and shallow inlet to Wapo. Mark and I were trying to figure out if that was Pete with the pontoon, but I thought maybe it was just a docked pontoon way in there.

We stopped getting fish trolling and so we started working the shore line weeds into the Balsam Branch. We got a couple of small bass as we got closer to figuring out that it was indeed Cisco Pete stuck back in there. We fished a bit more than motored back praying we wouldn't get stuck.

We took the wrong path the 1st time and had to turn around in the shallow heavy bullrush mats. Then when we got to them we put together a plan to get them turned and we gave them our battery for starting their motor. We got em turned and they got the motor started but they got stuck either because of the wind some lousy driving and the weeds. Next me and Mark started pulling them out and they got the motor started, but by now their intake was clogged and before they got all the way out of the worst of it their engine was overheating. Hurricane Pete had the brilliant solution of pouring the minnow bucket water w/minnows on the engine. Mark remarked that a huge ball of smoke came up from the motor. Anyway, it was way past dinner and we pulled the Pontoon to a dock, I left Mark to keep the situation calm and to allow me to get up on plane and back to camp faster.

Once back at camp, Villa was out looking and the other fast boat had left. I found a driver and we went to pick up the guys in the van. Fortunately we found them quick and then Villa found the pontoon to tow back. The Van had a good laugh over the situation especially the minnows on the motor part. We also went in and had PB&J for dinner making light of the situation.

My scheduled trip was switched to the morning and Shaun, Eric, and I went out and got a couple of bass, maybe a pike, and small walleye. I proceeded to lose the Gold HJ12 when it got caught in the trolling motor. We trolled for a bit but didn't get nothing. Some jerk cut me off as we were trolling and had the right of way.

Mike Thompson showed a bit before lunch after H.P. dropped his boat on the ramp (NICE). Unfortunately no sign of Mark Schutz and that Triton X.

Sunday May 8th
Since Eric only got a half hour the night before, he was my before breakfast trip. We may have tried out in front of the camp to the channel and then went South on Bear Trap to the Buoyed Point and South Point. I landed a nice bass off of the Buoy Point....

It was calm and fish were busting on the surface so we ran back to get surface lures which turned out to be a bust. I got a couple of small bass and a pike at the SP. I ended up losing my Gold Suspending Rogue to a Pike. OUCH! Both of my producing Gold suspenders gone on consecutive trips. Eric was struggling, but did get a couple of fish as we fished the channel back to camp on our way in.

BTW- This was an extra long trip as that on Sunday their is 10AM brunch. Eric got several bass in the last hour, but no Pike like he wanted.

It looked like it was threatening rain as Jesse and I headed out at 1PM. Jesse was kind enough to let me take a nap. We headed over to the dam area on Wapo and I immediately got into some smallies on HJ10's.

I then made a mistake and tried to switch up to topwater which they wouldn't hit and by the time I switched back the school was gone.

We fished the dam area and around the point. The sun came out and it warmed up real good. We then headed to the north end and worked the west shore into the BB inlet. As we got further into the inlet the water temps rose into the 60's and I caught some small bass and missed a nice one. Jesse had some bites but missed them. This area was beginning to fill with fish and I told him it would be very good pretty soon, maybe this evening, but I wouldn't run to fish it again this day. We headed back for dinner and got knocked off plane by the heavy wind, I was able to get us back up and back to camp on time for dinner. Jesse was great to fish with even though I don't think he landed anything.

After Dinner I helped get Thompson's boat squared away while Ryan went out with Mark and James in my boat. I then went out with repeat customers Mark and James. By this time some of the TC guys were getting burnt out on fishing or were having success from shore or the pontoon and were sticking with that. We first fished around the camp to the channel and got a couple of bass and maybe 1 small pike.
It was a beautiful evening with light wind and warmer temps. We went over to work the smallie spot, but got nothing we then headed over to the pontoon which had been productive again. We started trolling the Wapo area of Camp and I hooked this White Bass.

We let our lines back out and immediately Mark said "Fish ON!" and sure enough he pulled up a 20+inch Eye, which I never did get a pick of cause he was so excited and took right up to show off.

They were cooking up the fish and I was pretty wiped out. I went up to bed shortly after having some fish and getting the boat prepped for Ryan to take out.

Monday May 9th:The plan was to take out Eric and Dean at 5:15am but I slept over my alarm and didn't wake up until 6:30. The guys left a note saying they thought I probably needed the rest and they would catch me later. Some caught a carp last night and they put it in Don's shower, haylarious!

I ended up taking out Eric for about and hour and he landed this one right away.... We got a couple of bass on our way back into camp along the Channel run. Still no Pike for Eric.

After Breakfast my trip was with Ryan and Nate and we went trolling. I got tired and let Nate drive while he and Ryan fished. They got nothing and when we got by camp Nate had enough and James jumped in and they trolled to the SP. I started waking up when I think James got this White.(Pictured with Ryan holding fish)

I think James caught a Pike or two and maybe a couple small bass and I landed this nice slab.


After Lunch Dean and I headed to the North end and fished into the BB inlet. The farther in we got the better the bassin' became. Dean nailed this Toad after a thunderstorm passed over.

He was mostly getting them on a spinnerbait and then Spitting King while I was using a swimming jig and experimenting with Horny Toads. Eventually I switched to a Frenzy Popper and started whacking fish like crazy. Dean switched to the frenzy and started whacking them too. We were having so much fun we opted to miss dinner and keep fishing. We headed back in about 1/2hour late after Dean whacked 1 last fish. We had a ball. The water here was in the low to mid 60's.

I got amped on some more PBJ, COKE, and Kit Kats, and Ryan and I headed out to the BBInlet to whack and stack. Unfortunately the camera ran out of juice cause we both got some solid fish and probably landed about 20 a piece, mostly bass with a couple of Pike, mostly on topwater. We were rocking em and missed as many as we caught. The fish were pre-spawn feedbagging in 2-4feet of water hiding in Curly Pond Cabbage that was 1-2.5 feet off bottom. Many of the strikes were very explosive. It was not quite as good as Thompson and I's Bass Go NON-STOPPO at WAPO 2000 Topwater extravaganza but it was close. That is the kind of fishing that spoils you rotten when you get into it. Pre-Spawn rocks!

Got back, had devo's. I tried to encourage the TC guys. We watched the pics and tried to pack up.

Tuesday May 10th:
Didn't take anyone morning fishing, in fact I didn't even organize my boat or put the cover on the previous night. I had to be out of my room by 8 AM. I think Ryan helped me trailer the boat and I got my stuff packed and gave Dave a ride to the NW Wapo access. After the TC guys left, I needed a nap then headed to Bone.