Nearly A Frustrating Trip

17" Horny Toad

This morning I decided to hit Mille Lacs at sun up. I started at the bridge at Shakopee and had my craw tube bit off the second it hit the water on my first cast.  I picked up a Pure Poison and got bit on my second cast.  It felt like a good fish but came off as it was racing into the current.  I've never seen the water that high.  I didn't get any more hits on that side.  I got a small one on the other side on a Frenzy Popper.  I was fishing Mille Lacs by 5:35AM.  I thought it was going to be calm but there was a slight breeze blowing out of the SE. Not ideal for topwater.  I fished on the North Jetty at the harbor mouth to start.  I've never seen the water as high as it is now.  I got nothing there.  I went to the far North side and fished towards shore I had a fish blow up on the Stanley Phantom but not get it. I made a cast a little farther out from the Jetty and had a small pike or muskie come out of the water after it.  I then cast back to where I got the first blow up.  The fish hit it about 6 times before catching a hook, but it got off right away. I think it was a smallmouth, but can't be sure.  I ended up back at the harbor mouth and I had a fish hit my Grass Pig but it didn't hook up.  I thought it was a smallmouth, but then a couple casts later I had a pike swipe at it as I was bringing it in.
On my way back to the car I had a pike or small muskie come out of the water after the Kelly J I was throwing.  I went and tried the South Jetty, but didn't get a hit.

So I was off to try Wigwam bay, but the water was really to high for fishing there.  So I headed to the culvert  that comes out of Whitefish.  I had a fish blow up on my Horny Toad but I didn't hook up.  I went and tried the other side of the road and had a pig nail the Horny Toad.  The fish cut my wire leader as it swam into the culvert. I was like "DAMN! I don't believe that just happened."  I retied a new Stanley Double Take Frog Hook, but this time I went with the 4/0.  I think the 4/0 is probably a better choice for the Horny Toad as it seemed to fit better than the 5/0 does.  I went back and started throwing the frog.  On the same side I had the break off I got the 17" in the picture.  This fish salvaged my trip.  I got home at 10:00AM.