Pete Came Up For A Few Days

Pete got here on Friday night.  We met at Mille Lacs lake.  The weather was really nice but Pete had a couple of leaks in his waders, so we didn't stay as long as I would have on my own.  We stopped at JR's for Pete to get a burger, then went to the bridge where Peter was fishing.  He got one good jumpin bullhead.  We didn't get anything.

I was staying up all night and I went back to Mille Lacs by myself.  I saw one good eye, but didn't catch anything.  I got back at around 7AM.  Pete and I went out and did the rounds.  I got this pike at Rock.

21" Pure Poison bluegill

Pete went and fished off of Don's dock on Sunday night and got a couple of bass including one good one and 4 pike.  I think he got all of those on a buzzbait.

From Friday Night at Rock Lake

Mille Lacs Lake

Skunked All Over This Morning, Redeemed at Rock Tonight

Mille Lacs This Morning Around 8AM

I headed to Mille Lacs this morning in the fog around 5:30AM.  I was fishing by 6.  The fact that I didn't see any little walleye's swimming around was a bad sign.  When i t got light out I saw one baitfish jump, compared to dozens I saw on Monday morning.  I did some exploring, saw some ducks and seagulls and left around 9AM.  I tried Erskine, Bulldog, Rock, and the GOMH with not even a single bite for the morning.

I spent the afternoon getting my tackle organized.  The last couple of years I neglected to do this after my last tournament of the year leaving organizing until Spring.  It's a good thing. I needed to do some work on the Tackle Warehouse that I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

I ended up not getting to Rock about 6:20 or so.  It was dead calm.  I decided to throw the Stanley Phantom Topwater.  Sure enough what I'm pretty sure was a nice bass nailed it but didn't hook up.  I tried throwing the craw tube as a follow up bait, but she gone.  On pretty much my next cast with the Phantom I had a fish hit me beyond the weed clumps to the South.  I stuck this one.

21" Rail of a fish with weird light and dark coloring

That was all I got.

I then headed to the GOMH.  I grabbed two rods and headed to the NE side.  Somebody spoke to me and it was then that I noticed somebody was fishing off the bridge on the South side.  Turns out it was Peter.  After throwing a few casts on the NE side I joined him up on the bridge.  I told him what I've been getting lately.  He didn't get anything, not even a bullhead.  We talked about going ice fishing this winter.  Looks like I am going to have to get my ice fishing gear figured out.

Mille Lacs Morning Scout Trip

21" Swamp Gas Grass Pig

Conditions: Around 42 degrees calm to a slight breeze out of the  WNW
5:20-7:30AM

Why have I never tried this before?
Answer:   Because I was happy to not put on waders and fish at Eddy's.  They have fences up at Eddy's now, so I was forced to try elsewhere and elsewhere means waders.

Why didn't I try this earlier in the year this year, especially after we had the big rains a month and a half ago?

Answer: It never even crossed my mind.

Well It's obviously October and the full Moon and the golden bullheads I got at the Grumpy Old Man Hole had me thinking Mille Lacs eyes.  So I decided to give it a try.

First stop was at the Shakopee Lake bridge.  Chris from last night told me he has gotten eye's there a few times fishing after dark.  I couldn't see anything with the spot light. I gave it 15 minutes then left.

Next stop was at the Whitefish Inlet.  My plan was to leave to fishing gear in the car and go spotlight for fish from the inlet to the rock pile.  I started at the inlet and there were quite a few really small eyes right at the inlet mouth and 1 descent sized fish.  As I waded out I saw 1 sucker, then nothing but one last 3 to 4 pound fish over by the rocks that I wasn't able to identify because it swam away from me heading SE and the spot light was dying;  I think it was an eye, but can't be sure.  I headed back and got my gear.

As I made my way North the the inlet I made the foolish mistake of leaving my tackle bag with the ruler in it sitting in one place and my jacket with the camera in it in another place both well before the inlet mouth.  There was an eye that looked to possibly be an eater right there at the inlet mouth.  I made a presentation to it, but it was more interested in checking me out and swam right up to and then spooked.  I was like dang that was an eater.  I started casting as I waded out deeper.  I had been fishing for maybe 10 minutes when I thought I might have had a hit.  I cast my Grass Pig back on the exact same line and sure enough, Eye On!

 Now is the time I realized the mistake I made in not bringing my stuff right up to the mouth.  It probably took me 10-15 minutes to walk back and get my stuff before I was back to fishing again and daylight was now fast approaching.  As light came up I saw a lot of baitfish activity at the surface and the occasional fish jumping or getting smashed by something just about at the end of my casting range and farther out.  I had a hit just a couple of cranks in and it swam pretty much straight at me full steam ahead.  I caught up with it once then it was back at me full steam ahead.  I caught up with it again when it was about 10 feet to my right.  I had no clue what kind of fish or what size it was until I laid my eyes on a small Pike, 21" or so.  It got off right in front of me went it kind of did a small upside down tail walk as I tried to land it.

My View When I Quit

It was almost 7:30AM now and I didn't know if the folks needed Mom's car back, so I foolishly made my way off the water and took the waders off before I thought to give Dad a call to see if they needed the car back.  They didn't.  By now the sun was coming up and I decided to go to Mcdonald's.

Sun Rise

On my way back I hit the access at Camp Lake, something I had inexplicably never done before.  I've fished the lake in the winter, but never gone there with open water.  Looks like it could have potential for largies and pike.  I also hit the GOMH, getting nothing.

Got Another Golden at the GOMH

20" Swamp Gas Grass Pig

Conditions: Nearly warm and breezy out of the W NW mostly sunny

Rock Lake:
I arrived at Rock at about 6:15PM.  Didn't get anything.  Saw a small fish jump in the floating leaves and out by the reed point.  I left at 10 to 7PM

GOMH:
I arrived at the GOMH and there was this guy Chris from Milaca who had been there since about 4PM getting nothing.  He was waiting for his ride.  I got kind of flustered because I rolled up the window on my St. Croix Mojo Crankster rod when I left Rock.  Miraculously it doesn't seem to be broken; I threw quite a few casts with it down on the NE side.  Chris got a real bullhead while fishing off the South side.  It swallowed his hook and he broke his line trying to get it off.  He threw it back.  Eventually I joined him.  We talked about the Vikes and fishing at the bridge.  He fished there about a month and a half ago when the idiot who trolls under the bridge was there and catching fish.  I was jigging the Grass Pig off of the SW corner when the golden bullhead struck at about a quarter to 8PM.  If Chris wasn't there I probably would have already left.  I let him have it and he was totally grateful.  His ride showed up around 8:10PM.  I fished about 20 more minutes then left.

Past sunset looking SW.

GOMH and Rock

I debated all night whether or not I wanted to go out this morning.  Finally at about 20 to 7AM I decided to go.  First stop was at the GOMH hoping for a golden bullhead.  Thanks to taking the dogs out I arrived at 7:05AM.  I figured the chances I would be skunked at about 70%.  I started on the NE side.  On about my 4th cast I had what I though was a golden bullhead on.  It bit as it was getting near the rocks on my side.   Turns out it was a 14" jumper.

14.5" swamp gas Grass Pig

I was quite pleased I wasn't coming home with a skunk.  A few casts later I got a 13" jumper casting out a little ways.  I was hoping maybe a school had shown up, but that was it.

I went and fished off the bridge on the SE side.  Sure enough something thunked the Grass Pig.  A chunky 17.75 jumper.

17.75" Swamp Gas  

I think I might have had a bite casting off the bridge.

I went on the NE side again and had a small toothy pick up a Chigger Craw.  I heard several volleys from duck hunters throughout the hour I fished.  The wind came up and I left around 8AM

I then went to Jenny's to get my Spro out of the tree.  Since I was there I decided to hit up the Rock Dock.

I think I had a hit casting straight out with the Poison.  I cast back and sure enough it hit again. BAM!

18.25" bluegill Pure Poison

 That was my last hit of the morning. I fished at rock maybe 45 minutes.  Saw a flock of 4 Swans flying around.

Not Skunked Tonight

Conditions: Almost warm, mostly cloudy, wind out of the SW 5:30PM to 8:30PM

Rock Lake:
Nothing, not even a nibble.  Some deer were running around behind me in the woods for a while.  I left at 6:30.

Jenny's:
Spooked something on my first cast.  Got a Spro Frog stuck in a tree. Left at 10 to 7.

GOMH:
Was just about ready to leave.  I was jigging the swamp gas Grass Pig off the SW corner when a golden bullhead just tagged it. BAM! Not skunked.

21"

That was the only hit I got.

Rock 'n GOMH The Next Morning

50 degrees and drizzle to light rain calm

When I arrived at 7:20am

Pure Poison Cast Just for the heck of it, BAM!

16" Jigging the Swamp Gas on the SW Corner

16.25" Nailed the Poison at Rock

Rock 'n GOMH

27"

5:30-7:30PM
Conditions same as last night but about 10 degrees warmer wind out of the E SE

Bulldog Lake:
Nothing

Rock Dock:
Around my third cast into the lake I got the 27" Pike on the Poison.  About 15 minutes later I got a 21" Pike on the same Poison.  I also got this 16" bass on a black spinnerbait.

16"

Jenny's:
Had something small bite at my Horny Toad.

GOMH:
I arrived around 7PM and there was a guy and his teenage son fishing on the NE side for golden bullheads.  He said it was his first time out fishing this year.  They didn't get anything when I was there.    I went down to on the SW side.  I tried the Poison and the craw tube, nothing.  I thought maybe I got a hit on the grass pig but wasn't sure.  A fish boiled on the rocks on my side.  I cast there and got myself a golden bullhead.  Well isn't that something?

16" Swamp Gas

Rock Dock And Jenny's Pay Off

Inlet Sullivan Lake

3:15-6:45PM
Cool and windy out of the SE

After the MN Gophers victory in Football over Northwestern I decided to get my gear organized and go fishing.  First stop was at the Sullivan Inlet, nothing.  Then the Platte River Culvert, nothing.  I missed a hit that was probably a toothy bullhead at the GOMH on a bluegill Pure Poison.  I went by Bulldog, but somebody was there so I headed to the Rock.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the dock was still in the Lake.  On my very first cast out into the lake a bass just hammered the Poison.

16.25"

The weeds were kind of a problem for working the Poison, so  I went to a black/blue Craw Tube.  I missed what felt like a good fish because my drag wasn't tight enough.  I tightened the drag.  I was throwing what was going to be my last cast when this chub bit me.

18"

I might of had a hit on the Chigger Craw as well.  I left just in time to see the sun setting over Platte Lake.

24"

Last stop was a Jenny's where I got this pike on a Horny Toad and I missed a pretty good swirl as well.

With the weather warming up  I plan to get out a few times this week.