Just One Pike Today

A lot of nothing on the Vex tonight

2:00-6:15PM
Conditions: Cloudy, light winds out of the W turning windy out of the NW at about 3PM, 34 degrees

Matt and Peter were out there again today.  I brought Peter some of my MidWest Outdoors Magazines, most of them unread.  The plan today was to work the weeds looking for fish on my Aqua View and then switch out to where I fished last night at 4PM.  First open hole I came to I thought maybe I saw a sunfish;  It was hard to tell because it was almost out of my viewing range.  I might have had a bite or I might have hooked a weed.  I then put a tip up in the hole and had Matt drill me 6 holes.  In the 2nd one I spotted a pike.  I put the Swamp Gas Grass Pig down and it hit it right away.  I landed it and it was about 17".  I figured I might catch more so I didn't take a picture.  In the next hole I called in a little bigger pike on the Jiggin Rap, but it didn't bite.  That was the last fish I saw on the Aqua View.  At 4PM I moved out to where I got the crappies last night.  I did have one fish come in and hit the Go-Devil Spoon but it didn't hook up.  I checked to see my waxie was still attached, but before I could get it back down it was gone.  That was it.  Matt got 1 walleye, the crappies were a no show.  I think the front might have messed them up.

Change of Plans = A Little Better Fishing

6" Glow Demon w/minnow

3:15-6:35PM
Conditions: Cloudy, Windy out of the SE, 32 degrees,

I was going to go to Bulldog, but I called Peter Woitalla before I left and he was out fishing, so I went and joined him and Matt Williams on Platte Lake instead.  Matt drilled two sets of holes for me.  It was a bit slow at first.  I missed a fish, then caught the sunfish.  At prime time I got a good crappie up to the hole, but it got off the Go-Devil Spoon.  The next fish I landed on the Glow Demon w/Minnow.  I got 2 on T.H.E. Jig w/ a waxie and lost one at the hole on it as well.  The fish got super finicky after Matt and Peter left.  I gave Matt my 3.  I only caught 1 more.   Though I had several come in and sniff at me.

10?? I busted my (Hawg Trough Ruler) on THE Jig w/waxie

4 Crappies
1 Sunfish

1st Ice Fishing Trip This Winter

9.75" T.H.E. Jig w/waxie

3:00-5:30PM
Conditions: Cloudy, Light wind out of the NNW, 7" of ice

I decided to head out of the Platte Lake Access where I knew the ice was safe.  I decided to head out to the 14 ft hole as marked on my Lakemaster Chip.  I was out farther than a couple of guys who were fishing tip ups.  I drilled two sets of two holes.  I put a minnow down one hole and I jigged the other with a tungsten jig with a wax worm.  I had my Vexilar turned all the way up to 10, thinking it was on 1.  Not a whole lot was going on.  Finally a fish came in and bit, but I didn't have my drag set for the 2lb test I put on the reel and it stole the tungsten jig when it took a run.  My bad.  I decided I was going to have to switch a couple of reels a round when I got home.  I decided not to tie anything on the rod with the broke line and switched to the rod with a black and white glow T.H.E. Jig on it.  Finally I figured out I had the Vex set to high.  I thought I wasn't gonna catch anything so I took a couple of pictures.

But then I marked something and caught it.  That was the last bite I got.

Skunked Today

Bunch of Swans

4:00-4:45PM
Conditions: Cloudy, wind out of the NE,  36 degrees, more water from rain less ice

I got skunked at the GOMH.  Had something swipe at me 3 times at the Inlet but not hit the lure.  Maybe it was a little to dark out by that point.

Loch Ness Monster Sighted at the GOMH

One of two otters that were out there today

4:00-4:30PM
Conditions: 35 degrees, cloudy, wind out of the NE, water level up a bit after yesterday's rain

Managed to get a couple toothy's today on the STX fishing the NE side.

18.75" Luck-E-Strike RC STX

17.25" Luck-E-Strike RC STX

Nothing on the S side.

Yesterday's rain I think pretty much wrecked my ice fishing plans for this weekend.

2 Toothy's at GOMH, Skunked at Mille Lacs

Sullivan is mostly open even though it doesn't look like it

4:00-4:35PM  GOMH
10:00-11:30PM Mille Lacs

Conditions at GOMH: 42 degrees, partly sunny, wind out of the SW
Conditions at Mille Lacs: 41 degrees, chop at the inlet, calm at Eddy's

I buzzed by Bulldog Lake and there were a couple of guys out fishing with tip up's.  Then I went to the GOMH where it got these two bullheads on the NE side.

19.25" Luck-E-Strike RC STX

16" H2O XPress Ult. Jerk Shad

There were a couple of portables out at the Platte Lake Access.  I went to the Inlet and didn't get anything.

At Mille Lacs the water was low and the flow into the lake was kind of messed up with a flow going South.  I didn't see a sign of a fish at either the inlet or at Eddy's.  There was a muskrat at Eddy's and some Geese off to the North.  I saw three deer on the drive home.

Two Toothy's Today

Forgot Camera, lures I caught them on.

3:45-4:30PM
Conditions: 31 degrees, foggy, light S wind

The Vikings game vs. the Seahawks sent me to an unscheduled therapy at the GOMH.  I forgot to bring the camera.  I got a 19" toothy on the NE side on the STX and got probably the same 17.25" I caught on an STX yesterday on a Jerk Shad today on the SW side.  I was going to try the inlet, but I had ice freezing in the guides and decided against making that drive.  Word is there is some ice fishing going on at Erskine and Bulldog.

Open Water Bullheads Still

17" Luck-E-Strike RC STX

A better look at the lure

3:30-4PM
Conditions: 37 degrees, wind SW, cloudy

With the weather the way it's been, why not give the GOMH a shot?  So I did and I got a fish.  I'm thinking about hitting Mille Lacs later next week once all the snow has melted.

The view in Platte

Maybe This Is My Last Open Water Fish This Year

17.25" Luck-E-Strike RC STX

3:45-5:00PM
Conditions: Overcast, light wind out of the SW, temp around 40, less ice than yesterday.

I just got one toothy today.  I had caught it before. I could tell by the cut at the bottom of it's tail.  A guy stopped and told me he was getting bullheads at the bridge last year around this time.  It's going to get colder, so this might be my last open water trip of the year.

Six Toothy's And Pete Melts Down

How much Open water on the N side

Pete broke off some ice

1:30-2:30PM Rock, GOMH
3:30-5:10PM Sullivan Inlet, GOMH

Conditions: Partly Sunny, 39-34 degrees, wind out of the ???

So Pete and I went out fishing again.  I started on the SW side and Pete on the NE side.  I didn't get anything so we switched sides.  I landed one and then another on the STX.

Luck-E-Strike RC STX

Luck-E-Strike RC STX

On the second fish I hooked my jacket at the wrist.  I managed to get the fish off, then made the mistake of asking for Pete's help in getting the lure off my jacket.  In the process of getting the hook out of the jacket Pete got a hook in a finger past the barb.  He then melted down in a hail of swear words and busted my pliers.

I wasn't to happy about that.   He got a hook in his finger, big deal.  Unfortunately it was Tuesday so Bear Trax was closed and Pete didn't want to go to the Clinic/Hospital.  I drove home and Pete cut the hook off leaving part of it in his finger.  He wanted me to drive him the the St. Cloud VA, but I wasn't having that.  So he packed up his stuff and headed to the VA in the cities.

I went back fishing and caught 4 more toothy's and saw a nice moon rise.

Luck-E-Strike RC STX

Luck-E-Strike RC STX

Two More At The GOMH

18" Piranha

17" STX

Pete at the culvert

4:00-5:10PM
Conditions;  mid 30's, partly cloudy, light wind out of the NW, water level up about 6-8"'s.  Iced up except in the current area's.

I took Pete out fishing tonight.   The cold weather had most of the south end locked up except in the current area out about 100 yards.  Didn't get anything at the Inlet and at the Culvert.  At the GOMH the N side had about a long cast and half of open water and then Channel Inn Bay was locked.  The sides had ice so I had to be careful bringing in my lures.  I had a toothy hit the Piranha on the first cast, but not hook up.  A couple casts later I got the 18 incher.  Pete missed a bite and I got the 17 incher on the same STX I got most of the other toothy's on this month.  We will probably go out tomorrow as well.  I was surprised how much ice there is.

Last Open Water Trip???

19" Spro McStick 110

8:40-10:00AM
Conditions: Nearly 60 degrees, light winds turning windy out of the SE, during a break in the rain with some sprinkles,  We had gotten about 2 inches over the last couple of days. Mostly overcast,

Since there was break in the rain and it was so warm out I decided to go fishing again this morning.  I got the one toothy bullhead at the GOMH on the McStick on the NE side.  Then I decided the give the Inlet on Sullivan a try.  I got 5 small pike there on an STX and missed 1 fish that felt bigger.  I then went to the access at Round and didn't get anything.  I then tried the culvert and it started to rain, so I was done.

19" Luck-E-Strike RC STX

20.5" STX

17" STX

Toothy Bullhead School at the GOMH

Used the top two today

8:45-9:30AM
Conditions: Overcast, light rain, windy out of the SE, 48 degrees

After more than a year of bidding on Luck-E-Strike Rick Clunn STX Jerkbaits on Ebay I finally won 5 used one's at my price point.  I also won a New Spro Mc Stick 110 from the same seller on a different auction.  They arrived yesterday and I gave them a try this morning.  I was rather surprised to get 6 toothy bullheads on a couple of the STX's that I put on.  I didn't try the Mc Stick.  Every thing came on the NE side.

17.75" Luck-E-Strike RC STX

17" STX

20" STX

Mille Lacs Morning, Got 1 at GOMH

Looking at Mojo, Shadow Rap, and Indian Point

Wind out of the SW, not what I wanted

6:40-7:30AM Mille Lacs
7:50-8:40AM Bulldog, Rock, GOMH

Conditions: Cloudy, windy out of the SW at Mille Lacs, SE here, 60 degrees

Because of the warm weather and what I thought was the wind direction I headed to Eddy's Jetty to try for some smalleye's.  When I arrived I was surprised the wind was blowing out, not in.  I threw the Rippin' Rap and Shadow Rap and caught zeebs.  It was Pirate Bones.

I decided to hit the area lakes and I got a toothy bullhead at the GOMH.

18.25" Jerk Shad Ghost Shad color

 That was it.

Skunked Tonight

3:45-6:15PM
Conditions: Mostly sunny, wind out of the E, temps in the 60's.

Didn't even have a hit.  Saw no activity except for a few minnows at the surface.

Some New Mojo

14" Piranha with twister tail trailer (see lure below)

My new to me St. Croix Mojo 7'MHM Crankbait

3:45-6:30PM
Conditions:  Started out partly clouding turning overcast,  Windy out of the E, 55 degrees dropping into the 40's.

Our cabin is the yellowish brown boathouse

Due to  the wind being out of the East I couldn't get to where I wanted to go.  When the wind gusted I would make negative headway.  So I made it to the waypoint on the inside turn about 60 yards down from the cabin and put the anchor down.  The inside turn had some green coontail on it.  I started out throwing with my new to me Mojo with a Piranha and was surprised when I quickly landed a bass.  I then had a fish hit the Shadow Rap and not hook up.  Went through a few more baits and had a small pike hit a Bass Pro Flat Shallow.  It clouded up and the wind didn't die down like it was suppose to do.  I had a little bigger pike miss the Shadow Rap boat side.

A monster snapping turtle checked me out for about 15 minutes.  I did move to the way point in front of our place, but didn't get a bite. I came in early.

Skunked On Consecutive Night's, Slop Slip Then Shore

Sunday Night Trip

4:45-7:00PM
Conditions: Cloudy, temps around 50, moderate wind out of the ESE diminishing.

Went out after the Vikes road win in Detroit. Had one hit to the West.  Spent to much time on the close waypoints.  Went East but it was getting dark.

Monday
5:45-6:45PM
Conditions: Cloudy, temps mid 40's, windy out of the NE

Nothing at Bulldog, Rock, or the GOMH.  It was miserable out.

Rock Dock Out, Small Pike at Bulldog

It's Gone

?19?" Mills Spinnerbait w/ Grass Pig trail

5:45-7:15PM Bulldog, Rock, Jenny's, GOMH

Conditions: Mostly sunny, light WNW wind, around 50 degrees

At the last second I decided to head to Bulldog Lake, before hitting Rock.  It was a good choice as it kept me from getting skunked and I wouldn't have been able to fish at Rock yet because there was a boat taking out that was just leaving when I arrived at Rock.  Much to my disappointment the Rock Dock is out.  I had a pike or dogfish porpoise on the Stanley Phantom, but not get it. It wouldn't show itself again.  Didn't get anything at Jenny's or the GOMH.  I thought maybe the GOMH might have something because it rained yesterday.  Maybe somebody fished there before me, who knows.

The St. Croix Mojo I won on Ebay arrived today.  It's the 7' graphite crankbait rod.