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