No Skunk Thanks To Bulldog

5" Cubby w/maggie

6:00-8:30PM
Conditions: Mostly cloudy, 40 degrees or so, calm

I arrived at Rock just after some rain/sprinkles.  Didn't get anything there.  At the last second I decided to give Bulldog a try.  I was pleasantly surprised to get bit.  I caught two fish in about 20 minutes then I headed to the GOMH.  Nobody was there.  I didn't get anything at the GOMH.

Morning Trip, Evening Trip

Camera got funky in the rain

23" THE Jig w/minnow

6:45-9:00AM GOMH, Rock
6:00-9:00PM Slop Slip Rock till 8PM, GOMH

Conditions Morning: Light rain, calm, 41 degrees
Evening Conditions: Mostly cloudy, very light wind out of the NNE and NNW, mid 40's

I thought maybe the overnight temps in the mid 40's combined with the rain might bring some fish in.  Didn't happen.  I heard a loon.  I had everything back in the KIA except for the long panfish rod.  On my last cast I got the pike.  I was lucky to get it in as it escaped the fish pen by swimming under a rock and back out.  I was able to move the rock and land it.  I gave Rock a try and hauled water.

Evening Trip:
I decided with the light winds the Slop Slip was my best chance to get a fish.  I went to Rock.  I paddled a little ways into the RPRO.

   Shallow water to much hay, no fish.  I went back out and fished out by the maidencaine. nothing.  When you don't have any sonar and are paddling it's tough to be efficient.  A loon flew over.

Pink clouds

I began having issues with wind knots on the long panfish rod.  The Rock Dock is not in.  I fished a little bit at the GOMH after dark.  Nothing but muskrats there. Skunked

Skunked Again Tonight

Rock Dock not in yet, so I improvised.

4:00-9:30PM
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy to cloudy, Windy out of the SSE, Low 60's

I started out by going to the Grumpy Old Man Hole today.  It was a good thing I was there because Mike B. stopped by pulling his Tuffy.  He had been out on Rock Lake and didn't have any luck in the RPRO.  I didn't have any luck at the GOMH.  I then went to the lake place and got the Slop Slip and drove over to Rock.  The wind was heavy enough that I wasn't going to paddle anywhere so I stayed out from of the access.  Didn't get a thing.  I stopped at the GOMH on the way home and tried for about an hour. Nothing.

Maybe the warm temps tonight and rain we are supposed to get will bring some fish in before it turns cold tomorrow night (fingers crossed).

No Dock, No Wind, No Fish

Rock Lake

5:00-8:30PM
Conditions: 58-50 degrees, Mostly Sunny, Calm or a light ENE Wind

On the way into Rock a truck passed me going out.  I didn't see any signs of fish and left around 6PM.  I briefly stopped at Bulldog.  Nothing was going on there either.  There were a couple of guys at the GOMH fishing the NE and SW side.  They left around 6:40.  Then Joe's friend showed up.  Since nothing was happening I went back to Rock.  Nothing.  I went back to the GOMH and Joe's friend hadn't gotten a bite.  I fished for maybe 10 minutes then left at 8:30PM.

Maybe I'll get the Slop Slip out tomorrow.

1 Bass and 2 Hammer Handles

14.5" T.H.E. Jig w/minnow

5:15-8:20PM
Conditions: Temps in the mid 40's, Sunny, light ENE wind turning calm

It turned into a really nice night to be out.  To bad no crappies showed themselves.  I got the bass first.  Then I got the first pike.

Broke my line when I got him on shore

14" THE Jig w/minnow

The second pike was a repeat performance of breaking my line and an inch bigger.  Until I measured it, I thought it was the same fish.

15" THE Jig w/minnow

It called down and at 7:50 I headed to the GOMH.  Nobody was at the GOMH and I didn't get any hits.

Not A Bite Tonight

5:15-7:45PM
Conditions: Cloudy, temps in the mid 30's, wind out of the NNE, some light rain and snow.

I fished at Rock and about half an hour at the GOMH.  Didn't have a bite.  Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow.

4 Bites for 4 Bass at Rock Tonight

17" T.H.E. Jig w/minnow

4:15-4:45PM GOMH
5:00-7:30PM Rock Lake
Conditions: Temps in mid 40's, cloudy, windy out of the SSE

Kuske was at Bear Trax when I went to get some minnows and a lighted bobber.  He said nothing is going on yet.  I started out at the GOMH, but quickly bailed on that.  It was a good thing I brought my long panfish rod that I use the Rocket Bobber with because the dock wasn't in yet, so I wouldn't have been able to get the Wing-It on the Cubby Rod very far tonight with the wind.  I got 4 bites and caught them all.  All fish were on the T.H.E. Jig with a minnow.  It started to sprinkle and I was cold so I left and didn't check to see if anyone was at the GOMH.

1st Bass of the evening

Top of the mouth

1st fish was 16.75"

2nd fish was 13.75"

Last fish was 16.25"

1st Bass of the Year Today at Rock

14" Cubby w/Minnow

5:45-8:00PM
Conditions:  44 degrees, light wind out of the NE, mostly sunny, water level low

I decided to hit Rock Lake today and that is where I stayed the whole time.  The dock isn't in yet.  My first bite on a Cubby and minnow was this pike.

24" Cubby w/minnow

Next bite was the 14" bass.  Always good to get the first one of the year.  After a pretty good lull I got a chubby 16.5 incher.

16.5 Cubby w/minnow

Then I got a little smaller pike that I was kind of lucky to catch because the line broke as I was pulling it up on shore.

22" Cubby w/minnow 

I missed a couple of bites and had one last small pike that broke my line as I was pulling it up on shore. It flipped back in the water and was gone in an instant.  I didn't check the GOMH tonight because nature was calling.

Skunked Tonight

6:50-7:50PM
Conditions: a cool 41 degrees, wind out of ESE, cloudy

The wind wasn't strong enough to make much of a difference and it was cooler than forecast with the clouds.  Ice probably won't be off Platte until at least Easter if not longer.  I forgot to bring the camera tonight.  A couple of swans swam by.

Two Toothy's Tonight

6:15-8:00PM
Conditions: Around 40 degrees, Mostly sunny, light wind, water level stabilized,

There was a family with 2 kids fishing on the SW side when I got to the GOMH.  They didn't get anything.  I started out on the NE side and got this mini pike on a Panfish Chatterbait.

16" Panfish Chatterbait

  I got a bigger on on the SW side as it was getting dark.

20" Cubby Mini-Mite w/minnows

Lakes only slightly more open than yesterday.

Skunked On A Nice Cool Evening

6:00-7:30PM
Conditions: A warm 37 degrees with very light wind

Didn't have a sniff tonight.  Swans, geese, muskrats, sandhill cranes, red wing blackbirds, a good sized raptor and ducks.  No loons yet.  Ice cover was slightly less than yesterday.  Tomorrow will be a little warmer.  Ice Out tomorrow or more likely Monday for Platte.

Skunked, Not A Big Surprise

Because gas prices are low and now I have a car that gets triple the MPG of the Expedition I am now able to take trips I normally wouldn't.  Today I drove to check out Shakopee Lake and Mille Lacs.  Shakopee was way less open than I anticipated and Mille Lacs is just weird.  The small cattail bay in Vineland Bay was wide open, which I didn't expect and there was less open water than I expected at the Whitefish Lake Inlet.

I was a little surprised by how open Platte had become with today's wind.  Channel Inn Bay was completely wide open beyond the north tip of the Small Island.

The Big Island is dead center behind the darker ice line. The Small Island ends at fat pine tree

The Platte River Outlet (SPRO) was completely ice free in Sullivan and well into the Intersection.

Intersection is the area beyond that point on the left

The view from the Platte Lake Access and other area lakes is about as promising as the 5 day forecast, that would be not much.

Platte Lake Public Access

I think Platte will probably be ice free on Saturday, matching the day it went off in 2012 just under very different conditions.  In 2012 Platte opened during a lengthy warm stretch.  The bullheads were there almost immediately and the fishing got very good very fast. With the long term forecast being what it is I don't expect a repeat performance.  But I never know and that's why I'll go.

I did fish tonight for about 30 minutes before I decided I was more likely to catch a cold than a fish.  Conditions were very breezy out of the NW, cloudy, and 40 degrees.

I Didn't Get Skunked

20" Storm Wildeye Swim Shad 2"

Right after I got the fish

5:50-7:50PM
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy, temps around 50 degrees, light wind out of the WNW, moderate flow into Sullivan, We got a 1/2" of rain today Maybe.

It was actually a somewhat nice night out.  The rain line was to the East of us tonight.  I would have preferred more rain than we got.  I stopped at Bulldog to start.

No surprise, nothing here.

I then went to the GOMH and started on the NE side.

 There were no signs of life other than Geese and Swans flying by.  Open water is maybe 1/3 of the way to the small Island, but not very far into Channel Inn Bay.  I think the PRO is open to the Platte River Mouth now.

I thought I was going to get a skunk tonight, but I didn't as I got the toothy after sunset on lure I haven't thrown in several years, the 2" Storm Wildeye Swim Shad.  I was looking through my blog posts from April of 2010.  I threw it a lot that year and got some nice bullheads on it.  I think it fell out of favor with me due to my upper back issues, which are better now.  One last picture.

 There were multiple muskrats swimming around tonight.  It's going to get colder starting tomorrow.

Dang Lure Thief's

21" Panfish Chatterbait

5:15-7:30PM
Conditions:  Mostly sunny turning cloudy, light wind, temps in the mid 50's. Light flow into Sullivan.

It was such a nice night out I stayed out late.  Had swans and geese flying around and over head.  I started out on the SW side and had a toothy steal my Panfish Chatterbait.  Then I caught this fish:

20.5" Cubby Mini-Mite w/minnow

Got it on white Cubby with a minnow.  I switched over to the NE side.  I was watching a truck turn around when I got a bite and missed it.  I put a new minnow on and the truck stopped on the SW side.  The guy came over and while we were talking I had a fish steal my Cubby leaving my Wing-It Bobber adrift.  I was able to get the bobber back casting a Frenzy Minnow with some floating weeds.  The guy left.  I got the toothy in the first picture on the Panfish Chatterbait.  That was the last bite I got.

Here's what the GOMH looked like tonight.

Got Another Toothy Bullhead Tonight

17" Panfish Chatterbait

5:15-6:00PM
Conditions: Cloudy, some light rain, light wind SSE, temps around 50

I was just about to quit when it hit.  It was definitely not the same fish as yesterday as it was 2" shorter.  I only fished on the N side due to the rain and wind.  I saw some sand hill cranes fly by.  There was a guy on a wheeler on the South end of the small island when I left.  I went and  checked out the Inlet and then went to Bulldog.  As I was heading home on 8 a cop passed me lights on and turned at Richardson Corners headed towards the GOMH.  Turns out the guy on the wheeler fell through.  Lucky for him Peter W. was out and saw the whole thing happen and called 911.  I don't know if the person crawled out on his own or if he had to be rescued.

Here's the GOMH Tonight and the Inlet

Inlet