I Didn't Get Skunked

21" Wildeye Swim Shad

7:45-9:15PM GOMH NE SE SW
Conditions: High to mid 40's, Partly Cloudy, Light NW wind, Water level now on the high end of normal and rising.

I didn't fish on Wed due to the minnows spilling in the car ruining that trip.  Thursday was just to dang cold;  It didn't get above freezing the hole day.  I did make it out on Friday though. I started on the NE side and got nothing.  I then went on the SE side because Matt Will and friend were fishing on the SWside.  He said they got a couple of tiger bullheads and missed a couple of bites.  They left at about 8:15.  I got a the toothy about 5 minutes later.  I moved over to the SW side.  It was a pretty sky, but I failed to get a good picture of it.  Not much was going on.  I threw my last cast and sure enough the bobber went down.

It was a small toothy that stole my Glow Demon.  I tied on a new one and called it quits.

Quick Morning Trip, Quick Evening Trip

17.75" Minnow on the Cubby Rod

5:55-7:30AM GOMH NE SE
Conditions: 44℉, Cloudy then Mostly Sunny by the time I left, Light N Wind, water level still rising

I left later than I wanted by about an hour.  I started out on the NE side and got the jumper on my very first cast with a minnow on a hook.  About 5 minutes later a truck stopped, so I went to the SE side.  Turns out it was Sneaky C. with his puppy.  He met Lantern Man last night. I think a toothy bit him off and that was it for him this morning; He didn't stay very long.  While he was there I missed two hits on the minnow and had a toothy cut me off.  I did catch a toothy. The sun came out, a loon moved into the area, and the bites stopped so I left at 7:30.

I will probably get out again later today.

Evening Trip:

18.5" Wildeye Swim Shad

5:45-7:15PM GOMH NE SW SE
Conditions: 52-46℉, Cloudy with sprinkles turning into light rain, Windy NNE, the water level is still rising

17.25" Minnow on the Cubby Rod

With the cold weather forecast for basically the next week I figured I better get out tonight before the rain moved in.  It's not supposed to get out of the 30's the next couple of days and we could get a couple of inches of snow tonight.  There was no one at the GOMH when I arrived.  I elected to try the NE side first same as this morning.  I got a couple of 17 inch jumpin' bullheads and a toothy over there.

Next I headed to the SW side. That is where I got the 18.5" at.  No silvers or dogfish.  The sprinkles turned to light rain.  I fished for maybe 15 minutes on the SE side.  Didn't get a bite.  It was looking dark to the South and I was worried about a downpour at the house, so I left at 7:15PM

Turns out the heavier rain just missed our place.  I got to watch Sano crush a baseball and Santana pitched a good game giving up just a solo home run.  Twins beat the Rangers 8-1.  It's now after 10:30 and the air temp is down to 36 degrees and it will continue to rain until it snows. I will not be out after silvers tonight.

I'll give it a shot tomorrow night maybe.

Burning the Midnight Oil

12" Glow Demon & Minnow

11:30PM(4/24/17)-3:00AM(4/25/17) GOMH NE SW SE
Conditions: 46-44℉, Cloudy with some light rain, Wind E diminishing late

I was worn out and slept most of the day away.  I really need to go to the chiropractor for my upper back.  I was more into watching the Twins game than going fishing tonight.  The Twins beat the Rangers 3-2.  I finally got on my way after 11PM in light rain.  I arrived just as Lantern Man was leaving.  He had been there a couple of hours and gotten 2 or 3 silvers.  He never did go last night.  So he took off and I headed down on the NE side.  I put a stickleback on the Glow Demon and got a bite on the very first cast, but I missed it.  I got a new minnow and cast back to the same area.  Had another bite, but missed it again, but didn't lose the minnow this time.  Then nothing for about 10 minutes.  Finally the fish hit me again and I landed it this time.

10.25" Glow Demon & Minnow

I then spent a good hour over there not getting another bite.  I packed up and went to the SW side about the time the rain quit, at least for a while anyway.  I didn't get a bite on the SW side.  I took the Rod and minnows over to the SE side not expecting to get a bite, but I did.  It was a 10" silver.  I went and got the Lantern and rest of my stuff.  Within the next 10 minutes I got the 12" after missing the first bite.  I then missed a couple of bites over the next hour plus.  I started getting  cold, but managed to get one more silver before I had enough.

4 Silvers

Nothing But Jumpers Pretty Much (2 Trips)

17.5" Terminator Jig w/UJ Pork Frog(Black/Bluefrog)

6:00-9:00AM GOMH NE SW

Conditions: Overcast, Windy out of the NE

I got out to a later start than I wanted.  No one was there.  I started out on the NE side getting my Swim Shad bit off.  I then got a couple of jumpers on a minnow on the Cubby Rod.  The wind got to be to much so I switched to the SW side.  I met who I will refer to now on as Sneaky C this morning.  He is a guy that fishes the GOMH often when he is up in the area staying with his grandparents.  He likes to keep a low profile.  I'm sure we've probably met up there before, but never really talked.  He's a pretty hardcore fisherman that used to do walleye tournaments and some bass.  He wants the water level to come up at least another foot.  A couple people stopped by to see if the fish were in yet.  They weren't.  Sneaky left to go to church and I gave up at 9AM when it started to rain.

17.5" Wildeye Swim Shad

7:30-9:30PM GOMH SE

Conditions: High 30's, Cloudy with some sleet, Windy as heck out of the NE

I was amazed to see Sneaky at the GOMH when I arrived. I figured there wouldn't be anybody there in the sucky conditions.  He hadn't gotten anything but a couple of toothy's.  I got the one jumper on the Swim Shad and that was it.  I think I missed one hit on the lighted bobber. I gave up at the 9:30.  

Slow Evening At the GOMH For Earth Day

10" Glow Demon & Minnow (Platte)

6:30PM-12:30PM GOMH SE SW NE
Conditions: 66-50℉, Mostly Sunny, Wind out of the SW turning calm then starting up again, water flowing both directions.

I woke up when the mail man came, then went back to bed.  Woke up to watch Major League Fishing but had to go back to bed.  I finally woke up at about 3PM in time to catch the 3rd Period and Wild loss in OT.  It's a shame really.  The team never should have made the trade for White and Hanzel.  They weren't the same team.  Anyway, I arrived at the GOMH around 6:30. There were people on the NE side and on the SW, so I quickly took up the SE side.  No boats fishing.  Not a good sign.  The guys on the SW side arrived about 5 minutes before I did and hadn't gotten anything.  I guess they just crushed the fish over at Bulldog earlier in the day.

First thing I did was chuck a bunch of dead minnows because I was an idiot and didn't get fresh water for them yesterday.  About half were dead. I got a small toothy on my first cast on the Swim Shad.  Dad called while I was retying my line.  Some older teenagers showed up that knew the guys on the SW side, they also had been at bulldog crushing the fish.  They landed a couple toothy's and I got another small one.  Willard showed up.  The teenagers left and so did the other guys around 8PM.  About 5 minutes after they left a guy and lady that I've seen down here a couple of weekends showed up.  They got a tiger bullhead, an orange, and jumper.  I had a couple hits on the Swim Shad that didn't hook up.  I went to a minnow on the Cubby Rod.  I went to put a minnow on and the hook was broken off just below where the bard should have been.  Very weird!  I tied on a new hook.  I had a bite on the minnow but missed it.

The guy from Princeton showed up to check out if anything was going on.  I filled him in.  He ended up giving me a bunch of minnows.  He had been fishing at Bulldog crushing the sunfish and bass.  Apparently the teenagers were there and throwing over his lines.  He wasn't real  happy about that.  They were also throwing plugs for bass.  His young daughter fell in the water and he didn't have a change of clothing.  I am glad he stopped and gave me the minnows.  A guy showed up and went down on the NE side

The guy and lady left after it got dark.  I switched sides.  A boat set up with lights for archery went into Platte then came back about 10 minutes later.  The guy who was on the NE side came over to see how I was doing.  He had gotten one jumper.  I thought maybe it was Peter, but it wasn't.  About 5 minutes after he went back to the NE side, Lantern Man showed up and went down on the SE side.  His clan got about 7 silvers last night, but only like 4 of them were keepers.  At about 10PM he caught a silver. I then got a 10" by the rocks.  Which I gave to LM without snapping a picture or recording, duh!

9" Glow Demon & Minnow

I landed the 9" which I did take a picture of and record.  LM got a couple more silvers, but it was slow.

15.5" Demon & Minnow

At about 11:30 I headed over to the NE side.  On about my 3rd cast the bobber went under but I missed it.  I went and got another minnow.  Cast back to the spot and  it was silver on (The one in the 1st picture).  I kept it to give to LM.  Some bow fishermen showed up, took one shot which they missed and left.  About 10 minutes later I got the jumper. I stayed until 12:30PM.  LM got 2 silvers while I was on the Platte side.

It was still rather pleasant out when I left.

3 Silver
1 Jumper
2 Toothy

Wasting Warm Weather Hardly Fishing

17" Terminator Jig w/Pig (Blk/red/blue)

1:30-2:30PM GOMH SW NE
Conditions: 58 degrees, Mostly Sunny, Light S wind, water still rising.  A lot of algae and junk in the water but visibility over all was up.

Although I was up at sunrise I didn't go out because it was about 30 degrees out.  I did string up a new to me Tatula Rod and Reel with some chart J-Braidx4 that I put a black with red fleck Terminator Jig on.  I went and took a trip to see if I might catch a doggy on it.  No dogs, but I did get the one bullhead on the set up.  I also got a toothy.  After another toothy made an appearance I was out of there.  I started off on the SW side and didn't have a hit on that side.

I then came home and got caught up in the Twins game and the BASS weigh in.  Unfortunately I didn't think about the weigh in until after Josh Douglas weighted his fish.  He managed to squeeze into the Top 12 despite only getting 4 fish.  Because I did those things I didn't take the Trophy out to Rock.  When I took the dogs out to do there business after their dinner I think Mike B. was driving his Tuffy South on 8.  I didn't think to wave.

At 7:30 I was still awake, so I decided to check out the GOMH.  I didn't bring minnows because I thought people would have the place covered up and didn't intend to fish.  Much to my surprise only Matt W and a friend was there.  They had seen a couple dogfish on the SW side.  I decided to go down on the NE side.  Just after I started fishing Lantern Man's son and friend arrived.  He asked me what I was doing on that side.  I kind of wondered that myself.  By the time I got to the S side LM sons buddy was down on the SE side and Matt W and his friend were fishing on the SW side.  I fished for a little while off the bridge.  LM friend got a jumper and Matt's friend got a toothy.  I went back to the NE side.  I got a toothy on the Wildeye.  Baitfish were occasionally getting busted.  At about 8:30 I left.  There was a lot of algae and junk in the water.  

Cold Rain Kills The Bite, Two Trips

17" Glow Demon & Minnow

7:00-8:00AM GOMH SW
Conditions: 38℉, Cloudy, Windy out of the NE, drizzling,  water is up to normal level and was flowing into Sullivan.  Was up all night monitoring the pumps.

18" Skinny Glow Demon & Minnow

I got a couple of slob bullheads and one toothy.  No silvers to be found.

Evening Trip: Was lucky no water in the house as the alarm didn't go off the wake me up.
7:30-9:00PM GOMH NE SW
Conditions: 40℉, Partly Cloudy, some drizzle, Windy out of the NE, water not flowing much at all

There was a guy fishing the SE side when I arrived.  He said he hadn't gotten anything. I started out on the SW side.  Nothing.  I went to the NE side after the guy left  and had a toothy steal my Wildeye.  Stupid fish.  I went back to the SW side nothing again. The silvers have definitely moved out.  It's supposed to warm up into the low 60's tomorrow.  Hopefully the fish will be back.

Two Trips, Silvers Disappeared

5:30-8:00AM GOMH SW NE
Conditions: 36℉, Partly Cloudy, Calm to light NW Wind, water flowing into Sullivan

15.5" Cubby & Minnow

I got there early, but the silvers had bugged out.  I got one toothy while I was taking pictures of the sunrise.  I got a few jumpers on the SW side.  Had the Cubby get bit off.  Stupid toothy's!

Evening Trip: Camera went on the fritz.  I was dog dead tired and got a late start.
8:00-9:00PM GOMH NE SW
Conditons: 40℉, Cloudy, Windy out of the NE, Some light precip

I started out on the NE side getting one toothy there.  It was pretty cool in that wind.  I switched to the SW side and got one jumper before LM showed up.  He got a couple jumpers.  The wind really came up and it started sprinkling.  It was pretty clear to me that the silvers weren't there so I bailed early.

Another Good Night At the GOMH

12.25" Glow Demon & Minnow

6:30-10:00PM GOMH SW NE
Conditions: 47℉, Cloudy, Wind WNW, Water mostly flowing into Sullivan, but it did flow in Platte for about 1/2 hour around 9 PM.  We got about an inch of rain today so levels are coming up.

17.5" Wildeye Swim Shad

I started on the NE side and didn't get a bite.  I then went down on the SW side and I started out catching jumpers and toothys on the 2" Storm Wildeye Swim Shad.  One of the toothy's nicked the back of my right middle finger.  It bled like a son of a gun for probably 20 minutes.  From now on there will be band aids with me when I fish.  I put out the Glow Demon about 8PM and was quickly rewarded with an 11" silver.

11" Glow Demon & Minnow

Before I caught the next fish Lantern Man arrived.  When he was getting his stuff together.  Some minnows jumped and a fish boiled right in front of the rocks on the SE side.  Naturally LM went down on the unoccupied SE side.  He caught one almost immediately.  The fishing was hot for the next hour on both sides.  Lots of misses as well.  The water switched directions and I caught the 12 incher right before LM left.  I think I only caught 3 more silvers.  I tried the NE side briefly before I left.

12 Silver
5 Jumper
3 Toothy

Second Trip Today

12.25" Glow Demon & Minnow

6:45-7:00PM Bulldog Lake
7:15-9:45PM GOMH NE SW
Conditions: 51-47℉. Partly Cloudy, Windy out of the NE, water flowing into Sullivan

11" T.H.E. Jig (bb/chart)

I started at Bulldog and only had one hit on THE Jig, so I got out of that cool wind quick.  There was nobody at the GOMH when I arrived.  I started out on the NE side. Getting a couple jumpers and a toothy over there.

16.5" Wildeye Swim Shad

When I switched to the SW side the jumpers and toothys were active over there as well.  Lantern Man showed up at about 8:30 or so.  I lost a couple silvers on the Swim Shad, so I went to the Glow Demon and minnow.  I started getting silvers immediately giving the descent one's to LM.

10.75" Glow Demon & Minnow

We were both catching them pretty frequently.  LM filled his limit in about 45 minutes.  As he was packing up I got the 12 incher which I kept.  I stayed about 15 minutes after LM left getting one last bite.

11 Silvers
3 Toothy
7 Jumper

The Moon Poked Through And The Slabbers Came Out

13.5" Glow Demon & Minnow

3:30-7:30AM GOMH SW
Conditions: 39-36℉, Mostly Cloudy until the sun came up, NW Wind, water flowing into Sullivan

So the moon wasn't set to rise until after 1:15AM this morning.  I putzed around until a little after 3AM.  When I took the dogs out at about 2:40 I could see the moon through the clouds. When I got to the GOMH, the clouds had thickened up.  I decided to try the NE side first.  I spent maybe 20 minutes there and didn't get a bite.  I then went to the SW side and fished for about half an hour getting nothing.  I was just about to leave when the moon poked through the clouds.  The lighted bobber went down about 7 seconds later.

11.9" Glow Demon & Minnow

It was nearly a 12" slabber bullhead.  I decided to put it in the bucket and see if I could get more.  I then landed a 9.5" on pretty much my next cast.  I threw that bullhead back.  I had trouble getting the hook out of the roof of it's mouth and I bent the hook some.  I had another bite, but missed it; I believe because of the way the hook was bent.  I got the forceps out and got the hook situation straightened out.  The moon had disappeared by now.  I cast out to the sweet spot and the bobber went down again.  The fish was a true pig. I thought it might even have a shot at being a new personal best, but it came up .75 of an inch short of that at 13.5".   Still a really nice slab that was just to big to keep, so I released it.  I thought if I get a fish on the next cast I might be on to something.  Sure enough the bobber went under again.

13" Demon & Minnow

But just like that they either moved or quit biting.  About an hour later I had a quick two fish flurry (10.75, 12.25").  I kept the 12.25" sb.

16" Demon & Minnow

    The clouds cleared off to the South where the moon sits.  I had to warm up in the car for 10 minutes.  I got a couple nice jumpin' bullheads and then the sun came up.  Everything quit biting by 6:30AM.  I stayed until 7:30AM.  I forgot my sunglasses at home, but at least I had the Strike King ball cap in the car.  The sun was also high enough in the sky that I wasn't totally blinded as I headed East.

4 Silver Slabbers
2 Silvers
2 jumpers

Teeth & Jumpers For Easter

With Flash

Without Flash Zoomed In A Bit

7:30-9:30PM GOMH NE SE
Conditions: 56-48℉, Partly Cloudy, Windy W, Some light sprinkles, Water flowing hard into Sullivan

23" Wildeye Swim Shad

I was just dragging today and in no hurry to get out in the wind we had today.  I watched the Twins lose in extra innings and found out the Wild lost when my brother Jeff called;  I forgot they were playing today.  I was surprised no one was at the GOMH hole when I arrived.  There was one boat out a ways in Sullivan.  They put the buoys in on Sullivan.  The foul mouthed grumpy old man drove up when I was taking my stuff out of the car. He said maybe he would come by and fish sometime later this week.

I went down on the NE side to start and it was really flowing into Sullivan.  I managed to get the one toothy on the Wildeye.  I prepared my stuff to head over to the South side.  I decided to take a few throws with the craw tube.  I missed a bite on that as a car pulled up on the SW side.  It was a guy and a chick who went down on the SW side.  I of coarse went on the SE side.  The girl landed a silver and they caught maybe 6 or 7 before it got to dark and they left.  I had one nice jumper jump me off and landed two in the 15" range all on the Wildeye.  I also missed several hits on the Wildeye.

15.25" Swim Shad

Would you know it my lighted bobber that was super bright didn't work anymore. I must have not turned it all the way off; Good thing I bought another one yesterday, although not getting my minnows bagged thermal shocked almost all of my remaining minnows to death (Not a good call there Hoyt).  I didn't get a hit on the minnow and went to the SW side after they left.  Didn't get a hit over there either.  My brother Steve called needing some info I didn't have with me.  Since nothing was happening and the moon wasn't going to be up until after midnight I called it quits and went home and got the info for Steve.

Morning at the GOMH And Quick Bulldog Run

8.5" T.H.E. Jig

6:00-11:00AM GOMH NE SW
11:15-11:30AM Bulldog Holy Family
Conditions: 59-56℉, Cloudy, Some fog and mist, Calm, water slowly flowing into Sullivan

19" Glow Demon & Minnow

After the way last night went I decided to start on the North side.  I landed a couple of jumpers and a couple of toothy's.  I went and gave the SW side a shot and landed toothy's and jumpers there on Wildeye.  Just as I was heading back to the North side a guy who fishes there a lot showed up.  I told him no silvers for me today.

8.5" T.H.E. Jig (chart/black)

I went back on the NE side and had a Wildeye get bit off.  I decided to give the long rod a try and managed to get a few nice orange bullheads.  I was fishing a ways down the shoreline and a guy with a car load of young sons let them out on the NE side.  I was concerned because my rods were laying out where they could be stepped on.  Fortunately the kids all avoided them.  I went back to make a cast and the line was wrapped around my rod tip.  I was having to make a long cast to reach the bullheads and I ended up breaking my line sending the Rocket Bobber out into the lake.  Just great!

I got it back, thankfully

While I was back at my pile of tackle figuring out what to do, one of the boys came down to ask me if I was catching anything.  Pretty much at that moment a boat came out from under the bridge into Platte.  Before I could think to wave him down to get the bobber for me he was on his way.  It took about 45 minutes for the bobber to drift to where I could cast and get it.  Wouldn't you know it just as I was grabbing the bobber a boat full of three old guys drove into the GOMH area.   They asked me how fishing was and I told them and mentioned that I had almost lost my bobber.  They thought I had said I lost my bobber.  They went into Sullivan for about 15 minutes.  I resumed fishing, but didn't get anymore bites on the new chart/baby blue T.H.E. Jig that I put on.  They came back into Platte and proceeded to get someone else's bobber that was stuck in some weeds.  I informed them that I had my bobber back and thanked them for thinking of me.  They got a bobber out of the deal.

I went back to the South side and got a couple more jumpers.  At 11AM I pulled the plug and headed to Bulldog.  I forgot to take a picture of the calm foggy lake like I was going too.  There was somebody sitting at the access, so  I went to Holy Family.

9.5" THE JIg (bb/chart)

 I got the one crappie and a 6.5" sunny there.  Satisfied that the new jig color would catch fish I left and headed to Bear Trax, where I got more minnows and a spare light for my bobber.

Tough Night at the GOMH

14" Storm Wildeye Swim Shad

7:00-9:00PM GOMH SW
Conditions: 62-56℉, Partly Cloudy, Windy out of the SE, water flowing into Sullivan

I arrived and no one was at the GOMH.  There were two boats, both out a ways on the Sullivan side.  I had a couple of bites I missed on the white Piranha.  I put on a new trailer and proceeded to lose the lure on my next cast when the Fireline broke at the spool.  I was not happy about that.  About 10 minutes later I managed to catch the line and got the Piranha back.  The boat that was closest to me left going into Platte.  They said they got a bunch of pike.  A guy showed up and went down on the SW side.  Someone showed up and fished on the North side.  Heard them get several fish.  I missed a couple bites on the Swim Shad.  A guy and lady showed up and went down on the SW side.  The one guy left.  I landed the one jumper.

Matt W. came over and updated me on what was going on on the North side. Some more friends of Matt showed up.  The guy and lady left.  I missed one bite on the Glow Demon and had to switch to a new lighted bobber.  After half and hour and no more bites.  I decided to go home and catch the end of the Wild game. They lost 2-1.  Only 1 jumper.  Pretty pathetic. I may take the Trophy out tomorrow.

Didn't Feel Like It Today

My original plan for today was to go out in the Trophy on Rock Lake.  However the weather had other ideas.  It remained cloudy, cool, and windy out of the East.  Not exactly what I wanted to fish in the boat in.  I didn't feel like fishing at Bulldog for sunfish in that wind, so I just went to the GOMH.  And even though the weather was reasonably warm, I didn't feel like grinding out bites tonight, so I left at 9:30PM

9.5" Glow Demon & Minnow

6:30-9:30PM GOMH SW SE
Conditions: 54-48℉, Mostly Cloudy, Wind out of the East, water flowing into Sullivan

17.5" Panfish Chatterbait

Bam! Very first cast small toothy bullhead.  A little while later I got a chunky jumper on the PC.

15.25" Panfish Chatterbait

Somebody else showed up to fish, so I switched to the SE side to have some relief from the wind.  Over there I got a 2 more small toothy's and one solid jumper on the Wildeye. I also had several more hits from small pike.

17" 

The guys on the other side got 1 jumper.  They left.  I got two silvers in quick succession from the same spot when I  switched to the lighted bobber and that was it. I didn't get a bite in the next 45 minutes.  There isn't going to be a visible moon tonight, so I left.