Memorial Day Morning Trip, Last Of Bass Opener

17" Horny Toad (Black)

5:30AM-Noon GOMH NE, River Mouth, Dam, River, SPRO
Conditions: 50-56℉, Cloudy some mist, Windy WNW
Water Temp: 59℉

13.5" Jerk Shad (Chart Shad)

When I got to the GOMH, the walleye fisherman farmer with a place on Long Lake was there fishing the SW per usual.  He hadn't gotten anything yet.  I went down on the NE side and got the 13 incher when I went to the Jerk Shad.  I then had to resort to the Kinami Flash (Senko) to get 4 dinks.  I didn't get anything on the SE side.  The farmer got a couple of bass and a pike.

Don't remember if this was a Toad or Speed Shad Fish either way it's close to 16"

So it was off to the Trophy.  I headed straightway to the river mouth in Sullivan.  Nobody had been there yet and I got two bass (15.75, 14) and acouple of misses right away on the Horny Toad.  Due to the wind blowing right down the river I anchored.  I then picked off bass (16, 15.5, 13, 7, 10) and some pike on the Bass Pro Speed Shad and the Brovarney Swim Jig with Grass Pig Jr.  I also got a pike on the jerk shad.  Tim Benson went bye me and into the river.  The fish stopped biting after that except for a pike on the Hack Jig.  I started fishing into the river not getting anything.  Tim passed me on the way out claiming he only got a couple 14"ers.  I then motored down to the dam area.

16.25" Shower Blows Knock Off (Chart/Hern Bone)

I missed a couple of hits on the Speed Shad.  I then put on the SBKO and got the 16.25, a 15.5, and 10" bass on that and I had a big one boil on it and miss right in front of the dam.  I also missed a hit on the Horny Toad.  Then I made what turned out out to be a very poor decision.

  The water level on the lakes is about normal.  So I thought I would go fishing on the other side of the dam.  I have done it several times and never had an issue.  Well this time I did apparently the water is about 1/2 lower than I need it to be. I scraped nearly getting stuck on the way over.  Rats!

I immediately turned the boat and parked against the near concrete in the picture.  I thought maybe if I took myself, the fuel and batteries out I could pull it back over with anchor rope.   That didn't work.  My next thought was to strip down to my underwear and push it over from the back.  That didn't work. Next I tried pulling it over from the front while standing in the water next to the concrete along the dam.  I was able to get 70% over that way, but then the current wanted to pull the front of the boat the front of the boat back out into the flow.  So now I was on to plan D.  Going over the the dam with the boat on plane.  I smacked the motor pretty good, but plan D worked and so did the motor.  My adrenaline was flowing pretty good.  I drove about 1/2 way out of the river, the boat didn't seem to be taking on any water, so I decided to fish my way out.

16" Horny Toad (Black)

     That turned out to be a pretty good plan because I managed to catch some quality fish and missed some as well on the black Horny Toad and the Terminator Frog.  The wind was really howling pretty good and it was Noon when I reached the GOMH, so I called it quits.

3 Pike
23 Bass
6 Best (17, 16.25, 16, 16, 16, 15.5) 15 maybe 16lbs

For Bass Opener Final Totals
42 Bass
18 Pike