South Long Pre-fishing

2.68lb Craw Tube (Brown/GP)

1:50-5:30PM South Long Lake
Conditions: 56-58℉, Partly Cloudy, NW Wind (Rained heavy last night)

So Chuck Steinbauer called me in the morning to see if I wanted to go pre-fishing with him today.  Of coarse I was up for it.  The plan was to meet him at the landing at 1PM,  but he might be running a bit late.  I arrived at the Merrifield access on North Long, where we are fishing the Snatchers "Mini-Bucks" tournament on Saturday.  It was raining and 52 degrees.  I was wishing I had brought some warmer foot ware along.  It was a little after 1PM when it occurred to me that there is also the 371 access on North Long and that might be where Chuck was launching.  I called his house first and fortunately, Lois was home.  She told me he was going to be out on South Long Lake today.  I could have sworn that I read North Long was where the tournament was gonna be in the Mini-Bucks email.  As it turns out I did read the email right.  South Long is where the Challenge Cup is being held on Sunday.  The Challenge Cup is a tournament between the Bass Snatchers and other Brainerd area bass clubs.

So I skedaddled down to South Long.  Chuck was fishing a spot where he could keep an eye on the public access and he saw me right away.  I got loaded up and he straightened me out on how we got crossed up.

We headed to a break line out from the slop area n the North Shore toward the middle of the lake.  I pretty quickly put a 2lber, then a 3lber, and then a 1lber in the boat on a Piranha Swim Jig with Craw Fatty. I think Chuck got a 2lber on a jig'n pig.  We then moved farther East.  Didn't get anything there.  Then we went to a point that comes out on the East end of the lake.  I caught a 2lber there and had a pike follow the Piranha to the boat.  Then we went to the large reed island in the South middle of the lake.  It was quite breezy there.  I then Chuck got 1 bass maybe.  We went into the reeds and didn't get anything.  We then went to a weedline spot near some reeds along the protected North Shore.  Chuck got a couple fish there.  I had some bites that didn't hook up.

The wind backed off a little bit, so we went back to the large reed bed area.  I started throwing a 3/4oz Red Eye Shad.  I got a dink and a small slimer.

We then moved to a weedline spot on the West end of the lake out from the reeds.  Apparently, one time years ago in October Chuck was helping Babe Winkleman with some guiding and the mother lode was in this spot.  Chuck got 3 quick good ones and I got the chub in the picture on a craw tube.  We then went into the reeds where there was some baitfish activity, but we didn't have a hit.

We then quickly tried the narrows and called it a day.

6 Bass
3 Pike

I debated going back to Baxter to run some errands or heading to Platte to do some fishing because conditions on South Long were telling me a topwater bite.  I decided to head to Baxter.  I arrived at the lake place to empty the boat just as the Twins game started.  Had about 2" worth in the boat and the dock is almost totally underwater.  Should have pulled it in some this weekend.  Oh well.