Friday, May 18, 2018

Gold Morning at GOMH/Mille Lacs With Steve Evening

6.50lbs Rippin Rap (Chrome/Blue)
4:45-8:20AM GOMH NE SW NE
Conditions: 50-67℉, Partly to Mostly Cloudy, ESE Wind, water level normal falling




It was a little warmer this morning to start and the wind tended to blow more SE than ESE.  Basically, nothing was going on for the first half hour except a few baitfish getting busted in the tube, so I knew fish were there.  I got my first golden of the morning on the Crackle Jerk Shad.
17" Jerk Shad (Crackle)
After a few more casts and no more bites.  I decided to go to the Rippin' Rap for the second time in the morning.  I caught 3 (21.25, 18.5, 18) and missed 2 more in the span of about 9 casts.  Then there was about a five-minute lull and I caught the big one and the gold rush was over.
21.25" Rippin' Rap
I had a good jumper hit the Rippin Rap and jump me off in the tube. I then went to catching them on a craw tube getting 4 jumpers and missing about as many or more bites.  They would pick it up then quickly let it go.
16" Craw Tube (Brown/Grn Pumkn)
When the action slowed I finally got over to the SW side where it was like pulling teeth to get bit.  I did get this chubby 15.5" which was the heaviest of the morning over there.
2.27lbs/15.5" Craw Tube (Brown/GP)
I went back to the NE side and got a couple of dinks on the Jerk Shad and Rippin' Rap.  Then I got a 24" toothy on the Rippin' Rap and a 20" toothy on the Craw Tube (watermelon red).  I got some pickups on the watermelon red craw tube, but they would spit pretty much immediately; I caught one dink on the w/r before switching back to the b/gp.  I got two more dinks on the b/gp and it was time to go.
Best 6 Jumpers and the Big Gold Bullhead

Best 6 Jumpers
11 Jumpers
5 Gold
2 Toothy
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4.78lbs/25.5" Jerk Shad (Crackle)
8:30-10:00PM Eddy's Jetty
Conditions: Hot day, dark sky's no rain, Wind out of the South, unfortunately.

Conditions were such that I thought the bullheads would really be going at the GOMH.  Steve met me there, but the fish weren't going.  Lantern Man's son was there fishing and they had gotten some bullheads.  I quickly made the call to bag it and head to Mille Lacs to try and get Steve his first ever walleye.

When we arrived at the Jetty there was a family fishing off the North Jetty's North Corner and a native couple fishing off Center Jetty in the North Harbor Mouth.  We took the North Jetty at the harbor mouth.  The family left expanding our casting area.  Steve thought he missed a hit on the Rippin Rap.  It was after 9PM and getting dark.  I put on a Crackle Jerk Shad and got the first eye of the evening around 9:20 or so.  I immediately put a Jerk Shad on Steve's rod as well.
18? Jerk Shad (Crackle)
 It was probably around 9:35 when I saw a pair of eyes swimming toward me in really shallow water.  I brought my cast in right above its head and the doggone fish actually snatched at it.  I never had one that I could see do that before.  It was a 24-25" class fish and came off as I was bringing it up onto the rocks, so no picture.  At about 9:45PM Steve got his first ever walldog.
18" Jerk Shad (Crackle)
As I released the fish into the Jetty I saw another eye scoot away.  The native lady said she was looking at a bunch of them right now as she was fishing off the dock into the Jetty.

Steve got the last fish, first picture, right at the 10PM deadline.

So I achieved my goal of getting Steve his first ever MN State Fish.
My best 6 bass and Steve's big walleye

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