Slow Cool Trip Nice Pike & A Couple of Bass

30.5" (Didn't Think to Weigh It)

Fleet Farm Spinnerbait (Black)

3:15-6:40PM Access Across to 17" Hole Flat, Chuck's Point/Green Cabin
53-50℉, Cloudy, 3-9mph WNW
50℉

2.75lbs/16.75" Crawtube (B/B)

Water levels and temps have been falling like a rock the last few days.  I think the bass are still adjusting to the cooling water.  It probably didn't help that I stuck with trying to get something out of the hay for so long.

15.9" Strike King T.G. Night Spin (Blue/Pink)

I finally got hit by this bass off the end of Big Rice Point on a spinnerbait.  Unfortunately, I had the spinnerbait get bit off a few casts later by a pike.  The pike hit right by the boat.  I watched it shake it's head and bam, spinnerbait gone.

Sufferin' Suckatash that was my only one of that color

 I worked my way out onto the flat and got a dink and the big pike on the black Fleet Farm Spinnerbait.  JUst couldn't make a topwater bite happen with the Phantom.  Finally, I said no mas and headed to Chuck's Point to try the reeds.  I was just about to give up there when I caught the 2.75lb bass along the reed/pad edge.  That was all I got in the reeds.  I went out and worked the flat getting one pike and losing one bite.  I was cold and not having that much fun, so I called it a night early.

3 Bass
3 Pike

Mini-Bucks at Mission Lakes

4.03lbs Hack Jig/Chigger Craw (Sunfish/Breen)

9:00-3:00PM Mission Lakes
42-36℉, Cloudy some snow and light rain, 3-9mph SSW
Not sure what the water temps were.  Maybe low 60's or high 50's

The "Mini-Bucks" is an annual tournament fished by the guys in my club, The Baxter Bass Snatchers.  This is the third year I've fished it as Chuck Steinbauer's part.  There were 5 boats fishing it.  The lake/lakes are divided into 5 sections or "hole's" as we call them.  4 holes were in the Upper Lake and all of Lower was a single hole.  The holes were numbered 1 through 5 and each boat starts in a different one.  We started in the SW corner of Upper Mission.  We should have checked where the Eastern boundary of the hole was actually at.  Water that we wanted to fish was in this hole, but Chuck thought it wasn't, so we didn't.  We discovered that mistake in the 4th hole change.

The Fishing:  We started out on the weedline on the point in this hole.  After about 15 minutes Chuck got our first bass in the boat on a jig.  Just a 2lber, nothing special.  Eventually, we worked our way along the reed edge.  I lost what felt like a good fish and then quickly caught a 2.51lb both on a Jackhammer/RaZor Shad Chatterjig.  We didn't get any more hits, so we went back out on the point and Chuck lost a fish, don't know if it was a bass or not.  Time was up.

Our next hole was the Northwest Corner of the Upper Lake.  This section is where we got a good portion of our bites last year in the Ironman I fished with Chuck;  We didn't end up even getting to any of that water, because we were catching fish in the reeds.  Chuck wanted to start by going in to try some docks where he has caught some big bass in the past.  Chuck caught a non-keeper.  In between docks, I made a cast to some pads in the reeds and a good one picked up my jig.   I was able to fight her back through the reeds and land the tournaments big bass (4.03lbs).  Chuck then caught a small keeper, a two pounder, and one that was just shy of two pounds, culling out the little one.  I'm pretty sure all of Chuck's fish were caught on the Blue Bruiser Craw Tube.  After that 15 minute flurry, we didn't get another bit.

In our third hole, Chuck got our only bite.  A small bass off a dock that he didn't land.

In our 4th hole, Chuck landed a couple of bass that didn't help that bit the Blue Bruiser in the reeds.

In our 5th and final hole, Lower Mission Lake, Chuck lost a fish and I had a couple of fish swipe at the Sprinker Frog and not get it, probably pike.

Guy and Hammer won.  Tuma/Swannie came in 2nd.  We came in 4th Place.

   

With Steve at the GOMH

6;00-6:30PM Windy Windy Windy W
Steve is back in town before he gets out of dodge.  I took him on a quick trip to the GOMH.  He caught that first toothy on the chatterjig, then it got bit off.  I didn't put the box with chatterjigs in the tackle bag, DOH.  We then went to the NE side and he got another toothy and the dink on a Jerk Shad.  He also had a fish swirl and miss and another bite. 

Short Trip While My Mind Was On Kavanaugh

18" Jackhammer

I am so totally drunk on thinking about this Kavanaugh confirmation that I forgot to put the trolling motor in the boat when I first took off.  I went to 3 Loon flat where the calm water was.  I did manage to catch an 18-inch, which I will get a picture of tomorrow, in between docks on the Jackhammer.  I lost two dinks on docks on the Terminator Jig and Craw Fatty.  I also lost something that felt really good.  Had a few hits on the Jackhammer that didn't hook up.  And I lost the Jackhammer when the wire leader broke.  Not sure if it was pike that did it or not.  I felt a hit and boom it was gone.  C'mon Man!  I fished for a little over an hour I think.  No hits on the Phantom, but there was some surface activity which is a good sign.  I forgot to bring the camera and notepad.

Docks Across and East

16" Stanley Phantom (Wh/BLK/ORG)

5:30-7:30PM Docks Across and East
Was a cool windy night out of the ENE.  Lots of docks out of the water now.  Caught little bass and few pike on the Jackhammer/Razor Shad, Hack Jig, and Terminator Jig/Fatty of and in between the docks that were still in.  I talked for a little bit the friendly guy with two cabins.  I caught on bass just off of the point dock on the Jackhammer.  I then went to East Docks.   Didn't get a bite on them, but I did get a topwater hit on like my second cast with the Phantom.  That was it for bites.

6 Bass
3 Pike

GOMH & Access Shore Docks & Wood

7:00-7:30AM GOMH
8:30AM-12:00PM West Point, Access Point Docks & Wood, NSI
44-66℉, Partly Cloudy, 8-18mph S
59℉

16" Jackhammer/RaZor Shad (GP/CH/WH)

A lot of shooting this morning on duck opener. Got two jumpers on the NE side on the Jackhammer.  Got a jumper and a toothy on the SW side on the Poison/Craw Fatty. Took a quick stop at Rock Lake and got nothing.  I then headed out in Trophy getting one small bass at West Point.  I then went to the docks off the end of Access Point working my way towards the access than all the past it to the slop.
A bass tipped me off to shallow wood, but I didn't catch it.  I came across some over hanging trees and caught two good one's.

17.25" Terminator Jig/Craw Fatty

A little way down there was a bunch of bass on this one dock.  It was slim pickings after that.  A few small bass and pike.  I went back to the dock and got one more small and nothing on the overhanging trees.  I then went to the N. Side of the small island and caught a bass and pike there.  It worked out to be a productive trip.

13.99lbs for my Best 6 Bass

16 Bass

8 Pike

Docks and the Terminator Jig/Craw Fatty

3.68lb/18.5" Terminator Jig/Craw Fatty (Blk/CH|Blk/Red)

5:30-7:30PM Docks Across
57-55℉, Mostly Sunny, Calm-9mph
60℉

3.13lbs/17.25lbs

So I started at "the dock" and worked my west.  I got two dinks off "the dock" and also missed a fish.  I got a 15.5" off of the next dock.  I got a 14" and 13.6" off of the Big Dock that I broke my jig off on the other night.  I had a pike break me off.  I got the 17.25 off of a boat lift and the 18.5 on the willow tree dock; I almost skipped the WTD.  I got a my last bass of the evening, a 13.75", off of the last dock before the point.  I missed a couple more bites on docks and one in the reed edge on the Sprinker. 

12.87lbs for my Best 6 Bass Tonight

8 Bass
1 Pike 

Windy Wet Morning at the GOMH

16.5" Jackhammer/RaZor Shad (Bhite Delight)

7:00-8:00AM GOMH NE, SW
54℉, Cloudy drizzle, 10mph NE

I started off with the Shallow Shad.  I had a good jumper get off in the weeds right at my feet.   I caught a 12-incher.  Lost a good one that was on briefly in the NE corner of the tube.   Then I got a 15-incher and that was the last Shad Shallow fish.  I had a good jumper break off my Tomato colored Jerk Shad right at my feet.  Wasn't very happy about that.  I caught a 25.5-inch toothy on the Bhite Jackhammer casting out and a 15.5-inch jumper in the tube on it.  I switched to the SW side and got the jumper in the picture and a 21-inch toothy.  I went back to the NE side and didn't get a bite.  I then went to the lake place, but the wind was such I decided to call it a day.

Mostly Docks On a Dreary September Night

16.5" Terminator Jig/Craw Fatty (Blk/Ch/B/R)

3:30-7:30PM F Flat, Reeds Across, Access Across, Docks Across
59℉, Cloudy some sprinkles, 4-10mph NNE ENE
65-63℉

First order was to try topwater on F Flat.  Didn't even get one hit.  I caught bass on some of the docks with the bites petering out the farther west I got.  Biggest was 16.5".  Briefly tried topwater on the Flat again with the same result.  I then went over to the reeds.  Had one pike strike and that was it.  I then headed to where Pete and I got fish yesterday.  I got a couple of pike and a dink in the reeds On the yellow Terminator Frog.  It just wasn't happening.  The sky's got darker so I bolted.  I hit some docks on North Platte Lake Drive point.  Got one dink bass.  I then headed to the Docks Across starting at "the dock".  I pulled 15.5" and 12" off "the dock".  It started to sprinkle.  I got a 23.5-inch pike on the Horny Toad on the next dock down.  I got one last bass (14.5) and missed a couple of bites.  I got the jig stuck under the big dock.  I passed the rod under the dock corner and was able to get the jig free only to rehook the dock again.  The jig was stuck about 3 feet under dock about 6 inches under the water.  I took off all my top layers and leaned under the dock.  I was able to get hold of the jig but unable to get it to unhook so I had to break it off.  It was quite dark so I was done fishing for the night.

9.92lbs for my Best 6 Bass tonight

9 Bass
4 Pike 

Fishing With Pete Again, Morning and Evening

19? Spro Poppin' Frog

3.67lbs

7:20-11:40AM Out from 17" Hole, Access Across to Big Rice Point
56-60℉, Coudy, 4-9mph NE
68-66℉

16.25" Spro Poppin Frog

Was hooked by the speed clip when the frog came off

Pete was screwing around on my Chromebook, so we got started out about a half hour later than I wanted to.  I skipped the GOMH.  We started out on the flat in Big West throwing buzzbaits and getting pike for about an hour or so.  I then took us the bulrshes inside of the cane.  Pete was cold and tired so he took a nap for 45 minutes or so.  I worked the area very methodically getting a couple small bass and several pike.  Pete eventually woke up and started getting bass right away casting out.  He got the 16-incher first that was hooked by the Norman Speed Clip.  He threw the bass back before I had a chance to weigh it.  We recovered his frog.  He then got this 17.5-incher.

17.5" Spro Poppin Frog

He then got a dink and then the 19-incher.  Not sure it was a 19-inch fish.  It only weighed 3.6 something and it seemed to be a well-built fish.  My guess is it was 18.5 or so and Pete measured it with an open mouth.  Pete also missed a couple of bites.  We went out to the end of the cane.  I missed a good bite there.  I then took us back toward the pads.  We got a few pike.

16.75" Terminator Poppin' Frog

I finally got a good bass to stick on the front side of Big Rice Point.  I then took us back to the bulrushes and re-fished through the area.  I missed a couple good bites.  I gave up at 11:40AM.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.68lbs/19.25" Sprinker (Bone)

6:00-7:30PM Melon Patch, Access Shore West, Double Cane Point
59℉, Cloudy, 2-7mph NE
67℉

I should have woken up Pete the second I got up at 4:30.  Not doing that cost us a good half hour of fishing time.  I started us on the Melon Patch where Pete and I both had a case of the drops on our better bites.  We were getting a few small pike.  The action wasn't fast enough for Pete.  There was a boat fishing where we were this morning so I took us to where Pete pointed. Pete lost what was probably a good bass out from the first dock on a buzzbait.  We got a few pike as I worked to the East.  Eventually, I had enough of it and moved us to Double Cane Point.  I had the big girl smoke the Sprinker.  She was hooked under the gills in the tongue and got hung up on the reeds.  When I got the hook out she was bleeding like crazy as the picture shows.  Pete missed one bite and that was pretty much it for the night.

Fishing With Pete Today

As the storm closed in

1:00-1:45PM F Flat, West Point
66℉, Cloudy some light rain, 6-15mph NE WSW
71℉

Black Buzzbait

I took us to F Flat with a front fast approaching.  I got a couple of pike to hit the Herb's Dilly and Pete got the 1 dink.  Then the front hit and the wind switched hard out of the WSW.  I was taking us in when Pete directed me to hit the South reeds across because there was no lightning.  Pete had one pike swipe at his buzzbait.  We got out of the wind on West Point.  Pete got a pike on the rice.  I lost a 16/17 bass off of West Point dock when I didn't get a good hookset with the Jackhammer on the Mojo rod.  Pete had a pike hit at him several times.  We recovered a 3 gallon bucket from the reeds.  It started to rain, so we beached the boat and went to see if Don W. was home.  He was and we went in and had coffee and cookies for a couple of hours.

Green Buzzbait

5:00-8:00PM 3 Loon, Loon Sex, ? Reeds, LSX Point, Reeds Across
58-65-58℉, Cloudy to Partly Cloudy, 4-10mph ENE
69℉

15.5" Terminator Frog (Yellow)

So we got back out on the lake and I took us to 3 Loon Flat to start.  I got a couple of hammer handles there. Pete wanted to try LSB, so we went there.  The ENE wind was not ideal.  Pete had a "walleye" jump out of the water at his frog.  Then he got a pike on the Husky Jerk, which led to Pete getting dissatisfied with my boat control for a while.  The sun came out and I got in the lee off the point.  We weren't getting anything so Pete pointed me to the ? Reeds.  I missed a pike and Pete caught one there.  Then we went to LSP Point.  Pete missed a blowup on a frog a couple of times.  For the last hour, I took us to the reeds across.  Pete wanted to work the outside of the reeds while I threw a frog into them.  Pete picked off several pike and the one bass on his green buzzbait.  I only had one blow up and landed it.  The sunset was excellent.  I was just trying to enjoy the evening, but Pete was doing his usual no stop complaining about the people that he has had to deal with when I finally had enough of it and told him to shut up and enjoy the peace and quiet.  I also informed Pete, that I really don't like fishing with him all that much.  Shortly after that, we called it a night. 

Birch Lake (Hackensack) Tournament

I drove up to Snatcher Darren's Place and rode up with him.  When we arrived at Leech it was blowing to beat the band out of the NNE when we arrived at 6:30AM.  Not a good thing when we were launching out of Horseshoe Bay.  The wind didn't die down and the tournament director switched us to the alternate lake at about ten to 8:00AM.  So off we went to Birch Lake.  My boater Alan had only fished the lake twice when the club fished here for the first tournament of the year in 2016.  I fished the lake twice in 2016 and twice in 2011 when we fished there on Oct 1st.

The Day:
I think we blasted off by 8:40AM.  Alan and I were boat number 1.  Alan made the decision that we would run to the farthest west bay in the lake; It's a pad lined slop bay.  Al got two quick small bass in the boat; One kept, one short.  I missed a bite in the pads and had a pike hook up on the frog over open water where I saw a fish bust.  We got into the open area in the bay.  I hooked up with a bass near a pad patch that was out in the open on a black/red Terminator Frog.  Immediately after I set the hook so did Al so we got a double.  My bass was my biggest of the day (2/10) and Al's was just a keeper.  I think Al got 2 more keepers in there.  We then went across to an adjacent point and didn't get anything.  So we headed a little farther East and tried some docks and wood on the north shoreline.  I got a pike on a dock.  We worked our way out on a point and I got a 2lber there on a green pumpkin Jackhammer.  Other than a couple pike that was all we got.  Next, we headed to the south end of the western basin and started working the weed flat.  I put on a junebug Jackhammer and was quickly rewarded with a small keeper.  We went up and worked the pads for a little bit and tried some reeds to the west not getting anything but a few pike.  I then suggested we try the channel between the lake.  I got a very small keeper out of the reeds on the southeast shoreline.  We didn't get anything in the channel.

Next, we headed to where the river goes to Ten Mile Lake.  I had a fish hit, hook up, hang me in some cabbage and get off.  As I was reeling in I saw a 2lber following my Jackhammer so I killed it and the fish smashed it.  I didn't get another bite until we were across the other side of the bay when a 14-incher hit my bone Sprinker Frog in some reeds.  That was my last landed bass of the day.  We went back to the bay we started in and Al got his biggest bass off the day in the pads.  We worked around the southside pads of the little island. I had a couple of fish hit my Terminator Frog, but I didn't hook up.  Probably just small bass like Al was catching.   Then we tried the south side of the big island and all I could get was pike.  And just like that, the day was over.

Results:   
My fish weighed 10lbs 1oz which put me in 14th Place out of 18 anglers.  Al had 2 more ounces than me and finished 13th.  Keith Tuma won it 19/3 and had a 4/04 for the tournament "Lunker".  Dwight Hammermeister, who was in Tuma's boat, came in 2nd and won the Co-Angler Challenge.

This finish makes me finishing in the club Super 6 highly unlikely, but I'm pretty much guaranteed I will reach my goal of finishing in the Top 10

My Thoughts:
My mental state wasn't optimal.  I hadn't fished since Monday and I was 100% sure we were going to be fishing Leech Lake and had prepared myself for a tough bite there.  My head just wasn't in the game like it needed to be.  It didn't help that the fish never really clued us in.  It didn't help that I didn't have rods and tackle along that would have diversified my fishing options.  I think we probably should have tried a few more docks and definitely fished the eastern basin.

     

My Act Wasn't All Together This Evening

Forgot to bring water, the camera, and my notepad. Doh!  I have just been dragging since the long day on Saturday.
5:50-8:10PM West Point, Don's Docks, Out from 17" Hole
74-70℉, Mostly Cloudy, 7-0mph SSE
69℉

9.78lbs for 5 Bass

I started to the East of West Point.  I got a small pike on the Terminator Jig and the first bass of the trip under "the dock" on West Point on the Terminator as well.  I got a dink next dock west then got bit off.  I got the 2nd bass on the 7' Tatula Elite Rod and Herb's Dilly Buzzbait in front of the rice.  When I got to the end of the rice I headed into Don's Bay to give a few docks a try.  I got a pike then the 2.68lb bass on the Terminator Jig.  I got bit off again,  Then I got bit off again,  Then I got 1.87lb bass on the Terminator Jig.  It got calm.  I cut the line at the spool on the Herb's Dilly.  I ended up switching reels on the Tatula Elite and beat feet for BIg West Bay.  I had a small pike hit the Shower Blows.  I then got the 2.27lber on the Herb's Dilly.  I got a small pike on the Herb's Dilly and that was it for fish tonight.

Leech Pre-Fish

Alan's Deep Water Largemouth

Chuck Steinbauer heading to Boy Bay

We, Snatcher Chuck and my boater Snatcher Alan, launched out of Brevik on this breezy Saturday morning and went up the West side of Bear Island.  The waves out there had us headed back into Boy Bay.  We went in and fished some shoreline cover.  I got a dink on a craw tube and had another bass hang me up and get off.  I then broke off.  Then we tried some windblown reeds and got nothing.  Then we went to center rice where Alan got a dink and lost a good one.  I had a toothy critter steal a Grassmaster Jig.  Then we went and tried some windblown pads and some shoreline reeds didn't get anything there.  Then we tried some rice across from Bear Island.  Alan got a couple of good bites there.  Then we went down to Headquarters Bay.  Alan got a couple more fatty's.  I got a pike on a Terminator Frog and missed a couple of bites on undercut banks.  At 3PM we called it a day.  The Steinbauer invited me over to have burgers, which I gladly accepted.

Dock Fishing Was Where It Was At Tonight

16" Terminator Jig/Craw Fatty (Blk/Red)

Looking across F Flat (It was dead there tonight)

4:30-8:05PM Docks Across, Reeds Across, F Flat
72-70℉, Mostly Sunny, 8-3mph ENE
72℉

15" Off "The Dock" Terminator Jig/Craw Fatty

Because the way the wind was I decided to go to "the dock" across.  I made to perfect of a cast and had a fish hang me up on the East side of the dock and get off.  I came around to the West side and got the 15-incher.  After that I decided to run some more docks and I caught at least 1 fish off of most of them until I got closer to the point. 

16"

16.25"

I took a quick trip into the reeds, missing what I think was a pike on the Hormy Toad.  I then went back to the docks for a bit.  Missing a good feeling bite and getting one good bass.  At the North Bed I went back into the reeds.  Missing one hit and catching a 15.5" on the yellow Terminator Frog.  That was it for the reeds.  The calm F Flat was calling my name.  Nothing going on.  I went over by the dock.  Still nothing on topwater.  It was getting dark.  I relented and threw the jig at "the dock" and then the next one West.  On the next one I got the last bite of the night, the 16" in the first pic.  Not a bad night.

13.53lbs for the Best 6 tonight

15 Bass
1 Pike