May Ends On A Bit of a Whimper

5:30-7:30AM GOMH NE SE SW
62-55℉, Hazy Sun, Calm

After last night's fubar with the hook to the finger, all my stuff minus the rods was down in the boathouse.  Little did I know that the boathouse had been unlocked the whole time because I didn't check the door when I came back last night.  I didn't go back and retrieve my stuff right away at Dad's insistence.  Without that this trip might never have happened. So I get all my stuff loaded in the car and sunfish started hitting bugs on top.  I watched for a while and took pictures, but bizarrely didn't think to grab a rod.  I wanted to get to the GOMH I guess.  I did that and got a bunch of dinks.  Mainly on the pearl orange SBKO.

13 Jumpers
2 Pikes

I spent all afternoon getting my tackle ready for tomorrows tournament and headed to bed a little after 8PM. 

Platte Trip Cut Short

17" Shower Blows (Chrome)

The sucker stuck me

Time ??? Platte Lake
80℉, Hazy Sun, 4-6mph SW

So I wanted to get some dock practice in and I did that catching a few dinks and hopefully getting some of the rust knocked off my casting.  Once I was done with the set out front I headed for Channel Inn Bay.  I got one maybe two dinks on the Evergreen Shower Blows, then I hooked into a quality fish next to shore that didn't fight much coming in other than one surge near the boat.  She had a mouth full of hooks so I lifted it up by the string.  I told myself "this is a dangerous fish" bent down and sure enough it stuck me good while throwing a spaz.  That was fun.  I managed to get the fish off and put it in the livewell while I dealt with the hook.  Eventually, I came to the conclusion I needed the Pro's to deal with it, so my fishing was done as I headed to the hospital in Onamia.  I am now a bit wiser for having taken that trip. If I had known what to do I probably could have gotten it out myself provided my bolt cutters cut the hook.   

GOMH/Trophy Morning/Trophy Evening

4.05lbs/19.5" Shower Blows (Blue Back Herring)

3.68lbs/19" Craw Tube (Junebug)

3.50lbs Craw Tube (Junebug)

17.5" Shower Blows (Chrome)

3.02lbs/17"  Shower Blows (Chrome)

19.92lbs

6:00-7:00AM GOMH NE SE
7:30-1:00PM SPSI, SPSI Flat Tree, River Mouth, NSPRO, Channel Inn Bay
44-75℉ , Mostly Sunny, 0-6mph SSE, Water High Falling
WT: 63℉

I was on the late side for leaving. Panfish guy was at the GOMH when I arrived.  I got 1 16-incher on the Chrome Shower Blows and 9 jumpers total before heading for the Trophy.  First stop was the SPSI.  They weren't going on top, so on a whim, I threw out the craw tube and it was AWWWN. I got the 19", an 18.5".  Iwent out on the Flat towards a random tree that was loaded with Shiners.  I caught the skinny 17.5-incher there. Next, it was on to the River Mouth where I lost a bunch of fish on the Craw Tube.  I did get some 16's and 15's.  I went to the dam but nothing was going on.  NSPRO was next I got a few 16-inchers on the Shower Blows and I got 14.5" on the Sprinker.  From there I went to a mostly empty Channel Inn Bay.

9 Jumpers
1 Toothy
20 Bass
2 Pike
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6:30-9:30PM Green Cabin, Big Bass Point to Double Cane
73-70℉, Mostly Sunny, 0-4mph SW
WT:  63℉

I went to Green Cabin Bay to start.  There were baitfish on the surface all over the place, but very little fish activity.  I didn't get any action until I got over by the boat house when the 4lber hit the Shower Blows.  That was about it for action in that Bay so I went to Big Bass Point and worked my way around to Double Cane point picking up and occasional Bass or Pike.  Unfortunately, the wind came up just after I got 17incher on the Shower Blows as was making my way towards the Point.   The action pretty much shut down in what should have been the primmest of prime time.

18 Bass
3 Pike
1 Sunny

For the Day
47 Bass
6 Pike
1 Sunny 

Morning Topwater Dinkfest at the GOMH/Evening Up North

1st Fish/Largest Fish
16" X-Rap Shad Shallow (Perch)

5:00-8:45AM GOMH NE SW, Culvert, Inlet
48-40℉, Partly to Overcast, 3-5mph NE, Water High rising

I got there early enough to have a shot at a golden or two, but with the high water, the casting angle into the tube sucks.  I ended up getting started with the 16-inch jumper on the X-Rap Shad Shallow on the NE side casting into the tube.  I got one dink on a grass pig, then a couple more on the Jerk Shad.  I put on the orange SBKO and went to town on them. First on the NE side, then on the SW side.  It was a bite on every cast on the SW side for at least half an hour.  I only got one 15-incher and three 14-inchers.  It was a total dinkfest.  36 Bass caught in 3-hours and my six best went 10.33lbs.  I did lose one fish that might have bumped me pound or so had I caught it. I tried the Culvert and Inlet and didn't get anything.

36 Bass
2 Pike
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3.99lbs/19" Shower Blows (Chrome)

3.30lbs/17.75" Shower Blows

17" Shower Blows

17" SBKO (Orange)

18.71lbs for the Day

5:00-9:30PM North Inlet Bay to the NW Juice
70-64℉, Mostly Sunny, 0-5mph E

I started in the pads in the North corner of Inlet Bay.  Nothing until I got to the reeds, then the 4lber rocked my world, annihilating the chrome Shower Blows.  The release took a long time because she got a hook in the gills.  I held her in the livewell for a while and she seemed fine, so I release her.  As I worked my way west I would get an occasional blow up with the fish getting smaller the farther west I went.  After the sunset, I went to Big Bass point and pulled several fish there including a 17-incher. I made a last-second desperation attempt at the juice and only got one small bass, should have stayed at Big Bass Point.

20 Bass
5 Pike

For the Day
56 Bass
7 Pike

Eddy's Jetty Tonight

11" Jerk Shad (Crackle)

10" Crackle

24" Crackle

26.5" Crackle

11.5" Crackle

20.5" Crackle

8:10-10:00PM Eddy's Jetty Mille Lacs
50℉, Cloudy, 8-15mph ENE blowing pretty much strait in

Since it was an ENE wind on a cloudy rainy day I decided to forgo the GOMH for Mille Lacs tonight.  Things didn't start well.  Nothing in the North Corner and the high water, wind, and waves made for difficult sledding.  The first bite took the back half of my paddletail and didn't get the trailer hook somehow. This was at the harbor mouth.  Got another Rage Swimmer put on and pretty quickly had another fish on.  It looked like it may be a keeper; I made a bonehead move and tried to lift it up on to the dock when it was only hooked by the trailer hook and the line broke. My bad luck from last night continues.  It was now after 9PM and starting to get dark and I missed about 4 more bites.  I got two cigars off the North Corner on the Jerk Shad.  I felt that the fishing gods were laughing at me at this point.  I then caught the 24-incher and felt better about things.  A young native couple showed up and started fishing next to me.  I then got the 20.5"on the Jerk Shad.  The Indian couple got a fish and left. I got the 26" and one last cigar.  The clock struck 10 and I was done.

Morning And Evening Topwater With Todd And Then A Clown Show Broke Out

Todd on the board at the GOMH

16" Pure Poison/Grass Pig Jr.

16.75" SBKO (Orange)

16" Shower Blows (Blue Sexy)

5:30-9:00AM GOMH, River Mouth, NSPRO
44-60℉, Mostly Sunny, Calm, High rising water
54-58℉ WT

Todd and I started out on the N side of the GOMH.  He missed a couple of bites and got a couple of 14-inchers on the Poison.  We then tried the S side, nothing there and somebody showed up so we left for the river mouth.  Todd got a 16" right away and I got a couple of them on the orange SBKO.  Todd got a 14.5 on the Poison and I got a 14 and 15 on the SBKO and then the River Mouth was done.  I got a 15" in the river.  We made a quick run to the dam.  Todd missed a couple of bites and I had a fish wake me on the Horny Toad but not hit. We spent the rest of the time working the pads in the north SPRO flat with Shower Blows getting mostly 15 and 16 inchers.  It was solid morning but not great by any means. 

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3.21lbs/17.5" Shower Blows KO (orange)

6:00-9:30PM Channel INN Bay
72-68℉, Partly Cloudy, Calm
Water Temp: 64-62℉

Todd and I headed out for Channel Inn Bay after dinner with rain to the North.  There was a pontoon full of people fishing right in the middle up in shallow water.  That is where we discovered the fish.  Right close to shore.  They didn't want my orange Knock Off to start with.  I put on a silver Shower Blows 105 and started catching them.  The pontoon left.  I took us towards where the pontoon was.  Fish behavior and fins told us the spawn was going on.  I had a big one cartwheel over one of my regular size knock offs.  That was the only one to hit at the regular size.  Todd missed a couple of good bites.  I caught the big one when I switched back to the orange knock off.  Todd had to be in by 8PM.  We stayed until 8:02 because the fish were biting.  I said goodbye to the girls and headed right back out.  Here is what I wrote about what happened next.

Last nights final trip out after I dropped my brother off at 8PM went from clown show to train wreck. My luck went to really bad after blowing the hookset on a good fish (may have been a doggy). Then I broke off at the spool. So I went and got my topwater in an area that was swarming with fish. Couldn't find where the tag end was. No problem switched rods. Quicky got 13-incher that got the back feather treble with two hooks down in the gills so I had to dig out my bolt cutters, thus losing my productive lure. Never had another bite and had a bunch of issues with rods getting tangled together. What a hot mess, it was so frustrating.

There were big fish in the area and to only get one 3lber for the night was a disappointment.

16.27lbs for the Day

Tough Bass Opener Morning/Evening Trip With Todd

17.75" SK Pure Poison/Grass Pig Jr.

4:45-6:15AM GOMH
7:00-11:00AM North Center to Starting Spot
56-58℉, Partly Cloudy turning overcast, 8-18mph SSW WSW, High Rising Water
54-55℉ Water Temp

Wheelhouse Guy was there when I arrived, no golden's. John W. with a friend arrived soon thereafter with me down on the NE side getting nothing.  WHG was getting a few jumpers.  The female friend missed a jumper then John caught a couple.  I got a small jumper on the orange Shower Blows and a toothy on the KVD 2.5.  I stayed way longer than I should have.  By the time I was heading North in the boat it had clouded up and gotten pretty windy.  I went to Big Bass Point.  In the first 20 mintes, I had a 16-incher in the boat on the Rage Swimmer.  Then it went off the rails for a bit as I missed a fish, I caught pike which made me retie and the fish weren't in the pads in the bay.  By the time I got to Double Cane, I was stuck in neutral.  I had to set down and think.  The plan was to try out a little deeper and drift to the starting spot.  Just on the other side of the cane, I caught fish on three straight casts then drifted into them when I didn't notice the anchor didn't hold.  Was not happy about that.  I got the 17-incher a little before the starting spot.   I was getting tired so I quit at 11AM.  It's amazing with the high water how little sign there is of the reeds.  Water temp is 15 degrees behind last year. 
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We got the dock in.

The girls got settled in

16.75" POison/Grass Pig Jr.

And Todd caught all the fish

8:00-9:30PM PLatte F Flat
62-58℉, Partly Cloudy, 2-4mph NW, Water High Rising
55℉ water Temp

Todd thought we should maximize fishing time so I took us to F Flat.  He quickly got the big bass of the night.  Fish weren't on topwater.  I ended up getting skunked.  They were super shallow for the most part and people were on most of the docks so we couldn't get to them.  Todd ended up with 7 bass and 2 pike, so it was a productive trip.

14.02lbs for the Day

Morning By Myself Hammering 'Em/Tougher Evening in the Trophy

18" Jerk Shad

18" Rage Swimmer

18" Hack Fl Flippin Jig/Paca Slim

3.72lbs/18.5" Shower Blows (orange)

Got Beat to the GOMH Morning/Bulldog Topwater/Evening in the Trophy

17.5" Jerk Shad (Crackle)

17.5" Shower Blows KO (Orange) Bulldog Lake

17.5" Shower Blows KO (Orange)

26" Rage Swimmer

18" Shower Blows KO (Orange)