Only One Bass On A Night Like This? Uff Da!

17.5" Spro Frog (The Killer)

7:30-9:30PM Reeds Across
70-78℉, Clouds, Sun, Clouds, Sun, Calm

Water level might be rising a little after the two inch plus rains in three days.  We headed out to the reeds under seemingly ideal conditions. Warm, muggy, calm, clouds.  On my second cast, I got the 17-incher on "The Killer" and Todd set the hook on a small pike on the Bone Sprinker.  After that it was tough.  Todd got buried in the reeds maybe 4 times.  I got buried twice.  We both had strikes that didn't get the frog or just got the legs.  That accounted for maybe another 7 hits.  I had two pike miss "The Killer" and got a couple on the Tokyo Rig with a craw tube.  It was pathetic.  One bass on such a night as that. Sad!

We will be getting my other 25hp Johnson out of the pole barn.  Will it run?  We are gonna find out.

Lake Alexander Bass Snatcher Tournament

Conditions: 84-65℉, Sunny to start then partly cloudy to cloudy, 3-6mph SE
Water Temp: Low to mid 70's (just a guess)

The Day:
My boater Tim was confident we would crush them.  The fish had other ideas.

We started outside a small cove along the South shoreline.  Nothing there.  I started topwater, then went to spinnerbait, then to a jerkbait, then back to a smaller topwater.  As we got to a rocky shoal at the cove entrance Tim got his first keeper a small smallmouth.  I'm not even sure what he was fishing with.  We started approaching some docks.  I think Tim caught a fish and needed to re-tie so I went to the front of the boat.  I had a fish hit my Shower Blows when I wasn't paying attention and lost it half way to the boat.  It was just a small keeper, no big deal right?  A little way down the shoreline I got my big bass of the day on the Shower Blows.  It was a smallmouth that went about a pound and 2/3rds.  That was it for me for quite a while.  We jumped to a couple of reefs.  Tim had a good smallie break him off because he had his drag set too tight.

Tim was drop shotting and hardly getting a bite.  That really played with me mentally because I just was not prepared for the day to go down like that.  Finally, about 3 hours in we headed for some bullrushes.  Tim got a good largemouth on his second cast and then quickly missed one.  I missed hit on my frog in some small pads.  I then got a small keeper off the back side of the rushes.  Tim started culling and I got one that barely went over 12-inches.  I missed a couple more bites in the rushes.

We went and tried some other spots.  I got a couple shorts off of a small point.  We went back to the start spot and Tim got his big bass, a 3lb smallmouth.  It just wasn't happing there so we jumped a couple of offshore spots.  Tim had a smallie get snatched by a muskie when he was bringing it in.  He fought it for a couple of minutes before the muskie let go. Then the smallie got off Tim's line just like that.  It wasn't a very big one and when it got off the muskie was in hot pursuit. We went back to the bullrushes to end the day.  I missed one bite on a frog and I think I missed a couple that hit the craw tube but could have been rock bass.  Who knows.

Three small fish, what a disappointment!

The Results:
My three fish weighed 3/12 and put me in 18th Place out of 20 anglers.  Tim's fish weighed 12/04 and put him in 7th Place.  He was only 9oz out of 3rd Place so breaking off that fish really hurt.  The winner was non-boater Beau Bacon with 16/7.   Lunker went to Chuck Fields with a 3/14.

My Thoughts:  I didn't fish well.  For some reason, I was checked out mentally for most of the day and just couldn't get comfortable with what I was throwing.  I just think I was so unprepared for fishing to be so difficult.  For at least the last two weeks of June catching bass for me became a difficult proposition.  Not sure what it's gonna take for me to get out of this rut.  I better find my mojo quick because the next tournament is less than two weeks out. 

Morning On the Suck Truck

5:30-8:00AM Reeds Across
66-60℉, Cloudy to Sunny, 2-5mph ENE
Water Temp: 72℉

It was cloudy to start with and I had about an hour window where they bit at the start.  I got one small bass on the Sprinker and a couple of pike on the Sprinker and Terminator Jr.  I missed 6 to 8 bites in the reeds.  It was terrible.  Didn't get a bite on the docks coming in.  Not the feeling I wanted to go into tournament day with.

4 of 6 In the Reeds on a Gorgeous Night

16" Teckel Sprinker (Bone)

The camera just didn't capture things tonight

7:45-9:45PM Reeds Across the Way South Bed
72℉, Partly Cloudy, 0-3mph E
Water Temp:72-69℉

Due to watching the Twins game go on and on and on. I got out to a late start.  The wind had mostly laid down by the time I headed out.  I got 3 small keepers and 1 quality bite and 1 pike all on the Bone Sprinker.  7 bites in two hours, not great.  Not much fish activity tonight around me.

4 Bass
1 Pike

With Todd In the Morning/Tough Evening On a Nice Night

3.28lbs/17.25" Sprinker (Bone)

3.04lbs/17" Sprinker (Bone)

5:30-8:30AM Reeds Across, F Flat, West Point Docks
65-55℉, Partly Cloudy, 0-4mph W

We headed straight for the reeds. Todd started things off great with back to back 3lbers on the bone Sprinker.  He also got a couple of 16-inchers on the Sprinker.  I caught one 16-incher on "The Killer" Spro Bronzeye and missed a bunch of bites.  We had about a 45-minute window when they were hitting then they were done in the reeds.  We tried F Flat, but not much was going on.  On the way in I got a 15-incher on a junebug craw tube off of West Point Dock and missed a couple of bites as well.
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One from last night and the rest today

6:00-9:30PM Jenny's Slop, Docks Across, Reeds Across
74-84℉, Mostly Sunny, 0-4mph West
73℉ Water Temp

I was hoping the warm day would fire up the fish. It had the baitfish active, the gamefish not so much.  Maybe there is to much bait in the system right now.  Who knows.  Fish weight seems to be on the upswing.  Started in the rice, just go one small bass and a couple pike.  I made a run for "the dock", which has been mostly taken in.  I got one small bass off of the multiple dock.  I was making my way to the reeds when I threw back towards a dock on the point and got a 15-incher.  I got in the reeds and dropped a 16/17 and got a 16-incher pretty quickly.  I thought maybe it was gonna be AWWWWWWWN, but it really slowed down to nothing in the final hour and a half.

Not bad as far as the weight for the 6 Best though.

Slopping to the East with Todd.

14.25" Big Sexy Mad Maxx

16.33lbs Grapes Of Wrath Mad Maxx

23" Grapes of Wrath In the Rice

8:00-10:00PM Slop to the East
68-72℉, Sunny, 0-6mph W

Todd came up to get the pontoon in the water and we got that accomplished by 6PM.  We put in at the Platte Public Access. Had belated birthday dinner with the fam then headed out.  Had a near double on pike to start with on Mad Maxx Frogs.  I then quickly got another pike then a 14-inch bass.  We went to the beaver dam area and had some fish hit the frogs, but nothing hooked up. We didn't get another fish until we were East of Jenny's.  Todd got a bass next to "the deck" dock and in the slop just to the East.  On the way back I got a couple more pike and then a slimer stole my Grapes of Wrath Maxx, bummer.  We fished until 10PM because the skeeters were manageable.

What Happened to the Bite Tonight

16" Spro Bronzeye Frog (The Killer B/W)

6:15-9:30PM Out Front and Reeds Across
60-68℉, Partly Cloudy, 0-3mph W

We got maybe a little over an inch of water over the last day, so I started by draining the boat, which the sump pump makes quick work of.  Before I headed out it looked on the radar like a storm might be headed my way from Brainerd, but the skies looked like it might pass to the West. I wanted to head to the Reeds Across where there are almost certainly more fish than the slop by our place, but I had to do the smart thing and play it safe.  I headed East and quickly got a 13-incher in the Rice on a Big Sexy Mad Maxx.  There was some activity off of the NW corner of Jenny's reeds so I went out to investigate.  I got a couple of pike out there on the full sized orange Shower Blows Knock Off and had a pike and small bass miss the 105 orange SBKO. I thought great, this means the fish are biting.  I worked my way into the reeds and rice.  There was plenty of baitfish activity, but nothing tipping me off to gamefish.  Finally, I got a break when something got blown up about 3 casts lengths away towards the Beaver Dam.  Unfortunately, I shut down a little too late and spooked a follower and something else significant.  I missed one bite that may have been a bass and had something dogfish me that didn't go for the crawtube.  It was now about 7:30 and I checked my phone to see what was up with the weather.  The storm had completely dissolved so I beeline for the reeds.

In the reeds, I got the 16-incher about 10 minutes into fishing.  I caught a 12" on the green Terminator, but the reed fish clearly were not very active in the calm sun.  I went and got a couple small bass on the Hack Flippin Jig/Paca Slim.  I then went and tried the North bed where nothing was happening again.  On my way back in I had a 15" or so hit the Sprinker, but it buried me.  I then had a fish steal my Sprinker Tail cutting it in half, so it was probably a pike.  And that was it.  Rather disappointing trip.

5 Bass
4 Pike 

Morning Frog Fishing Reeds Across the Way

2.55lbs/16.5" Terminator Frog Jr. (Blk/Chrt)

6:45-7:00AM GOMH (Nothing)
7:20-12:00PM Reeds Across the Way
66℉, Cloudy rain towards the end, 0-3mph NE

I was tired and sore but somehow got out of bed and to the lake.  The GOMH was a waste of time. With the lack of wind, I headed to the reeds across.  I only caught one pike in the first half hour fishing my usual entry close to the inside edge.  Then a fish tipped me off to go to the center of the bed.  Pay dirt.  Even caught fish on consecutive casts one time.  They wanted a black/chart Terminator Jr. Frog.  I had 2 or 3 bigger fish school me.  The North bed had smaller fish and not nearly the bites.  I had to sit down and rest for 15 minutes in the North bed.  I got one 14-incher on the Sprinker after that.  On my way back all I got was pike.  I actually caught more than I missed landing about 70% of the bites

12 Bass
7 Pike

Morning Trip GOMH, Reeds, F Flat/Evening Random Bites In the Reeds

16.5" Pure Poison/Craw Fatty

5:45-6:00AM GOMH (Nothing)
6:30-9:30AM Reeds Across, F Flat
70-56℉, Partly Cloudy, 2-12mph E SE

GOMH was a bust.  So were the reeds other than a couple of pike.  I went on to F Flat and got 3 bass (16.5,15.5,11) there on the Pure Poison/Craw Fatty. The last one came on a boat lift after I got hung up on it.  My boat control wasn't very good once the wind picked up and the Poison kept malfunctioning and I was missing bites.   I decided to head back in after about 100 yards of progress the troller slowed way down.  I had to use the starting battery to get back.

3 Bass
5 Pike
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2.99lbs/17" Teckel Sprinker (Watermelon)

Totally Calm

6:30-9:30PM Reeds Across the Way
73-68℉, Cloudy, 0-3mph SE

The weather changed my plans.  I was going to go to Mille Lacs tonight, but the wind stopped blowing and it didn't look like a thunderstorm was going to show up so I headed to the reeds across the way hoping it would be a smashfest.  It wasn't.  I would catch one here and one there with no rhyme or reason to where I got a bite.  They preferred the Sprinker, but I kept losing the bites on that when they would bury me in the reeds.  Finally, I got some fish on the Sprinker, including the biggest of the night, on my way back in the middle of the bed.  I caught four bass on the yellow Terminator and one on the green Terminator and on the Sparrow Bobby's Perfect.  I missed more than I caught.

9 Bass
6 Pike

For the Day
12 Bass
11 Pike 

Better Night at the Jetty

4.27lbs Rippin Rap (Perch)

4.27lbs/25" Speed Shad 3.5" (GP/Pearl)

7:30-10:00PM North Corner Eddy's Jetty
72-68℉, Cloudy, 10-15mph SSE SE late

I briefly stopped at the bridge at Shakopee Lake because no one was there.  There were a garter snake and two turtles hanging out on my way down.  I had one pike take a swipe at the Grass Pig. There weren't rollers coming in but there was wave action.  I got a 22" pike when I switched to a Jerk Shad.  Then a long time with nothing.  At about 8:30PM I said to myself just drive that smaller size Speed Shad until I catch something.  After about 10 minutes I hooked up with maybe a 24-inch eye.  I was using the GLX 722 spinning rod with 2/8 Fireline so I was babying the fish at the rocks and it got off.  About 10 minutes later I broke off that jig in the rocks.  I decided to put the next Money Jig/Speed Shad on the Lew's Rod (14lb Fireline) at about 9:15PM I caught the 22-incher on the Speed Shad.  Then I caught the 25-incher.   Then a 20-incher.  I then went a while without a bite so I switched to a Rippin Rap and caught the big one.  That was my last fish of the night.

GOMH & Reeds Across Early/Eddy's Jetty Evening

17" Rippin Rap (Perch)

16.25" Sprinker (Watermelon)

4:45-5:45AM GOMH NE SW
6:15-7:45AM Reeds Across
68-62℉, Cloudy, 3-6mph ESE, Water Normal Falling

Missed a hit on the Rage Swimmer.  Caught the GB on the Rippin Rap.  Missed a fish on the next cast and also had a fish not hook up on the Shad Shallow.  I grabbed all my stuff and was just about to head to the car when I thought I would throw a few with the junebug craw tube.  Got two quick jumpers on that.  Panfish Guy was on the SW side. I caught one small jumper on the craw tube on the SE, then I was quickly off to the Trophy.

Conditions were good but the bass were not biting on top this morning, I only got the one 16-incher on the Sprinker Frog.  The hammer handles were biting.  Amazingly I didn't lose a single Sprinker tail.  Had to get off the water to get the car back for mom.
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7:30-8:00PM North Jetty
9:15-10:00PM North Corner
64℉ < Cloudy some light rain, 2-3mph SW

I was shocked to find no wave action when I arrived. I expected rollers.  Didn't get anything in the first half hour so I went to DQ for dinner.  Came back the Harbor Mouth had 3 people fishing it.  North Corner was open.  A native fishing off of Pete's Rock was catching a few aggressively jigging something.  I think I had a bite on a Grass Pig, but not 100% on that.  All I caught was the crawfish.  Very disappointing.

Reeds Across Tonight

2.93lbs/17" Spro Bronzeye (The Killer (B/W)

5:30-9:30PM Dock, West Point Wood, Reeds Across the Way
10:30-10:45PM GOMH (Not a bite)
72-68℉, Partly Cloudy, 0-5mph E

I had a 12/13" bass under our dock get off as I was lifting it into the Trophy.  That sent me towards West Point to try docks.  I pretty much sucked at casting and boat control. I lost another 12/13" off of the tree on West Point dock.  I then beelined for the reeds.

I missed my first 3 hits on the Sprinker so I put that down for "The Killer" a black and white Spro Bronzeye Frog.  I immediately landed a 17-incher on that.  I had another good bite that I missed. I then got 16.5".  It was uphill from there.  Not nearly the action as last night in the reeds and the fish tended small.  I did get a 16.26" on the Terminator Jig following up a miss on the Sprinker Frog.  I caught 6 bass on the Sprinker tonight and 14-inches was the biggest.  Last year that thing was a giant magnet, what happened?  As I came to the North Reed Bed I had a fish dogfish The Killer.  It grabbed the legs and when I set the hook I rolled something big.  I had a couple other fish dogfish me in the North bed.  I caught 16" and a 15" on the Sparrow Snagproof.  I lost a 16ish and 14ish fish at the Maddencaine.  I jacked the 14 fish out of the water and it came off when it landed.  I let myself get distracted on a cast to the reed edge and got lit up by something.  For whatever reason, it was mostly bass tonight.  I got 13-incher on a junebug craw tube.

18 Bass
3 Pike

GOMH & Slop To the East/F Flat ROTW in the Evening

15.5" Shower Blows Knock Off (Orange)

Faded vs. New

4:40-6:20AM GOMH NE SW
7:00-10:00AM Slop to the East
64-52℉, Clouds but sometimes not, 2-4mph WNW

Got a 16-inch golden right away on the Jerk Shad and lost a bullhead on the very next cast.  Caught two jumpers on the SBKO.  The mosquitos were a pain.  Missed a couple of bites on the SW side and I backlashed the red Tatula something fierce when I cast a craw tube straight into the near wall.

I aborted plan to go to the Reeds Across the Way because there was to much chop on the water.  Instead I headed East of Jenny's.  The chop kept me from  seeing where the rice started, very annoying. Mostly pike were active. I only caught one 15" bass.  I missed as many hits as I landed.  The fish were not real active.

1 Gold
2 Jump
1 Bass
9 Pike
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2.84lbs/17.5" Terminator Frog Jr.

2.51lbs/17" Terminator Jr (Black/Ch)

65-71℉, Partly Cloudy, 0-3mphNW N

I headed for F-Flat.  There was some activity, but all I was getting was a few pike strikes.  I went to the docks and got a small bass on the Brovarney.  Over by the East "Dock", I lost a two-pound bass on consecutive casts: one by the base of a dock and the other out over the cabbage.  I also missed a couple strikes, don't know what they were.  It was coming up on 8PM so I elected not to go to Mille Lacs, but fish the reeds.  I lost my first couple of battles before catching a pike on the Sprinker then losing the tail. I caught a small bass on Maxx. I put that down and started throwing the Terminator Jr.  Catching some, losing some, and having fish dogfish me and not hook up.  I did lose a good one, my last bite, of the evening because I was moving toward the fish and it swam towards me.  Didn't even hang me in the reeds.

9 Bass
11 Pike
At least as much lost fish as I caught.  I wasn't on my game either trip. 

At Platte Froggin' Then to the Jetty

2.62lbs/17" Mad Maxx (Grapes of Wrath)

No fear with Maxx, I sent it!

2.68lbs/17.75" Terminator Frog (Yellow)

4.36lbs/24.5" Rage Swimmer (Pearl/GP)

5:30-8:00PM Out Front to Jenny's
9:00-10:00PM Eddy's Jetty Center Standing Rock and North Corner
68-60℉, Partly to Mostly Cloudy, 3-8mph WNW

I got everything in the Trophy then went and threw some casts off the dock.  I got two bass (14,12) doing that.  I thought the 12-incher was a good one from the amount of body I saw when it hit, fooled me.  I felt good about the hookset on both fish.  I jacked 'em.

I got in the Trophy and wouldn't you know it but the wind increased and shifted slightly more out of the North which made conditions go from good to annoying to fish in.  It switched back and forth between what I liked and what I didn't about 4 different times.  I missed my first 4 or 5 bites.  They weren't high-quality strikes. I then had a good size bass nail Maxx and I got a good hookset.  I had her coming towards me and figured I had her in the boat and didn't keep reeling like my mad.  The fish took that opportunity to dive into some pads and get off.  I was not happy.  I then caught a pike.  I got the first 17-incher over by the start of the reeds in front of Jenny's neighbors on Maxx.  I got a 14.5-incher casting back into the pads towards the Beaver Dam.  I had several swirls and missed bites in the reeds and rice.  Finally, I had a fish lay the wood to the Terminator Frog and I laid the wood on to the bass; The second 17-inch fish. That was it for Platte.

At Mille Lacs, there were a bunch of bass boats on trailers leading me to believe a club had an outing tonight.  The North Corner was taken up by a guy and a chick fishing with baitcasters with tubes for smallmouths.  She actually caught one little guy.  Do to me listening to the Twins a Dad got to the Harbor Mouth which is where I would have gone.  I took the Center Standing Rock and caught the big girl on my third cast with the Rage Swimmer.  The Native Smoker from last night showed up and started fishing next to me.  I had a bite that didn't hook up.  I tried the Shad Shallow and didn't get a hit.  The Dad left the Harbor Mouth and the Native Smoker went and fished on Pete's Rock.  I didn't go to the Harbor Mouth because there was a guy fishing it from Center Jetty.  The Guy and Gal left at about 9:30PM.  I had a couple of bites on the North Corner on the Rage Swimmer and Rippin Rap that didn't hook up.  I had a couple of smaller feeling fish get off on the Jerk Shad before I finally caught a cigar as the clock struck 10. I went and talked fishing for a little while with NS before I left.

5 Bass
3 Pike
2 Walleye 

GOMH & Mille Lacs Morning/Frogging Platte & Mille Lacs Evening

4.62lbs/24.5" Rage Swimmer

17.5" Jerk Shad

4:50-6:20AM GOMH NE
7:15-9:00AM Eddy's Jetty North
50-58℉, Cloudy to MC, 5-8mph SSE, Water level normal and falling at the GOMH

Some early morning rain had me holding off a little bit, but there was no rain when I arrived at the GOMH at 4:50AM.   I got the golden at about 5:10AM.  Panfish Guy arrived around 5:20 or so.  Missed a couple of bites I assumed were toothy's.  I went to the Southside by 6AM.  Panfish guy bailed for the NE side.  Didn't get any bites on the Southside.  Turns out panfish guy was getting some jumpers that I missed, oh well.  I gave Panfish guy the golden bullhead.

I didn't get to Eddy's until after 7AM. I was the only one there.  I got the big girl and a 21-incher right away on the Rage Swimmer off the North Corner.  I lost a good one after 8AM at the Harbor Mouth on the Rage Swimmer just as Eddy's Launch was undocking to head out.  I got a pike on the Rippin' Rap.  As I was lifting it onto the rocks my line broke. When the fish landed the Rippin' Rap came flying out of its mouth and landed in a crevice in the rocks.  Fortunately, I was able to get it.  That was my last bite of the morning.
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5.46lbs/25" Terminator Frog Jr. (Black/Chart)

13" Terminator Frog (Yellow)

Thunder and rain, time to head to Eddy's.

4.80lbs/25" Rage Swimmer (GP/Pearl)

4.87lbs/25" Shad Shallow (Perch)

7:00-8:00PM Out Front to Beaver Dam Area
9:00-10:00PM North Corner Eddys Jetty
60-68℉, Cloudy some rain, 3-5mph SE

I wanted to get some frogging in before heading to Eddy's.  I really wasn't expecting much but was pleased with the amount of activity I saw with fish getting creamed out in Jenny's Reeds and to the East of Jenny's. I caught the one bass on a Terminator.  Then I got a pike on a Mad Maxx, which I then promptly lost to a pike.  Looking for that ate up time as a thunderstorm started rumbling.  I  missed four or five straight bites.  A couple of them might have been dogfish. I think one was a bass.  I started heading back and got the dogfish.  By the time I got it back in the water, it was sprinkling and just about 8PM so I quickly got off the water as it started to rain.

Got to Eddy's and a couple of boats worth of people had come in and were fishing at the Jetty due to the storms which passed to the SW.  Fortunately, nobody was on the North Corner where I promptly went.  I got a 25-incher almost immediately.  The picture was taken by a guy who had been out in a boat.  He said they caught a bunch, but nothing over 22-inches.  I caught a 17-incher next.  Then I switched to the X-Rap Shad Shallow as it started to rain.  I got a 20.5", 25", and 18" all on the X-Rap.  I then switched to the crackle Jerk Shad and got three fish form 13" to 21" on that.  Just like that, it was 10PM and I had to stop.  8 eyes in an hour I would say the bite was on.