Slop Slip At Rock Lake

17" Big Sexy

16" Grapes of Wrath

6:30-10:30AM Rock Lake RPRO
77-72℉, Sunny, 1-5mph SE

I decided not to hit up the GOMH first. I arrived at the Rock access at 5:30AM.  By the time I had the Slop Slip unloaded and ready to go the sun had risen.  I headed for the RPRO.  My plan was to go to the beaver dam area at the outlet without fishing.  When I entered the RPRO entrance rice immediately began fouling up the 34lb thrust Min Kota.  I forgot to put a paddle in the boat.  So I turned the boat around and went back to the access parking on the south side of the dock.  I took my fishing gear with me as I went to the Lake Place to get a paddle.  It took 10 minutes max and nobody showed up at the access in the time I was gone.  I headed back out with a new plan to fish my way into the RPRO.  I had a good blow-up along the reeds/rice but I didn't get a good hookset.  On the other side of the reeds, I had a 15-inch jump me off.  Then I missed a good blow-up along the Northside reeds at the entrance to the RPRO.  Then I was casting back to the south when my frog got annihilated by a big fish.  I had an issue with my grip when I set the hook.  The fish rolled and got off. I think it may have been a big doggy.  I then landed a small pike.  I then caught a bass as I was getting blown down the channel.  I put the troller down as far as it would go making it a shallow water anchor.  I used the Min Kota as a Power Pole and paddled my way around; It worked great.  Upon releasing the bass I noticed the garter snake that was in the boat.  It decided to head for the water and I gave it a little as well.  I never did see the thing swim away.  I basically fished to the pad explosion where the pads go from shore to shore.  The bass were in the rice, not the pads.  Didn't get a single bite where pads were dominant.  I got my act together and started landing my bites.  The bass usually crushed it.  I think they are out of the post-spawn funk at Rock.  I ended up getting 8 Bass and 6 Pike.

8 Bass
6 Pike