Short Trip, Only Pike

24.75" Bobby's Perfect

7:30-8:30PM Channel Inn Bay, Intersection
65-70℉, PC, 0-4mph WSW
60℉

Got out late obviously. Started in CIB on the Northside of the rice point. Got the decent size pike out fro the pads and a couple little one's in the pads. It was apparent it wasn't happing here, so I went to the Intersection. Got a Sparrow bit off on the rice point. Dud of a trip

5 Pike

Slow Night

Out for two hours 70 deg air and water temps. Sunny light to no wind

I started at Big Rice Point, nothing. I then went towards Cane across. As I was making my way through the rice line into the open pad area I had what I believe was a good bass jack and bury me. I missed a couple other bites in the pad area and got a couple pike.  I got a bass out of a smaller cane patch on my way out. I then headed to the intersection. I got a Sparrow bitten off on the rice point. I think I got 1 Pike at the Intersection Juice and that was it. Tough Night. 

Best Day Of The Year For LMB???

4.73lbs/19.5" Bobby's Perfect (White/Green)

3.??/18.25" Ish's (Blue)

3.??/18" Ish's

3.??/17.75" Bobby's Perfect (White/Green)

6:15-9:30AM Cookie Jar to South Inlet (Basically I reversed last night's Trip)
75-73℉,  MC, 0-5mph SSW
74℉

Warm overnight. The first stop was at North Point Big Island, nothing. Then it was on to the Rice Island where I got a pike. I started off the morning with 15.5" at the Cookie Jar. I think I might have dropped a good fish there as well. I got the 17.75" along the Starting Spot Rice Wall. Todd got his first 3lber of the morning in the rice/pads at the corner. I don't recall any fish off of Center R/R/P, but we must have got some. I got the big fish of the day in the South R/R/P and Todd got his second 3lber there. We missed quite a few bites this morning. Todd had a blue Ish's stolen so I'm down to my last one.

Todd:
5 Bass
10 Pike

Me:
7 Bass
7 Pike
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3.96lbs/18.33" Ish's (Blue)

2.93lbs/16.9" Sparrow

6:30-8:30PM Green Cabin, Chuck's, NW Rice Island, Big Bass Point
70-78℉, PC,
75℉

I elected to go to Green Cabin Bay first instead of Access Across. Todd got a couple of 14-inchers in Green Cabin and then he got the 18.33-incher. We went to Chuck's and got a couple of small fish. I got one Platte Lake Special on the shoreline edge of the NW Rice Island and Todd got one out towards the tip. Last stop was Big Bass Point.I got the 2.93lber there that bumped us over 23lbs for the day

Todd:
5 Bass
4 Pike

Me:
6 Bass
4 Pike

Good Morning Great Evening

4.60lbs/19" Ish's Phat (Blue)

19" Ish's

3.39lbs/18" Bobby's (Sparrow)

3.35/17.75" Ish's Phat

Hit them in South Inlet fished to the Cookie Jar after dark. Lost some good ones as well. Stumbled on to a new Melon Patch

6:00-9:00PM South Inlet to the Cookie Jar 

74-78℉, PC, 0-8mph E

74℉ Low

6:30-10:00AM

I also fished in the morning by myself getting quality bass at the SPRO, Intersection Juice, and East of GOMH. Was a slow start, which probably means I hit the points and didn't set anything on them.

Got Bites Tonight, Didn't Get Them In the Boat

2.13lbs/15.25" Spro (B/W)

6:00-8:35PM N Reeds Across, Loon, East Of GOMH, Intersection, SPRO, CIB
70-80℉, PC, 0-4mph NE

I went to the reeds across and landed 2 bass out of 4 hits. I then went to Loon Bay, nothing. I decided to give East of GOMH a quick look. Might have had one hit in the pads. Then I went to the intersection had two fish swirl on me on the West Wall. Think I missed two bites in the boat lanes. There was a boat fishing toward the Juice so I went to Channel Inn Bay to end the night. Lost a fish in the first boat lane. That was not a pattern as I didn't get a bite in the next one. Tough night.

2 Bass
3 Pike

Deep Melon Patch Mistake, But I Got Out Of There

6:30-8:40PM Deep Melon Patch, 6lb Flat, Big Rice PT, Inlet RRP, Starting Rice
74-80℉, PC, 0-3mph SW
Forgot GPS at home

Beautiful warm/humid still night. Thought the fish would be giving away their positions. That really wasn't the case. On my way to the Deep Melon Patch, I caught the squeaker. In Deep Melon I got one pike. Nothing at Big Rice so I headed to Inlet RRP. I got 3 bass there. One on the Sprinker two on the Sparrow. I lost three solid hits on the Starting Rice Wall at the end of the night. One on the Sprinker and two on the Sparrow. Bummer Trip, should of at least had a limit.

4 Bass
2 Pike     

Snatcher's Rush Lake Tournament

Smitty's Anchor Fish in a 21lb Bag

What My Scale Said I Had

Conditions:
Started late due to fog turning sunny around 11:30 or so. Light WSW Wind.

The Day:
Started with a fog delay, so we bumped the weigh-in time to 4:30PM. I think we had our 5mph blast off at 8:20 or so. Herman and I were headed to the East end so it was a good long time before we started fishing. We stopped at some reeds along the South shoreline with some rice and pads closer into shore. I got a pike on a frog along some reeds and then the first bass of the day (1.94lbs) along some rice.  Herman got a 2lber out from some rice on a spinnerbait. That made his day. We hit some Reed/Rice/Pads in the middle of the Eastern Bay next. I got a 1.27lber out of some pads. Had a couple of probable pike swipe at me and not come back for seconds. I launched one pike that bit 12 feet through the air when I set the hook on it.  I then had the 2.40lber ambush the Sparrow about 8 feet out in open water after coming off of some pads. We worked around the backside of the stuff we were fishing. I cast to some pads landing on the edge when a 3 to 4lb fish body slammed the Sparrow. I quickly dropped the rod and set the hook sending the Sparrow back towards me at Mach 1.  The dand fish didn't eat the frog. I threw the kitchen sick at her trying to get it to bite again, but she gone!  That was my last bite in this stuff. As we worked our way over to the access area I switched the Sparrow from my 7' 4" Xtra Heavy Frog Rod to my 7'4" Heavy Tatula Frog Rod. It was clear that I was going to be throwing a frog for the next few hours, so I wanted to do it with my favorite rod.  Over by the access I had a 14/15 bass get off at the boat. I figured that fish would have been culled so I didn't stress it. The sun came out.  We were working some open water between slop pockets when I caught a dink. When we got to the next slop line I lost another 14/15 fish, no biggie.  We went through a little dead zone of rice.  We were approaching a rice/pad point where Bruce lost a bite during pre-fish. I think Herman missed two separate fish there. I think Herman missed another fish in some pads/reeds.  The area turned to pads. Herman gave me control of the boat as he made sandwiches. I had a pike miss me.  I then had the 2.66lber give his location away. I caught her on the next cast.  I doubled back to re-fish the area and got the 2.73lber. The sandwiches were now ready so we sat there and ate. I finished first so I went back over the area again and got the 2.22lber. We doubled back one more time and didn't get anything so we proceeded along the pad edge. I got me big fish of the day which weighed 2/13. Shortly after that, I had a fish smoke the frog and bury me in the pads. Thinking it was another good one I put way to much pressure on the rod and it snapped. The fish was still hooked and I reeled in a 13-inch dink. I quickly put the Sparrow back on the Xtra Heavy and tried to get the fact that I busted my favorite rod in the world with little hope of being able to procure another one out of my mind. I caught a couple fish that didn't help and Herman lost a couple of quality blow-ups.  Herman was not happy about missing the fish and that his trolling motor was continuously needing to be freed of weeds. And I wasn't happy I had busted my rod.  Smitty came over to talk letting us know his smallest fish was 3lber.  After he left I should have suggested we re-fish over the pads again. I don't know if Herman would have gone for it or not seeing the trouble the weeds were giving him, but the thought didn't even enter my mind. I did want to go back to the area where I got my first quality bite. That is where I got my final cull of the day, a two and a quarter. At about 2:30PM we left for the West side of the lake. We went to some reeds where he got some bites in pre-fish. Nothing going on. We then tried some docks. Herman got a dink. We then went to some reeds/pads along the Southside of the lake. Herman got his third fish and I got a couple of dinks. All my fish were caught on the Sparrow Bobby's Perfect Frog.

The Results: My fish weighed 15/15, which put me in 4th Place. The tournament was won by Smitty's 21/05 bag. Beau won the Co-Angler Challenge again with 16/13 which put in 2nd Place. Getting "wood" for the first time was Jonathan Notsch in 3rd Place with a 16/7 bag and Bruce Groulx with the 4/1 Lunker.

My Thoughts: This tournament is going to sting for a while.  Breaking my favorite rod because I was so amped up burst my bubble.  Devastating! I love that rod.  I can't believe I only had that one 3 to 4lb bite and the doggone fish didn't get the frog. It's like losing the smallmouth that would have filled my limit on the Mississipi. I am snakebit as far as getting wood. We really should have gone back over that pad area a second time.

On the positive side, fourth place is solid points. I am now definitely in the hunt for the Super 6 as I currently sit in 5th Place and the next tournament is on Little Boy/Wabedo.  A lake I feel good about.

   

Clown Show Morning Turns Out OK

Ok Night in Inlet Bay

3.92lbs/19" Bobby's Perfect (Sparrow)

2.93lbs/16.9" Sparrow

What the swim jig would catch

5:20-8:40PM Inlet Bay ReedsRicePads
72-77℉, MC to C, 0-7mph SSE
78℉

The plan was to fish swim jigs in the reeds and slop in Inlet Bay.  All I could get on the swim jigs was pike. At Center RRP I threw a few casts with the Sparrow and was rewarded with the 19-incher. He missed the frog the first time but came back for seconds. He was a sunfish short of 4lbs.  I didn't get another bass bite until I was over by where I started with Todd. I threw the Sparrow over the coontail and was rewarded with a 16.6incher. I continued to try and make the swim jig work only catching pike. When it hit 8PM it was clear bass didn't want a swim jig so I went to the Bobby's Perfect full time and caught 6 more bass (16x2, 14x4).

8 Bass
13 Pike

Long Slow Morning/One Fish Short Evening

OK Night on Platte/Sullivan, Nothing Beyond Specials

2.64lbs/16" Bobby's Perfect (Sparrow)

5:50-8:40PM Intersection, SPRO, Big Rice to Access Across Cane
70-77℉, Sunny, 0-5mph S
74-75℉ LOw rising

I started at the end of the GOMH West Wall Point at the Intersection. I lost a good bass on my second cast when it buried into the rice. I worked my way down the NSPRO getting a 14" when I pitched into an open pocket about 35 feet down. Then it got tough. I think I missed one bite on my way West. At the final boat channel, I quickly worked my way back on the SSPRO missing one bite on the Sprinker when I went to turn the troller.  I decided to give GOMH West Wall a shot because that is where I got my bite.  I was quickly rewarded with a couple of 16-inchers in the first 20 feet beyond the point. I caught a 15-inch at the boat channel mouth. I headed for Platte around 7:45PM or so. It was now calm out. I headed to 6lb Flat. Nothing was going on around me. Something did get trucked out on the point and way out on the flat. I decided to not chase those fish and make a quick stop at Big Rice Point. I got 3 bass (15.5,13,14)there on the Ish's Phat (Blue).  I then went into the cut and ended up working my way to the Access Across Cane.  I had a 14.5" truck the Sparrow right away at the rice line. I then had a fish dog me in the rice by the pads. Couldn't get the fish to take a craw tube or jig. As I worked my way toward the cane I had a 14-incher crush me on a long cast. At 8:40 I was throwing my last cast along the cane when I might have had a hit but thought my frog was sitting elsewhere. It was pretty dark by then and wasn't sure. I set the hook and caught vegetation so it must have been a hit. I pitched back to the pocket and my biggest fish of the nigh crushed it. I ended on that note.

Pre-Fishing Ottertail with Bruce

3.35lbs/17.25" Bobby's Perfect (Sparrow)

3.28lbs/18" Sparrow

We started out on the East end of the lake out from the public access. Bruce got a pike as we made our way across the flat. Something got destroyed in reeds/pads. I put a cast on the spot and it was a good bass that didn't hook up. I had a fish hit the sparrow by the access that didn't hook up. We worked our way South along the slop. Bruce missed some bites on the frog. I got the two 3's and a 2 possibly the 1.71 in the pads. Bruce misses a few more and I think caught one close to 3lbs, but maybe he lost it. We then went and briefly tried some main lake stuff. I got a pike. We then checked out the river coming in. The current was really flowing. Nothing in the river. We then worked our way East. Didn't see much activity and it wasn't like I remembered it. We ended on the NW corner in the reeds. Bruce got a couple and I got the 2.24 on the Terminator Frog.  The results left me feeling really good about the tournament.

Good Night In Inlet Bay

3.02lbs/17" Sprinker (Wht/Org)

2.95lbs/17.5" Ish's Phat (Blue)

2.88lbs/17.25" Sprinker

6:10-9:00PM Starting Spot Rice, Inlet CRRP
76-70℉, PC, 0-4mph NW SE
73-74℉, Low

Started at the Rice Island and got a little pike. Then to the Rice Wall. Got one 15-incher past the Starting Spot. Todd lost a good one way deep in the junk rice, reeds, pads. I noticed a rice bed on the inside edge of the reeds that I hadn't paid any attention to before. I figured lets give it a shot. I caught a 15-incher on the rice edge. Then Todd pulled a 17-incher on his first cast with the Sprinker over the weed flat. There was a lot of activity. Todd ended up with three 17-inchers. Two on the Sprinker and one on the blue Ish Frog. He got dogged a couple of times. Once by the rice and once by the shoreline rice. We got a bunch of pike on the Sprinker. We both missed several hits apiece. Hopefully, I have discovered a new productive area. The weather was great.

Todd
4 Bass
7 Pike

Me
5 Bass
7 Pike

Todd With A Rough Morning, But He Rallied In the Evening

6:00-11:30PM GOMH, GOMHWBC, SSPRO, Intersection
72-60℉, MS, 0-6mph WNW
62-68℉ Low rising
We started at NPBI, nothing. Then we went to Big Rice Pt, nothing. Then onto 6lb Flat. Todd missed one blow up. After an hour of that, we packed up for Sullivan. I got a toothy bullhead. on the Jackhammer as we emerged from under the bridge. Finally, I put a bass in the boat at the GOMH Wall Boat Lane.  Didn't get another bite until the second boat lane along the NSPRO which missed the frog.  I got into a little flurry of activity at the final boat lane getting an 18.5", 16.25", and 19.33". The 19-incher had zero girth and was well short of 4lbs. I also lost another good one and Todd landed his only fish for the trip, a pike. He missed several bites down by the narrows. We worked our way back along the SSPRO. Todd missed another couple of bites. I got my last bass of the morning on the inside rice/reed line on the SW Intersection. I also lost a bite there. We ended on working back down toward the GOMH along the Eastern rice line. Todd lost a good fish on the Sprinker, but we don't know what it was. 

6 Bass
10 Pike
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7:30-9:00PM Channel Inn Bay
68-72℉, PC, 2-4mph SSW
72℉

So I went t where I wanted to go last night the Northside of the center rice point in Channel Inn Bay.  Todd was really wanting his first frog fish of the trip and he was quickly rewarded with a Platte Sullivan Special. I then got my 3rd 3lber of the day. We both missed a couple of good bites as we worked west. When we started North we got into some pike and occasional bass, We doubled up for our final fish of the evening. It was a good trip.

Todd
3 Bass
3 Pike

Me
5 Bass
2 Pike

Skunked With Todd

Todd's Fish

My Fish

7:30-8:50PM
67℉, Post Storm, Windy Windy Windy

The storm passed at 6:45PM but lightening continued until 7:20PM and the wind didn't back off like it was supposed to do. I aborted on where I wanted to go and went to East of GOMH. We had a couple of swirls and I missed a good blow up in the pads. I then took us to NSPRO and we didn't even get a sniff.

Skunked!

The wind will be backed off by morning. Hopefully, the fish will be more active then.

Morning and Evening Small Fish

25.5" Northland (Chuck's)

6:00AM-Noon NPBI, SPBI, CIB, GWBC, N & S SPRO, I Juice
72-65℉, MC, 3-10mph SE
69-70℉ Low Falling

Started at North Point Big Island. Got two small bass, a crappie, and two pike there. I was lucky the bigger pike (25.5) didn't break my line when it ran under the boat. I then went to MPBI, nothing. Then SPBI where I got a small bass. Nothing at SPSI. Then I went to CIB and missed some bites and got a pike or two. Nothing at the GOMH into Sullivan. I got a bass on the Sprinker along the GOMH Wall Boat Channel opening. Nothing on the I Point. I worked all the way into shore missing the only blow up I had. I spent the rest of the morning in the N&S SPRO and I Juice catching a few and missing a few. Unfortunately, all of the bigger bites evaded me.
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8:10-8:50PM East of Jenny's
80℉, PC, Humid, 2-4mph SW

Found out what was up with Snatcher Chuck not fishing to the BASS Nation State Tournament. Went East of Jenny's. Caught the first blow up on about my 4th cast, a 13-incher. I then missed my next 5 bites. With no bites in the final 20 minutes of fishing. I should have hauled for better water the second I was aware fish were biting. OH well.