Windy Halloween On The South Jetty

 

23" Jerk Shad (Sexy Shad)

When the blizzard hit

6:45-10:00PM South Jetty Corner and Harbor Mouth

31-39℉, MC, 12-45mph WNW

Jamar's dad was fishing the Harbor Mouth when I got there. He had been there for about an hour and gotten one fish. I went to the South Jetty. I went through several lures then snagged the biggest fish of the night at the Harbor Mouth. I thought it was going to be a big pike or muskie. It wasn't fighting like a walleye and felt big so I let it run. I got two eyes in quick succession at the South Corner when I switched to the Rage Swimmer Jr. Then the blizzard hit. I actually got blown off the rock I was standing on. I went in the car for a while. Only got one 17-incher after that at the Harbor Mouth on the Jr. I spent the final half hour at the North Harbor Mouth where the algae was ridiculous.

4 Eyes 

Slow Start Hot At The End

5lber X-Rap (Clown)

5.09lbs Rage Swimmer Jr. (GP)

 

Trucked and Choked It

2.86lbs X-Rap (Clown)

6:30-10:00PM North Corner, CSR, Harbor Mouth

35-39℉, Clear, 0-12mph SW

Nothing while it was light outside. Finally,  I got a bite around 8PM, but it got off. About 10 minutes later I had the fish truck and choke the X-Rap. He had a couple of fish running with him. They wanted a hard pull at the start then a long pause. I had another couple of fish follow me and hit but not hook up. I tried the Rage Swimmer Jr. and got a little flurry at the Harbor Mouth and one at the CSR as well. Then that abated after I lost 4 or 5 straight fish. I got one on the Jerk Shad and three more on the Clown X-Rap. I ended the night getting 4 fish in about 6 casts on the blue/chrome Salmo Sting Floater and the final fish of the night came at the Harbor Mouth on the Sting. It was calm to start with a pretty good wind blowing out of the SW at the end.

13 Eyes and saw 6 to 10. 

South Jetty Produces as Does the North

5.40lbs/24.5" Jerk Shad (Sexy Shad)

 

4.16lbs Jerk Shad (SSG)

7:30-10:00PM South Jetty, N Jetty

28-31℉, MC, 0-3mph SW

When I arrived at the Jetty there were two guys fishing the North Corner with minnows. They had been there an hour and hadn't gotten a bite. I fished the Harbor Mouth and CSR not getting any bites. I decided to give the South Jetty a try. The guys left around 8:30 or so and I was about to call it a night when I spotted eyes tracking the Jerk Shad. I let it sit. The fish accelerated then quickly turned to the right. I didn't feel the hit, but it was on and I landed it. I caught 1 more off of the S Corner. I ended the night back on the North Jetty getting two more fish on the sexy shad Jerk Shad. 

4 Eyes

One Fish Was Enough On A Cold Weedy Night at the Jetty

 

23.75"Jerk Shad (Chartreuse Shad) 

8:00-9:10PM N Corner

28℉, PC, 5-7mph ENE

Half Moon

I got the snowblower running today and did the driveway. Jamar decided to come up with his dad and brother. I wanted to get him the Jerk Shad's and it got to the 30's today and was 28-degrees at the Jetty, so I drove over. His brother had gotten one fish and they had been there about 20-minutes when I arrived. The wind was blowing into the Jetty, but nearly as bad as last night, however, the weeds were way worse. I was getting hung up on them 2 out of 4 casts. I did manage to get the one chunk that went over 5lbs. It spits up a small walleye on the dock. I decided I had enough shortly after getting it. Too dang cold and those weeds. Jamar lost a fish after I left on the swimbait.

Fish Bit Before Dark, Not So Much After

23.5 Ghost Jerk Shad

 

26" RS 2.5

21" Tomato Jerk Shad

                                               

5:30-8:30PM N Harbor Mouth

28-32℉, Cloudy to PC, 4-8mph NW

I got the snowblower running and did the driveway before the deep freeze. Then I headed over to Mille Lacs and fished for 3 hours. I got to see an eagle flying around just off of the South end of the Jetty when I got there. It kept circling and doing false dives. I think it might have been harassing some mergansers. I got 2 walleyes before it got dark and only one after. I had to stop using two rods due to the reels freezing up. The first eye went for the ghost Jerk Shad on my last cast before I was going to help Steve with the Trophy. After I released the fish he called me to let me know I didn't need to come because Kim was going to help. I caught the second fish about 15-minutes later on a square bill. I then went for a long time without a bite. When I got the 21-incher at 8:30, I called it a night. The skies cleared around 8PM.

Fishing In A Blizzard

22" Husky Jerk 12 (Purple Perch)

18" X-Rap (Firetiger)

8:00-10:00PM North Corner

31℉, Cloudy with Snow/Sleet, 15-20MPH NNE

I almost turned around the roads were pretty slick. I went to 169 in Onamia and much to my surprise conditions there weren't any better until I got to DQ where conditions improved to wet road. It was blowing pretty good at a lousy angle so my casting area was severely limited. I decided to start by throwing an RC 2.5 squarebill. I was just thinking to myself that I had never caught a walleye on a squarebill here at Mille Lacs. Then I thought I've never fished one before, then whack fish-on. It was a 21-22-inch fish that I was unable to land in the churning surf. I did manage to land the two fish in the pictures.  I went and warmed up in the car several times.  The wind never let up, but the snow did eventually.   

Caught 3 Missed 4 to 6 More And Saw Huge Otter

 

5lbs/25" Husky Jerk 12 (Gold)

18" Husky (Gold)

3.06lbs/21" Rage Swimmer Jr. (GP)

Forgot to weigh the 18-incher

8:00-10:00PM North Corner

31-32℉, Cloudy, 0-4mph NNW

I spotted a fish as I was walking out in shallow near the base of the Jetty. Didn't see anything else. Good visibility as well. I saw a couple other eyes eventually and got bumped a few times, but I didn't get a bite that hooked up until 20 to 10 when I spotted two eyes starring up at me on the Big North Coner Standing Rock. The fish was about a yard to my right in maybe 6-inches of water. I cast the gold Husky Jerk over that direction and it swam out to it but didn't hit. I cast over again. It did a loop and grabbed it. After I released the fish I decided on a whim to put down the Husky Jerk and to pick up the GLX and throw some casts at the Harbor Mouth with the small Rage Swimmer. I was immediately hooked up, but the fish got off about halfway in. Then a huge otter showed up and told me he was stealing my spot. So I went to the BNCSR and immediately hooked into the 21-inch chunk. After a few more casts with the Swimmmer, I switched back to the gold Husky Jerk and got my last bite of the night.

I spotted a small buck by the public access on Shakopee Lake on my way up   

                                      

Slow Night At the Jetty

2.46lbs/20" Jerk Shad (Tomato)

4.93lbs/25" Jerk Shad (Tomato)

                                      

8:00-10:00PM North Corner

31℉, Cloudy some light snow, Calm

I spotted a good size eye at the North Corner by the time I got back with a rod in hand, she gone. Lesson learned. I went through Jerk Shad's, X-Rap's, Rippin Raps, and Rage Swimmers. Had a few bumps, but nothing hooked up until I put on the Tomato Jerk Shad. I built a standing platform at the North Corner out of a flat slab of rock. I spotted an eye a ways out and hooked it on the third cast or so. I couldn't see the fish when I casted to it. She trucked it, no doubt about it. That was my last bite of the night.

At The Jetty With Jamar 2020

20" Storm 360

 

20" Storm 360

23.75" Jerk Shad (Tomato)

20.5"  Rage Swimmer

7:45-10:00PM Eddy Jetty 

34℉, PC, 4-10mph NNW

I arrived just after Jamar and his buddies.  He had been fishing for about 10 minutes when I arrived and hadn't gotten anything yet. About 15 casts in I was hooked up with the 20.5" fish on the Rage Swimmer. Jamar was headed to get something at the car, so I just took the picture myself. Jamar was happy to hear that I got it on the swimbait and pretty quickly had one (20.5) on the 360 Searchbait. He got a couple more similar sized fish in short order. I didn't get any more hits on the swimbait. I think with all the wave action and no moon having that rattling jig head that comes with the 360 was the deal. I tried a couple of different Rattlin Raps and only caught weeds. I then tried a chart Jerk Shad, nothing. Then I went to the Tomato Jerk Shad and the 23-incher was all over it. When I went to have Jamar take a picture for me my phone died. thankfully his worked. I went and put the phone on the Scosche GOBAT and noticed my charging case wasn't even 50% depleted. I thought that's strange. I went and started up the Kia hoping a warm car would bring the phone back to life. It didn't. I lost a bite then caught a 19-incher. Then Eddy's Security came by to tell me I needed to move my car. I didn't get a bite after that. Jamar's dad got one and I think Jamar did as well. My phone finally came back to life a few miles down the road when I had it charging on the car USB. I thought maybe the phone was a goner, but nope it just had digital frostbite. It was cold out there in that wind and I didn't think to bring my ice fishing duds. That will never happen again. 

My 3 and 2 of Jamar's fish

It Snowed A Little and I Had A Few Bites

 

23" Rage Swimmer

8:00-10:00PM NCSR

34-39℉, Cloudy, 0-4mph W NW

It was dead calm when I arrived, but the lake itself was not flat. I got the first fish in 20-minutes. It was the 23-incher that I spotted. She didn't get it the first time she came to the lure but got it the second time about 8 casts later. I didn't see her hit as she was swimming away from me when she got it. About an hour later I got my second fish, an 18.5-incher on the gold/orange X-Rap 10. I had one other fish on that hit the Rage Swimmer Jr. I think I had a couple of hits on the 4.75" Swimmer that just grabbed the tail. Saw a giant that swam away immediately when I cast to it with the Rattlin Rap. Had a fish come in hot on the RR and RS but not get it by the time I had to pull them out of the water.

 

Starry Night at Eddy's Jetty

 

23" Rage Swimmer

8:30-10:00PM Pete's Spot, Standing Rock, North Corner

47℉, Clear, 3-6mph WSW

Beautiful night on the Jetty with the Big Dipper over Indian Point and a visit by an owl. Caught my first eye after I saw its eye briefly and made multiple casts to the area with the Rage Swimmer at the North Corner. Got the second one on Pete's Spot. It followed the Rage in then swam away. A few more casts and I saw the eyes following again. I let the jig sink and it came and grabbed it (23"). My final fish (19") of the night came on the Jerk Shad at the Standing Rock. I saw the eyes and cast past the spot. I put the jerk shad right on its nose, but the fish didn't react. I moved it a yard away and let it sit. Sure enough, it zipped over and grabbed it. I had a few more follows on the Jerk Shad, but none of them committed.

Skunked, But There Were Some Eyes Swimming Around

 9:00-10:00PM North Jetty

46℉, PC, 3-5mph SW

Saw a few fish and had a few follow's nothing committed. Scarred off a good fish with the Rippin Rap at the North Corner.

2020 Challenge Cup Borden Lake

 It was a windy cloudy cool day on Borden Lake for the 2020 Challenge Cup. The Snatchers were a lost cause without Chuck Steinbauer to lead the team. We came in Last. Tim Benson did leave with 2nd Place Money though. All of the Snatcher Co's only caught 2 keepers apiece. My fish being the lightest of the bunch. The fishing was more difficult than it should have been. I expected the fish to really be snapping, but they weren't. Which led me to become discouraged, disinterested, and bored. After a long dry stretch, my boater finally started getting some fish and I perked up for the final couple of hours.  I caught my second keeper with about 5 minutes left to go. My boater Jason Schmitt ended up being just shy of the money. He got his fish on the chatter and swim jig with a swimbait trailer. His boat was sweet.

  

Mini-Bucks With Beau Bacon On North Long

Beau's Big Ba$$