Fishing with Steve On a Smokey Night

3.75lbs Bobby's Perfect

Sumo's non-magical brother Buddha

6:00-9:30PM F Flat, Reeds Across N & S, Inlet to Cookie Jar
74-82℉, Haze/Smoke, 2-4mph ENE

Steve wanted to come with tonight, so I stayed close to start hitting the Reeds across the way first. Actually, I started outside the reeds and got a bass on my very first cast on the Blitz Frog. I missed a couple of blow-ups in the reeds. I pulled out of the reeds and got a couple of nice Plake Lake Specials on the FireCraw eBay ChatterJig. I then went and picked up Stever. We went and worked the South Reed Line across the way. I got one Platte Lake special and a pike. Steve missed a bite of two. Then we went to NPLD Pt. Reeds & NPBI. I think I got a 2lber and a pike off the PT, and Steve missed a couple of bites and got a Platte Lake Special as well. Then we went to the center rice in Inlet. Steve got the big fish of the night there. I was trying to get that stupid Snagproof Kicker Frog knocked off my 2021 Frog catches a bass list. I missed a couple of good opportunities that I wasn't ready for but eventually got a small bass against the rice wall. I erased the scale thinking I had taken a picture. I think we had 15-something for the night, so we were getting quality bites.

Steve: 4 Bass 5 Pike
Me: 6 Bass 5 Pike

Great Morning On Unexpected Water

4.93lbs Boze Sumo Frog

Sumo the Magic Toad

 

3.52lbs Plopper 130 (MonkyButt)

3.63lbs Bobby's Perfect

19.46lbs Best 6

5:30-9:00AM NPBI, NPLD Pt. Reeds, Guy's Bay, B.B. Point

64-72℉, MS, 0-4mph SW

I started by dropping a 2lber on the Plopper when it jumped and got off at NPBI. I got a wild hair and decided to give the reeds across from there a try and was rewarded with the 3.53lber on the Plopper. I worked my way around the reeds missing a couple of blow-ups. Finally, I got back on plan and headed to Double Cane. There were some blow-ups in the bay, so I thought I would check it out. The rice and weeds looked excellent, and there was baitfish and some biggins. Got the 3.63lber out of the scrub weeds and the 4.93lber out of the rice. I picked up a few more fish off of both ending with a two and a half off BB PT Cane in the pads. I thought I was going to get back out in the evening but wasn't up for it. Not a bad morning on water; I normally don't pay any attention to at all.

Bass Snatcher Fishtrap Lake,

2/14oz R2S Bully Wa 2 (Little Allen)

What my scale said

Conditions: 65-86℉, Sunny to MC and hazy, 0-4mph E
Water Temps: High 70''s

The Day: We started a little way to the South of Access Bay, just outside of some slop. I thought I had something pick up my jig under a dock, but when I set the hook, there was nothing there. We ended up working a weedline outside of the slop bay, and Mick got his first bass on a craw tube. From there, we ran to a point with a hazard marker buoy. Stuff was getting busted on the top, and I got several dinks on Bubble Walker. Mick got a quality fish on the craw tube. We then ran to a weedline that I had fished before in a previous tournament; Mick was unaware of that fact at the time we arrived. I got a pike on a black/blue Hack Attack Jig and then got the skunk out of the boat on my very next cast. We then went to the small island outside of Access Bay. Mick got his third keeper on a craw tube, and I had my Hack Attack Jig get a bit off. Mick caught a long skinny pike. I think we then went back to the point with the hazard buoy working some docks before we got to the point then heading north. I got my second fish on a Neko Rigged Yum Dinger. We moved around to some other spots catching a few dinks under 12-inches.  It was turning into a long day. With an hour left, we went back to our starting spot. Fortunately, Mick came in close enough to the slop that I was able to make some casts to it, and sure enough, my big of the day inhaled my frog. So we worked the junk. Mick lost two bites, and I got #4, pitching the Hack Jig to the pad edge. We reworked the small bay a second time, quickly not getting any bites. With about 20-minutes to go, we ran to the Access Bay, and Mick picked up two more keepers, and I got my last fish on the Bully Wa 2 Frog with 5-minutes left to go. And just like that, time was up. If we had 15 more minutes, I think chances are pretty good; both of us would have caught our limits.

Results: The last-minute rally ended up giving both Mick and me the same weight for the day at 10lbs 9ozs. I won the tiebreaker and finished in 8th Place. Chuck Steinbauer got back into the Winners Circle with 18/12, and he had the 4/04 Lunker. Darren got 2nd with 17/7, and The Hammer got 3rd with 16/3. Todd Lewis won his first Co-angler Challenge. 

My Thoughts: For the second time this year, I was able to rally in the final hour to save myself from a disastrous finish. The lake was fishing tough with only 7 limits boated. It is pretty amazing to me that I was unable to get more than 1 keeper on the Neko Rig for as much as I threw it. I had little fish picking at it constantly, and I caught several dinks. One more keeper, and I would have beaten Dennis. Instead of my season being trash, this result gives me some hope for finishing in the Top 10 for the year; currently, I sit in a tie for 14th.

 

DNF

 The weather was good today and last night, but I did not fish. I think I was pushing myself a little too hard and needed the rest. Should be good to go first thing in the morning.

Fishing Frogs with Mal and Todd

 

 It was a warm July night and the fish were snapping in Inlet Bay. The goal was to get Mallory her first-ever topwater frog caught bass. She got quite a few opportunities and even had a fish hooked, but it hung her up in the reeds and pads. Todd got big fish of the night with the 3.46lber.

Melon Patch Bust, But the Rice West Of the Access Had 'Em

7:20-9:30PM Melon Patch to WSW Rice Point 

73-84℉, PC, 0-3mph N

I went immediately to the Melon Patch and wasn't getting bit, so I made the move to work the outside rice edge. Didn't get bit there either. Since I was close I moved to the newly dubbed WSW Rice Point, formerly West of Access Rice. There was a school here and I got a lot of bites landing about 40% of them resulting in 12 landed Bass. About 50% of the misses were on my hookset and about 50% were on the fish not getting the frog. I caught fish on Teckel Whacker, Spro King Daddy, Ish's Phat Frog, Scum Frog Trophy, Snag Proof Pro Tournament, All-Terrain Grassmaster Jig, and a craw tube. I did some mapping before I came in. There were a few people shooting off fireworks still.