Halloween On Platte Lake

 

3.21lbs Piranha/Billy Goat (June/BLk/Blue)

4:00-7:00PM SPSI, SPSI Reeds Across, Pontoon Reeds, CPBI to NPBI, F Flat

50-62℉, PC, 3-10mph SSW

46-49℉ Low Falling

I got out late due to oversleeping and getting sucked in Online. I graded myself with an F for Boat Control and Possistioning at SPSI. The buoy has been removed. I missed bites on my first 4 casts. The wind was tricky, and I ended up running over the top. I missed a couple more bites before I finally got a pike. Spent way too much time at SPSI. Lost a bass on the E side of the point. Got a pike at Reed's Across SPSI. Went to Pontoon Reeds. Got a pike there and missed a bite or two. Then it was up to CPBI to NPBI. Landed my first bass between the two points and missed a couple of other bites. Got 3 bass off the NPBI, including the night's big bass, which was over 3lbs. Ended up not getting to F Flat until 5:45 PM, and the fish weren't going. Got # 5 and 6 on the Big Blade Chatter and one pike. The last bass was after dark. I stayed out a bit longer, but it just wasn't happening. I shouldn't complain about a 15.21lb bag, but I had higher hopes than that for today.

8Bass 

5Pike 

Calm Night On F Flat with Steve

Steve's Double

Double

2.79lbs

3.06lbs 

4.03lbs

4.23lbs Piranha/Billy Goat (June/Blk/Blue)

4.67lbs Jackhamer/Goat (June/Blk/Blue)

4:30-7:00PM F Flat

48-60℉, PC, 0-2mph N

47-48℉ Low Falling

 I started us on the outside reed edge of N Reeds Across. I did get a bass on the Toadz on the reed edge. It was slow to start. Steve and I tried to make a topwater bite happen, as there were periodic blow-ups happing. I did miss one bass hit on the Bubble Walker. Only 2 bass in the boat when the sun was setting, then Steve got his first 4lber and went on a tear. We got a double. Steve caught himself a bass on consecutive casts leading to his double because I hadn't weighed his fish yet when he got the hit. Steve got a 3, then another 4lber. I got the big bass of the night on my last cast. Steve also caught a fish on his last cast. Beautiful night. All of Steve's fish were on the Piranha/Billy Goat.  I got a couple on the Terminator Jig with Real Deal Craw as well as the Jackhammer/Goat 

21.56lbs for our 6 Best

Steve: 8Bass 1Pike, 

Me: 6Bass 1Pike

Another 19lb Bag On F Flat

 

4.21lbs Big Blade Chatter/Billy Goat (Gill)

3.85lbs Terminator Jig/RD Craw

3.13lbs Terminator Jig/RD Craw

4:20-7:00PM F Flat

54-63℉, PC, 0-10mph SW

46-47.5 Low Falling

Was breezy with whitecaps on F Flat when I arrived by the W Reeds. Started the trip with a pike. Got quite a few of those tonight. Fishing wasn't as good as it's been, but I still did excellently. Not as many bites and not as many misses. Big bass (4.21lbs) was on the Big Blade Chatter. The second biggest came on the Terminator Jig, which did work tonight. It slicked off around sunset, and the fish quit. I also had a tackle clown show when I got the Jig and Chatter tied up in one another. Never recovered from that. 

19.66lbs for my best 6. Third straight 19lb bag on F flat

13Bass 10Pike 

A Fun Night In The Trophy with Pete, But Skunked At Mille Lacs

 

Pete's first fish

3lber

Another 3

3.30lbs Piranha/Billy Goat (June/Blk/Blue)

3.54lbs Jackhammer/Goat (June/Blk/Blue)

5:15-7:00PM F Flat

52-60℉, PC,  3-8mph S

46-47.5℉

Had a hit on the dock on the Fleet Spin as I was waiting for Pete.  Took us right to F Flat West Reeds. The wind wasn't too bad, and temps were warm enough to keep us from getting cold. I got two bass lickety-split on the Piranha, so I gave it to Pete, and he pretty much crushed them. I put on the Junebug Jackhammer and caught them as well. Even after the skirt came off. I missed more bites than Pete. I'd say I caught 60% of my bites, and Pete got 75% of his. We had three potential doubles but only managed to get it once. One time I lost the fish, and the other time we both lost the fish. Actually a fun time with Pete. Pete wanted a picture with almost every fish.

18.98lbs

Pete: 14Bass 1Pike 

Me: 7Bass 3Pike

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

9:00-10:30PM Eddys Jetty North

Skunked (Fishing with Pete. Walleyes of various sizes were out there, just not biting. Not a surprise. Pete saved my Shadow Rap by wading in to get it. He snagged it on a big rock about 8 feet out at the center of North Jetty.)

 

Good Night On F Flat

3.83lbs Piranha/Goat (Junebug/O Craw)

4.21lbs Piranha

4.14lbs Piranha

4:30-7:00PM F Flat Platte Lake
36-50℉, PC, 0-3mph SW

46-48℉ Low Falling

Started at W F Flat Reeds. Got a bass and a pike there. Nothing along the slop patch. Started getting bit pretty regularly, but missing bites 3 or 4 to 1, probably pike. I got a 3lb bass by the Indent on a jig. Then a 4lber just past the juice. After I got the 4, I started connecting with the bites, but still missing 50%. Ended up with a good bag (19.59lbs) with two 4lbers and a 3.85 to end the night. The fish quit biting around 6:40 or so. There were only a few blow-ups tonight that I saw. Heard a couple more. There was at least a ripple on the water for most of the time I was out.

7 Bass

5 Pike
Maybe 5 hooked fish that got off and 15 that didn't hook up

Skunked At Eddy's

 8:00-10:00 PM North Jetty

43-46℉, Cloudy to PC, 3-8mph SSW

Skunked (Shined a good fish at the North Corner on my way out. Also, I later shined quality fish at the Harbor Mouth and Standing rock. Had a few fish follow and even get right up on me, but I didn't feel a hit except right away on the Dark Sleeper, and that was just a tail bite. There were quite a few little guys swimming around at the harbor mouth and in the shallow north. Was pretty still. Something got busted beyond casting range at the Harbor mouth and maybe something as well at the North Corner, but it may have been a muskrat or otter. I was up toward the harbor mouth. I decided not to try the South Jetty because a SUV pulled up and parked over there and was shining the water in by shore.)

Fishing with Woodgate on Lobster Lake

Me getting the skunk out of the boat

Taking a pic for Todd.

 

Patrick Not Skunked

Pat got the last and biggest pike,
The photo was cropped this way for reasons

Pat showing me some of his muskie lures just before I caught the first fish of the day

1:30-6:40PM Lobster Lake

50-67℉, PC, 0-8mph SE

I arrived at Pat's place at about 12:15PM. I talked with his dad and mom. I recognized his dad but not sure if I had ever met his mom before.

Nothing for the first couple of hours fishing in the wind. I finally got pike when we ducked behind an island out of the wind. Missed one and caught a second there. We went and worked some reeds that were out of the wind. Pat got a bass there, and I got the rest of my pike. We then moved back West. The wind had died down. Pat lost a good bass along the north shoreline when it jumped at the boat. I had a good-sized muskie follow just a little after that. We moved farther West and to the south shoreline. I had an even bigger muskie follow. We ended in the Access Bay, and at our very last stop, Pat got a 26" pike on his first cast. Unfortunately, the fish were off today, but the fellowship was good. Hopefully, I'll be able to get out with Pat again. He talked about bringing the Ranger this way to fish with Todd and me next year.

Pat:2 Bass 

      1 Pike, 

Me: 2 Ski Follows 

        5 Pike 

Evening Trip In The Trophy

 5:20-6:45PM F Flat, NPSI Platte Lake

38-50℉, PC, 0-4mph W

40-41℉, Water Low Falling

Had a difficult time getting the boat to move with the falling water and me running the boat so far up last trip. Went to F Flat where it was calm and actually almost warm. Got 2 pike there on the Fleet Farm Spin. Went to NPBI a little after 6PM. No dice, so I ran back to F Flat. No surface activity, but I did get one more gator. Loons were calling and it was a nice sunset, but temps dropped quickly. Froze my face heading in.

My report at IDO:
Got out for just under an hour and a half on Wed. night. The highest water temp was 41. I didn’t get any bass, not a surprise, but I didn’t get skunked either. I got two hammer handles and a 30-inch pike on a black single Indiana blade spinnerbait with fire craw Z-Man Goat trailer. With the way the big pike hit and fought at first, I thought maybe I had a big bass on for about 15 seconds. I set the hook, and it was just solid, and then it slowly bulldogged me. With the amount of pressure I was putting on the fish, I knew it was good, whatever it was. I also threw a big Blade Chatterbait, Dark Swimmer, and suspending jerk bait. I think I might have gotten a hit on the jerkbait, but I’m not totally sure as I was fishing where there is cabbage which I did get hung in on that cast. I didn’t throw any jigs other than the Sleeper, and that was on a point, not in the cabbage where the pike were. Hopefully, the warm-up will activate a few bass.

Pike On The Bubble Walker

5:15-6:30PM 3-Loon, F Flat, NPBI
35-41℉, Cloudy to PC, Sleet downpour, 3-9mph WNW N

Darn popcorn sleet storm. Had one follow on 3-Loon Flat, where I stared and where the sleet storm took place. The wind switched more out of the North, and I moved to F-Flat, where it was calm, passing a loon on the way. Saw baitfish get busted as I was setting down. I switched to a Bone BW and, sure enough, got a pike in the midst of a bunch of baitfish. At 6:15 PM, it looked like NPBI was calm, but by the time I got there, an NW wind was blowing on it. Didn't get a bite and the sky to the NW looked dark, so I headed in rather than back to F-Flat, which was my plan when I left. At least I didn't get skunked.

Oct 10 & 12 Skunked at the Jetty

 A slight ripple on the 10th. a lot of little eyes swimming around fished from 9:30 to midnight.

On the 12th, I fished from 10:30 to midnight. Some wave action and wind out of the NNW. I got fowled on weeds quite often. The wind came back when I fished the N Corner with jerks, so I went to the S Jetty, where there was a sleet storm. No bites either night

Bass Snatchers South Long

  

Beau Won (16/14) and Got Lunker (3/15)

Mr. Bass 2022, Snatcher Fields

Conditions: Overcast temps 61-50℉, Wind 3-8mph ESE

The Day: We were the last boat out, and the first boat out went right to where my boater, Snatcher Fields, wanted to start. It seemed like 75% of the field went to the same general area to the NE of the narrows. We joined the scrum on the Eastern edge of the line of boats. Nothing on starting spot, so we headed up the lake to an area where we found a school during pre-fish. Chuck got a keeper in the boat. I think I got a pike, then lost a keeper and one that looked like it wouldn't go 12-inches. I got a walleye down the way a little bit. Ran some docks, but nothing. It was an extremely slow morning for us. We \went back to the starting spot and got an 11-incher. Ran back up the lake to a calm weedline. Finally got a keeper in the boat on the big Bubble Walker. Ran down to Bill Bongs Challenge Cup Starting Spot and got another keeper that took the LiveTarget Wake Gill. Chuck put several fish in the boat in short order, then culled with a couple of good 3lber in the cane. Game Over for Mr. Bass 2022. I got my 3lber out along the weed line out from the cane. We ended up back where I got my first keeper. I got my 4th keeper right before we were going to move on a spinnerbait. We went back to the starting area. I caught a short and a small keeper on the spinner bait. Went back up to Bongs Starting Spot. Got bit off twice with jigs and caught several pike on the spinnerbait. Had the craw tube get a bit off. Chuck caught a couple that didn't help and culled once or twice with minor upgrades, and then the day was over.

Results:  My fish weighed 10/09, which put me in 14th Place (2nd to Last Place). Beau Bacon won it with 16/14 and got Lunker with a 3/15. 2nd went to Snatcher Czech (14/11), who showed his face for the first time this season. And 3rd Place went, and Co-Angler Cash went to Snatcher Sarah.

My Thoughts: At long last, I finally got paired with Chuck Fields, and it was cool to do it when he clinched his second  Baxter Bass Snatcher Mr. Bass title. He accomplished the feat back in 1994. This was the first complete season he has fished with the club since winning it in '94. As for the fishing, I figured there was no way, under those conditions, I wouldn't be able to get a limit of keepers in the boat. Besides a half-hour window when Chuck caught most of his weight, it was really slow for us. Unfortunately, I didn't get any bites fishing on the bottom during that window, and when we returned to the spot, the pike had moved in. Whatcha gonna do? It just wasn't my year.