Another Fun Morning Trip

10" THE Jig

 

The bigger of the two bit, thankfully

Finally started biting

1st Pike was totally lethargic 

1st bite of the morning

6:30 AM- 1:30 PM Rock Lake, 15-16' Used 3 different sets of holes this trip.

27-41℉, Cloudy/Fog, MC, 2-10mph SW switching WNW

I was slower getting out than planned. I had to drill out holes which was unexpected and made one new set as well. Total turtle time. Fishing was slow for the first half hour, and fish were small/missing bites. I had to re-rig to a Glow Demon and busted my line lowering a jig again. Eventually, the fish got active, and when I put the camera down, crappies were everywhere. That bite lasted until about 8 AM, then slowed down considerably. I did much better at landing fish than last trip, but still a lot of room for improvement.I switched back to the Gem-N-Eye after the first pike loitered through. It left and I actually got a crappie on the Gem. Saw two pike swim through. Not as many sunnies or perch around today. Finally, around 9:30 the pike started biting. I got the first couple on the Gem, then one dropping the Twitch to an immediate attack. Things slowed. I went to the new set of holes I drilled. I got a pike fairly quickly as well as a few sunnies. Saw a pair of pike for the second time and caught the bigger one (25"). I went to a third set of holes, not much there and the wind came up so I called it a day. Less sunfish but better size. I was often unprepared for those bigger gills as they came through. Fun trip. No bass.

44 Crip 

33 Sun 

10 Pike 

8 Perch 

Good Long Day On Rock

 

27.9" Gem-N-Eye Jig/Crappie Minnow

Last pike caught on the PB Switch

This dude was maybe 3"

Rare 6" Gill

9" First Fish of the morning 

Panfish Dineylamnd for Dinks

2nd Hammer Handle of the day.

7:30 AM-2:50 PM Rock my area 16' same hole I've been fishing

30-37℉, Cloudy to PC, 0-4mph SW

Crappies were there and aggressive first thing. Unfortunately, I broke the line while hand-lining down against the drag on my first drop with the Cubby. Switched to the THE Jig caught a couple. Sent a minnow down and got bit immediately. Then I missed a couple on the minnow. I had THE Jig get broken off above the swivel and that was it for the crappies. I put the camera down, a few sunfish then nothing. I went and hole-hopped. It was cloudy and below freezing. I found fish in a couple of holes, but nothing I was excited about. I got back to the Trap and a fish was running with my minnow. I was an idiot and didn't grab the rod and set the hook right away. The minnow was spit by the time I grabbed the rod.  Sunfish, perch, and an occasional crappie or two were around so I never moved. When the panfish spit it meant a pike or two were around. I missed the first couple and lost a Glow Demon. I caught a couple hammer handles on the Glow Demon before switching out for a Gem-N-Eye Jig. I bopped perch to back down the hole. I watched it descend on the vex then a huge mark. I immediately looked at the camera and just saw a flash. A few seconds later the 28-inch pike came back for the Gem-N-Eye. I gave the fish to a guy who was setting up to the South of me. I stayed until the Aqua-Vu battery died with a 22.5" pike on screen. I managed to catch that fish on the Switch using the Vex. I would say about 35-40 people were fishing Rock and Bulldog today.

15 Crip 

7 Pike 

55 Sun 

20 perch

I Was A Hot Mess At Prime Time

 

Only gill I caught

Bullhead

Oh yeah, I should take a pic of one of these

3:45-8:15 PM 16' Same Holes I've been fishing at Rock Lake

34-37℉, Cloudy,slushy, 0-3mph WSW

I went and checked out the GOMH and Bulldog as well as stopped at Bear Trax for minnows.

There were about 4 groups fishing Rock when I arrived. None in my area. I talked to a guy who had been fishing the point getting crappies and a bunch of pike. Turns out visibility is ok before 4:30 PM. I saw a bunch of sunfish, a few crappies, and at least one pike. The pike missed THE Jig, but wouldn't go for the Switch. I lost the first crappie that I saw take my minnow. It was slow for a while.  The bite was pretty good at prime time, but I was a  complete mess trying to fish two lines. I should have just rode the minnow as it was getting dusted soon after I dropped it. I got a bullhead during prime time on the minnow as well. It was over by 5:45 and I struggled thereafter. I did lose a good fish when I didn't get the Cubby up fast enough and the lines got caught on the transducer. I did check the other holes after 7:30 with the Cubby, no life. At the end of the night, I went and drilled some more holes; It was sloppy. At the access, a female lake owner came along with her two dogs wondering if I had left stuff on the ice tonight. Weird question because she came from the opposite direction I did.

32Crip 

11Sun 

1Pike 

1Bull 

Ok Night At Rock

10" T.H.E. Jig (Pink/Glow)

 

Dude was checking my spoon first drop

4:25-7:30 PM The Holes I fished yesterday in 16' My Area of Rock.

34-36℉, Cloudy/Fog,slushy, 0-2mph S

I arrived a little early than I have. I went to Reeds today and got more hooks for the Trap, a couple of rubber straps for the auger blade, and some maggots. I also scoped out Ice Fishing Jackets. It appeared like they began pairing down the ice fishing selection in mid-January. I decided not to get minnows, probably a mistake as my remaining minnows were on the large side. I put the camera down first. Spotted some gills. Put the spoon down to locate on the camera and pike was investigating. It didn't want the spoon. The pike left and I could no longer find the spoon. Prime time bite was OK and went fish kept coming through until 7 or so. I got 5 or 6 ten inch crappies. I called Pete before I left the access. It was sloppy and foggy. I went by Bulldog on  the way home and didn't see anybody out.

32 Crip 

5 Sun

1 Pike 

Only Crips Caught Tonight

 

9" & 7.5" Demon & THE Jig

1st fish 10" on Demon/CM

4:40-8:00 PM 16' My Area December Holes

33-35℉, Cloudy, 0-4mph S

I don't know how it was I arrived as late as I did, but I did. About 20 minutes quicker than yesterday and I was moving faster than turtle speed. A guy can't win. I drilled an extra set of holes today and that was where I fished the whole time. I saw sunfish with the camera. Only landed about 66% of my bites tonight. A fair number of 10-inch fish for the first time. I had a fish break me off at the hole Demon/minnow. Big mark down there that I got to bite 3 separate times but never hooked up with right after I broke off. I did double up once. I caught one or two fish in the final hour. It was above freezing the whole time and I didn't put my hoodie and sweatshirt on until after 7 PM.

23Crip 

5 Sunfish (Aqua-Vu)

Much Better At Landing Bites Tonight

 

Nice 1st fish on T.H.E. Jig

Well fed bullhead

4:50-7:45PM 16' Farthest South Set of holes, same ones I got most of my bites last night.

31-33℉, Cloudy, 0-4 SSE

I had to wait for Mom to finish her report, so I got out 30 to 40 minutes later than I would have otherwise. I did drill a camera hole where I mostly fished last night. I was pushing the light envelope and only managed to see a couple of sunfish. The very first drop with the THE Jig produced a quality crappie. I did a much better job landing my bites tonight. I would say I was about 75%. The fish were mostly around 9", no little guys tonight. Maybe I got 4 keepers total, 10 inches is my minimum keeper. I got one bullhead; I kept the bullhead hooked on the line for about 15 minutes because the crappies were active with it swimming around. The action slowed down around 7 PM. Early on a big minnow got bit and seemed to call them in.

21Crip 

1Bullhead

3 to 5 sunfish 

Rust, Small Fish, or I Suck

Dinks were probably why I was missing fish

Last bite of the night

 

Fish may be smaller than it appears

8.75" First bite of the night

5:00-9:40 PM Rock Lake, I drilled three sets of holes. Farthest South was the most productive

26℉, PC, 0-3mph N

I wasn't in any rush to get out and it ended up costing me because the ice is just a foot thick right now, so I didn't drive out. I drilled 3 sets of holes out. I didn't have lines down until 5 PM. There were fish in my first set of holes. I was a bit unsettled missing bites and wanting to check the other holes. After an initial flurry of bites, the first set of holes died. I got one small crappie at the second set. There wasn't much life there. The third set had small fish and a 10 or so incher that came off at the hole sending THE into the cargo net. Missed several bites along the bottom. Ended in the first set of holes and stayed late. I did start pulling some small fish up in the water column and landing them. The last fish of the night was a gill. I'm gonna need more maggies. Turtled it back to the car, thankfully the snow was slick.

14Crip 

1Sun 

Skunked On The West Side of Sullivan

Not good visibility

3:30 PM Started drilling holes

4:30-6:35 PM Fished from 9' to 26', Saw the pike in about 10'

3-7℉, PC, 4-8mph SSE

I was expecting to see a lot of life where I went today out from the West Access on Sullivan ut from Jaimen's Reeds. All I saw was one pike and visibility wasn't great. It was too cold for me to be fishing in new water. A mistake I will never make again. Fished in 9', 14' and 26'. I should have also paid closer attention to my Garmin GPS Contours. The last set of holes was somebody else's. If it was warmer out I may have realised they weren't quite on the deep weed juice there. Ice is 10-12" thick. There was one vehicle on the ice to the South. Ravens won big and the Pack got edged out by the 49ers by a hair. I went to Onamia. 

Skunked 

Braved The Cold At The Dog

11" THE Jig

I got a hammer handle tonight

5:00-7:35 PM 30' Holy Family Hole at The Dog

3-7℉, PC, 1-4mph W

Ice is significantly thicker than last Thursday

I was slow getting going today. I really should have been out an hour earlier minimum.  A guy with a wheeler was fishing slightly to the East of my area. I drilled three sets of holes with no signs of life in any. So I set up in the middle set. Things didn't start going until after dark and the guy with the Wheeler left. I had a good hour of fishing and then things shut off. I got one 11 incher and one 10 with maybe eight 9 inches. They ran smaller tonight. I got the pike toward the end of the good bite. If I had just concentrated on THE Jig I may have gotten more fish when they were fired up. It was cold, but thankfully not very windy. I'll probably hit Sullivan tomorrow.

22Crip

1Pike

Sullivan Aborted, The Dog Produced Again

 

1st Crappie Demon/minnow

One of 5 or 6 ten inchers

5:00-8:30 PM The Dog Holy Family Hole 30' 8 to 12' off of bottom.

3-14℉, PC, 0-4mph W

Ice maybe 8" or 9" thick

The plan today was to fish out from Jaimen's Reeds in Sullivan. I got the car unloaded and discovered that my safety ice picks were missing. WTFrick! Not happy. As I was making my way out it looked like there was a pressure ridge from shore right through the area I wanted to fish.  Without picks, I wasn't going to chance it and turned back. I didn't get the car loaded until after 4 PM. 

I was grateful no one was at the Dog. I made it about halfway out before I slowed down. I put my holes close to where I was last time and only drilled one set. Only crappies again tonight. The size was about the same 8" to 10" maybe a couple more 10 inches than last time. It got slow by 6:30, but didn't die until about 7:45 PM. After I had my rods in the case I swear there was a pike that came through; Biggest mark I saw all night. I turtled it back to the car. Thank God there wasn't much wind; It was 3 °F. Twenty fish for the night, it could be a lot worse. Never did send THE Jig down, probably a mistake. My mind got thrown off by the missing ice picks.

20 Crips 

On The Dog Again

1st Fish on Demon/minnow

Doubles

5:00-8:00 PM Holy Family Hole 30' fish  8 to 12' off the bottom.

20-24℉, Cloudy, 3-8mph N

(Nobody was at the access, so I did a quick unload and made good time getting out. Drilled three sets of holes just like last time. This time it was the third set that had activity. I set up and iced a crappie pretty quickly. A wheeler with a portable went farther NE from me 35 yards or so.  Not as many fish moving through tonight, but I was landing my bites to start. As the night wore on it got progressively slower and started missing bites. I did double up one time. The final hour was really slow. Nothing on the Demon and I would occasionally have something nip, but I would either miss or couldn't keep them hooked. No pike tonight. Fish were mostly 9-inchers, maybe a few 10"'s)

20Crip 

 

First Fish of 2024 on my Birthday

 

Only one decent Crappie

Broken hook

1st Fishh of 2024

23" Cubby Mini-Mite (Glow)

4:45-8:15 PM 30' Holy Family Hole at The Dog

20-30℉, MC, 3-8mph NW

30' of water

I was in angry turtle mode when loading up the car. I was the only one on The Dog tonight. I went to the Holy Family Hole and drilled three sets of holes from  NW to SE. The second set had marks so that is where I set up. I missed the first 8 bites on the Demon/Minnow. Finally, got a small crappie on THE Jig. I then broke off my first of three Glow Demons on the night. I got re-rigged caught 3 or 4 crappies then got broke off again. I put a Cubby down and got a 23" pike. The hook broke when I pulled it out of the pike's beak. I had to get into the rod case to get more line. I caught a few more crappies and broke off one last Demon up by the hole. I was getting cold feet so I called it a night. Thank goodness for the Smitty. Loading up the car was a bit of a cluster. Live and learn.

8Crip 

1Pike