Checked Lakes And Got A Gator Bullhead @GOMH

 

Last cast

Ducks were out there

It will be interesting to see if this area refreezes 

5:55-6:20 PM GOMH SW

48-53℉, PC, Calm

Opened my Tackle Warehouse today, then took a nap.

I checked lakes first. I think Lantern Man was out on Bulldog. I saw some deer on the way to Rock. Rock also had a guy out fishing by Rice Island, his truck was at the access. Open water is now past the N GOMH Point. I heard ducks quacking but didn't see them. I had a gator steal my Cubby/Minnow. I think I got the thief on my last cast of the night with a Rocket Shad. I saw a muskrat tonight and had a lone Canadian flyover as darkness descended.

1 Pike 

Last Ice Fishing Trip Of 23/24

Last fish in the last hole

 

Finally a fish

7:10 AM-1:45 PM: Rock Lake 17', 12'

24-47℉, PC, 0-8mph SSW

Water clarity poor to start and the ice made noise until 9AM

I got started loading the car about 10 minutes late and it took me 50 minutes before I was ready to leave the driveway. I had to go get the Fish Trap first. When I got to the access I should have repositioned the car before unloading, which was a slow clown show. I turned my headlamp off after parking the car. The ice was cracking and groaning, which kept on until about 9AM. As I came around the corner to the PRO Bay there were a bunch of swans swimming and on the ice. I couldn't make out where my old holes were, but I had the Garmin 7 with so I was close. I was a rust bucket at first and visibility was terrible. I only got two crappies and only saw 3. Sunfish and perch were around. I saw 3 pike in the first set of holes. At 9AM I drilled a second set on the maidencane drop, right next to my previous holes. A pike came in quickly and bit the minnow, but I pooched the hookset. I then fished my way back to the access spying two pike, catching one in the last hole. The northern half of the access had standing water and the ice was getting soft. This will be my last trip of the 23/24 ice season.

5Crip 

6Pike 

30Sun 

12YP 

1st Bullhead of 2024

 

17" eBay Spin/Goat (Glow/Black/FC)

5:15-6:15 PM GOMH SW 

40-44℉, PC, 1-3mph S

It was a nice day, but I was too sluggish after getting up to get my ice fishing stuff together, but I did want to go fishing, so I did. I thought maybe I underdressed my feet, but they didn't get cold. I was expecting a skunk, but you never know at The G.O.M.H. I was just about to switch to something else when the gator bullhead hit the spinnerbait. No skunk and the earliest open-water fish I think I have ever caught. I caught a pike at the GOMH on the 27th of February in 2016. Lots of swans flying around. I'm pretty sure there is open water on the southern side of Don's Point.

1Pike 

Fairly Good Morning To Afternoon At Rock

 

Double

8" VMC Fly/Maggie

10" BT Glow Demon/minnow

6:45 am - 1 pm Rock Lake 8' to 17' of water

35-45℉, PC, 0-4mph S

I headed out even though I didn't feel much like fishing after last night. I didn't mark much or have a bite in the first 45 minutes. The crappies did move in as the sun came up and I had a pretty good bite for about 35 minutes. Then sunfish with a few perch moved in. Only a couple of pike showed up. The second of which I saw after I had just set the hook on a sunfish; It flew into frame crushing the Gem-N-Eye. It was just a hammer handle and the only pike I caught. I got one 8' sunfish and saw maybe a couple of others.  Eventually, I decided to switch holes. I dropped right on a pike that inspected my offerings but never went for them. There is not much in these holes. I fished my holes on the Maidencane break. A few perch and sunfish. I decided to fish my way back to the access along the reed weedline break hoping to find some bass. Didn't see anything in the first three holes. I think the 5th one had a nice pike take some shots but not hook up. I was sightfishing that guy with my eyes looking down the hole. I caught a bunch of perch in the final hole hoping a pike or bass might show up. It was a wet sloppy mess as I came in. I was the only person on Rock today. There were a couple of trucks at Bulldog. I also stopped at the GOMH.

20 Crip 

5 Pike 

43 Sun 

19 Perch

Slow Night On Rock

 

9' on Gem-N-Eye/minnow

Potato Chip

Two swans a swimming

4:50-7:30PM My Area Rock Lake

30-44℉, PC, 0-2mph S

I got a late start because Dad went to Walmart today. My back was barking at me on the way out. I drilled new holes right by the old ones and one set of three to the North. I don't know why I only put one camera hole. The one where I put the camera hole was near the 8" Sunfish Hole. Unfortunately, not much showed up there before it was getting too dark to see. I ended up catching 5 sunfish. I did hole hop for about 15 minutes. I came back and the bobber was down, but nothing on it. I put another minnow on and caught a crappie about 5" minutes later right before I was going to move to the holes where I had marked fish. Nothing more showed up and it was now dark. I hole-hopped with the Fish Trap and didn't mark much.  I ended at the first set.  I ended my Fish Swami trip with a minnow down. Sure enough, I got a bite but missed it. I sent down another minnow and the Cubby, which immediately got jumped. Giving me two crappies for the trip. No more life. It was making ice. I slowly packed up. Plan to be out in the morning and if that doesn't work I'll have to formulate a new plan. 

Oh yeah, open water at the PRO Opening narrows with Swans swimming and flying about.

2 Crip 

5 Sun

Saw a few small perch and sunfish on the Aqua-Vu