Lost a Bullhead Tonight

 

Where the activity was

Red Wing in Fatso's Tree

6:30-7:45PM NE & SW GOMH

32℉, Cloudy, 0-2mph NW

Hardly any wind today. Roadside ponds were frozen back up. I immediately saw fish activity by the ice line to the north, but it was about 10' beyond where I could cast when I was on the bank E of GOMH. When I was on the NE side, something surfaced out by the ice line again. No bites on the N side. I got the one bite when I was almost through for the night. It bit up close on the jig. I didn't get a good hookset, the bullhead splashed and got off. I did 6 full laps. Swans showed up as it got dark.

1Pike 

1st Bullhead of 2025

 

There were geese on both sides of the bridge when I arrived. I cut some brush along the bridge before fishing. I started on the NE side then went to the SW side. It was getting dark and I was about to call it a night when I hooked into something that I thought was a stick by the way it was coming in. Turns out it was a skinny gator bullhead. I dropped it half on the rocks when I went to throw it back. I had to bump it with the butt of the rod for it to swim away. Had a couple of swans do a fly by and walked 6 laps. I didn't shine anything with the spotlight. First bullhead of 2025.

1Pike 

Gator And Silver Bullheads

 

14" Cubby/minnow

Choked it

13" Demon/minnow

25.5 Swim Shad

Rock Dock Not In

6:30-7:45 AM GOMH SW

34℉, PC, 0-3mph NE

Water Low Falling

I got a bite in the current that got off. The very next cast was a small gator. I got one more 23" gator a while later. I think I had something pull down the bobber right before Dad called. Because of that, I ended up leaving a little later than planned. I did get the car back in time for Mom to get to her hair appointment in Pierz.

2 Gator

5:00-11:00PM SW NE GOMH, Rock & Bulldog, SW GOMH

48-53℉, PC, 0-3mph

First evening stop at the GOMH. Nobody came around. I got a 25.5" gator on my only bite on the SW side. I briefly fished the NE side and had a small gator swirl on me.

2 Gator

Rock & Bulldog

There was some really small baitfish shallow at Rock. Rock Dock is not in yet. A few swans flying around. I did briefly fish at Bulldog, before heading back to the GOMH. No life at Bulldog.

Back at the GOMH:

Nice pink sunset. I missed three hits on the dogfish tackle. I got out the lighted bobber and quickly caught a 14" Slabber Bullhead. A couple bullhead fishermen showed up and fished the N side. I was just about ready to head out at 9:45 pm when I finally got another bite. From that point on I got a bite every 5 to 10 minutes until I ran out of minnows. I got a 12.5" and a 13" going 3 for 8 on bites. I was a bit rusty.  Also, a bow fishing boat blinded me so I missed my final two hooksets. I could not get a bite on just a glow Cubby. When the Bow Fishing boat came around I put my sunglasses on. They headed back into Platte as I was packing up. I shined two golden bullheads on the Platte side and one bullhead in the rocks on the Sully side.

3 Slabber Bullheads

 

Double Extended Trip At The GOMH

 

19.5" Rocket Shad

3:00-7:45PM GOMH SW

48-51℉, Cloudy some drizzle, 5-10mph NE

Water is very high falling

Todd dropped off the pontoon today. I went to the lake place and got a rake and a landing net. I cleared some dead fish and slop before fishing. Somebody had a minnow trap hanging from the SW corner of the culvert. I got a couple of 4lb jumpin' bullheads to start. A mom and gram showed up with two boys to teach them magnet fishing. They each caught something. After they left, some teens showed up. I broke off the Wing It Bobber rig about a yard above the bobber when I was fighting a fish that felt like a panfish. I saw the bobber and caught the rig on my first cast; it was out there quite a way. The teens applauded me when I landed a 3lb jumper. They left. Federal Ammo Dave showed up with his posse and started on the N bridge. I got a couple of Gator Bullheads and lost a big Orange Bullhead that I thought was a bass by the way it pulled; the big gill dove under a small dead dogfish and into the cattails and got off. Dave's posse came to the S side of the bridge as it started to rumble in the distance. One of Dave's guys got a silver as I was packing up. I was gone before it began to rain. I shot my report video when I got home from the car in the rain. It was a short storm. The power went off at the lake place. I noticed on the radar that the heavy stuff missed us but bullseyed on P/S.

Good Night at The GOMH Catching Bullheads

 

Bullhead Bullhead

Lantern Man's 2nd 14-incher of the night

12" THE Jig (Glow/Pink)

17.5" Cubby/minnow (Glow)

Hunting Pack of Pelicans

5:00PM-Midnight GOMH SW SE

41-59℉, cloudy clearing late, 0-4mph 

Water high and rising

1st person there tonight took the SW corner. I got done stretching than an old-timer named Richard S. stopped, and we talked for 10 minutes. He didn't have any minnows, so he left. Think I got 3 small jumpers before a friend of LM showed up and took the SE side. I got a few more jumpers and a toothy on the Swim Shad after I caught a weed right away on the previous cast and spooked it. Some guys fished on the NE side for about 20 minutes. LM showed up around 7:30. His son was on his way. Skibidi showed up and joined the guy on the SE side.

We all got a few bass. Brett showed up and caught some jumpers. We watched several groups of pelicans fly in and land. We got to see them hunt and start a feeding frenzy. I missed my first two silvers. They started catching them on the other side. LM's wife showed up while I was missing those first two. As it got dark, the action picked up but not as fast as last night. Beautiful night. LM got two 14s, and Brett got a 14.25" as well. The SE vacated after 10PM. Brett started getting smaller ones. I went to the SE side. and they kept catching fish. I got a 9" and missed a couple of bites. They left at 11 PM. I didn't care for the current, practically to the cattails. I got a 14" bullhead and headed back to the SW side. I Got two more silvers, and my last bite was a 17.5" jumper with melanated spots. I stopped fishing a bit after midnight. The sky was clear when I left. A lot of loon chatter after 11PM, and I heard an owl as I was packing up

Multi-Species Day From Shore

9.25" THE Jig (Chart/Org)

10" THE Jig (Pink/Glow)

24" Storm Swim Shad

Bird & MOON
NE GOMH

18" Afternoon Trip

Three trips today. Fished the GOMH in the morning getting a golden and some jumpers. Had to take Mack out in the afternoon and stopped at the GOMH and caught some jumpers. In the evening I hit Bulldog, Rock, and the GOMH getting fish at each stop. Some silver moved in tonight and I even got some orange bullheads. Nice. Fished until 10:30PM, would have stayed longer, but I didn't have the right clothes along so I got cold.