Nice Sunrise Slow Fishing & Evening Trip

5:15-7:30AM GOMH NE SE
Conditions: Low 40's, Mostly Cloudy, Light to moderate ENE wind, Water is still clearing up.

As you can see from the pictures it was a beautiful sunrise today. Action was slow.  The panfish guy was there and getting a few oranges.  I had a nice jumper jump me off on the white Piranha just as I was bringing it out from the tube.  I got a couple toothys on the Chart Shad Jerk Shad on the NE side.  And had a few hits on topwater not hook up.

9.5" SBKO

15" Paycheck Baits Transporter Frog 

I got the one dink and the 15" on the SE side with a few misses on topwater and I lost a good one on the craw tube.
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Evening Trip

Got Cha

5:30-8:00PM GOMH SE NE, Lake Place Dock, Bulldog Access
Conditions: Low 50's, Partly Cloudy, Very Windy NE

16" Transporter Frog

Man was it windy.  I was lucky to get the one topwater fish on the Transporter on the SE side.  I also had something small hit at the Gunfish 117 a couple of times.  I switched to the NE side and picked up 3 quick toothys on the H2O LCR lipless crank.  The wind was such that I thought I should make sure my boat was ok.  It was.  I think some might have resecured it for me.  I had several pike hit at the Piranha.  Then on one cast my line broke.  Don't know what happened because I don't think it broke at the bait.  I eventually went to bulldog where the wind was howling in at the access.  I got three bass there.

14" Poison/Swim Fluke jr (white/red)

I was getting chilled so I left.

Last Fish Of the Night Was A Hawg!!!

19" Pure Poison w/Craw Fatty

2:30-5:15PM Inside of the reed line across the way and the juice flat/F Flat
Conditions: 59-50 degrees, Mostly Sunny, Windy S SW, Water Temp: 47 degrees.

Because of the wind, I started in the calm water along our shoreline and drifted out in Jenny's reeds.  Didn't get anything.  I then went across the way and drifted through the reeds, not getting anything.  I got between the reeds and shore and got a couple of small pike on the H2O Lipless.  When I came to the North patch of reeds across the way.  I drifted through them, missing one hit.

I then drove over to the juice and found some more pike on the H2O.  Some of them in really shallow water.  I missed a few hits as well.

23" H2O LCR

I then went a long time without getting a bite.  It stayed too windy for topwater, but I did give it a try anyway. My upper back was beginning to bother me, and I was about to call it quits when the 19 incher struck the Poison.  I half expected it to be a good-sized pike.  It fought with a lot of power.  Here is what it looked like just after I caught the fish.

  I had one other good fish on that hit the Poison that got off before I had a chance to see it.  I think I got a little careless trying to get a look at the fish rather than just playing it.  I gave up shortly after that.

Pre-Fishing Birch and the GOMH on the Way Home

33.5" Pure Poison w/Craw Fatty Black/blue

10-6PM
Conditions: Low 50-mid 60's, Windy out of the SE turning S, Cloudy with light rain turning partly cloudy in the afternoon.

Well that wasn't what I expected to find, which was easy catching of bass in shallow water.  It wasn't easy at all. I don't think I caught a bass after noon.  My boater Darren did get a few nice one's to give us something to go on.  I did get the nice pike which kind of made my day.  I also caught quite a few small pike.

9:15-30PM
I stopped at the GOMH on the way home and got 17" jumper on the Piranha and a 20" toothy on the Poison.  The mosquito's drove me out.

Dev's Bullhead and A Bunch Of Toothy's

15" Grass Pig

5:00-8:45AM
Conditions: 50-60, Partly cloudy, calm then a light SE wind.

Today is my niece Devin's Birthday and I started dedicating my first fish of the morning to her two years ago.  I don't intend to break the tradition as long as I'm able to carry it on.  So today I was after Devin's fish.
 
I was admiring the moon on my way West to the Grumpy Old Man Hole.  I was a little shocked to see a truck there parked on the NE side.  It had a 13 Fishing sticker on the window.  I assumed the person was fishing on the NE side, but was pleasantly surprised he was on the SE side.  It was the manager from Reeds Sporting Goods who I met out here a couple of years ago. He had gotten one golden bullhead and was fishing with a lighted bobber.

I got my stuff and headed down to the NE side.  I was hoping the first fish would be a golden bullhead, but once again this year Devin's Fish was a jumpin bullhead.  As you can see it was a scraggly looking fish and only had one good eye.  Second time I've caught that fish this year.

After a few more casts with the Grass Pig I grabbed the rod with the Crackle Jerk Shad. I put a cast right next to the wall and snagged a spottail shiner.

 I actual hooked it on the middle treble, but didn't think to take the picture until I had taken it off.  Just a few casts later I was going to the truck to get the bucket out of the Kia.

18" Jerk Shad

That's right a golden bullhead. And a few casts later I had another one.

13" Jerk Shad

This bullhead went back in the lake to grow bigger.  Pretty soon after that the Reeds guy left and I got some toothy's.  A fish smashed something over by the pad roots.  The second time it happened I went to try and get it with the Horny Toad.  I couldn't get whatever it was to go.  But a fish hit something farther down so I tried for that fish.  Didn't get it either.  Then one farther down hit and I tried for that one.  I got this one to hit but missed it. It didn't seem like a very big fish.  I worked my way back to the pad roots.  A fish waked at the Horny Toad very dogfish like.  I let the Toad drop and it took it but I botched the hook set.  Wasn't to happy with myself.  The sun was now well up.  I caught a toothy with a broken off treble in it's mouth.

20" Jerk Shad

 I then went to the SW side and started by throwing the Piranha.  I made a throw into the tube and a good fish was on it immediately.

17" D & M Piranha

I got a couple of small toothy's on the Piranha and a couple on the Jerk Shad.  I got a 12.5" jumper on the Jerk Shad as well.  My last fish on the SW side was a small toothy on the H2O LCR.

I went back to the North side and there were no jumpers to be found.  I spent about an hour throwing the Horny Toad and got one small 13" jumper and missed a couple of toothy's.  I thought it was 7:45AM but it really was 8:45AM when I left.

10 toothy's
4 jumpers
2 gold
1 spottail

Better Morning at the GOMH

A little bit later than yesterday's gold
15.5" Jerk Shad

Oops

5:00-7:30AM GOMH NE SW

Conditions: 36-45, Partly cloudy, calmish

I got out a little later than I should have.  I had been up since 2:30AM and hemmed and hawed because of the cool temperatures.  Lucky for the bullheads I forgot to grab the bucket to keep them in.  I was throwing way down the pipe when I had a fish pull on the Grass Pig, but not hook up.  So I switched to the Jerk Shad.    First fish of the morning was a 14" jumper  and then I had one get off, both were way down the pipe. Then I got the the gold bringing it along the close wall.  I decided that since they were all coming from the South end of the pipe to switch to the SW side.

Am I going to sit here and wait for the best shot or go to the SW side?

  I decided to go down to the SW side and fish.  I quickly picked up this fish.

15.25" Jerk Shad

I caught 2 more smaller one's, missed a couple and got a small toothy on the SW side. By the time I went back to the NE side the sun was up and clearing the clouds.  I didn't get any bites on topwater, so I went back to the SW side.  I tried topwater, but didn't get a hit.  I got a small toothy and then this nice jumper on the the Grass Pig.

17" Grass Pig

I had got a couple more on the Chigger Craw and a small one one the H2O LCR.

I did go to Bulldog but didn't get bit on the Chigger Craw, so I quickly left.

Early Mille Lacs And GOMH Trip

Waiting for the sun to rise

And for the bullheads to tell me they were ready to eat

12:30-3:30AM Mille Lacs
4:15-6:45AM GOMH NE SW
Conditions: 40's, Mostly clear, light N wind turning calm at daybreak.

I decided not to bring the net and go get it if it proved that I needed it.

I should have left about an hour earlier because by the time I arrived at Eddy's the wind had calmed down quite a bit.  There was still some wave action so I was hopeful.  About 20 minutes in I had something grab my Rippin Rap.

Or Not!

Casting and all the lures I tried was a work in futility until about 2AM when I had a hit on the KVD Strobe Shad Jerkbait.  I brought the fish in further than I should have before making my move from the rocks to the dock.  As I stepped up on shore the fish surged really hard and my line broke.  I was not a happy camper.  Not sure if it was a pike/muskie or a walleye, but I'm pretty sure losing the KVD was my fault.  I tried lures in the Strobe Shad color without any success.  Then I put on a larger clown color Husky Jerk and caught a walleye on the first cast.

13.5" Husky Jerk Old Clown

After casting for about 10 more minutes with nothing to show I took 3 rods with me and headed for the dock.  Unfortunately I backlashed the Husky Jerk, then my upper back started really bugging me, so I quit.

Even though I had been awake now for over 24 hours.  I wasn't tired so I headed to the GOMH.  Nothing was biting right away.  I stopped fishing and enjoyed the beauty of the morning as the sun was coming up.  The fish let me know when they were ready to eat by crushing something under the bridge.  I had this golden on in no time.

14" Grass Pig

 Then I got a toothy.

20.25" Grass Pig

I got one other toothy on the Grass Pig and missed something on an Albino X-Rap.

It was now time to head to the SW side.  I got a toothy over there on a Pure Poison.  Then a toothy on the H2O XPress LCR.  I then dropped a good fish.  Then I got my first legal jumper of the year on the LCR.

14" H2O Xpress LCR

I got one last jumper on the Albino X-Rap.  I got the backlash taken out of my reel from Mille Lacs and went home and slept the rest of the day away.