Horny Toad Goes BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! SWOOSH!

16" on the Horny Toad

5:45-7:45AM
Conditions- Cloudy, Sunny, Cloudy a breeze out of the S SW

I was first person at the GOMH so I took the NE shore.  All I got was one 11" j.b. on a b/b craw tube.

Next I headed to the Culvert and went right to "the juice", nothing.  I was just about to leave when I made one last cast way upstream aided by the wind and BAM! Fish on! 16 incher.  I made another cast way upstream aided by the wind. BAM! Fish on! 14.5 incher.  That process repeated itself 3 more times with each fish getting successively smaller ending on a 12 incher who just barely took it.  I made a couple more casts to the juice, nothing.

The Stanley 4/0 Double Take Frog Hook is the real deal for Zoom Horny Toads.  You don't even have to have the hooks firmly secured by plastic.  Both sides were ripped out on the Toad I was using..

I made a cast way upstream with a Spro Poppin Frog and I had a pike come flying out of the water trying to get it.  With that I was done.  The inlet didn't give me nothing.

I kinda get the feeling if I want to keep catching fish, I'm gonna have to get the Trophy out.   This area of MN didn't get the rain that most of the state saw in June and the fish just don't seem to be hanging at the GOMH like they did when the water was high.

They Missed Me!

After not getting out for more than a week I headed to the GOMH this morning, arriving just after 6AM.  I put on the Stanley Phantom and got a bite on my first cast.  I was a little rusty and he got off in the lily pads.  Not to worry I got a fish on my next cast as well.

 I pretty much crushed them on the Phantom getting 10 jumpin bullheads and 1 toothy bullhead before they finally stopped.  The biggest jumper was this 15.25"

I got a couple of small ones on a Horny Toad and 4 small one's on a Zoom Super Fluke and 1 small one on a Craw Tube.  I then moved to the SW side.  I got a 14.25" on the Horny Toad, a 15.5, my biggest fish of the morning, and another 11.5 dink on the Craw Tube.

I then went to the culvert and got a 12.5 and 2x 15"'s on the Horny Toad.  I was done at 8:20AM

23 Bass
1 Pike
Biggest 6 bass
15.5", 15.25", 15", 15",15",14.75"

Nearly A Frustrating Trip

17" Horny Toad

This morning I decided to hit Mille Lacs at sun up. I started at the bridge at Shakopee and had my craw tube bit off the second it hit the water on my first cast.  I picked up a Pure Poison and got bit on my second cast.  It felt like a good fish but came off as it was racing into the current.  I've never seen the water that high.  I didn't get any more hits on that side.  I got a small one on the other side on a Frenzy Popper.  I was fishing Mille Lacs by 5:35AM.  I thought it was going to be calm but there was a slight breeze blowing out of the SE. Not ideal for topwater.  I fished on the North Jetty at the harbor mouth to start.  I've never seen the water as high as it is now.  I got nothing there.  I went to the far North side and fished towards shore I had a fish blow up on the Stanley Phantom but not get it. I made a cast a little farther out from the Jetty and had a small pike or muskie come out of the water after it.  I then cast back to where I got the first blow up.  The fish hit it about 6 times before catching a hook, but it got off right away. I think it was a smallmouth, but can't be sure.  I ended up back at the harbor mouth and I had a fish hit my Grass Pig but it didn't hook up.  I thought it was a smallmouth, but then a couple casts later I had a pike swipe at it as I was bringing it in.
On my way back to the car I had a pike or small muskie come out of the water after the Kelly J I was throwing.  I went and tried the South Jetty, but didn't get a hit.

So I was off to try Wigwam bay, but the water was really to high for fishing there.  So I headed to the culvert  that comes out of Whitefish.  I had a fish blow up on my Horny Toad but I didn't hook up.  I went and tried the other side of the road and had a pig nail the Horny Toad.  The fish cut my wire leader as it swam into the culvert. I was like "DAMN! I don't believe that just happened."  I retied a new Stanley Double Take Frog Hook, but this time I went with the 4/0.  I think the 4/0 is probably a better choice for the Horny Toad as it seemed to fit better than the 5/0 does.  I went back and started throwing the frog.  On the same side I had the break off I got the 17" in the picture.  This fish salvaged my trip.  I got home at 10:00AM.

Tonight At The Culvert And GOMH

Sun Setting at the Culvert

Sun Setting in my beard and 14.90" Culvert Bass on Hack Jig with Powerbait Thief Trailer

I got 2 bass and 2 pike at the culvert. One a piece on the Hack Attack Jig with a watermelon Chigger Craw Trailer and one a piece on the Hack Jig with Powerbait Thief trailer.

I then headed to the GOMH

Sunset at the GOMH

15.25" Horny Toad Jumpin' Bullhead

I got the two fish that struck at my Horny Toad tonight; the one in the picture and a 14". Those were my only two bites at the GOMH tonight.  The old Indian guy got 4 small jumpin bullheads fishing the South side with a leech.

A Few Fish Anyway

15.25" Hack Attack Jig w/Chigger Craw trailer

Tonight I was 0 for 5 on Horny Toad bites.  I should have had at least 3 of them.  I did get a few of the bites I had on the Hack Attack Jig.  I ended with 3 bass and a  pike at the Culvert and 1 jumper at the GOMH.  Dr. Hays and his daughter and a friend biked by while I was at the Culvert.  They saw me catch the pike

Morning & Evening

I went fishing this morning from 8:30AM to 10:30AM at the GOMH, the culvert, and the Sullivan Inlet and tonight at the culvert and the GOMH from 8:15PM to 9:45PM.

During the morning trip I got a 14", 15", and a 13" on the SW side on Hack Attack Jig with a Chigger Craw trailer;  I got 14.5" on the North side with it and a 10.25" on the Super Fluke as well.  I got a pair of 14"'s at the culvert on the Hack Attack Jig and I missed a good one that jumped me off at the Inlet.

So for the morning trip I got 7 bass total

The evening trip I started at the culvert. I missed my first two hits on the Horny Toad in the exact same place before catching this 17.90" bass.  It could have been the same fish each time or a different one.  I went to fish on the West side of the Culvert and I had a fish break me off above the wire leader I use.  I'm not sure if the knot gave way or if the line got cut on the culvert as the fish swam into it.  I picked of a 15" on the West side of the culvert with the Hack Attack Jig same trailer as earlier and got a 15" and 14.5" with it on the East side.  I left to go to the GOMH after retying a new Tyger Leader with a 5/0 Stanley Double Take Hook on my Horny Toad rod, that was at 9:10.

I tried the SE side with the Toad first but didn't get any hits.  I then went to the NE side and my first three blow up's all didn't get the Toad, but the 3rd one did and I was impressed that it got hooked.  I had two more  blow ups.  One that missed and one that tore the legs off.  I laid the smack down on two jumpin' bullheads with the Hack Jig and missed another on the spot of 2 missed blow ups.  I also laid the smack down right in front of me on 5 jumpin bullheads between 14" and 16.25" on the Hack Jig.

On the evening trip I got 11 bass total
My best 6: 17.90", 16.25", 15.25", 3x15