Pike Caught, Trophy Out For 2021

1:30-1:50PM F Flat

45℉, Cloudy, 6-10mph ESE 

I was hoping to get a bass for my final trip in the Trophy for 2021, but it was not to be. I headed out to F Flat with the Dobyn's Fury and the Orange Jackhammer. I got a bite and was followed at the waypoint by something small. The Pike came much closer to "The F Flat Juice." I was about to leave, and catching the fish sealed the deal. I headed to the access, and we took the boat out of the water. I forgot to run the gas out of the motor. It is going to rain for the next couple of days then get cold. Boating Season Over. 

Bring on the ice.

 

Barring an unforeseen warm-up, I should be ice fishing slightly before Dec 1st.

Last Bass In the Trophy For 2021

Sun Setting on 2021 Season In The Trophy

 

One of two in the SE Corner

Ended With A Platte Lake Special

3:30-5:30PM SE Corner, LSB, SWBI, NPBI, F Flat

40-52℉, PC, 0-5 mph SW

I got out later than I really should have. Started in front of the Old Resort in our Bay. I got pike on two consecutive casts in the SE Corner. I then bounced to LSB. Nothing going on there. I then headed to the SW Corner of the Big Island as the sun was setting. I got a pike on the Jackhammer as I was trolling for Tuma's spot to where I have caught fish in the past. That didn't work out, so I quickly went to NPBI and the  F Flat. I got two Platte Lake Specials at my waypoint. No clue what is so special about that spot. I'll give that spot one last shot when I take the Trophy out tomorrow.

Penultimate Trip In The Trophy Works Out At The Very End

Took a picture after I got the pike

It was way darker than it looks in this picture.

 3:30-5:30PM Old Resort Flat, NW Corner, NPBI, F Flat
47-50℉, MC, 0-4MPH NW

Started on Old Resort Flat. Missed a couple of bites and had a follow on the Jackhammer. After about 40 minutes, I bailed for the NW corner. There was activity by Rice Island, so I stopped there. Didn't get a bite and stayed too long. Made a quick stop at NPBI, nothing. Headed to F Flat, where I got a pike and two bass. The bass was where I got the bass last night, and the pike was around where I got the pike the previous night. Was so glad the Hail Mary paid off and got the skunk out of the boat. Decided not to try for crappie even though it was calm and I wasn't all that cold.

Big Pike & Bass On A Beautiful Night

Calm Night Was Just What This Soul Needed

34.5" LiveTarget Wake

3.37lb LiveTarget Wake Gill

4:00-6:30PM Reeds Across, F Flat, NPBI, Hole Our Bay

50-60, MC, 0-3MPH S

41-43℉

My plan was to only watch the first half of the Vikings game due to Daylight Saving Time ending. But the game sucked me in. But then the Vikes blowing the lead got me headed off to the lake in a frazzled state. As I was coming up the driveway, Steve waved me up. He was cutting down a tree, and I was lucky it didn't fall on me. Steve was blessed didn't get seriously injured twice. After the Vikes scored two quick touchdowns, the Offense went into hibernation vs. the Ravens. They were in the process of giving the Ravens their first lead of the game as I talked to Steve. When I was ready to head out, the Vikes had tied the score, and the game was headed to overtime. I didn't know how to get the game on my phone, so I listened to my Bass Tournament Morning Playlist instead. A text from Pete made me surmise we lost. Then I got a notification shortly after that Barr had made an interception. I'm not sure if the game was over when Pete texted, or he just gave up prematurely.

Anyway, I started working along and in the Reeds Across the Way, not even getting a bite. As I got to the path separating the South and North Bed, I started listening to the KFAN post-game. There was a little activity along the northern edge of the North Bed. I missed a bite there. I moved across F Flat. It was totally calm now. I had a good size pike follow the LiveTarget Wake to the boat. A couple minutes later, I got the 34.5-inch pike. I don't think the fish that followed was that big, but I could be wrong. It took me a while to land the fish. I played it until it was worn out, and it was barely hooked when I grabbed it. It didn't put up a fuss. I took a quick picture and released it without weighing it because I didn't have the scale ready; I didn't even know if it was in the boat. The scale was in my tackle bag, so I put it in the pouch up front where I usually keep it. About 5 casts later, I got the bass. I didn't get any more bites, and there was scattered activity over the flat once again. It was dark when I went to NPBI. Not sure if the fish I saw out there were shiners or small crips. I didn't put the Loomis 782S in the boat, Doh. I went in and got the rod. I looked unsuccessfully for crappie around the deep hole in our bay.    

 

Crappie Bust, Got a Couple of Pike In Sully

I need to trim the old beard and shave my head as well

 

4:00-7:00PM SPSI, Tuma's Point, Intersection, GOMH

45-58℉, PC, 0-7mph SSW

I got a little later start than I wanted. Tried SPSI no dice. Then I went and searched for crappies for an hour in Sullivan. That wasn't happening, so I mapped for a while. Then fished Tuma's Point. I was just about to move when I caught a small pike on the Jackhammer. I only fished maybe 10 more minutes, then headed to the Intersection. Caught one pike there in the rice narrows. It got totally calm, so I went out and hunted more crappie unsuccessfully. I was underdressed, and my hands were getting cold, so I headed in. Saw a bass and possibly an eye at the bridge.

Talked to Todd after I got back in. He had a deer spook as he was getting to his stand and saw one in the evening but could not get a clean shot as it went into a thicket.

Fishing With Todd On Deer Opener Eve

Todd caught the last and biggest pike of the night

5:00-6:40PM West Point to the old Resort

42-47℉, MC, 7-20mph SSE

Todd came up for his first-ever Deer Opener. He is going to be hunting Jenny's Property. We fished for around an hour. I got the first pike of the trip in front of Jenny's on the Jackhammer. I caught 4 more pike and a bass, that I forgot to take a picture of before I threw it back. I then gave Todd the Jackhammer. I caught a pike on the FireCraw chatterjig Todd had been throwing. Todd got the last pike of the night. We both missed our last bite of the night. I had  4 or 5 that didn't hook up and Todd had 2 or 3 that didn't hook up for the night. 

Got Calm With Steve

The activity lasted a bit longer than usual tonight

Chunky 15-incher

5:30-7PM LSB, NPBI, F Flat

Water Temp: 45-47℉
 

5lber Landed, Dock In, Eye Caught One at Eddy's

5.02lbs Jackhammer/Devil Jr (FC)

Last Trip Todd Got a Bass

I think this was the eve of the Deer Opener.  Steve, Todd, and I pulled the dock out then Todd and I went fishing. I got the 5lber in LSB Northside where I has been getting fish. Todd got a couple of bass on the Jackhammer at SPSI and NPBI. We ended on F Flat chasing activity. I think we got a couple of pike.

22.25" Rage Swimmer

 I fished at Eddy's from 10:00 to midnight. Got one bite at the South Jetty it choked the Rage Swimmer. Shined only 1 fish.
 

Bassin' and Ballin'

3.26lbs Jackhammer/Devil Spear Jr. (Orange)

5:20-6:50PM F Flat, NPBI, SPSI 

50-60℉, Sunny, 3-12mph WNW
Water: 51-53 Very Low Falling

I headed to F-Flat to start. Didn't get a bite, so I headed to the North Point of the big Island. I got 3 bass there, the last of which was the 3lber. I headed to the South Point of the Small Island with that success, where I got one bass and a pike. A  duck hunter hit bottom with his motor cutting across the point up by the reeds. There were several boats out fishing tonight. It was windy to start but calmed down significantly by the time I ran South.

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26" Rippin Rap (Chrome/Blue)

19" Grass Pig (Swamp Gas)

10:00-12:00AM Eddy Jetty North North Corner and Pete's Spot

53-55℉, Clear, 2-4mph WNW

Saw more eyeballs tonight than last night. Sight fished at the North Corner to start. Had a fish hit the clown X-Rap but did not hook up. Caught the pike throwing off of the big standing rock on a Rippin Rap around 10:30. Had a fish in briefly at Pete's Spot around 11:20 or so. Finally had a walleye engulf the Grass Pig on a Outkast Goldeye Jig at 11:35 or so. That was my last bite. Had three boats take out tonight. They said the eye's were biting light.

 

Eyeballing at Eddy's

 

DNF

 Slept in, woke up slowly. Rods for fishing Mille Lacs are at the cabin. Oopsie not anticipating that.

Victory Is Achieved At Platte/Sullivan

  

4 and a 5

Got Wood Again, Finally

What my scale said

Conditions: 54-72℉, Partly Cloudy to Cloudy, 0-4mph S

The Day:

Darren was kind enough to give me control of the boat for the day. I elected to start in Sullivan at the Intersection. I had Darren set us down a little short of the juice. A decision I almost regretted as Snatcher Ludenia and Nate set down in the general area but fortunately didn't get a bite to slow them down. Darren had something big boil on his frog on about his fifth cast. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get it to strike again. I got us up to the juice and had a fish suck under my frog in a spot where my vision was a bit obscured by reeds. I ended up getting a less than optimal hookset, and the fish quickly got off. A couple minutes later, I had a fish suck my frog under, but this time I was ready and got the day off to a good start with a fish close to 3lbs. I began to work to the East when a boat not in the tournament fished through where I was heading. They caught one small fish, and that was it. I ended up fishing the Intersection instead. It just wasn't happening, and the wind was staying still, so we fished the GOMH on the Sullivan side and then headed into Platte for the rest of the day. 

We spent the next few hours on the North end of Platte in Inlet Bay. I started by fishing the rice line from East to West. I got a small keeper on a Terminator Frog. I think Darren got his first keeper shortly after that. It just wasn't happening on top, so I started throwing a Magnum Super Fluke. We were at the Cookie Jar, and I was just about to pull us off of the rice line when the 4lber bit the Fluke. That kept us on the rice line longer, but we didn't get any more bites. The wind came up a bit, so I pulled us out onto the flat. I got a small keeper and a bunch of pike on the Jackhammer and a craw tube as I worked our way back to where we started. It got calm again. I got my feet set and threw the Terminator Frog way back in the rice line, and 5lber slammed a couple seconds after it landed. I could have sworn I locked the weight at 4.93lbs, but apparently not. I wasn't surprised that my scale weighed it light. We worked the rice corner, then turned around, went deeper into the junk, and I worked our way South. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the slop in Center Inlet. As we made our way into South Inlet, I cast to the coontail mat, and a 3lber took the Terminator Frog about 10 feet out from the mat. A couple minutes later, Darren had a good fish boil on his frog, but unfortunately, his line snapped on the hookset. Darren did get a keeper there in South Inlet. We ended up working our way back to the north with Darren missing several opportunities and me getting pike on a buzzbait. The sun came out, and we got back on the rice line. I got a quality cull, and Darren got his last fish of the day.

As we were coming to the end of the rice, I noticed the front flasher was flickering on and off. Turns out his starting battery was out of juice. I headed us in the direction of the public access, and Smitty came by to see what was up. Smitty has a lithium jumper pack, which got us back in the game for the final hour and a half.  We made a couple of more stops with me getting a few pike, no bass. Just couldn't get one more Platte Lake Special to put my weight for the day over 20lbs.

Results: I won my first Snatcher Tournament with a weight of 19/12, and I also got wood and $ for the 5/2 Lunker.  Smitty came in 2nd with 17/9, and Nate got 3rd with 16/13. 

The win also allowed me to reach my goal of finishing in the club's Top 10 for the year in 10th Place.

My Thoughts: I am so grateful to have drawn Snatcher Darren as a boater and that I fished clean for the most part. I thought I had screwed my chances catching a twenty-pound bag on Wednesday when I didn't know we would be fishing my home lake; Thankfully there were still some melon heads up North. Winning on a lake that has disappointed me so many times made my first win so much sweeter. With the way my season had gone, I seriously doubted I was ever going to reach my number one goal, but I did it. Victory Was Achieved on August 26th, 2021!

Skunked At Eddy's Tonight

 Since I can't fish Platte/Sullivan due to it being off-limits for the Snatchers, I thought I'd give Eddy's a try tonight. A lot of High School students around, no fish. There were a few small baitfish at the harbor mouth, but I didn't shine any eyeballs. Water is about 10-inches down from last year. Eddy's grounds crew didn't really tend the jetty, so there is a lot of weeds around. Discovered that I lost Jamar's number with the new phone; I was going to text him and let him know about my trip. Hopefully, he will come back up in Oct and I'll bump into him.  Looks like we have warm weather for another week. Probably won't hit Eddy's again for at least a couple of weeks.

DNF

 Rainy windy day. Wanted to fish, but it was really blowing out of the NW and never let up even though the rain did for a time. We got maybe an inch of rain. Lake levels up a touch after the last two spots of rain. May get out in the morning

DNF

 It was a warm, windy Sunday. I decided to watch the Vikings game live rather than go fishing.  I was a little worn out after yesterday's tournament on Leech. Vikes ended up losing on a missed field goal on the last play of the game. That QB Murray is sneaky good. Very entertaining game.

Leech Lake Snatcher Tournament

 

Conditions: 47-74℉, Mostly Sunny, clouded up in the final hour, 8-25mph S

My Day: We started on the South End of Bear Island, where Bruce caught a couple while pre-fishing. I had a pike steal my Dinger about 20-minutes into the day. We then went around Partridge Point. From there, we went to the North end of Bear Island in the reeds. I thought we might get a bite there with the wind blowing on it, but we didn't. We then went to the East end of Center Rice. We started by drifting along the edge.  Thought for sure I would get a bite there as it looked great, but nope. Then we went on the lee side, and I frogged it, trying to make a perfect cast to get a reaction bite. When we met Snatcher Ludenia and Al, they confirmed that it was a tough bite. We then made the run back west to Uram Bay and finished the day there. Bruce missed a bite, and I got the muskie in the final 15-minutes. So we both ended the day skunked for bass.

Results: Goose egg buys a goose egg as good as DNF or DQ'ed. Snatcher Nate came in first with 21-8. Snatcher Chuck got 2nd with 17-8, and Smitty came in 3rd with 15-1. Snatcher Chuck and Bacon tied with a 4-9 Lunkers.  Only 4 limits were caught, and we had 6 guys skunk. So half the Co-Anglers blanked and one boater (My boater).

My Thoughts:  The bite was off, and wind conditions were not favorable. We fished too fast most of the time. I'm not going to beat myself up over this one. Dennis only put two keepers in the boat, and Hammer, who was fishing with Chuck, only caught 3 keepers. Nate's non-boater got skunked as well. I am just glad it warmed up, and I was able to listen to tunes while we were making our long runs through the waves.

 

DNF Today

 It was really windy out of the South today. I was going to head out around 5PM, but then thunderstorms showed up so I aborted that idea. May head out for a few hours in the morning. I have to pick up a couple of rods for Saturday's tournament on Leech.

Pre-fishing Leech With Snatcher Bruce

 I arrived at the resort Bruce was staying at just after 9AM, just as the wind started to blow. We were off by 9:45 headed to Boy Bay. Didn't find anything along the shoreline but one pike. Found one spot that looked good, but there were no signs of life. Bruce's Ultrex shut off, presumably because I had blown a fuse running it on 10 while it had some weeds. Bruce didn't remember where the fuse box was and couldn't find it. We called his mechanic, who wasn't sure where it was either, but he gave us some tips. We still didn't find anything. So we were just going to scout with the big motor, but then Bruce discovered the troller had power. We then surmised there is a kill switch in the motor if it gets too hot. We then went over by the Boy River. Too shallow and too much crap weed. We went and checked Center Rice, which looked good to me. We then headed to the reed bed on the N or Bear Island. Don't think we will stop here. Tried to find the rice patch that I fished with Ruff the last time. We turned away because the water was too shallow. Went to look at a spot Bruce found the day before and checked one other spot. The sky got dark, and the wind really started humming, so we called it a day.

It is a bummer that Leech is so low. So much water that would typically hold fish is dry or almost so. We don't have much of a clue about where on the East side of Bear Island is safe to run, so I am not sure if we will even go to the best water we scouted. It looks like it is going to be windy again on Saturday, oh for joy.

Got my new iPhone squared away at the Apple store on my way home. That is something positive.

Bass Snatcher Tournament Lake Edward

Mick Ziebell 19/03 Lunker 3/15

2/15oz R2S Bully Wa 2

What My Scale said I had

Conditions: 63-85℉, Mostly Sunny, 0-15mphSW

My Day: We got all the boats launched, then we headed to our starting spot, which was just to the South of the Public Access in the reeds. We worked our way South along the reed line with Beau pitching a jig and me throwing a frog. I think I got the first bite of the morning in some pads and reeds up by the shore. It was a small fish that got off after I had reeled it in about 10 feet. I am pretty sure it was a bass, but I'm not 100% certain. The reeds came to an end, and we worked the cattails and docks for a little bit with Beau catching two pike.  It wasn't happing, so we ran to some other reeds. I got the first keeper in the boat with the frog. Beau then caught a 2lber on a jig. Shortly after that, I got my final keeper of the day on the frog. As we worked the reeds. I would get hung up occasionally. I would put about 15lbs of pressure on my 50lb braid, and my line kept breaking, frustrating. After about the 5th time that happened, I switched to a different rod. Beau got his second keeper and missed some bites. Beau spotted what he swore was a muskie. I saw the fish but only saw its back.  I had a fish swirl on the frog but not get it. Neither Beau nor I could get it to bite again.  Beau switched to a Senko and got a couple of good fish. I switched to a Yum Dinger and missed one bite. The wind came up, and we headed to a weedline spot. I missed a couple of bites on the Havoc Pit Boss. Beau filled out his limit on the Senko. I switched to a Yum Dinger and got a couple dinks and a pike on that, and the day ended with me only getting two keepers. I thought maybe I was headed for a last-place finish, but it turns out lots of people struggled on this hot, windy day.

Results: My two fish weighed 4/05, which put me in 15th Place out of 21 anglers.   Mick Ziebell won the tournament with 19/03 and got Lunker with a 3/15 fish. Dave Smith got 2nd Place and won the Co-Angler Cash out of Dennis Lothspeich's boat. Great Job, Dave! Nate Steinbauer got 3rd. Beau came in 4th.

My Thoughts: What a frustrating day. I let the frustration get to me with Beau catching fish and me not getting bites. I think I just fished too fast and didn't concentrate on what I was doing enough. Once we left the reeds, I just couldn't get settled in mentally and didn't fish well at all. Thankfully we have two more tournaments this year for things to come together for me. On to Leech.