Forgot The Camera and Scale This Morning

5:45-6:40  GOMH NE SW
6:45-6:50 Culvert
6:55-7:15 Inlet
7:25-7:35 Lake Place
Conditions: 64-68℉, Mostly Cloudy, Windy SE

I forgot the camera which is to bad because it was a beautiful sunrise.  I fish missed the Sexy Plopper right in front of me.  Then I had a dink hit it and get off.  A 16" jumper absolutely crushed the SBKO.  Didn't get a hit on the SW side.

Nothing at the Culvert

At the Inlet I got a 22" pike on the Horny Toad (Melon/red flck) after it took the legs off on  an earlier cast.  Also missed a hit, very pike like.

I went to the lake place where there really wasn't any water to get out of the boat.  Didn't have a hit on a frog. Had to have the car back, but really didn't because Safelite didn't have the windshield in yet.

One Quality Bite Anyway

17" Zoom Horny Toad

7:45-9:15PM East Of Jenny's to Jenny's Reeds
Conditions: 72℉, Mostly Cloudy, E wind
Water Temp: 75℉

Because Kaylee bolted I didn't get to the lake by 6PM like I planned.  She eventually came back on her own after about 35 minutes, but then I waited for the parents to get back with some food; Onion rings, YUM!

By the time I was ready to fish I took some casts off the dock. Had something swipe at the frog on the close dock side, that was it.  I then took the Trophy out to the start of the slop East of Jenny's.  I had a good sized something follow the frog out, but it saw me and got skunked.  Eventually I switched up to a Horny Toad and got a couple of pike.  I was working my way on the outside of the slop casting in.  I got a 12" bass and then the 17" off of a point of pads.  I got a couple more pike and that was it.  Not much was going on to give me a clue.

2 Bass
4 Pike

Slow Again This Morning

As I arrived this morning

5:45-10:00AM West Point, GOMHIT, EoGOMH, Channel Inn Bay
Conditions: 60-68℉, Mostly to Partly Cloudy, Wind NNW, Water level still rising
Water Temp: 75℉

10.75" SBKO

I got this dink and a pike on the craw tube off of west point.  Also missed a couple of pick ups on the CT.  I then went to SPSI and got nothing.  I then went to the GOMH. I got a 20" toothy right away on the SBKO.  I got a couple of dink jumpers on the craw tube and Jerk Shad.  Missed a couple of pick ups on the CT as well.  The panfish guy was there fishing the SW side.  He hasn't been getting any silvers.  I wasted to much time fishing here.  I then fished my way out.

16" Whopper Plopper 130 (Sexy Shad)

I decided to try East of GOMH along the wind transition and I had this 16" smack the Whopper Plopper. I then had a fish miss it and got a 14.75" pretty quickly.

16" Horny Toad (Pumpkin/red fleck)

I then had another 16" jump all over the Horny Toad and I thought I was in business.  That was my last hit for at least an hour.

The kind of water I was fishing

I really could use a few of those Sprinker Frogs as they are perfect for the type of cover we've got here now.  I got one last 14" in the general area this picture was taken in.

As I was taking my tackle out of the boat this morning, I stepped up onto the casting deck while grabbing the tub of plastics with the green bag in my right hand and red bag over my back. I lost my balance and fell out of the boat where the red bag is sitting. Lucky because I wasn't injured in the least. Lucky because the water is up about 10 inches in the past week and without that I would have definitely landed in the water instead. And lucky because normally there are between two and five rods sitting where the black bag is when I take my tackle out.

That is the story of how my day ended.

9.52lbs for my 6 Best

Not a particularly productive morning.  Oh well.
7 Bass
2 Pike

Slow Night, But A Couple Good One's

18.75" Mad Maxx Frog (Bluegrass)
Looks like it's time for me to go to a different camera, doggone it.

7:45-9:25PM Loon Sex Bay, Jenny's Reeds
Conditions: 80℉, Mostly Sunny, NW Wind
Water Temp: 79℉

I wasn't in a big hurry to get on the lake tonight and I had to get some water out of the boat, so that kept me from being on the lake at 7:30.  I would guess with the storm we got last night I would say the lake level is now up to what I consider the normal range.  With the two warm days in a row water temp on Platte is now flirting with 80 degrees.

17.75"

I went to Loon Sex Bay and was in there for maybe 20+ minutes without a bite when the 17.75" toad bit the Bluegrass Maxx in the NW corner.  That was one well fed fish.  That was the only bite I got until I was fishing Loon Sex Point.  The 18.75" missed the frog the first time, but got it the second.  It had a full belly as well, but not the shoulders to make it a 4lb fish apparently.

I did have a shot at one last bass in the rice off the end of Jenny's reeds, but it got off.  Don't think it was in the class of the two I got tonight.  I also had a small pike bite in LSB and in Jenny's reeds.   Hope the fish are biting a little better tomorrow morning.

2 Bass
2 Pike

The Struggle Was Real, But Worth It!

3.50lbs Ish's Phat Frog (Brown)

6:00-11:00AM SPSI, East of GOMH, Loon Sex Bay
Conditions: 64-77℉, Partly Cloudy, Calm to blowing pretty good out of the SE
Water Temp: 75℉

I should have been on the water by 5:30, but I was putzing around and didn't get to the lake until about 5:40.  It looked and felt beautiful with it being glass calm, but there was no surface activity going on, just nothing.  I stopped at West Point for about 15 minutes and didn't get hit except for one quick swipe by a pike on the SBKO.  I next went to the South point of the small island. I immediately noticed a bass boat fishing across the way in Channel Inn Bay.  As I was working the reeds he moved to the NW point of the small island and started working his way south covering water fast.  I wasn't having any luck, just nothing going on.  When he got within about 50 yards of me.  He caught a quality bass a ways out there on the weed flat.  He said he had gotten a few so far just randomly fishing a Whopper Plopper 130 and covering water.  He continued on around the point to the East.  I finally caught an 11" dink on a craw tube on the point.

28" Whopper Plopper  90 (Yellow Head)

I started noticing some baitfish activity out where he caught the bass so I headed that way throwing the small Whopper Plopper.  Just before I was going to pull it out of the water this 28" pike nailed it.

I then worked my way to the slop East of the GOMH.  I think I missed the first hit I got, then landed a small pike on Ish's Frog.  I went about half an hour with nothing then missed one, caught a 15.5" and lost one in the slop that felt bigger than a 15" on the Ish's.  Then nothing for another half hour or so.  I went back to the SPSI and got this skinny 16.66" on a Hack Attack Jig .

2.31lbs Hack Attack Jig/Chigger craw

   I then went to Loon Sex Point and caught a 15.5" in the slop there pretty quickly on an Ish's Phat frog.  I missed the next fish when I didn't get a good hookset due to the wind bowing my line.  Had it on for a few seconds and felt like a better fish, bummer.  Had a small pike hit me off the tip of the point.  The wind was blowing into some rice just across from the point perfectly to set up an ambush.  Sure enough a good size fish was there, but I wasn't ready for it when it exploded on the frog and got a lousy hook set.  Missing that fish really got me pissed off at myself.  I don't know whether it was a bass, pike, or dogfish, but it was big and I totally blew it.  As I drifted along I then had 15.25" hit the frog boat side and basically hook itself.  I then missed another good blow up and caught a 12 incher.

I cast into the open hole on the left and good size wake immediately went up to the frog and stopped.  I thought it was gonna be a dogfish.  I moved the frog and it blasted it.  I was ready this time and got a good hookset.  It was the 3 1/2 pounder at the top of the blog.  I think that is the biggest bass I've caught in this bay this year.  At that point I was feeling much better about my morning.  I then tried some pitching and punching with the Hack Jig and lost at least 4 bites, but they were all smaller 1 to 2lb fish.   I pitched my way to the end of the slop that the wind was blowing on and called it a day.  I definitely need to put the frog rods down and work on my punching game.  With the water getting dark like it is I think conditions are getting right for it.

13.27lbs for my Best 6

7 Bass

3 Pike

 

Quick Trip To The GOMH Tonight

11.5" SBKO

8:45-9:15PM GOMH NE
Conditions: 74℉ and HUMID, partly cloudy, calm

I didn't feel like taking the Trophy out tonight, so I stayed in the air conditioning until 8:30.  Thankfully there were no cars at the GOMH.  There was a red Lund with a Grandpa, Grandma, and grandson slowly moving fishing their way toward the bridge.  I put the Shower Blows knock off on and quickly got a small jumper (11.5) on it.  I then quickly got a 13" jumper that was hooked in the back.  I missed a couple of hits on the SBKO, then a pontoon boat went into Sullivan.  I had a small toothy hit at the Hack Attack Jig.  I tried the Wild Worm and didn't get a hit on it.  I then put on the Firetiger SBKO and got a small toothy on it.  It jumped off so I didn't get a measurement.  That was it.  No bites on the craw tube or on the SW side.  The skeeters got bad, so I left.

1.98lbs for the Bass

2 Jump
2 Tooth

A Little Better Fishing This Morning

4.12lbs Craw Tube (Grn Pumpkin)

5:45-9:45AM West Point, SPSI, GOMIT, SSBI in the Trophy
Conditions: 53-73℉, Mostly Sunny, Calm to Light SE Wind
Water Temp: 73℉

I made a last second decision to go to the Trophy and not to shore fish at the GOMH.

Once on the lake I made a last second decision to go to West Point first and was quickly rewarded with two 14 inchers (14.33, 14.25) on the Shower Blows knock off.

14.25" SBKO

I missed a couple of hits on the SBKO.  Got one that was just short of 12" on a green pumpkin craw tube and missed a few bites on that as well.

18.5" Craw Tube (grn. pumpkin)

Next I headed to SPSI.  Nothing went for my topwaters, so I threw the craw tube in the reeds.  I lost a fish that felt very pike like.  Then I had a fish pick it up and drop it right before I set the hook.  I threw back and the big girl picked it up.  I also got a 14.25" on the craw tube casting out toward the buoy.  I had a fish pick up and drop the craw tube a few times just beyond the buoy.  I think I annoyed that fish (15.25) into biting the Whopper Plopper 90.  I also got a small pike on the Plopper.

I then headed to the GOMH and got a 10" on the SBKO and a 12" on the Whopper Plopper 90.  I also got a 12" on the craw tube.  I moved East of the GOMH.  I had a couple of fish boil on the Ish's frog, but not eat it.  I went back to the SPSI and got another small pike on the Whopper Plopper 90 and that was it.  I then went to the South shore of the big island.  I got a small bass and pike there on the LiveTarget Bluegill.  The fish had pretty much been shut off for the past two hours, so I called it a day.

12.01lbs for my Best 6

11 Bass
4 Pike

Slow Evening In the Trophy

Running from Chuck's Point to SPSI about 1/3 way there

Setting Sun Over Channel Inn Bay when I arrived at SPSI

7:00-9:30PM Green Cabin Bay, Chuck's Point, SPSI, GOMHIT
Conditions: 73-70℉, Mostly Sunny, Light N wind & Calm
Water Temp: 76℉

We had heavy rains at the lake this morning, so I had to get the boat drained first thing.  That took about 20 minutes.  Then the motor wouldn't start because it wasn't getting any juice.  I took the cowling off and there was a little bit of weeds under the flywheel.  What the ???. I cleared out the weeds and then it immediately turned over.  I put the cowling back on and it started right up.  I headed to Green Cabin Bay instead of across from the public access in a last second decision.

10.5"  Ish's Phat (Brown)

I got that dink on my very first cast.  A couple casts later I had something slash at me and not get it.  I had a pike jump out of the water at me by two guy dock.  Nothing was going on at the inlet.  I could hear water flowing in.  I then B lined to Chuck's Point.  I could hear water flowing in there. I had something small hit me there.  I had a pike come after me in the reeds,  I got an 11.5" bass as I worked down the reeds.  Conditions seemed perfect and there was occasional baitfish activity, but nothing was going on the surface.  I did try the craw tube for a while as well and didn't even have a pick up with that.  I put treble hook lures on and tried outside the reeds briefly.  I headed to the South point of the small island at about quarter to 9PM.  A pontoon boat was just leaving leaving the area as I arrived. Don't know if they were fishing or not.

15" Jackall Pompadour

A fish got blasted in the reeds behind me

 I only got this one bite on SPSI.  There was some fish activity, but they were up and gone in a flash.  Probably pike.  I then headed to the GOMH.  Something completely missed the SBKO under the bridge.  Sounded like a pike that launched itself, but I didn't see it.  I then got a 15" jumper on the SBKO.  The skeeters were terrible by the time I got the fish weighed.  I put on my rain gear and threw a few more casts and had to get out of there.

Fricken Frack

My plan was to get past the islands and then put my treble hook baits away with the boat slowly moving in forward.  I had all but one bait put away when I had to go to the back of the boat to take it out of gear because a pontoon was coming toward me.  Obviously, I knocked my box over as I went to do that.  Just fricking magnificent.  A couple of baits were hooked to my rain pants.  I don't know if the pontoon was trolling or what, but they sure came in close to me.  I was preoccupied getting hooks out of my clothes and shoe to notice what they were up to.  Eventually I got the mess straightened out and headed home.

Another pathetic trip

4 Bass
3 Pike

Slow Morning In the Trophy

Sunrise from SPBI

5:45-9:00AM SPBI, SPSI, GOMHIT
Conditions: 59-70℉, Mostly Sunny, Wind SSE SSW
Water Temp: 73℉

10.5" Whopper Plopper 90 (Yellow Head)

I arrived at the South point of the big island just as the sun was over the horizon.  A bald eagle flew out of a tree on the point, circled around a couple of times, and then dove picking up a sunfish.  Cool way to start the morning.  The only bite on SPBI was that dink.

I then went to SPSI and got 16" pike on the black SBKO.  That was it for topwater fish there.  I got a 13.5 " bass on a craw tube and a 19" pike.  I missed a few hits as well on the craw tube.

15.5" SBKO (Black/hrng bone)

 I then went to the GOMH.  Panfish guy was fishing the SW side.  I got the one good jumper on the SBKO.  I got a 12" jumper on the craw tube and the proceeded to get my Texas rig stuck in the rocks.  I had to break the fricken thing off and it had a tungsten sinker on it. Ridiculous!

I then got a toothy bullhead on black/blue Piranha.  I then gave up on the bridge and started working m way East with a frog.  I had one toothy miss it and that was it. Sad!

On the way back I tried Fluke fishing some of the docks on Don's Point.  Didn't get a hit and called it quits.

Ridiculous!

4 Bass
4 Pike

Got Out For A Bit Tonight

15.25" LiveTarget Frog

8:00-9:45PM Loon Sex Bay, SPSI
Conditions: 76-70℉, Mostly Sunny, Wind ESE
Water Temp: 76℉

The setting sun as it came visible off the South point of the big island while I was running to the South Point of the small island.

When I arrived at SPSI, then the camera stopped working

I was pretty worn out today from the beating I took on North Long yesterday.  I did manage to take the girls (Belle, Mallory, and Natalie) out to knee board for a little while in the afternoon. I went home after that and just kind of sat around.  The weather is supposed to get really warm tomorrow so I thought I should get out and fish.  I didn't get to the lake place until about 7:40 . Per usual I had to get all my gear in the boat and also get the battery in the boat for the trolling motor.

With the East wind I decided on Loon Sex Bay with the plan to hit SPSI to end the night.  I was quickly rewarded in LSB with the 15.25 in the picture. I then had a pike bite off the LiveTarget Frog: Thankfully I was able to find and retrieve it.  I didn't retie it on, but went with the brown Ish's.  That got a couple of boils, but nothing getting the lure.  I switched to the Bobby's perfect.  I had a couple of pike hit at that and I didn't hook up with a fish that just smashed it.

Then it was off to SPSI.  I started by throwing the Pompadour and was just about to quit throwing it when a fish hit it, but didn't hook up.  A couple casts later I got a 16" bass on it.  That was it for the Pompadour.  I got three quick small pike on the yellow head Whopper Plopper 90.  Then I got an 11", 15", 9.5" and 13.5" bass on the yellow head.

Last fish of the night was an 11.5" bass on the SBKO black herring bone.

8.70lbs Best 6 Bass of the NIght

 Not a great night by any means, but I was catching them on topwater.

Snatcher North Long Lake Tournament

1lb 10ozs Lake Fork Craw Tube (Grn Pumkin/Brown)

6:45-2:50PM North Long Lake we fished all 3 Bays
Conditions: 60-83℉, Partly to Mostly Sunny, Wind All Day out of multiple directions

I came into this tournament without a care in the world.  I was not prepared mentally for how difficult catching fish might prove.  After the pre-fish I was sure we were gonna catch a limit a piece.  Boy was I wrong.  Normally, I am content to let my boater call all the shots for the day and am loathe to offer suggestions.  I need to recognize instances where I need to be more assertive.  This tournament was probably one of those instances, but I can't say with any confidence that the results would have been much different.

The Day:
I had thought to myself that starting where we caught multiple fish and then quickly left in 371 Bay should be our start spot.  Checkbook suggested we start in the reeds where we got fish in Merrifield Bay.  No problem.  Fish for 30 minutes, if we don't get a bite get out of there and go to 371.  That is pretty much the way it played out.

When we got to 371 Bay a boat was anchored maybe 50 yards to the NE of the juice.  We were there maybe 15 minutes and Checkbook got bit off.  I don't remember if I had gone to the front of the boat or not when I caught my only bass of the day on a Lake Fork Craw Tube.  I threw out a marker buoy and went and got the fish weighed and put a cull tag in.  By the time I was ready to fish again Checkbook was retied and back on the trolling motor.  Over the next hour or so I missed a couple of hits and got a pike.  I think Checkbook caught a pike.  The boat that was anchored finally left.  Checkbook wanted to leave as well.  I thought we should fish toward where the boat was anchored, but didn't speak up.

We went to the reeds in 371 that I had a blow up in during pre-fish.  Checkbook got his lone keeper there on a jig.

Next we headed to the main lake.  We apparently just missed fishing a spot that had a bunch of small keepers on it.  We didn't find the weeds.  I suggested we try some docks.  We went to either a resort or marina not sure which.  Didn't get anything there.  We fished some reeds nothing.  Tried another spot close by. Nothing.  We headed back to Merrifield Bay and fished the steep break on the North Shore narrows into the bay.  A good looking spot, but we didn't get a hit other than me getting bit off once.

Next we tried some reeds on the South shoreline, nothing.  We tried some docks.  I think Checkbook got a rock bass.  We tried some more reeds and some great looking shallow slop along the cattail shoreline.  Not a sign of a fish.  It was now about 2PM and both us were pretty frustrated.  I think I pulled the plug on where we were fishing maybe a bit to quickly as we were approaching some good looking water with some cain and thicker reeds, but I really wanted to get back to that weedline spot on 371 and that is where we went and  spent the rest of the day.  We caught several pike there and both got bit off in the final hour.  I also missed a few hits that might have been bass.  I later learned that a lot of the bass bites felt like panfish and you really had to coax them into taking it.  Or it could be that panfish were playing with a bait until a bass came to investigate.  Whatever, the day was over and we didn't figure that part of the puzzle out.

Results: My fish weighed 1lb 10ozs, which put me in 23rd Place out of 24 anglers with Checkbook  taking last.  Keith Tuma won by more than a pound and a half with 17/09 and with 4/05 Lunker.

My Thoughts:  I didn't really get spun out.  It's just that everything we tried didn't work.  If anything I was to casual believing we would eventually find and catch some bass. Looking back at my tournament results in July I haven't caught a limit in the month since 2012, ouch.  This finish pretty much forces my hand.  If I want any shot at making the Super 6 at the end of the year I'm going to have to fish Thunder Lake and miss my oldest brothers wedding ceremony.  A disaster on this level next month at Gull will make that decision a moot point.

Next Tournament: Gull Lake August 12th  

  

Unlucky/Lucky

3.37lbs Ish's Phat (Brown)

6:15-6:45 GOMH NE SW
7:30-9:15PM Start Spot & Inlet Bay
Conditions: 63℉, Mostly Cloudy, Light NW Wind
Water Temp: 72℉

15" SBKO

16" SBKO

A good start to the night with two quality fish at the GOMH.  Then my luck ran out when I went down on the SW side and a toothy stole one of my black/herring bone Shower Blows knock offs.  If it surfaced I didn't see it. Bummer!

17.25" Ish's

I then went out in the Trophy heading up just East of the starting spot.  On my very first cast I scored the big one of the night.  It was in a rice pad transition.  The only fish I got out of the thick stuff.  I got a 15.5" in the reeds out front of the inlet on the Terminator Popper.  I lost a good fish on the Chinooki out by the reeds as well.  I wasn't prepared for it and didn't get a good hookset.  I had a good size pike come out of the water after the Terminator Poppin' Frog on a reed point.  I also caught a small pike on the  Terminator Popper.

Cool sunset

Only 4 Bass Tonight

4 Bass
4 Pike

North Long Pre-Fish

No Pictures, forgot camera and scale.

I arrived just before 7AM and Bob ,aka Checkbook, already had the boat in the water.  It was cloudy with a SE wind.  We started out by going to 371 Bay just inside the narrows on the North side.  I got a small bass on the Pure Poison/Super Fluke Jr. and a small pike.  Bob got bit off.

From there we went and checked some reeds on the West shoreline.  I missed a hit in some thick reeds on a frog, but that was it.  We then tried a stretch of rice and pads that Bob fished with Chuck Steinbauer in the Fall.  I missed one hit, probably a pike, on the Frog.

We then went to an area with good cabbage and caught 4 bass and a few pike before we got out of there.

Then we messed around on the main body for a few hours and couldn't find anything.

We spent the last couple of hours in Merrifield Bay.  The wind had switched up out of the NW and really started blowing.  We couldn't get anything on the Boy Scout humps.  We then went into some reeds on the North side.  Bob lost a good one and caught a pike.  I managed to catch 4 or 5 keepers in the reeds, nothing special, and a rock bass.  We quit at 3PM.  All but 1 bass was caught on a Huckleberry Craw Tube.

Feeling OK about tournament day.  We don't have much, but I think I'll be able to get a limit.  Hopefully we will have cloud cover and  the fish will get active and I can get some good one's to go on topwater.  Topwater flat didn't work on this day.

OK Morning GOMH & In the Trophy

BAM! 4.38lber Chigger Craw/Strike King Swing Football Head

5:30AM-11:30AM GOMH NE SW, SPSI, Out From Jenny's Reeds and Out Front
Conditions: 58-68℉, Partly to Mostly Cloudy, Light ESE Wind
Water Temp: 76℉

There was activity in the tube and I got one to go on the Shower Blows knock off to start things off.

16.25" SBKO

I then got a 15" on the Armor Tube Worm and missed a couple of bites. I then went to the SW side.  No topwater hits there.  I had a good size ? jump and break off the Armor Tube Worm/Wacky Head Jig.  I then had a good jumper jump and get off on the Chigger Craw/Strike King Swing Football Head.  I also caught a 15".  All this took about an hour.

18.75" Chigger Craw/Swing Head

I then headed to the Trophy and SPSI. Nothing going on topwater.  I put on the Swing head and got a 14" and then the big one.  I got one last 14.75" on that and the Chigger Craw was toast.  I put on a Craw Fatty and lost a good one on that.  That shut the school down.  I got 2 dinks on the 90 size Whopper Plopper.  I went over and checked a few docks on the South shore getting one pike on the Outkast/Craw Fatty combo.  I went back to the point ad got a pike on the Craw Fatty.

I then went to the slop East of Jenny's and the fish just weren't going.  I then went out side the slop and started casting the LiveTarget Bluegill Wakebait just like last year and caught a bunch of pike and a couple of bass (15.5x2).

14.21lbs Best 6 Bass

12 Bass (18.75, 16.25, 15.5, 15.5, 15, 15)
13 Pike