4/6 DNF

 I took Dad to Urgent Care in Onamia to get his back pain looked into. We didn't get out of there until after 7pm. So, just like yesterday, daylight ran out before my duties as a son did. 

4/5 DNF

 I drove into the cities to pick up Mom at Jeff's. We didn't get back until 7:50pm, so by the time Mom was settled in, it was dark. No trip to fish for me. 

4/4 Rock & GOMH

 

6:40-7:20pm Rock

7:40-8:20pm GOMH SW

36-38℉, Cloudy w/drizzle and light rain, 0-1mph

Rock Lake Ice Off!

Checked North Platte Lake Drive in the slush before heading down. Ice is holding strong on the North end of Platte. Had off and on drizzle as I fished. No bites. I didn't have time to try everything I wanted. Ice still on Bulldog.

Moved through baits rapid-fire, no bites. I did 4 laps, and it started raining, so I thought I better get home to check the window. It was just about to the point that water would start coming in when I arrived. Lucky break. It was reckless of me to be away for so long after I witnessed how wet it was everywhere tonight.

Skunked 

4/3 at Rock and GOMH

 

 

Me with My New Glasses at Rock

Woodpecker at Rock Lake

Immature Eagle at Bulldog Lake

E of GOMH

Muskrat at Rock

7:00-7:25 Rock Lake

7:50-8:20pm GOMH SW

40℉, MC, 0-3mph

If nobody had gone down to Rock and blazed a trail through the snow, I wasn't going to go down, but somebody did, so I did. I stopped at Bulldog first, and there was an immature eagle that flew into a tree just as I pulled up. Still quite a bit of ice on Bulldog. When I stopped at the Rock Access, I could hear a woodpecker pecking away close by. I took a video and a couple of pictures. When I got out of the car, there was a muskrat swimming by. I didn't get any bites. I'd say under 10% of Rock has ice now.

There was still ice in Our Bay and down by the GOMH the GOMH; I didn't even waste my time driving on North Platte. I shoveled the SW sidewalk so I wouldn't fall. Unusual light refraction tonight because of the clouds at sunset. There were these three swans that appeared pearlish, peach, pink. I didn't get any bites. I did five slow laps in boats and a full lap when I shined fish at the end. I thought I had dropped my headlamp at the GOMH, but it was really in my walking shoe; I just saw it sitting there at 2:30 in the morning.

Skunked 

.

DNF

 

4/1 Rock and GOMH Skunk

 

5:45-5:50pm Rock Lake

6:00-6:30PM GOMH SW

33℉, Cloudy w/snow, 8-10mph ENE

I fished for a few minutes in the wind and snow then said "Hell to dah nah.". Ice is still on Rock and Bulldog.

Ice was still on the North end of Platte and in our bay. Just a little bit of ice left E of GOMH. The SE Bay in Sullivan has ice in it as well. I fished for half an hour and called it quits biteless. I did one lap and checked the NE Access of Sully on the way home.

Skunked 

3/31 Rock Twice and GOMH

 

Dude had been eating good

Little Guy on THE Jig

3:20-5:20pm Rock Lake

6:20-7:05pm Bulldog and Rock Lake

7:30-8:30pm GOMH SW

37-45℉, Sunny, 0-3mphNE

Low Water

I think I had a hit on the EVo Chatter, but ended up snagged and broke it off. Nice sunny afternoon. Nothing for the first hour plus after the snag. I got two bites in short order on a Size 6 X-Rap . The first time the fish was on for maybe 3 seconds. The second bite was on for 10 seconds. I saw it rolling, and then it came off. I was chilled, so I headed home to get a bite to eat and warm up.

I stopped at Bulldog first and threw a few casts, but there was nothing. Bulldog is maybe 1/3rd open. Long is open. Rock 80% open. Platte 90%. I fished for a half hour and got a pike with a full belly on the Swim Shad.

I drove North Platte Lake, and the North Bay is still locked up. Still some ice in our bay and East of GOMH. I caught a small gator just as the guy from NSPRO showed up on the Mini Rage Swimmer.. He said there were people fishing on the ice at Mille Lacs today.. I caught a little bit bigger small gator about ten minutes later on THE Jig. There was some surface activity tonight. It got cold quick. I did 10 laps, and the first one was sub 3 minutes.

3 Pike

3/30 Rock and GOMH Not Skunked

9.06lbs on 2" Storm Swim Shad

 

Junk in the Trunk

6:10-7:45pm Rock Lake

8:00-8:30PM GOMH SW

33-37℉, C to PC, 0-6 NNE

Water Low

It was 37 degrees, and the overcast was starting ot clear off to the West when I arrived. Ice is still on the North and SE. It was calm, and I spotted a sunfish swimming in the shoreline flotsam. I was going to give it maybe 10 more minutes when the pike struck. Put up a great fight. Full-bodied dude, right around 29ish inches. Scraped up my hands and fishing line. I headed out just as the sun set. Beaver, Otters, and muskrats were out tonight, and a fish broke the surface to the South.

I arrived late, thanks to action at Rock Lake and the tour of North Platte Lake Drive. Still ice on the North End,  in our bay, and some just East of GOMH on Platte. I fished for 20 minutes and then quit. I managed 8 laps in boots. I did a 9th lap with the spotlight and spotted a panfish, a silver bullhead maybe, on the northwest side where there will be pads. I also clipped some weeds. I think I'm going to get some minnows tomorrow if they have them at Bear Trax. (They didn't)

1Pike 

1Sun 

3/29 Skunked at Rock and the GOMH

 

Ice Jam at the GOMH Platte

Platte Lake Access

Rock Looking North

Rock Looking South, still plenty of ice

NW Access Sullivan

Sullivan Inlet

Sully Inlet Dirt Access

5:10-5:20pm Rock Access

5:50-6:25PM GOMH SW

33℉, Cloudy some sprinkles, 10-20mph NE

I checked out Bulldog first still 80% locked up. Then I went to Rock. Saw an Eagle. I fished for about 15 minutes. I'd say maybe 50% of Rock still has ice. I drove North Platte Lake Drive. Don's Bay is completely ice-free. Our bay was over 50% ice-free. The North Bay 80% still covered. Not much ice left in Big West, and I think that ice flow down by the GOMH is what is left on the southern end of the lake. I was not feeling it tonight, so I only fished until 6:30. I drove down the West side of Sullivan, which I would say was 50 to 60%  ice-free. 

Tomorrow or Monday at the latest for ice out.

Morning and Evening Trips On A Cool Dreary Day

  

Platte Lake Access

Looking East of GOMH

Rock Lake looking North

Rock looking South

I caught a gator in the morning

8:10-8:00am GOMH SW

37℉, Cloudy, 4mph NE

It's a amazin that I actually fished after going back to sleep after my alarm went off. A good-sized mink crossed the road in front of me when I parked in my spot. It was cloudy, cool, and windy out of the NE. I just got the one bite. I decided to hold off on getting minnows. If today would have been warm I would have got some.

1Pike 

6:15-8:00PM GOMH SW

38℉, Cloudy, 13-20mph NE

The NE wind is doing a number on the ice in Platte Lake. Ice-out could very well be tomorrow. I only fished the SW side. Maybe a couple if bites, maybe not. It sprinkled on and off. The wind when I was putting the rods away was something. No laps, in gale force around freezing, screw that!

Skunked!

Jumpin' Bullheads at the GOMH Tonight

1st Jumper of 2025 was caught on this Mepps Spinner

4.93lbs Rocket Shad

4.53lbs Mepps See Best Spinner

Dark blue ice and open water out from the GOMH

Bulldog Access

5:45-8:50pm GOMH SW

40-55℉, MS, 0-3mph NE

Water: Low

Bulldog about 10% open, Rock still locked up. Open water at various points in Platte, maybe 10% open. A warm sunny day with little wind brought some jumpers to the Grumpy Old Man Hole. I also lost a couple of fish and had a couple of bites that did not hook up. Lots of Candanian Geese sorties tonight. Muscrats, ducks, and swans. I think I spotlighted a carp, but it was tough to tell in the dirty water. I was only up for 5 laps. If it's nice tomorrow, I'll see about getting some crappie minnows.

6 Jump 

Short GOMH Afternoon Trip & Bulldog Report

 

Picture Kim took

E of GOMH

Bulldog Access

12:30-1:00pm GOMH NE SW

43-44℉, MS turning cloudy, 4-6mph SW

I drove Kim up to Pine Center to get her car. I stopped at Bulldog, where open water was creeping North from the access next to shore. More open water E of GOMH and out from SPSI. I didn't get any hits in the half hour I fished both sides. Clouds moved in for the day as I was finishing up. We took mom into the cities after 3:30 pm, so we didn't get back until after 8 pm. Kim sent me a pick fro the lake place of where there is open water out front.

Skunked 

DNF

 This afternoon, I had an eye exam in Pierz. Came home, ate dinner, and loaded rods into the car. But I was feeling tired, so I took a nap instead. It got to the low 50's I think.

Not Skunked!

 

Muskrat headed South

 

6:50-8:30pm GOMH NE SW

33-37℉, MS, 0-2mph NW

Water Low

Thankfully, there was not much wind because it got cold after dark. I think swans were swimming off of SPSI, and E of GOMH is starting to open up. I thought maybe I had a hit on consecutive casts with the Rocket Shad on the SW side, but then again, maybe not. As I was about to call it a night due to darkness, I got hit halfway in on the same exact cast I got hit two times earlier at the beginning of the retrieve. Gator Bullhead, no skunk on the boot tail shad. I thought maybe i saw a small walleye when I was doing my shinig at the end of the night after I did 7 laps.

1Pike