GOMH, River, SPRO

Full Trip Details

Pike In the Last Trophy Trip of 2016

Because the camera was being sketchy

25" D & M Baits Piranha w/Craw Fatty

3:00-5:00PM Loon Sex Bay and the Juice Flat/F Flat
Conditions: 55-50℉, Partly Cloudy, Windy out of the SE,
Water Temp: 44℉

Loon Sex Point

I headed to Loon Sex bay first.  I had a hit by a pike on the bluegill Poison that I put a Zoom Swim Fluke on that I just won on Ebay in front of the boat house.  I went across to Loon Sex Point and got the 25" pike there on the Piranha.  I then got a 23.5" pike on the Piranha.  I missed something that hit the Hack at Jig as I was pitching into the reed edge.

Where did the fish go? 

At 4PM I headed to the juice, starting on the eastern side where the wind wasn't as bad .  I had a small pike hit the Flat Shallow that jumped off as I went to take a picture of it.  I got two pike on the Pure Poison with Swim Fluke.  I missed the last hit of the night on the Piranha. I packed up shortly after 5PM when I discovered the Craw Fatty no longer had any claws.

And so ended the season in the Trophy

  I tried to take a picture with me standing on the front of the Trophy, but the camera was out of juice when I was in front of the flag pole as I got ready to leave.
 

Fishing Was Tough, But I Still Did OK

17" BPS Flat Shallow Crankbait Blue/white

3:00-5:30PM The Juice Flat/F Flat
Conditions: 64-51 degrees, Mostly Sunny, Very Windy NW turning calm after sun set, Water Temp 47 degrees

It was really windy heading over to the juice.  I had to slow down because everything was bouncing around so much, but once I got there it was fairly protected.  For the first hour I didn't get a bite throwing lipless and Poison's.  I did see a pike though up by shore.

I was over by the flag in the cabbage when I put on the Flat Shallow and I got the skunk out of the boat.

17" BPS Flat Shallow

 I then got a small pike.  I decided to start throwing topwater. Occasionally a fish would bust on the surface.  I didn't get a hit until well after the sun went down and the wind calmed down.  First bite was a pike.

19" Bubble Walker

What it looked like after I got the pike

It got pretty dark, but fish were still occasionally busting and I kept casting the Bubble Walker.  I got me a chunk for my trouble. He didn't blast it, but he got the hooks.

15.5" Bubble Walker

Last topwater fish of the year?  Hopefully not

What it looked like when I got the last fish.

Lucky, Good, Unlucky, And Good Again

18.75" Bubble Walker

4:00-6:30PM N Side of Don's Bay Juice
Conditions: 69-60 degrees, Mostly Sunny, Light SW wind turning calm, 49 degree water.

I started at West Point and didn't get a thing.  I then headed to the North side of Don's Bay hoping to expand the juice throwing an Spro Aruku Shad.  Had one fish follow, but couldn't see what it was.  As I approached the SW corner of the juice I switched to a Bass Pro Shops Flat Shallow Crankbait.  I was almost immediately rewarded with a 17 incher.

1st fish I ever caught on this color, don't think I'd ever thrown it.

17" BPS Flat Shallow

I had the good sense to throw out a marker buoy.  That was a good move because it took me a little while to get the fish unhooked with the way the lure was wedged in it's mouth and I got blown of the spot.  After releasing the fish I got repositioned thanks to the marker buoy and immediately caught another 17 incher.

17" BPS Flat Shallow

Unfortunately there wasn't a school holding in that spot, just those two fish.  I even got the GPS out and marked a way point after thoroughly working the area.  I then drifted across the flat.  I started throwing the Bubble Walker as a few baitfish were getting hit.  I caught a dink up by shore.

10.5" Bubble Walker

The shoreline continues down on my left.  With a long cast I could have hit it at this point. The fish came out of about a foot of water.   I had a small pike jump over the Walker. 

Some fish got hit out but very close to me so I quickly motored out.  I threw out a cast, reached down to stop the trolling motor and a fish lit the Bubble Walker up.  When I caught up to the fish it was still there , but the sucker was swimming straight at me.  I didn't get much of a hookset and it came off about three quarters of the way in.  It felt like a good fish.  A couple casts later I had a big one jump after the Walker right after it landed.  I set the hook, but it missed the lure.  I cast back a few times, but couldn't get it to strike again.  

Where I was fishing at.  Look familiar?

A baitfish got hit off to my left within casting distance.  I put a cast on the spot, nothing.  I put a second cast on the spot and worked the bait extremely slow letting it sit for more than 30 seconds before popping it again multiple times.  Letting it sit eventually triggered the fish and I landed it, another 17 incher.

17" Bubble Walker

About 10 minutes later I got the 18.75" once again working the lure super slow over a spot where a fish had shown itself to be.  That was my last bite of the night despite the fact that fish boiled within casting range a few times.  The fish stayed active until it was getting to dark for me to see my lure on a long cast.

Perfect November Night to be Out

Something Big This Morning Took My Crankbait

4:45-8:15AM
Conditions: Cool 44-55, mostly sunny, light SE wind

14.75" Jerk Shad

First jumper of the morning was the biggest and the only fish I got on the NE side.  I did miss some hits in the tunnel on the Spro Frog.  I tried making topwater work to no avail on the SW side.  I then put on my old Bass Pro Shops Flat Shallow Diver and boy did I hook into something. I couldn't turn it and it swam off with my crank when the knot gave way under major pressure.  I figure it was either a big carp or a big snapping turtle. I then caught 4 small jumpers on a craw less Chigger Craw and missed as many more.  I got a small toothy on the parrot X-Rap and 1 last jumper on a b/b Chigger Craw.  I saw a small toothy on the NE side.
Somebody left 4 nice bullheads on the bridge.

I did try the culvert and Inlet.  Missed a pike at the Inlet.

Some New Mojo

14" Piranha with twister tail trailer (see lure below)

My new to me St. Croix Mojo 7'MHM Crankbait

3:45-6:30PM
Conditions:  Started out partly clouding turning overcast,  Windy out of the E, 55 degrees dropping into the 40's.

Our cabin is the yellowish brown boathouse

Due to  the wind being out of the East I couldn't get to where I wanted to go.  When the wind gusted I would make negative headway.  So I made it to the waypoint on the inside turn about 60 yards down from the cabin and put the anchor down.  The inside turn had some green coontail on it.  I started out throwing with my new to me Mojo with a Piranha and was surprised when I quickly landed a bass.  I then had a fish hit the Shadow Rap and not hook up.  Went through a few more baits and had a small pike hit a Bass Pro Flat Shallow.  It clouded up and the wind didn't die down like it was suppose to do.  I had a little bigger pike miss the Shadow Rap boat side.

A monster snapping turtle checked me out for about 15 minutes.  I did move to the way point in front of our place, but didn't get a bite. I came in early.

Even Slower Morning at the GOMH

20" Aruku Shad

4:40-9:00AM
Conditions- Carbon copy of yesterday with the sun warming things up quicker.

I don't know what has the fish all screwed up.  The warming temps, falling water or both, but the fishing stinks.  I arrived this morning just after Josh showed up.  He was down on the NE side and hadn't gotten anything yet.  While I was getting my gear a boat came and parked just inside of the closest buoy on the North side.  I thought that was strange.  I set up on the SW side.  I heard a couple get caught on the other side.  The guy who fished worms from yesterday showed up just a little after 5AM.  I got a 15" jumper on the Grass Pig shortly after he arrived.  Next I got a 19" toothy on the Grass Pig.  A guy showed up and fished next to me with a Lindy Rig.  I think I got a toothy on the Pure Poison and I got one for sure on the Aruku Shad.  I tried a bunch of different lures, but nothing was working.  The two guys left.  I got another small toothy on the Grass Pig while fishing off the bridge.  I offered it to a guy who was fishing on the NW side and he didn't want it.  He had gotten a few bass, so I switched sides.  I got one 22" toothy on the same BPS Crank as yesterday and had a toothy swipe at a couple of baits.  I left and tried the culvert, nothing there.  Same for Bulldog.  We are getting the Trophy out of the Pole Barn today, which means I may be in the boat tomorrow morning.

Bass Opener Bust

Bulldog Lake Lunker

4:00-10:30AM
Conditions- There were some clouds at day break turning sunny, warm, with a breeze out of the S SW

Well after what transpired yesterday, I can't say I'm all that surprised at what transpired today.  After getting in from last nights trip so late I decided I would just stay up all night and be sure to get the spot I wanted at the Grumpy Old Man Hole.  I arrived at 4:00AM and nobody was there.  I put my stuff down on the SE side and went up on the bridge and did some stretching.  I really need to always do that if I plan to fish for any length of time.  From what the radar was showing when I left I expected the clouds that were coming to bring some rain but they didn't.  It was warmer out than I thought it would be and didn't get as cool as what the forecast said it would get.  I was wearing a stocking cap and forgotten to bring a ball cap, Doh!

 I got my first bite at 4:24AM while fishing off of the S side of the bridge with the firetiger Ripple Shad, but whatever it was got off.  I went down to the SE side and started throwing the Grass Pig and missed a couple of bites on that.  Next I picked up a blue/black Pure Poison with Craw Fatty trailer and on my very first cast I had a 16 or so inch fish take it at 4:42AM.  Why no picture you ask?  Well as I swung it up on shore it came off. It wiggled right past me down 3 steps and into the water.  I thought no problem, I'd just catch another one.  I was amazed when I couldn't get another bite on the Poison.  So then I started throwing a huckleberry Craw Tube.  I had a fish swirl on it as I was lifting it out of the water.  I cast back to the spot a couple of times and then got instantly cut off.  Thankfully I was smart enough to not use tungsten and I quickly retied.  I decided to head over to the SW side and cast from there for a bit before someone else showed up.  I brought the Craw Tube and Poison rods with me.  I had a couple of bites that I didn't hook up with when somebody else drove up at 4:58, so I quickly went back to the SE side.  I thought maybe he was a panfish fishermen by the gear he came down with, but he was fishing for jumpers with worms and a bobber.

I got a 21" toothy bullhead on the huckleberry shortly after the other guy showed up.  He got a jumpin bullhead.  I had a few bites on the craw tube, but I was having trouble detecting the bites.  A combination of being out of practice and the old line on my reel.  I switched to a Chigger Craw and got a couple of jumpers on that, but I missed about 7 bites.  The guy with his daughter showed up and were still after panfish and the guy who was in the boat yesterday with his buddy wrecking the jumpers showed up as well.  He anchored for a bit, got nothing and put the trolling motor down.  I experimented with various crankbaits and had a couple bites that got off.  It was really slow.  The guy out in the boat got a dogfish coming down the SE side towards me.  He said "the bass must know it's opener, because it's all I could catch the past couple of days."  I got a slimer while working along the cattails next to shore with a green pumpkin craw tube, also missed another bite that might have been a jumper doing that.

Catch of the Day

While fishing with the Chigger Craw towards under the bridge I thought I had a bite, but it was a snag.  When I went up on the bridge to try and get it loose I found out I was caught on somebody else's snag that it turns out had snagged somebody else, that had snagged somebody else.  All I could see at the time was the Rapala.  I went and got the Pure Poison what has 40lb Power Pro on it and snagged the Rapala.  When I pulled it loose the  other two snags came with it.  The dad said, well at least I caught something.  The hooks still looked good on the rap, so I cast it out a few times but didn't get anything.

The Morning's Entertainment, a goose family that swam through the culvert

Some panfish fisherman showed up and  I went up on the bridge and started casting a swamp gas Grass Pig and I got 3 toothies doing that.  The guy who was fishing with worms and the dad and daughter left around 8AM.  I think the guy with worms got 4 or 5 jumpers total.  I went over to the SW side and got a 15" or so jumper on the green pumpkin craw tube, but I didn't bring the ruler with me to know for sure how big it was. I also forgot to get a picture.  A couple of grandma's showed up so I went back to the SE side and started packing up at about 8:30.  When I got up to the car it looked like the NE side was open, so I put on a senko knock off Snatch Stix from the people at BassSnatchin.com and headed over there only to find some guy was fishing down there.  I went  to the NW side.  I had a toothy under the bridge swipe at the Snatch Stix a couple of different times but not get it.  The other guy left, so I switched sides.  Over there I got a couple of toothies on the Grass Pig and one on an old wooden Bass Pro Shops flat crankbait that I have weighted to suspend. Some guys that were fishing down a little ways from me were more than happy to take them from me.  I left a little before 10 when some kids on bikes who were going to fish showed up.

I headed over to Bulldog Lake and was happy to see no one fishing there so I pulled in.  I got the fish on the top of this blog.  Then unbelievably I caught a smaller one also on the Snatch Stix.  I had to go meet Dad at Jenny's so I didn't stay long.

I wish I would have thought to go fish the Culvert over the Platte River.  I came home and crashed, so that was it for my 1st day of Bass Opener.

8 Pike
6 Bass