Best Bite Bite Yet At the GOMH

 

11.75" BT Glow Demon/minnow

12.5" BT Glow Demon/Minnow

1..75lb THE jig/minnow

Doh, I forgot to take a picture of the 13 inch silver bullhead. I swore I took a picture of it.

6:50-11:40PM GOMH SW & Shining N.

48-60℉, PC until 11 or so, 0-3mph NW

Bear Trax got bought out of minnows today and R Skiba got out a pole saw and took it to the cattails and beaver dam. No one was there when I arrived so I quickly got my stuff down on the SW side. A guy showed up before I had all my stuff down. I got a gator in my first few casts, then not much. The other guy got a gator and a jumper eventually. Somebody showed up and took the N side. Kyle (No Brett) showed up and came down by me. He offered me the use of his minnows. The sunset happened and I got a jumper on THE Jig/minnow. Kyle picked up a couple of jumpers and got bit off. Skiba showed up and took LM spot in the puddle. I got the first silver of the night. A guy named Landon who is a hardcore guy that knows Kyle showed up and fished West of the Beaver Dam. Kyle got bit off again and decided not to retire. An older guy from Little Falls fished from the bridge.  Skiba got a couple of jumpers and we both started getting silvers after 9 PM. Kyle left and Landon went on the SE side when the guy who showed up when I did left and it was AWWWWWWWN, with everyone getting bit from about 9:15 to 9:45. Skiba left about 9:30 and gave me a bunch of minnows. The guy from Little Falls had joined Landon on the SE side around 9:20 or so. The Little Falls guy left around 10PM when there was a lull in the action. Landon fished Long Lake today and a dock owner gave him the tip about fishing the GOMH.  The fishing picked up again. I saw three shooting stars. Landon left around 10:30. The action was consistent until some clouds moved in around 11PM and the bite shut down. It didn't help that I couldn't keep a minnow hooked also missing a couple of opportunities. I gave up at 11:40 PM. I shined a couple of jumpers and 3 or 4 silvers on the N side and one big silver on the S side. The biggest silver of the night went 13.25. 

31Crip 

2Jump 

1Pike   

Skunked In the Morning/Some Bullheads In The Evening

 

6:45-8:30 AM GOMH SW

33-34℉, PC, 0-3mph W

Water Low and falling

I got minnows at Bear Trax then headed to the GOMH. I only got one bite that didn't hook up later in the morning. Nice sunrise and the red wings were singing away. Some swan and eagle flybys. Disappointing trip.

6:45-9:15 PM GOMH SW & NE

48℉, Cloudy, 10-15mph SW

I had just arrived when Lantern Man's son and two buddies showed up. The wind was hellacious but fishable. I missed one jumper on a jig. Brett moved over to the SW side with me. His buddy on the SE side got a gator. A couple of minutes after that I got a jumper and then Brett lost a 3 to 4lb jumper. Then a long lull. Lighted bobbers came out. Brett missed one bite. I headed to the NE side just as Lantern Man arrived. I didn't get anything. I put my stuff in the car, then went to talk with the crew. Kyle on the SE side got the first silver. Lantern Man got two and Brett missed a bite or two. I had enough of the wind and left at about 9:40. Those were the only three silvers they got.

2Jump 

Skunked at the GOMH On A Beautiful Evening

 

Three of my Fantasy Bass Guys made the cut. Cobb and Walters got 30's. I bought my fishing license at Bear Trax.

Skunked! I toured the lakes before hitting the GOMH. Bulldog had more ice at the access than before the cold, but some of the shorelines are pulling away. The Rock Lake access area ice pulled away from shore right in front of the access. GOMH had ice on what was open water before the cold. It was plenty open for me to fish. Lots of swans flying around tonight, a few geese, and two chirpy eagles even. It was a beautiful day and got to 55.

Late Start at The Dog

7:15-9:00PM Out from Holy Family at The Dog

30-34℉, Cloudy, 

Short trip. Don't remember why I procrastinated on getting out. Didn't get to writing this because the rents left for FL the next day. Deer walking across the lake with me and had one hit me on the way home. Should have listened to John W. closer about the heard in the road N of Club of the Pines. I caught some, but I was a bit of a clown show.

5 Crips

1st Ice Trip 1st Fish of 21/22 Ice Fishing Season

10.5" VMC Fly//Wax (Pink)

 4:40-6:15PM Out Front 10' of water 5" of Ice 

32-37℉, PC, 0-6mph WNW

Bear Trax had minnows, so I stopped in to get bait. Tim told me the word was 5" in the bays on Platte. That meant I didn't have to waste time checking ice thickness before bringing my stuff down to the lake, saving me the time I needed because I got to the lake so late. I drilled three sets of holes about 75 yards out front. Marked something in the second set. I wasn't really prepared and missed a couple of bites. The crappie came through about 4' up, and I caught it. Skunk out of the Fish Trap. I put a minnow down. Had a couple possible bites on the minnow and had a couple more lookers on the VMC Fly and THE Jig. Not skunked on the 1st trip for the first time since 2017.

Fishing Year 2021 Starts Off with Fish

8" Rippin Rap

                                             

7' Glow Demon/Minnow

4:30-7:00PM 15' My Spot

16-21℉, PC, 4-7mph WSW

I went and bought my fishing license at Bear Trax. Today marks the start of the 2021/22 fishing season in Minnesota. I set up in the holes from yesterday, drilling one more for the camera. I didn't optimize for wind direction. The wind wasn't bad, but it was cold once the sun went down. I caught 17 crappies tonight about half and half between the Demon and THE Jig, also got a couple on the Rippin Rap. Saw a couple sunnies on the camera. didn't see a lot of fish. The first school of crappies was hot for the minnow; After that, it was one here one there on it. I think I marked a lot of small fish tonight. Aggressive fish that I couldn't detect the bites. I caught a couple of the little guys. It was so cold in the Trap tonight that I had to hold the forceps above the heater to get it unstuck from my hand at one point. Thankfully warmer weather arrives tomorrow.

17 Crappies 

I Didn't Get Skunked On Sullivan This Time

10.25" Glow Demon w/Minnnow

5:30-8:00PM Sullivan Lake West Access
Conditions: 31-28℉, Mostly Cloudy, Occasional Flurries, Windy out of the WNW, 42' of water

I went to Bear Trax and bought my 2017 fishing license.  Found out that they don't have a replacement for Kuske ready yet.  My guess is that his wife will now be the main person overseeing the area in addition to her regular patrol area around the river at Little Falls.

I decided to head over to the West side of Sullivan.  Nobody was out there, but a wheeler had blazed a trail out to the area I wanted to fish;  I ended up marking fish in the area the wheeler had fished.  I drilled my own holes as they were frozen over.  Same as last time marking fish 10 to 15 feet off bottom in 42' of water.  I sent my minnow down first and had a fish take my bobber down while I was getting my other rods out.  I caught it.  I wasn't patient enough on the next bite on the Demon and missed it losing my minnow.  I got the heavy pink/glow Tubby Jig w/pink Jamei and wax worm down the hole.  I had several interested fish, but didn't get any.   I set the hook maybe 8 times.  The bobber went down, but I think I waited to long as the bobber was coming back up the hole when I set the hook.  Then the fish disappeared and I couldn't find them.

At least I didn't get skunked.

1 Crappie