Steve and I Missing Fish at the Melon Patch

3.21lb/17.25" Ish's Phat Frog

7:00-9:10PM Melon Patch
Conditions: Upper 60's, Partly Cloudy, 2-8MPH SSE
Water Temp: 75-72℉

Steve and I headed to the Melon Patch to do a little Snatching.   Steve missed the first couple of hits he got but didn't miss the one in the pic which annihilated him way back in the stuff.  He lost a really big bass when he set the hook a little too quick and had a big dogfish get off as he was playing it boat side.  I missed my first couple of bites.  Then I had a pike go after my Bobby's Perfect, Terminator Frog, and Toad Runner.  I also lost what must have been a big dogfish. I set the hook hard and was bowed up really good and it just came off.  The wind was annoying.

 

Great Morning In the Melon Patch

4.45lbs/19" Bobby's Perfect (Sparrow)

6:30-11:00AM The Melon Patch
Conditions: Mid 60's, Cloudy with some drizzle, 2-17MPH WNW NNW
Water Temp: 75-72℉

Due to thunderstorms, I got out of the house after 5:30.  I stopped at the GOMH and the Panfish Guy was fishing on the NE side.  I talked to him for about 5 minutes then left without fishing.  Once I got the boat packed I was off to the Melon Patch.  I started off to the North where there are some pads mostly.  I got that little pike first thing, which I took as a sign of good luck.  On a number of my better trips in July I had a pike hit me right away first thing.  A couple of minutes later I cast next to a bigger patch of pads when I had a big dogfish light my Bobby's Perfect Frog up.

7.20lbs/28" Bobby's Perfect Frog (Sparrow)

It probably took me around 15 minutes before I was fishing again.  Fortunately, no damage was done to my Bobby's Perfect.  I thought about my maxim that "where you catch a big dogfish is a likely spot to catch a big bass."  I made a cast to the exact same area of the pads and had a big ole melon bust the frog.

3.94lbs/18.5" Bobby's Perfect

I then lost two good fish in a row fishing some small isolated pad mats.  I went back to the bigger pad mat and had a 17-incher inhale the frog when I wasn't paying attention.  Luckily I caught it.

17" Bobby's Perfect 

I started working in behind the bigger pad mat and got a 15.9-incher.  Then I had my biggest bass of the morning absolutely inhale the frog.

 

Same Fish at the Top of the Blog Post

I then missed lost another pig.  I caught a 15.75" then a 16".  Next fish was this dark 17-incher.

17.5" Bobby's Perfect

I think I lost another good one then put two 16-inchers in the boat.  It got really windy, so started anchoring.  I started working my way down a rice line and got my 3rd 4lber of the trip in front of some pads.

4.12lbs/19" Bobby's Perfect

I got a couple of 15-inchers and missed a couple as I worked my way down the rice line.  I put on the Toad Runner and had a small pike and a decently sized pike miss it.  It was now 11AM and drizzling so I called it a day.

2.91lbs Ish's Phat Frog

When I got back Steve came down for a picture with the fish he caught this morning off the dock on Ish's Phat Frog.

Best 6 Bass for the Day

Best 6 Plus Dogfish

13 Bass

5 Pike

1 Dog

Steve:

1 Bass

Better Night In the Trophy

3.41lbs/17.5" Bobby's Perfect (Sparrow)

7:00-9:15PM GOMH, East of GOMH, Channel Inn Bay
Conditions: 80-70℉, Mostly Sunny, Calm-7MPH SW
Water Temp: 78℉

16" Booyah Toad Runner (Sunburn)

After getting skunked last night I wanted a relaxing night on the lake and that is just what I got.  I took my time getting my stuff in the boat.  Because of the way the wind was I ruled out the Melon Patch and headed for the GOMH.  I caught a nice bass right away on the Toad Runner.

16" Bobby's Perfect (Sparrow)

There wasn't a whole lot of bass in the stuff I was fishing but enough to keep me interested.  My first fish on the Sparrow Bobby's Perfect just crushed it.  I got 4 bass (16,16,15.75,17) in the stuff east of the GOMH.  I also had a couple of dogfish mess with me.

17" Playing Camera tricks to look small

  At about 8:40PM I made the short move to Channel Inn Bay.  I caught 3 bass there (15.25, 17.5, 12.75).  The 17 and a half lit the Sparrow up then buried itself in the coontail.  It was a fun night that got dark quick because there were clouds on the western horizon.

15.16lbs For my Best 6 Tonight

7 Bass

OK Night In The Trophy

3.17lbs/17.33" Mad Maxx (Bluegrass)

6:25-9:35PM NE Corner Inlet Bay to Double Cane Point
10:30-11:00PM GOMH NE
Conditions: 78-70℉, Partly Cloudy, ENE ESE E 7 to calm
Water Temp: 73-70℉
Water Level: Rising, It's over the lowest point on my standing rock.

3.30lbs/18.5" Mad Maxx (Bluegrass) 

I started out beyond the reeds in the pads in the NE Corner.  I had a decent 22-24ish pike jump all over the Toad Runner on my first cast.  I didn't set the hook.  It held onto it for quite a while before finally spitting it.  As I got over by the reeds I had a big dogfish follow the Toad Runner all the way to the boat then spook, unfortunately.  I got a couple small pike as I worked my way toward the Starting Spot.  Almost the whole first hour and 20 minutes or so was a waste.  I should have either started at Double Cane or the western edge of the rice/reeds; That was where I got all of my fish tonight.  I started things off with a 16.5" then got the 17.33" chunky monkey on Maxx.  I then got 3 smaller bass and lost a good one in the rice before getting the 18.5" on Maxx.  I got one last good fish (15.5) in the rice/reeds right on the edge on Maxx.  I got 3 good fish right off of Cane Point. A 15.75" and 16.25" on Maxx and a 15.75" on a 4" Yum Dinger.  I also missed a hit on the Dinger.  The Skeeters got bad by 9:30, so I left.

The View from out front of the lake place as I headed in

16.27lbs for my Best 6 Bass tonight

10 Bass
6 Pike
1 Fin Follow
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At the GOMH I had something hit the Shad Shallow and not hook up.  On the very next cast, I had a good fish on for a few seconds before it jumped and got off.  Probably a jumper

GOMH, A Tip from A Muskrat and Loon, and a Windy Evening Trip

4:45-7:00AM GOMH
7:30-10:30AM Reeds Across the Way, Loon Sex Point
Conditions: 64-74℉, Cloudy to mostly Cloudy, Calm to 20 Plus out of the ESE
Water Temp: 68℉

2nd bullhead of the morning first was a toothy

Rain Delay spent in the car listing to the U2 Experience.

Thunderstorms had been taken off the morning forecast, but the weather had other plans.  I arrived at the GOMH at a quarter to 5.  I lost my first two hits.  The first felt like a jumper, but I had a golden fool me once last year when it went full jumper by hitting a topwater and jumping during the fight so who knows.  The other fish hit and didn't hook up.  First fish was a toothy on the Rippin Rap.  The panfish guy showed up a little after 5AM as I was landing the toothy.  I got the jumper then I saw some lightening to the NW.  I got a few dink jumpers on the Gunfish 117 and the new chatterjig I got from eBay.  Then the rain delay happened due to lightning.

15.25" Fatty on the eBay Vet CJ/Swim Fluke (Grey/GP)

I caught the fatty after the rain delay and stayed too long.  It was calm when I left and loading the boat.  By the time I started out wind had come up out of the ENE.  That wasn't the forecasted direction which was SSE.  With the way the wind was, I decided to scrap my plan of going to LSP and start on the north end of the reeds across the way where it was calm.  I missed my first 4 bites or so on the Toad Runner, probably pike.  Then I caught a couple pike.

The bass the muskrat helped me catch
15.25" Terminator Frog

So this big old muskrat swims by the boat and I asked it if it had seen any bass.  It told me it saw some in swimming around in the thick reeds.  I put the next cast in the thickest reed clump I could see and immediately had a bass blast my frog.  That ole muskrat was no liar.  Between the two reed beds, there was a loon just hanging out.  I asked it if it had any tips for me.  It told me to try over by the reed point I was heading for.  I caught a 16-inch fish there.  The wind picked up out of the ESE.  I headed to LSP and it was blowing like a mofo.  I got a couple of pike at the intersection off the end of the point on the eBay CJ and Bluegrass Maxx.  I then anchored my way down the point and got a 16.25" on Maxx.  I missed a few fish as well.  I decided to call it a day and my trolling motor rope broke.  We will call that experiment a failure.  While I was trying to get that straightened out I noticed a rope that would work perfectly just sitting in the bottom of my battery compartment.  Dad must have put it there this Spring for me to use as a backup motor starting rope.  It even has a handle.  As I was trying to fish out the broken section to be able to lift up the bracket it started thundering, so I headed in.  I was able fish out the section on shore but wasn't to keen on fixing things in the rain, so I got my stuff in the car and left it.
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16.6" Toad Runner (Sunburn)

7:30-9:30PM Starting Spot, SE Corner Inlet Bay

Conditions: 80-76℉, Partly Cloudy, Windy Windy Windy

Water Temp: 71℉

I had intended to get out by 7 but that trolling motor rope and  a few other odds and ends needed attention.  It was blowing pretty good out of the ENE so I elected to go up to the starting spot and drift West.  I lost a 14-incher as I tried to boat flip it right away.  Other than a couple pike and one good hit that I missed that was it for the starting spot.  The wind switched out of the ESE about the time I got to the Spot.  I then headed to the one place I knew I could get some calm water in the SE corner of Inlet Bay. I got a couple of pike there on the Terminator.  I switched up to the Toad Runner and had the bass light it up.  I was so glad to get that fish.  I drifted out of the corner getting a few pike on the Toad Runner and missing a couple bites as well.  The sunset was magnificent.

Best 6 Bass for the Day

     

Bass Opener Day 1

5:15-6:00AM GOMH NE
When I arrived Wheel House Guy was there and he had gotten a couple of jumpers, toothy, and golden bullheads.  The shiners were getting beat up in the tube but I couldn't get hit.  A tournament fisherman came through and didn't stay in the boat channel, which sent a bunch of vegetation loose.  A did manage to miss a couple of topwater hits before more tourny guys came through.  By the time they blasted off 6AM, I was packing up to leave.  I did notice nobody started on SPSI

2.73lbs/17.25" Hexa Chinooki (Bubblegum)

6:30AM-12:45 PM SPSI, SPRO, Channel Inn Bay, Starting Spot
Conditions: 67-82℉, Partly Cloudy, Wind from calm to really blowing out of the West
Water Temp: 68-70℉
Seeing as how nobody stopped at the South point of the small island I did on my way to the river.  I was rewarded with my first keepable bass of the season throwing the Chinooki across the Point. Shame it was the only bite I could muster.  I then headed to the river mouth.  There was one non-tournament boat up by the first bend.  I elected not to go in and see if anything was still in the river mouth area.  It's a good thing I didn't try to go down to the damn as there were 3 other non-tournament boats that came out while I was fishing the SPRO.  I didn't get even a hit in the river mouth.  I decided to work down the West shoreline seeing as how I missed a good blow up doing that earlier in the week.

2.88lbs/18.25" Booyah Toad Runner

I was quickly rewarded when this skinny 18 incher crushed the Booyah Toad Runner.  Today was my first-day throwing this bait.  One blow up one hook up.  I thought maybe the Toad Runner might have the answer to my Sprinker hook up issues.  After I missed the next 6 to 10 solid blow ups that hope faded.  I almost picked up one of those missed blowups by a good fish on a Yum Dinger but pooched the hookset and lost that fish too.  I must have missed 5 or so fish before the action stopped on the West shore so I headed to the North shore where I missed 3 or 4 more good opportunities either not hooking up or losing the fish within a couple of seconds.  Very frustrating.  I caught a couple of small bass on the Dinger and Horny Toad.  At about 11AM I needed a change of scenery so I headed into Channel Inn Bay.  I went right to a spot I found last week and had a 17" class fish ht the Toad Runner and battle me nearly to the boat before getting off.  I got pretty down after missing that fish.

3.43lbs/18.5" Toad Runner

But that dejection was quickly turned to elation when this fish gobsmacked that Toad Runner Frog.  It was the kind of topwater smash that I live for, that frog got lit up.  The wind was making for difficult boat control.  Unfortunately, I ended up spooking some good fish and didn't get any more.  I wanted to head up to the "Juice" in the NW Corner, but there was a tournament boat in the area, so I went to try North Center Bay.  Nothing was going on in there.  I lost a pretty good (15/16ish) fish on Double Caine Point shortly after picking up the War Eagle Buzztoad buzzbait. Dang wind.  I caught a couple of dinks off the point.  I then drifted with the wind through the dead reedbed throwing the buzzbait. When I got just past the starting spot I had a 17/18 fish on for a few seconds before getting off.  There was a group of fish in the reedbed and I quickly caught 5 bass and missed a couple more before I had to leave so I could see the weigh-in.  I waved at Dennis and Ruff as I passed them.  Little did I know that a couple of minutes later when Dennis went to start his boat the battery was dead.  Too bad for them because they would have come in 2nd and had big bass as well.  Chuck & Billy Bongs caught a bunch of 16-inch fish, but couldn't find any 3lbers.  The tournament organizers team won with a stout 18lb plus 5-fish limit.

3.61lbs/18" Terminator Frog

I went home ate some lunch watched Major League Fishing and took a nap waking up at 5PM.  I didn't get over to the Lake Place until after 7PM.  When I arrived Isabelle made me a s'more.  Steve, Todd and I headed out a little before 8:30PM to where I was getting them in the afternoon.  Steve jacked a 15 incher on his second cast while I was still in the back of the boat.  Didn't even get a picture of it.  The fish were there and active, but out hooking percentages all sucked, with me driving the suck truck.  Todd did land the one pig and 13" dink.

2.84lbs/17.25" Toad Runner

      I did add to the daily tally with this fish and a 16-incher.  Here is the best 6 for the Day

17.81lbs for 6 Bass 

For the Day:
18 Bass  (At least 25 missed fish)
10 Pike