Only 1 Bass at Erskine Tonight (2/21)

 

3:30-7:00 PM 9' In the same holes as yesterday.

10-17℉, PC, 5-20mph NW

Visibility was a little worse than yesterday

I stopped at the GOMH briefly, took pictures, then headed to Erskine. There was only one truck on the lake. I went to my holes from yesterday and immediately saw a single small bass and a group of sunnies when I put the camera down.  By the time I got baits down, the bass and sunfish had left. Plenty of small perch. I tried various ways to call in predators, but had zero luck with that. I had a small bass come in and eat the Cubby about an hour into fishing. Not much was happening after I adjusted the camera angle, so I went out in search of "the 14' Hole" that I was supposed to be sitting in. I didn't find it. I went back inside the fish house. Sunfish had moved in. CO Drew came by, and we talked for maybe 5 minutes. After he left, the sunfish kicked around the camera for a bit. No crappies moved in, and I caught a few perch on the Demon/minnow. I think I had the car parked at a good angle because, even when it gusted, it wasn't that terrible. It was cold in that wind once the sun was down.

1Bass 

71YP 

Slower Evening on Erskine 2/19/26

 

High floating sunfish as it got dark

4:12-7:20 PM Erskine 6' and 7' Hole Sets

27-33℉, M Cloudy some sun and snow, 0-6mph N

Had to drill some holes out, others I just pushed through

I slept in late today because I crashed after I got home and ate last night. I didn't see anything, but perch in the 7' hole, so I went to the shallow set. I gave it a solid 45 minutes there and only saw some perch and a couple of small sunfish. I spent the rest of the night at the 7' Holes. Pretty quickly, a pike grabbed the sucker and broke me off because I didn't have the backreeling button pushed, doh! A then shook the Rippin Rap and had a pike come screaming in and stop. I tried a few bites, but couldn't get the fish to go. I put back down a Firetiger Rippin Rap and had a 1lb bass come in quickly, and decided to hit. I got it out of the hole, but then it came off, and back in the drink it went. I didn't even get to touch it. I had a small pod of crappie move in, and I got two of them to bite in quick succession, so I took a double picture. I had a couple more pike move through that didn't bite. I got a few perch and crappie as it got dark. Not a bad trip. A white truck was out on the ice again today in front of the outlet. They were there yesterday as well, and once again left about 45 minutes into my fishing. I forgot to turn at S Platte Lake Drive on my way home, so I had to pull into a driveway to pull a U-turn. And after I got home, I figured out that my Omnia App had my exact location shut off for some reason. I'm kind of an idiot for not figuring that out a few days ago.

1Bass 

5Crips 

1Pike 

2Sun 

17YP

Last Ice Fishing Trip Of 23/24

Last fish in the last hole

 

Finally a fish

7:10 AM-1:45 PM: Rock Lake 17', 12'

24-47℉, PC, 0-8mph SSW

Water clarity poor to start and the ice made noise until 9AM

I got started loading the car about 10 minutes late and it took me 50 minutes before I was ready to leave the driveway. I had to go get the Fish Trap first. When I got to the access I should have repositioned the car before unloading, which was a slow clown show. I turned my headlamp off after parking the car. The ice was cracking and groaning, which kept on until about 9AM. As I came around the corner to the PRO Bay there were a bunch of swans swimming and on the ice. I couldn't make out where my old holes were, but I had the Garmin 7 with so I was close. I was a rust bucket at first and visibility was terrible. I only got two crappies and only saw 3. Sunfish and perch were around. I saw 3 pike in the first set of holes. At 9AM I drilled a second set on the maidencane drop, right next to my previous holes. A pike came in quickly and bit the minnow, but I pooched the hookset. I then fished my way back to the access spying two pike, catching one in the last hole. The northern half of the access had standing water and the ice was getting soft. This will be my last trip of the 23/24 ice season.

5Crip 

6Pike 

30Sun 

12YP 

Fairly Good Morning To Afternoon At Rock

 

Double

8" VMC Fly/Maggie

10" BT Glow Demon/minnow

6:45 am - 1 pm Rock Lake 8' to 17' of water

35-45℉, PC, 0-4mph S

I headed out even though I didn't feel much like fishing after last night. I didn't mark much or have a bite in the first 45 minutes. The crappies did move in as the sun came up and I had a pretty good bite for about 35 minutes. Then sunfish with a few perch moved in. Only a couple of pike showed up. The second of which I saw after I had just set the hook on a sunfish; It flew into frame crushing the Gem-N-Eye. It was just a hammer handle and the only pike I caught. I got one 8' sunfish and saw maybe a couple of others.  Eventually, I decided to switch holes. I dropped right on a pike that inspected my offerings but never went for them. There is not much in these holes. I fished my holes on the Maidencane break. A few perch and sunfish. I decided to fish my way back to the access along the reed weedline break hoping to find some bass. Didn't see anything in the first three holes. I think the 5th one had a nice pike take some shots but not hook up. I was sightfishing that guy with my eyes looking down the hole. I caught a bunch of perch in the final hole hoping a pike or bass might show up. It was a wet sloppy mess as I came in. I was the only person on Rock today. There were a couple of trucks at Bulldog. I also stopped at the GOMH.

20 Crip 

5 Pike 

43 Sun 

19 Perch

Slow Night On Rock

 

9' on Gem-N-Eye/minnow

Potato Chip

Two swans a swimming

4:50-7:30PM My Area Rock Lake

30-44℉, PC, 0-2mph S

I got a late start because Dad went to Walmart today. My back was barking at me on the way out. I drilled new holes right by the old ones and one set of three to the North. I don't know why I only put one camera hole. The one where I put the camera hole was near the 8" Sunfish Hole. Unfortunately, not much showed up there before it was getting too dark to see. I ended up catching 5 sunfish. I did hole hop for about 15 minutes. I came back and the bobber was down, but nothing on it. I put another minnow on and caught a crappie about 5" minutes later right before I was going to move to the holes where I had marked fish. Nothing more showed up and it was now dark. I hole-hopped with the Fish Trap and didn't mark much.  I ended at the first set.  I ended my Fish Swami trip with a minnow down. Sure enough, I got a bite but missed it. I sent down another minnow and the Cubby, which immediately got jumped. Giving me two crappies for the trip. No more life. It was making ice. I slowly packed up. Plan to be out in the morning and if that doesn't work I'll have to formulate a new plan. 

Oh yeah, open water at the PRO Opening narrows with Swans swimming and flying about.

2 Crip 

5 Sun

Saw a few small perch and sunfish on the Aqua-Vu 

Another Fun Morning Trip

10" THE Jig

 

The bigger of the two bit, thankfully

Finally started biting

1st Pike was totally lethargic 

1st bite of the morning

6:30 AM- 1:30 PM Rock Lake, 15-16' Used 3 different sets of holes this trip.

27-41℉, Cloudy/Fog, MC, 2-10mph SW switching WNW

I was slower getting out than planned. I had to drill out holes which was unexpected and made one new set as well. Total turtle time. Fishing was slow for the first half hour, and fish were small/missing bites. I had to re-rig to a Glow Demon and busted my line lowering a jig again. Eventually, the fish got active, and when I put the camera down, crappies were everywhere. That bite lasted until about 8 AM, then slowed down considerably. I did much better at landing fish than last trip, but still a lot of room for improvement.I switched back to the Gem-N-Eye after the first pike loitered through. It left and I actually got a crappie on the Gem. Saw two pike swim through. Not as many sunnies or perch around today. Finally, around 9:30 the pike started biting. I got the first couple on the Gem, then one dropping the Switch to an immediate attack. Things slowed. I went to the new set of holes I drilled. I got a pike fairly quickly as well as a few sunnies. Saw a pair of pike for the second time and caught the bigger one (25"). I went to a third set of holes, not much there and the wind came up so I called it a day. Less sunfish but better size. I was often unprepared for those bigger gills as they came through. Fun trip. No bass.

44 Crip 

33 Sun 

10 Pike 

8 Perch 

Good Long Day On Rock

 

27.9" Gem-N-Eye Jig/Crappie Minnow

Last pike caught on the PB Switch

This dude was maybe 3"

Rare 6" Gill

9" First Fish of the morning 

Panfish Dineylamnd for Dinks

2nd Hammer Handle of the day.

7:30 AM-2:50 PM Rock my area 16' same hole I've been fishing

30-37℉, Cloudy to PC, 0-4mph SW

Crappies were there and aggressive first thing. Unfortunately, I broke the line while hand-lining down against the drag on my first drop with the Cubby. Switched to the THE Jig caught a couple. Sent a minnow down and got bit immediately. Then I missed a couple on the minnow. I had THE Jig get broken off above the swivel and that was it for the crappies. I put the camera down, a few sunfish then nothing. I went and hole-hopped. It was cloudy and below freezing. I found fish in a couple of holes, but nothing I was excited about. I got back to the Trap and a fish was running with my minnow. I was an idiot and didn't grab the rod and set the hook right away. The minnow was spit by the time I grabbed the rod.  Sunfish, perch, and an occasional crappie or two were around so I never moved. When the panfish spit it meant a pike or two were around. I missed the first couple and lost a Glow Demon. I caught a couple hammer handles on the Glow Demon before switching out for a Gem-N-Eye Jig. I bopped perch to back down the hole. I watched it descend on the vex then a huge mark. I immediately looked at the camera and just saw a flash. A few seconds later the 28-inch pike came back for the Gem-N-Eye. I gave the fish to a guy who was setting up to the South of me. I stayed until the Aqua-Vu battery died with a 22.5" pike on screen. I managed to catch that fish on the Switch using the Vex. I would say about 35-40 people were fishing Rock and Bulldog today.

15 Crip 

7 Pike 

55 Sun 

20 perch