Final Fish of 2024 Is A Walleye From the Jetty

 

11:00-12:00am Eddy's Jetty

Low 40's, a little ripple on the water

I got to the Jetty much later than I wanted. I started at the N Harbor Mouth and threw the Rippin Rap first, then this X-Rap Shad Shallow, and thought maybe I got a bite. The first cast with the Ultimate Jerk Shad was fish on. 24.75" fat eye. That was the only bite I got. It would have been nice if I would have had more time. This was my last bite of 2024.

MN Opener Morning GOMH & Short Trophy Trip

 

4:35-5:40AM GOMH NE

43-52℉, MS, 0-2mph

Water Level: High and Rising, Temp: 58℉

I should have left 10 minutes earlier. The truck driving North in front of me was headed to the GOMH as well but, thankfully, didn't pull a U-turn at the bridge. I saw they were coming back, so I quickly grabbed two rods and the tackle bag and headed down to the untaken SE side. Wheel House Guy was already there on the SW. I got a bite on my second cast, but it got off quickly. That is what I get for leading with the swimbait instead of a jerkbait. I did switch to the UJShad and had a fish on briefly, but it felt very gator-like on the hit. I had a couple of bumps, and as it was getting light out, I had a jumper get off. I finally got two small jumpers on the Jerk Shad and headed for the Trophy as the first boat from Platte approached.

2 Jump

6:40-7:45AM Sullivan River Mouth, River & SW SPRO

54-59℉, M Sunny, 0-4mph W

With the pre-sets from last night so I was able to make a quick transition to the boat. I left the rods that were in the boat house in the boat house. 3 or 4 boats were fishing Platte. Only a couple on the North End of Sully. I started at the River Mouth. Nothing on the KO Shower Blows, so I went to an EVO Chatter. Lost a good feeling fish, then a good'n at the boat. I then caught a small pike. I got bit off. In the river, I had some good bites on the SBKO but only caught the small ones. I believe I was the first person to fish the river mouth. For the final 20 minutes, I ran the SWSPRO, getting the biggest fish of the morning, and missed a couple more good ones on the SBKO. It was a short trip because I needed to have the car back home.

7Bass 

3Pike 

 

2024 MN Opener At Eddy's

Setting the scene

 

Northern Lights Looking towards Indian Point

Northern Lights Looking South from our place when I got home

1st Fish of the 24 Season

5th Eye of the night

12:00-2:45AM Eddy's Jetty Mille Lacs Lake

43℉, Clear Sky w/ Northern Lights, 1-3mph W light ripple

I arrived at the Jetty around 11:30PM. The Northern Lights had a lot of watchers on the frontage road, but nobody came to fish the Jetty. There was a light ripple on the water. I started with a Minnesota Rig for my first 5 casts. Not a solid plan. After a fishless first 10 minutes, I switched to a Grass Pig and had a fish pull it halfway off the jig on the first cast. I may have missed another bite about 10 minutes later. I spent 45 minutes in the North Corner before giving the Harbor Mouth a try. 

At about 1 am, the Northern Lights got much brighter over the lake, and a baitfish got blasted just to the S of the Center Standing Rock. I quickly made my way to that spot. I turned on my headlamp and saw the fish, so I turned the headlamp off. I then cast about 20' past, where I saw the fish with the Jerk Shad, and it hit on the very first cast, bazinga! It was about 18." I caught 3 more at the Center Standing Rock in the next 20 minutes. I got my final bite of the night at the Old North Corner Standing Spot on the Jerk Shad. I foolishly decided 5 fish was enough and started trying other things. A couple other guys showed up with a boat at 2 am. The guy that went to Center Jetty got a fish quickly. His buddy showed up about 15 minutes later and caught a walleye as I was packing up. He was fishing off the N Harbor Mouth. The NL were really bright from W to E in the southern sky as I made my way home. I took a picture when I got home. Successful opening trip.

5Eyes 

3 Eyes Laned on 7 Bites.

1st Eye of the Night

Was a keeper 21.33"

It was not as windy as I thought it was going to be. It was still pretty cold though. No action at the Harbor Mouth. There was a couple walking on the North Jetty when I arrived and a boater heading out with his kid as well. I didn't get a bite until 10 to 11 PM at the North Corner. It was a keeper way out on the cast. I then got a 16" on the Old Standing Rock. Only got one of my final bites. Only got bites on the Jerk Shad. None of the bites I missed hooked up. I ended up giving the keeper to the boater who was staying at Eddy's. He was trolling too fast and he didn't catch a thing. Fish wanted a slow pump and pause retrieve with the rod moving the bait rather than the reel.

3Eyes 

 

Fish #3

Fish #2

An Eye And A Pike Tonight

 8:20-10:30 PM North Corner and Harbor Mouth 

38-40℉, Cloudy turning PC, 8-18mph NW

I had something on big Agent E for a few seconds about 5 minutes into fishing at the Harbor Mouth. I think a little over an hour in as the skies were starting to clear I got the eye at the N Corner Standing Boulder. Unfortunately, the headlamp battery was low. I didn't realize I had one in the tackle bag.  I had something hit the Jerk shad and not hook up at Pete's Rock. The wind picked up and I was just about ready to quit when I had the pike hit the X-Rap Shad at the Harbor Mouth. As I was pulling it up on the rocks it pulled off, so I didn't get a picture. It was decent sized, maybe 27, but not a giant. I decided to call it a night.

1Eye 1Pike 

An Hour In, Skunk Avoided

 

Eye 2

Eye 2

Eye 1

10:15-11:45PM North Corner Standing Rock Eddy's Jetty, also fished  N Harbor Mouth

38℉, Cloudy, 3-5mph SE

I thought I was going to get skunked after an hour with no bites. I was contemplating my next lure change when I stumbled upon the retrieve they wanted with the Jerk Shad and quickly caught two. Mom called shortly after I got the second chunkier fish. So I called it a night 15 minutes early. The wind was perfect, so I was perplexed about why I wasn't getting bit.

2 Eyes

Final Open Water Fish of 2021

16.5" Jerk Shad (Tomato)

7:00-8:50PM South Jetty, North Corner

35℉, Cloudy, 1-3mph SE 

Started on the South Jetty, no action. On the North Jetty spotted one fish and caught it.  MY heart wasn't in so I packed up shortly after letting it go. This was my final trip of the 2021 Open Water Season.

 

Toothy at the GOMH

 2 Toothy's this morning. Spent an hour missed some bites. It was foggy and 50-degrees

Eye's at Eddy's Tonight

21.5" Frenzy Minnow (Brown Craw)

9:00-10:00PM South Jetty Harbor Mouth

46℉, Cloudy, 6-9mph ESE

Talked to Pete on the way there. Arrived and realized I didn't put my rain pants in the car doh. I could have sworn I grabbed the pants along with the jacket. I thought I would quickly freeze, but it wasn't that bad. Had to go to the South Jetty because the North Corner was taken. Got an 18.5" fish quickly with the Gold Sexy Shad Jerk Shad. I pulled the fish up on the rocks, then was spooked when I turned around, and there was a woman, her dog, and a guy right behind me. Her mouth was moving a mile a minute. She had never caught a walleye that big, lol. Fortunately, they didn't stay long. I later looked back, and she and the dog were in the water at the beach. About five minutes later, they were back, and she was barefooted. I was switching lures, and they quickly headed off the Jetty. Apparently, she stepped on a hook. About twenty minutes after the first fish I got a 19-incher on the Crackle Jerk Shad. In the final 5-minutes, I put on a Frenzy Minnow and got the "keeper" on the first cast. I didn't see a single fish landed on the North Jetty and they left at 10 to 10.

3 Eyes

 

Devin's Birthday Bullhead & Nothing but Pike in the Evening

Dev's Birthday Bullhead

 The morning had off and on rain. Caught a couple of toothies and 1 small jumper. Got one bass off the dock. Decided not to go out because of rain.

The evening trip stayed close lost a lot of bites only got pike. Think this might have been the trip with the loon on the thing out in front of Jenny's.

Fishing with Doubting Steve @ Eddy's Jetty

22" Jerk Shad (Ghost Shad)

21.5" (Jerk Shad)

21" Jerk Shad

18.5" Jerk Shad (Crackle)

8:00-10:00PM Eddy's Jetty Steve @ Center Standing Rock, Me North Corner Big Standing Rock

68℉, Mostly Cloudy, Calm

We got to Eddy's just in time to get the North Corner as two groups showed up within 10-minutes of our arrival. The one guy had really caught them last night on bobbers. He had bear issues at home and had to leave early. I told Steve with the calm conditions, we probably wouldn't be getting any bites until dark (9:15 or so). I gave him the Ghost Shad Jerk Shad, which is the bait I have confidence in conditions like this. I think I had a hit on my hair jig around 9PM. Steve got a bite around 9:20 or so. It was 21.5", so a keeper. About 10 minutes later, he got a 21-inch line burner with a tag. And at about a quarter to 10PM, he got a 22-incher. At 5 to 10PM, I relented and put on a Crackle Jerk Shad. Got about three turns of the handle, and it was fish on. Steve lost what he thought was a bigger fish right before 10PM. He was pleased we caught anything. They wanted a straight retrieve, no pause. And three of the four came very early on the retrieve.

 

Morning GOMH/ Rock, Bulldog, GOMH in the Evening

18" THE Jig/Minnow (Glow/Pink)

23.5" Storm Swim Shad (Purple)

 5:45-7:15AM GOMH NE SW 

48℉, PC, Calm

Warm and calm morning. Thought I might get some silver. Nope just a few jumpers and a toothy. Beautiful moon when I arrived. Don't remember much about the trip as I am writing this almost a week later.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6" THE Jig/wax (Ch/Org)

Went fishing between 3:00 and 4:00 presumably at Rock Dock. Think I caught a pike, but didn't record it. Fished Rock, Bulldog, and GOMH in the evening. Got a couple sunfish at Bulldog and lost two or three fish while bringing them in. Didn't record a fish elsewhere so that is what I am going with. Think Lanter Man was at the GOMH, but not positive about that.

Possibly Last Open Water Fish of 2020

4.21lbs/24.75 Jerk Shad (SSS)

8:00-10:00PM Harbor Mouth, Pete's Standing Rock

38-37℉, PC, 4-8mph WNW

I started at the Harbor Mouth with the Sexy Shad Jerk Shad and got the fish on maybe the 12th cast while slowly reeling. I went up on Pete's Rock and got bit right away. It came off about 23rds of the way in as I was trying to play it to the Harbor Mouth. Nothing for a long time. I caught the line that the Rippin Rap was attached to. I think it might be Jamar Sr.'s lure. A little before 10PM` I might have had a bump on the Jerk Shad. I did give the South Jetty a few casts tonight and came up empty. The muskrat was swimming around tonight.

Nothing For Me, But Jamar's Crew Got Some Fish

 

7:45-10:00PM South Jetty, North Corner

29℉, Clear, 4-7mph WNW

When I arrived Jamar's crew had been there a couple hours already. He got one right away and missed another. I went and fished off the South Jetty. Didn't get any bites. I packed up my stuff and warmed up in the car around 9PM. I then went and fished off the North Corner talking ice fishing with Jamar. His cousin or brother from Nevada caught an Eelpout while I was at the South Jetty. They left at about 9:45 and I took off at 10PM, no bites for me. Jamar got his fish while slowly reeling the Jerk Shad.

Still Fishin' Still Catchin'

21" Frenzy Minnow (Firetiger)

 

21" Jerk Shad (Sexy Shad)

7:50-10:00PM Harbor Mouth, South Corner

32℉, Cloudy, 3-10mph SW W NW

Started out throwing the Storm 360 Jig Head/Rage Swimmer Jr. combo at the Harbor Mouth and possibly had a bite. After I threw the Tomato Jerk Shad without a bite I got the first fish at the Harbor Mouth on a Firetiger Frenzy Minnow. I fished back and forth on the Jetty rocking to U2 not getting any bites. I went into leaving after the next fish in hand mode. Then decided to give the South Jetty a try. Didn't get anything at the Harbor Mouth, but did get a fish off of the South Corner. I'm planning on fishing for the next couple of nights and probably on December 1st. There was less ice in Harbor tonight than the last time I was out. Forgot to take a picture due to talking with Pete.

Will This Be My Last Open Water Trip of 2020?

5.53lbs/26.5" Jerk Shad (Silver Sexy Shad)

 

2.20lbs/19" Jerk Shad (Tomato)

7:30-8:30PM Pete's Standing Rock, North Corner

31℉, Clear, 5-7mph SW

I started fishing around 7:30PM. I spotted a moving eyeball when I got up on Pete's Standing Rock. I made several casts to the area. On about the 6th one I caught sight of the eye's obviously tracking to my Tomato Jerk Sahd. I just let the Jerk Shad sit and yanked when I thought it grabbed the lure, which it did. I was glad to have the skunk gone. I wasn't really enjoying myself in the cold and the fish weren't biting so about an hour in I said to myself, next fish in hand and I'm leaving. I was fishing the North Corner just about to go back to the Harbor Mouth and give the Rage Swimmer Jr. a try when the 26-incher grabbed my Sexy Shad Jerk Shad. After releasing the fish I indeed had enough and quit fishing. Will this be my last open water trip of 2020? Not sure, all I know is that I really didn't enjoy the last couple of trips very much. The thought of grinding out walleyes in the bitter cold with freezing hands is losing its luster.

Long Trip For 1 Fish

2.91lbs/20.5" Tomato Jerk Shad

 

6:50-9:00PM North Corner

32-34℉, PC, 0-5mph NNW

When I arrived an owl flew out of a tree and onto one of the dock posts. Didn't see any eyes swimming around. Got the one fish about a half hour in on a long cast from the Big Standing Rock at the North Corner. Same thing as last night. A slow retrieve where I just stopped reeling. The wind made it cold at the end and I wasn't enjoying myself ao I called it quits early. It started to rain as I headed off the Jetty.

1 Eye