Slop Slip At Rock Lake

  

Blocked by ice in the PRO

18.40lbs

3:00-8:30PM Rock Lake Ice Line fish in 6' to 10' with weeds

34-38℉, Cloudy, 1-6mph WSW

Water Temps: Low 40's/High 30's maybe

After my walk up to the corner, I was up for taking the Slop Slip to Rock Lake. I was disappointed that the ice line hadn't moved much yesterday. Down towards the reeds It was over some deeper water, but I didn't get any bites. There was a parade of four eagles. I went into the Platte River Outlet and was blocked by ice at the inner mouth of the narrows. That worked out because chances are pretty good that the Beaver Dam is a waste of time.  The ice line was farther off the bank at the NW Corner. I ended up missing two bites off the reeds in the Lone Sunfish Area on the Chatterbait. I had both fish on for a solid five or six seconds. The first one may have been a pike, and the second I'm pretty sure was a bass. I got back out to the ice line and missed a couple of bites on the Chatterbait. The ball of my BallerZ got bit off. I decided to throw the Rage Swimmer one time and came up a winner. 3.92lb bass. The Rapala scale was set to KG, I Googled how to switch it back, and fortunately, the correct way was the first result. I got a couple more solid bass on the Faisox Chatter and lost a couple of more bites. I kind of lost the plot as I drifted to the NW Point. I worked the NW Point pretty well without getting any bites. It started to snow. I worked the ice line back and missed a couple of bites before hooking up with another 3lber. I couldn't get the camera to work, and my iPhone battery was getting low. I turned off the music and put the phone inside my bibs to keep it warm. I missed a couple more bites as I was moving toward the fish, but got a final 4lber.  I think I missed another couple of bites. I turned toward the Lone Sunfish Area and got my only pike. I threw it back, and the sucker jumped up on the ice. I thought about leaving it there for an eagle, but I was able to get it back in the water. I cruised quickly across the PRO opening. I had a really good feeling bite along the ice line out from the reeds, but it swam under the ice and got hung up and came off. That was my last bite of the night.  It took me a while to get the boat landed and into the car. I gave the Frittside, Chicken Jigs, and X-Rap a fair shot. They wanted the Chatter today.

5Bass 

1Pike (18.48lbs for the 5 bass)

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

Quick Afternoon On Erskine Lake

 

1:10-3:10 PM NW Flat 6' and 7'

44℉, PC, 2-4mph S

I just had a couple of hours to fish, so I redrilled my holes from yesterday. I started shallow. Perch had invaded the area. I brought up a few perch with the 3" Switch and had a pike send them scrambling to the bottom at Mach 6. The pike took two fast straffing runs. I put a minnow down, and it came in and looked. A pike or two kept the perch and a couple of small sunfish honest. I fished for about an hour and caught no bass, so I went to the deeper holes. Once again, mainly perch to start. I was just about to move back shallow after only perch, but then a pod of sunfish moved in, and a bass came on camera. I put down the Wonder Bread Switch, and it took it, but I had the drag set not quite tight enough, so the hook didn't penetrate. Bass 2 Me 0. I went back shallow for the final half hour and had a stalking pike. I caught perch at both spots. Many perch down there today. I played keep away and bitsies with them. As I came off the lake, King Charles was at the ramp with his owner.

1Bass 

42 Perch 

Valentine's Day On Erskine Lake

 

3:00-7:45 PM 6' 7' NW Weed Flat

31-47℉, PC, 0-4mph SW

Ice Depth 23-26"

I drove to the NW corner weed flat. There were no signs of anybody drilling holes in the immediate area. There were some tracks that went farther North. I should have taken a look, but I am an idiot. I parked and went NW toward the pad line, drilling the first holes a way out, and it was 6/7ish, with sunfish and green curly pond crap beginning to sprout. I wanted to find 9/10ish. I drilled and looked for an hour, as finding sunnies in the second-to-last set of holes 7/8ish. There were perch in most holes. I got tired of drilling, so I drilled a set in both sets where I saw sunfish. I started in the deeper set. I got the camera down and positioned it when I had a big school of crappies, sunnies, and a big bass move in.  I got a crappie on the Switch Wonder Bread and then saw the bass, so I put the Switch down immediately and got the bass to eat, but I didn't set the hook hard enough, and it spit it, doh. Sunfish stayed, and perch stayed, crappie and any bass left. I played with perch and sunfish for a good hour before trying the shallower holes. Had perch to start in the shallow holes. A good-sized pike moved in briefly. Some sunnies joined the perch. I got up to move back to the deeper set around sunset and turned the camera for one last look, and there was a bass right there. So I put a lure back down. Sunfish moved in, but I was intent on going back out. In hindsight, I should have stayed. Out deeper, I missed a couple of crappies, and there were sunnies and perch. I played with the camera angles, getting to the down view too late. When it gets dark, using the most extreme up view is the deal.  I did go back shallow after dark, and also jigged in the other holes as the Vex battery got low.

1Bass 

1Crip 

10Sun 

27YP 

Last Trophy Trip of 2025

 

4.71lbs OutKast Chicken Nugget Jig

 

3.54lbs Choked the Nuggy

3.54lbs OCN Jig

3:00-5:40PM Sullivan Lake

High 30's, Cloudy, 3-7mph N

Water Temp 45.5℉ 

Last trip in the Trophy for 2025. I was not gung-ho about getting out after getting beaten up yesterday until I was on my way up to the cabin with my Bass Fishing Playlist playing. I found great enthusiasm at that point. The wind wasn't terrible. I worked the Point/Flat Reeds out to the Juice and anchored. I think I had a couple of hits on the Chicken along the reed line. I tried a bunch of different stuff at the juice, not getting any bites. I then headed toward the Big Walleye Waypoints, getting a small bass just off the Red Area on the Crappie colored Chicken.. I anchored and fan casted, losing one bite that felt good. I got to the Waypoints and it wasn't happening, so I made a move to Jaimen's and worked the reed line. I got the 3lber and 4lber just off the thicker reeds beyond the first boat lane on the "Nuggy". The 3lber choked the Nugget, and the 4lber got it in the top lip, dead center. I trolled the GOMH on the way in, getting snagged on a rock. I was able to free the Ultimate Jerk Shad when I got back to it. A successful final trip.

3Bass 2Pike (4lb)(9.36lbsfor 3 bass)

4/10 Silver Season Begins, Rock Dock Not In

 

10.5" BT Demon/Minnow

Not Today

6:30-7:00 PM Rock Lake

7:30-11:30 PM GOMH NE, SE, SW

35-40℉, Cloudy/PC, Calm

Water Low

It was a cooler-than-forecast day with some drizzle.

I got to the Rock access and realised I had forgotten to put the minnows in the car, buzzkill; I was not a happy camper. I fished until 7PM, then headed home to get the minnows. Rock Dock not in.

I got the minnows, then immediately headed back North. A guy and gal were fishing on the SW side and bridge when I got there. He said he hadn't caught anything. I fished on the NE side for maybe 15 minutes, then switched to the SE side. He caught a nice jumpin bullhead. I was going to switch to my lighted bobber rod when the first silver bullhead of 2025 showed up (10.75). I did switch to the lighted bobber rod. They left at maybe 8:30. I texted Peter W a little after 9 PM after I missed a bite. Shortly after that, I caught fish number 2, just as I was going to switch to the SW sides. Peter showed up by 9:30. I caught my last fish of the night about a half hour after Peter arrived. I struggled to detect bites between my wonky bobber and the light bites.  At about 10:45, I switched to the SW side with Peter. He left a little after 11. I planned to call it quits at 11:30 PM if I didn't get any more bites. Right before 11:30, I put a cast to close to the Beaver Dam and got hung up. I got my lighted bobber back but broke off the Glow Demon. I did 6 laps and didn't get out of there until 1 AM. It was getting foggy. I didn't shine anything. When I was fishing on the SW side after Peter left, I had a muskrat beelining for my lighted bobber from the south. I could see it coming because of the bright moonlight.  I reeled up, and it just kept the same coarse after lighted bobber until. I reeled up all the way, and only then did it give up on its quest to get that glowing red thing.

3Crip 

Snatcher's Farm Island Tournament

Tuma 3rd, DJ 2nd, Arnie 1st

Conditions: 50's to 80'S, Light wind and Sun

The Day:

Herman elected to take us down South to Ludenia's Reed Island. Unfortunately, Herman didn't shut down in time, and fish scattered everywhere on the surface as we arrived. I got one hit on a buzzbait casting out over the break, but it just swiped at it, so it was probably a pike. When we got over by the reeds, I got a pike on a spinnerbait and the skunk out of the boat with a small bass on the Frenzy Popper. On our way back South, I got a 2.5lber  and a pike on the buzzbait. And missed something that bit twice next to the reeds on a frog. I thought the first hit was a bass. The second time, I thought it was a pike. 

After we had circled the Island once, we went to the South Shoreline reeds working West. We passed DJ and Tuma, who were fishing the deep weedline. I didn't get a hit until we got to the cattail point of the Slop Bay, which I missed. Herman wanted to go somewhere else, but I insisted we fish a little farther, telling Herman giants live in this stuff in the Fall. Shortly after, I got a pound and a half fish in the boat. I lost a 2lb plus fish that got off in the slop. Herman didn't convert on a couple of bites. The Western side of the bay was dead. We then went back out to Ludenia's  Reed Island. I got a pike and a dink, and Herman made us sandwiches. 

Next, we headed up to the NW Corner of the lake. Tuma and DJ were there fishing the weedline. It started out dead, but then we got to a slop/reed point. I got a 2lber out of the coontail and 3lber, my lunker, in the reeds on the frog. I missed a good fish on the other side of the reeds on a coontail mat and got a little guy, which I culled.  We worked the shoreline reeds that are farther to the North. Herman got his first bass and I missed several bites. Herman got another keeper. We then returned to the slop/reed area where I first got bit when we came North. When we got to the back side of the reeds, I had a 3lber not get the frog. Bummer! Herman missed a blowup and had me throwback to the spot. I caught a slight upgrade. And I think Herman missed another fish. We tried working the outside reed islands but didn't get any bites. I  suggested we head East and work the slop bay with a steep drop next to the Catails. I missed a few hits. I caught one that didn't help and got a small cull. Herman got a 3lber. This was our final stop.  As we waited for people to get loaded up, Herman made me a giant sandwich with the remaining fixings. Man, it was good after a hard day of fishing. Thanks, Herman!

My Thoughts: Because of the sporadic slow frog bite this Fall, I just was not in top form and probably lost a couple that I probably would have gotten in the boat if I had more practice. It was a fun day, and I had opportunities to make the Top 5, maybe even the Top 3. But it just wasn't my day or my year.

Grade: B- 

My best finish of the year.

Results: 7th Place for me.

 

Snatchers Pelican Lake Tournament

Smitty's Bigs

Smitty's Fin

DJ's Bigs

DJ, Arnie, Smitty

2/9

Conditions: 62-82℉, Mostly Sunny, 0-2mph Wind

The Day:

We headed NW to a bay up there with a bunch of slop. Smitty had a bass in the boat in about 5 casts out of the pads. I had something follow my frog but not hit it. Smitty got another bass. I think I had something hit my jig back where the fish followed my frog too. We then came across some docks and Smitty would get a bite or two of off each one it would seem like. His 3rd or 4th fish in the boat was a 4lber. I got the skunk out of the boat with my biggest bass of the day (2.53) on a Livetartget Frog next to some cattails. We fished more slop and docks, with Smitty getting fish off of both. We ended up returning to where we started and I missed a bit in the pads and think Smitty culled with a 2lber. He had 3 quality fish off of the docks I think. Next. we headed NE to another slop bay where there was a lot of activity. I got a 24-inch dogfish on a Mag Fluke. Smitty had a big bass miss his frog. I think He caught one as well. I'm not sure if he culled. I got my second bass on Bobby's Perfect Frog. We fished farther East into another slop bay then fished our way back to the area where there was activity. I got my smallest keeper (1.36) that I was never able to cull on the LiveTarget frog. Smitty got a big dogfish. Next, we fished Smitty's favorite docks and they were productive for him. Smitty had mercy on me and offered me the craw tube he was getting them. I think he added two culls while I was getting my rod rigged with the proper weight while I was getting heckled by a guy on shore for not having my act together while my partner caught fish left and right.. Unfortunately, the best dock was occupied. I got a 1.82lb bass on the craw tube out of some reeds. Smitty got a few that didn't help. We ran South to one of Smitty's favorite holes, but there were not really fish around except on the last dock, where Smitty bird dogged me one (1.69) that I got on the craw tube. We then went North again to more reeds and Smitty pulled a 5lber out of the Cane. I missed a bite in the Cane because I set the hook too quick. Smitty wasn't going to fish until I got my limit. I got a short out of some reeds/pads. Finally, I got a keeper in the boat off of a dock (2.11). We went back to the dogfish bay. I had three bites on my frog, but didn't land any of them; Two never got the frog and I rolled the one that did get it on the pads on the hookset.  I ran out of energy shortly after my last bite on the frog. As we headed out Smitty had motor issues, so we went to the bay where we had the weigh-in and fished the final hour there, not getting any bites.

Results: 

My results, meh! But at least I got a limit. Congrats to Smitty for putting himself in the Snatcher record books with that outstanding bag of fish. Also congrats to Arnie and DJ. Dj was top Co-Angler. 

My Thoughts:  With that 2.50lber in the boat on a frog about 20 minutes in I thought it might be my day. But then Smitty put on a clinic above average size fish in the boat with a craw tube on docks. I tried switching to a popper after some activity in open water. Then we got to more docks and Smitty got more above average size fish and my jig wasn't getting bit. We got to an area with pads and I couldn't get bit on a frog or Jig, but Smitty continued to catch fish. It just seemed like all my choices were wrong in the first spot. I got two keepers in the boat at the second spot, but I don't think it held the numbers and size of bass to produce a great frog bite. When we got back to docks. It became clear the crawtube was the deal. So when Smitty offered what he was using I rigged up my dock fishing rod with a light Texas Rig. I was way too anxious fishing that crawtube. I needed to let it sit and give the fish a chance to eat it instead of immediately pulling the trigger. It was unfortunate our run South wasn't really holding a good school of fish or had already been hit by somebody else. Not getting any of those final frog fish in the boat sucked, but that is frog fishing. Catching one of them would have probably moved me up at least a couple of places.

Watching Smitty wreck 'em is the highlight of my year so far.

Grade: C+

Snatcher's Tourney On Upper and Lower Mission

 

3rd Darrren, 2nd Larry, 1st Chuck

Conditions: 75-90℉, Mostly Sunny, 5-35mph S SW

My boater was Al Steinbauer, who was also my boater the last time we were on Mission Lakes in 2020.

The Day:

We started in the NE Corner of Upper in the wind, where it was blowing 5 to 10 for the first couple of hours. I lost my first two bites most of the way in; both bites felt like good bass, but I didn't see either. I caught a 6" sunfish on a Dark Sleeper. I then got a keeper or two on the Bunker Hawg. I got a good-sized dogfish to the boat on the Bunker Hawg where I played it until it got off. I could have had Al net it, but I could see by how it was hooked that it probably wasn't necessary. I got one last small keeper on the Bunker Hawg and caught a non-keeper and a pike. I threw the spinnerbait for a while in the morning and got bumps and hits, but they were not hooking up. I think Al had a limit by the time we finally moved.

I think we then went to the point by the Upper Mission Access; it was blowing pretty good by now.  Al upgraded a time or two there. I got a pike, got bit off a couple of times, and caught a short bass or two. We then moved across to a spot on the South Shore. Al culled, and I got my biggest and final keeper of the day here. I also got a pike and bit off again. 

We went back to our starting spot. I can't remember if we got anything or not. We then went to a couple of places on Upper and didn't get any bites. We then went to Lower. Bill Ludenia was where Al wanted to hit. I got to fish some pads/reeds here with a frog, but only for about 10 minutes. We hit a dock, I suggested, and Al lost a bass he said wouldn't help him. We went to another spot, at which time Al's front graph became nonfunctional for the rest of the day. I lost something here on the Big Blade Chatterbait. We then went back to Upper Mission and fished reeds at my suggestion. I really should have asked Al to take over the front of the boat because his boat control wasn't precise enough;  I ended up catching a dink and losing a 2lb plus fish in the reeds on a spinnerbait; Al also lost something shortly after I lost that 2lber. We re-fished everything on the East end of Upper, and all I got was a few more dinks, a pike or two, and a 9" pumpkinseed on a spinnerbait. I thought for sure I was going to get a keeper on that spinnerbait but somehow, it didn't happen.

My Thoughts: Mission fricken lake! Mission Lake just kicks my butt some days. It's like I was fishing on a different lake from everybody else. The wind was something else, and I was just too far out of touch, having been bedridden for most of the month.  Had the wind been more reasonable I would have caught a limit.

Grade: D+

The day is saved from a F by the wind and my legs and back being at about 80%.

Results: I finished in last place 14th out of 14 Anglers

Pre-Fishing Little Boy/Wabedo with Snatcher Chuck

28" Dark Sleeper (Haze)

 

Snatcher Chuck 

He gave me a tutorial on boat flipping a 4lber

58-78℉, Sunny, 2-10mph WNW

Water Temp: High 60's low 70's

Nate's report to Chuck had us pretty jazzed up to get on 'em, but fishing was tough for us. We started in Little Boy looking for smallies. Chuck caught one little keeper and a rock bass on a Ned. We then went to Wabedo. I had a small pike follow on the Dangerous Swimbait . Chuck got a good keeper largemouth in some pads and a small larry on a point on a Senko. We didn't see much life in Wabedo, so we went back to Little Boy. Chuck got a couple of Larry's in the reeds with cabbage. He then raised a couple of good ones and we saw another on docks.  We then fished on a weed flat in the wind as it was building and I got the big walleye as Chuck had just said I needed to catch something so we could get out of the wind. We went to the Western shore and I had a pretty good blow-up on a frog, no hooks; That was the only blow-up I got.  We tried a couple other places and didn't get anything, so we called it a day. It was a nice day to be on the water even if the fish were stingy.

Me: 1Eye

Chuck: 1SMB, 8LMB, 1Rocky

Slow Start, But I Got On 'Em at the GOMH

 

3.04lbs TurboFattyZ (Houdini)

6:54-9:30 PM Channel Inn Bay, GOMH N & S, Intersection NE Reeds

60-67℉, PC, 0-7mph W

Water Temp 58-62℉ High

I didn't get to fishing tonight until almost 7 PM. I had a bunch of small hold-ups tonight that added up like putting gas in the boat. The plan was to cover water in Channel Inn Bay and only stop if I started catching them. All I got was 2 pike and a couple of bumps that didn't hook up. I then stopped at the Grumpy Old Man Hole because nobody was fishing on the North side. I had to check and see if the jumpers were stacked, they were not. However, I pulled my first two bass of the night from under the bridge on the Turbo FattyZ, including the night's big. I got into a willing school of pound to pound and half-size fish immediately SE of the bridge in the old rice on the TFZ. I put on a Terminator Popping Frog and a hawg trucked it. Unfortunately, it got off about 8 feet out. I then lost fish on my next 3 casts. I caught two two-pounders, and then they only slapped at the frog, so I switched frogs, but the fish were done. I moved across the channel and got a pair of pounders on the TFZ. I then moved to the NE Intersection Shallow Reeds, nothing. But I did get a couple of Platte Lake Specials on the currently invisible point/juice spot. Too bad I didn't start at the GOMH. THe other brother of the Casino Bro's was fishing the SW side and Lantern Man showed up about the time the topwater action stopped. I dropped off Brett's pliers  when I came back through. LM said there was a lot of activity on the surface as it was getting dark. I shined two suckers on the N side, no eyeballs.

16 Bass 

3 Pike

2 Suckers