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 

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 

Checked Lakes And Got A Gator Bullhead @GOMH

 

Last cast

Ducks were out there

It will be interesting to see if this area refreezes 

5:55-6:20 PM GOMH SW

48-53℉, PC, Calm

Opened my Tackle Warehouse today, then took a nap.

I checked lakes first. I think Lantern Man was out on Bulldog. I saw some deer on the way to Rock. Rock also had a guy out fishing by Rice Island, his truck was at the access. Open water is now past the N GOMH Point. I heard ducks quacking but didn't see them. I had a gator steal my Cubby/Minnow. I think I got the thief on my last cast of the night with a Rocket Shad. I saw a muskrat tonight and had a lone Canadian flyover as darkness descended.

1 Pike 

GOMH Morning, GOMH & Rock Afternoon, Back @ GOMH To Close Night Out

5.04lbs/20.5" Terminator Jig/Craw Tube (White)
Evening @ GOMH

4.50lber THE Jig/minnow
Morning @ the GOMH

Silver for the family from Brainerd

I was at the GOMH prior to sunrise. Nothing going on to start. Got a few jumpers including the 4 and a toothy. 

In the afternoon I stopped at the GOMH first, no silvers only jumpers. Stopped at Bear Trax and got minnows. Got the Trophy hooked up and headed to Rock. There was some activity in the Platte River Outlet Bay, but I didn't catch anything. I saw one pike and missed a couple of bites. There were carp up super shallow making a fuss. Nothing at the Beaver Dam so I beelined for the access. A guy and his bud were test running the guy's small fishing boat. The guy held the Trophy while I got the truck and then cranked it up when I drove it on. I dropped the Trophy off at the Lake Place then headed to the GOMH.

Nobody was there when I arrived. Caught 2 jumpers immediately including the 5lber that was 20.5. Some friends or family of Skibidi showed up and took the SE side. A family with a teen daughter and young son showed up and fished the SW bridge. The daughter is on the Brainerd Fishing Team. Skibidi joined his group. A few jumpers were caught as were a few silvers once it got dark. Had a 3lb jumper take me to the catails but I got her out. LM showed up about 8:15. SE side did better than the SW. I caught 5 quick silvers when I switched to the Cubby. I gave them to the dad. Called it a night at 10 PM. LM was the last one standing as the Skibidi clan left when I did.

 

Good Night at The GOMH Catching Bullheads

 

Bullhead Bullhead

Lantern Man's 2nd 14-incher of the night

12" THE Jig (Glow/Pink)

17.5" Cubby/minnow (Glow)

Hunting Pack of Pelicans

5:00PM-Midnight GOMH SW SE

41-59℉, cloudy clearing late, 0-4mph 

Water high and rising

1st person there tonight took the SW corner. I got done stretching than an old-timer named Richard S. stopped, and we talked for 10 minutes. He didn't have any minnows, so he left. Think I got 3 small jumpers before a friend of LM showed up and took the SE side. I got a few more jumpers and a toothy on the Swim Shad after I caught a weed right away on the previous cast and spooked it. Some guys fished on the NE side for about 20 minutes. LM showed up around 7:30. His son was on his way. Skibidi showed up and joined the guy on the SE side.

We all got a few bass. Brett showed up and caught some jumpers. We watched several groups of pelicans fly in and land. We got to see them hunt and start a feeding frenzy. I missed my first two silvers. They started catching them on the other side. LM's wife showed up while I was missing those first two. As it got dark, the action picked up but not as fast as last night. Beautiful night. LM got two 14s, and Brett got a 14.25" as well. The SE vacated after 10PM. Brett started getting smaller ones. I went to the SE side. and they kept catching fish. I got a 9" and missed a couple of bites. They left at 11 PM. I didn't care for the current, practically to the cattails. I got a 14" bullhead and headed back to the SW side. I Got two more silvers, and my last bite was a 17.5" jumper with melanated spots. I stopped fishing a bit after midnight. The sky was clear when I left. A lot of loon chatter after 11PM, and I heard an owl as I was packing up

3 Trips to the GOMH On the 3rd

14" 

Egret on Eagle Perch Point

Morning Bullhead

 The first trip was an attempt to get the bobber light that fell off when I set the hook on my last silver last night. Had the light on the shovel and would have gotten it except for that dang tree I was bringing up with it. Didn't get any bites.

Took a sunrise trip: 

Slow, but I got bullheads, so I can't complain. They wanted meat, and I used up my last 3 minnows. Had a 3-pounda bury me in the cattails when John W. stopped. I Got visited by a guy who was out yesterday afternoon getting a few big jumpers. Left at 8 AM to get the car back

5:00-9:45PM GOMH SW

32-52℉, Sunny, 3-8mph NE

Dead for the first hour, Ruh-roh. Then I got a couple of quick jumpers. Nice, a sign of life. Dock Guy showed up. Had two C-130 roar in at just above treetop level. It was incredible. Started to see activity on the surface and caught a few more jumpers. Skibidi showed up. Lantern Man showed up and came down by me on the SW side. He had minnows from Prince's. He started getting silvers almost immediately and offered to let me use his minnows which I accepted. I got a 13 and then a 14-inch crappie on THE Jig. LM got a 14.25. LM caught the fire out of them. I texted LMS and diddled while the fish were AWWWWWWN!. They were getting a few on the SE side. LM had his limit by 8:45 PM. He gave me a scoop of minnows and left. I caught a couple more fish, and then they shut down at 9:15. I called it a night when my minnow came off at 9:45 PM.

Rock Dock/Productive Trophy Trip In the PM

7.5" THE Jig/wax worm

Storm Swim Shad

Calm night on the lake

3:30-4:00PM Rock Dock, Bulldog,GOMH

62℉, PC, Calm

On my way back to feed Kaylee, I hit Rock Dock and GOMH. I got a bite on my second cast with the 2" Storm Swim Shad, the 17" pike in the picture. That little pike also took swings at two different size 6 X-Raps at the ramp. I also had a bigger pike swipe at the pearl X-Rap about 7-feet out from the dock. I didn't get any hits at the GOMH or Bulldog and only threw a few casts on each side.

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6.5" THE Jig/waxie

6:00-10:00PM GOMH to River Mouth

55-64℉, PC, 0-3mph NE

I started mapping at the North GOMH Bay Point. There were people fishing off the bridge and the SE side. I didn't get any bites until I got to the Sunfish Area of the Intersection. It was slow to start. Lots of fish activity all around me. It picked up towards dark.  All I caught tonight were sunfish. No true bulls tonight, but I did get a few 8" fish. I then did some mapping and shining when it got dark enough. I saw one bass at the River Mouth and it was the only one I saw. A lot of shiners in the river mouth area though. The SPRO was mostly empty except for shiners. Once I got to the sunfish area I saw a bunch of them, but not the size of the first night. In one 30-foot stretch, I saw 6 pike. There was basically nothing from the second buoy to the GOMH except for a few shiners. I talked to Lantern Man who wasn't getting anything. I saw one good size crappie up towards the first dock North and also marked a boulder that I didn't know was there.

37 Sunfish

Not Much Fishing On A Cool Late April Day

15" THE Jig/minnow

17.5" Storm Swim Shad

An Accidental Shot @ Rock Lake

I stopped at Rock Dock, Bulldog, and GOMH on my way to feed Kaylee this morning. It was cloudy and cool all day. I got the one pike off of the Rock Dock on the 2" Storm Swim Shad. Nothing at Bulldog or the GOMH.

In the afternoon, I elected to do some mapping in our bay with the Garmin Striker 7sv. I made the mistake of putting the transducer at the back of the boat. If it was on the front of the boat, I wouldn't have run at full speed with the transducer arm down in the water. I broke a rivet, but it could have been much worse. The arm is still useable, provided I don't go above 3.5mph. I also botched the turning the Traxxis Trolling Motor head in the morning, so I'm going to have to take it to Prince's to get that trainwreck figured out. I should have just asked them to do it for me when I bought it, doh.

I went out on the Trophy again in the evening and did some mapping at Reeds Across and F Flat. It was calm on F Flat, so I did some fishing there and caught the one bass. The only bite I got. There were some shiners around.

 

Rain In Morning/Mist in the Evening

9.5" THE Jig/maggie (Ch/Org)

15.75" Swim Shad

6:15-7:30AM GOMH NE, SW

40℉, Cloudy light rain, 3-6mph SSW

I thought there was a shot at some silver this morning in the rain. I was wrong, just two jumpers; One on the NE side and one on the SW side. I elected not to give Bulldog and Rock a shot.

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9.5" THE Jig

9.5" THE Jig

5:30-8:45PM GOMH & Intersection in the Trophy

40-44℉, Cloudy with light rain and mist, 0-6mph SSW WNW

Got in the Trophy right away, not hitting Rock or Bulldog. Went to the GOMH first. Got a bass to the SW along Eagle Perch Point. Continued into the Intersection, eventually connecting with the gills. It was slow, and they were finicky, but nice one's for the most part. I caught 14. A front came through around 8PM, bringing a wind change and mist. I was bib in a bib, but my hands got cold. Talked to a guy at the GOMH on the way in who had lost one jumper; I stopped there again on my way home to see if Lantern Man was getting any. He had lost a dog or jumper, and the other guy had one silver. I didn't stay to fish.

 

Rock Dock and Out In the Trophy Tonight

11" THE Jig (No minnow) (CH/OR)

18" THE Jig/minnow (Chart/Org)

5:00-5:40PM Rock Dock

6:20-10:00PM Channel Inn Bay, GOMH, River Mouth, Intersection

50-60℉, Sunny, 0-7mph SSW

Water level normal falling with temps 46-48℉

I started tonight at the Rock Dock. I got the pike on my first cast. After that, it wasn't happening and the wind was under 10mph so I headed for the Trophy. Stopped in Channel Inn Bay, nothing going on. I then went to the GOMH, nothing. Then I went to the River Mouth. I pooched a couple of hooksets and caught a pike. It got calm after sunset. I went to the Intersection and sat down on a spot that baitfish got active. I caught the crappie. When it got dark enough I shined from the Intersection to Channel Inn Bay. The Intersection had some sunfish, shiners, and one big walleye. Over toward the GOMH, I finally started spotting some bass and pike. Nothing but baitfish in Channel Inn Bay. More fish should be moving up tomorrow.

2 Pike 

1 Crappie

Calm Night with A Rock Lake Slime Rocket, Nothing at the GOMH

18" THE Jig/minnow (G/Pink

 I went over and got the rundown on the Pellet Heater at Steve's. I then went to Rock and got the pike and missed a bite. It was cool and calm tonight. I had an eagle fly over me as I was contemplating justice and judgment as it relates to myself and others. I stayed until dark hoping some crappies might show up. I then headed to the GOMH. There was the guy who knows Dad fishing the SE side. I briefly tried the NE side. He had gotten one jumper. We didn't get a bite. Lantern Man showed up around 9:30 as I was packing up. It was a beautiful night out with the growing moon and stars, just need to be 10 degrees warmer.

Morning @ GOMH/Trophy With Two GOMH Trips

5" THE Jig/minnow

14" THE Jig/Minnow

 

Rock, Bull, and GOMH With Steve, LM & Son

12.75" THE Jig/Minnow (G/Pink)

 

Morning Bust/Slow Evening In the Trophy and GOMH

Loon In the Morning

17" THE Jig/minnow

6:00-8:00AM GOMH

Didn't get a single bite, which was amazing to me seeing as how it only got down to 40-degrees. The loon paid a visit as did some mergansers, seagulls, eagles, fatso in the tree. I also saw some sandhill cranes on my way home. 

6:00-8:00PM Platte/Sullivan GOMH, Intersection, River Mouth

8:45-10:00PM GOMH

44℉, Cloudy some drizzle, 3-6mph NNE, NNW

I stopped up at Bear Trax to get some more minnows, Kit Kat's, and a lighted bobber because I couldn't find where I put mine. Steve was working on the dock when I arrived. I got distracted and forgot to put my rods in the boat. I discovered my oversight when I was almost to the small island, doh. I went back and got the rods. I stated at the Channel Inn/GOMH Point and worked my way to the GOMH. I might have had a hit as I came through on the Sullivan side. No follow-up hits. I worked my way to the Intersection. A couple of guys showed up at the bridge. I had the 17" bass take THE Jig/minnow along the hay line. When I went to weigh the fish I discovered my scale was back to kilograms. Frustrated I forgot to lock in the weight and released the fish.  I tried for about 10-minutes to get the scale back to pounds. I finally got the right combination of button pushes. I didn't get any more bites, so I headed to the River Mouth where I got an 18-inch pike on the Swim Shad. On the way back the guy who was at the bridge last night said he got a couple of bass. I used the Energizer Spotlight at the bridge North. Saw a few shiners and that was it. On the way home I stopped at the GOMH arriving at the same time as Lantern Man. He had a small one-bite right away. I didn't get anything so I switched to the NE side. LM got a silver when I was getting organized. I didn't get any bites. Saw some small sunfish in the rocks. That was it.