My Frog Game Is Improving.

17.66" Sweet Revenge Mad Maxx Frog

5:15-9:45PM Platte Lake out of the Slop Slip
Conditions: 74-67 degrees, Light SSE wind, Cloudy to mostly cloudy, a lot less boat traffic tonight.

13.5" Lunkerhunt Lunker Frog

I started out fishing off of the dock.  I missed the first bite on the Lunkerhunt, but I got the second one.  After messing around for more than half an hour I finally put the Slop Slip in the water.  I had a couple fish show themselves, but not hit the Spro's or go for the Slither Rig.  I finally got over by the reeds and had the black/red Spro Frog I got the fish on last night get bit off.

So I took the white top/black bottom Spro Bronzeye from the Tatula Rod and put it on the Zillion and put a "Sweet Revenge" Mad Maxx Frog on the Tatula.  I pretty much immediately had a pike miss Maxx. Then I had this fish slam Mad Maxx just inside the rice on the curve/inside turn.

17.5" Mad Maxx

 I ended up drifting out of the rice, so I threw the Whopper Plopper for about 5 minutes.  When I went back in the rice I quickly picked up a 14.25" bass and had another pike miss Maxx.  I went quite a while without getting anything.  I got a 16.5" bass where there was a little bit thicker rice with pads on Maxx.  There were also several pike in that area.

Caught by the clump of rice.

I moved out of that area towards Jenny's neighbors boat channel.  A fish gave up it's position to me and an accurate cast put a 14.25" bass in the boat.  About 5 minutes later the biggest bass of the night hit (See first picture).  I thought it was an 18" plus fish, but it only measured 17 and 2/3rds.

I went across the boat channel and got the last bass of the night, a 15.75" on Maxx.  I also got another couple of pike.

There were hardly any fireworks tonight as it seemed most people had gone home.  The Loons made some noise tonight. I would say I connected on 70% of the bass that bit the frog tonight

GOMH & Slop Slip at the Lake Place

14.5" Chigger Craw

5:15-6:40AM GOMH NE
6:45-10:15AM Slop Slip at the Lake Place over to Jenny's
Conditions: 72-56 degrees, Mostly to partly cloudy then sunny, Calm to light SSE wind.

The Sunfish/Panfish guy was there when I arrived at the GOMH this morning. I had a hit on the Plopper not hook up first thing along the near wall.  I got 3 jumpers on the Chigger Craw.  I stayed longer than I should have.

Out of the Slop Slip.  I had a pike try for the black and red Spro in front of Sherman's.  I got this bass on my waypoint.

13.5"

While anchored I had a pike go after the Lunkerhunt Frog and got a 14.5" pike on the Chigger Craw.  I paddled over to Jenny's getting a couple pike on the Poison and lost a hit in the rice.  Another pike missed the Lunkerhunt.  A fish hit the Whopper Plopper but didn't hook up.  On my way back I missed a hit on the Spro and got this one.

16" Spro white top black bottom

Pierz Lake and Slop Slipping Rock Again

18.85" Horny Toad

9:30-10AM Pierz Lake
Conditions: Sunny, Warm,

13" Fluke

Since I ran into Pierz on some errands and had rods in the car.  I decided to give Pierz Lake a try for the first time.  I caught the fish in the North Culvert.  I really needed a spinning rod.  I ended up breaking off the Fluke on a branch in the water.  I saw several more bass swimming around.  Nothing bigger than 14". Earlier in the year or with higher water, this spot would rock.

14" White Horny Toad

6-9:30PM Rock Lake RPRO

Conditions: 70's, SE wind diminishing towards sunset, partly cloudy

Because of the wind I decided that Rock Lake was the place I needed to be.  I was glad to see no one was fishing in the RPRO.  I started out more towards the mouth.  First fish was pike on the Horny Toad.   I had a few fish wake but not hit, then I got the 14" in the picture.  Shortly after that fish I was throwing the Lunker Hunt Frog and a fish boiled within casting range.  I got 16.5" on the Lunker Hunt.  I missed something that hit the Craw Tube in the pads.  Then I got this 17.25" skinny one.

17.25" Horny Toad

   I also got 16.75" on the Toad.  I had something big blow up on the Toad and not get it when I wasn't looking.  Maybe I spooked a carp, who knows.  It was getting close to 8PM so I headed down to the Beaver Dam.  That is where I got the 18.75".  I then caught a mini pike, but the camera was on the fritz.  The Beaver came out and splashed around a couple of times.  I ended up missing a blow up right after a cast landed and somehow also had a really good hookset not get what I think was a pike.  I saw a fish boil on something by the Island.  I caught a 16" there on the Horny Toad.  I got one last 15" on the Horny Toad as I started heading back.  And my last fish of the night was a 16.5" on the Lunker Frog.

Bass Opener Final Score:
Largemouth 17
Pike 10
Eye 1
  

Didn't Get Skunked, Didn't Get A Bass

8:15-8:45 Bulldog
9:00-10:00PM GOMH SW NE
Conditions:  LOw 70's, calm, mostly sunny, surprisingly few mosquito's

I didn't get up to fish in the morning because I needed some sleep.  Since the parents took the Expedition to run some errands tonight I was boatless and being Memorial Day Weekend the prospects for my shore spots wasn't looking good.  I decided to go fishing anyway even though a skunk was a definite possibility.

I stopped by the GOMH first thinking with the way fishing has been this year just maybe it might be open, but there were people on both sides.   I elected to see what was available at Bulldog.  Nobody was at Holy Family, so I fished there.   I blew the hook set on something that hit the Horny Toad and I caught a pike on the LunkerHunt Lunker Frog, so no skunk for me.

I then went back to the GOMH and tried to get something to hit the PHat Frog. I did have a small fish swirl at it.  The people left, so I went down on the SW side to see if they missed anything.  I got a toothy to hit the bluegill Pure Poison.  I went to the NE side and when the golden's didn't come easy for me I left.

Bass Opener Score Card:
Largemouth 8
Pike 8
Walleye 1

Mostly Swatters, But I Still Got a Couple

14.?? Same Color Mad Maxx as Last Night

8:00-8:30PM Bulldog
8:45-9:30PM GOMH

Conditions: Mid 60's, mostly sunny, light wind out of the SE diminishing

At Bulldog I missed a couple of hits on the Lunkerhunt Frog a HFA.  Haven't stuck anything on the black and yellow one yet.

Peter and Matt were at the GOMH, along with a guy and a kid.  Peter had caught three jumpers and kept a 16" and a couple of nice Oranges.  I started down where I caught them yesterday.  I had a few fish swat at the copper color Mad Maxx before I caught the 14".  I had a couple more swat at it and missed one on a poor hookset that took it pretty good right after the frog landed.  I might have caught that same fish about 5 minutes later.

16.?? Mad Maxx

I had a couple more swat at it and not get it before the skeeters got to be enough for me.

Skunked Again

Peter's 17.5" on worm under a bobber

7:40-8:30PM Bulldog
8:30-9:40PM Jenny's and Bulldog

I missed a couple of hits at Bulldog at Holy Family on the Lunkerhunt black and yellow.

Didn't get a hit at Jenny's

I arrived at the GOMH the same time as Peter and Matt Woitalla.  Matt caught a small jumper on some kind of a stick bait and Peter got an orange bullhead and the nice jumper on a live worm.  I had a fish not get Spro Poppin' Frog that I thought had it.  The skeeters got to be to much for me so I left.  I guess they did ok on bullhead bullheads after I left.  

Farm Island Pre-fish

8:00AM-3:30PM
Conditions:  Overcast most of the time, it  sprinkeled on us a couple of times, windy out of the SE, temps in the 60's

When putting in it was a good thing Roger Ubl, my boater for the Farm Island Lake Tournament, forgot to unhook his boat, because he also forgot to put the plug in.

We tried some reeds near docks to start and didn't get a sniff.  Next we went to the reeds outside the SW slop bay.  I got a 14.75" bass on the Horny Toad.  Next we went in to check the slop.  Fish were in there.  I was having trouble getting the Lunkerhunt Frog to fish in the rice.  It seemed like ever other cast I had a problem.  Roger got 2 or 3 quality fish and I missed a few.  I was getting kind of frustrated with Roger catching fish and me not.  I had a pike bite of the tails of my Horny Toad.  That made it so the bait worked over the rice better and I started catching fish.  I got 15.5",15.25", 11.75", and a 14" and missed some bites as well.

We decided to stop beating on them and went to the NW corner of the lake.  The area looked good but the wind didn't allow us to fish it efficiently.  We then went to another slop Bay outside of the main access bay and didn't get anything.

We then went to Little Pine Lake.  This lake had the perfect mix of cover for fishing the Lunkerhunt Lunker Frog, which I did until half of the frog's leg got bit off.  I landed a 12.75", 14.25", 16.25", and 15.25" bass before that happened.  I also missed a few and Roger caught some nice fish as well.  I caught a small pike on a craw tube.

We then went to the NE slop bay.  I missed a couple of bites and got 15.33" on a Mad Maxx Frog.  I also got a rock bass on a green pumpkin Grass Pig.  It was threatening rain so we called it a day.  We got a free fish towel from the Invasive Species Inspector.

I Caught Fish Anyways, And Got My Phantom Back

Loon on the South side of the Inlet on Sullivan

11:00AM-2:30PM
Conditions: Cloudy, light rain, wind out of the North Northwest, temps from the low 60's falling into the mid 50's.

I started at the inlet again.  I did get this one on the Outkast Beaver.

14.5" Outkast Beaver

I had other bites, but they would pick it up and let go right away.  I then went to culvert, there was only a small pike there.  The GOMH next.  I had a couple different toothy's bite at the Pure Poison and a 21.25 took the Fluke under the bridge NE.  I also got a toothy next to the cattails on the SW side on the Lunkerhunt Frog.

I then went to Bulldog, where I talked to some panfishermen at Holy Family.  He got a bowfin there a couple of days ago.  I didn't get anything at the access.

I decided to give Rock a try.  There was one trailer in the lot.  I had a pike do a somersault and steal my old beat up older chart/firetiger Stanley Phantom at the start of a long cast.  I put on the newer one.  About 5 minutes later I spotted the Phantom floating within casting distance on a long cast.  I tried to get it, and then I caught what I believe was the same fish.

 By the time I got it released the Phantom drifted farther away.  Then the boat full of pike fishermen came in and they retrieved it for me.   I got out of their way and went to Peavy where I got a small bass on the Pure Poison.  The wind picked up and I left to get my tackle ready for tomorrows tournament on Bay Lake.

Made the Right Calls Again Tonight

19" Outcast Beaver

7:50-10:15PM
Conditions: Mostly sunny, comfortable, breeze out of the South, mosquito's not to bad.  Was a warm day with temps in the low 80's.

I had to get out in this beautiful weather.  I made the call to go to the inlet on Sullivan first even though I hadn't caught anything there this year yet..  Despite getting stuck behind a Schwans truck on the dirt road it proved to be the right call.  I started out throwing a Lunkerhunt Lunker Frog.  I missed a good fish on that.   I'm pretty sure it was a bass.  Then I went to fishing the culvert with the Outkast Beaver.  I caught the 19" sow on the first cast.  One fish makes the whole trip worth it.  I caught a 14.25", then I had another good fish tail walk in the Culvert mouth and get off.  I would say it was 18"-19".

I then headed to the Platte River Culvert.  I had what I think was a big dogfish blow up on the Lunkerhunt frog down river a ways.  I then skipped the GOMH, where nobody was fishing and bypassed the access at Bulldog where a family was packing and went to the Holy Family access.  There I caught a dink on the Lunkerhunt frog.  A couple casts later I saw a wake coming for it.  I let it sit and the dog bit.

23" Lunkerhunt Lunker frog in "Croaker" color

 Another fish that made the drive worth it.  I stopped at the access on my way back to the GOMH and got a good one on a black/blue craw tube.

15.75" Craw tube b/b

At the GOMH the rowdy bullhead fishermen that likes to bass fish was just getting started fishing for bullheads with a kid.  The lure that was left the other night wasn't his.  I didn't get a bite.  They had a fish break off as they tried to lift it up to the bridge.  He thought it was a golden bullhead.  A little later he hooked into a 16" jumper that went in the pail.  He said any bigger and he throws 'em back, so there is that.  He lamented the fact that fishing for them isn't what it was a couple of years ago.  I view that as largely due to the earlier ice off, low water this year, and the lack of stable weather.