Final Ice Trip/1st Open Water Trip

9" VMC Fly/Wax/Polli (Pink)

 7:30-9:30PM 5 Tul Hole 26' 

42℉, PC, 10-20mph SE

Amazingly enough, I was able to get up. Pete beat me to the lake by about 20-minutes. I set up in my spot and had a pike show up about 10' down. It loitered for a while then left for about 10-minutes then came back. I started seeing stuff near the bottom so I lowered the camera. There were crappies, sunfish, perch, and shiners down there. The crappies seemed more enamored with the barrel swivel. I had several of them hit it. I only caught one 8-inch crappie that I didn't take a picture of.  I released that right after I released it. Think I had the same pike come back around 9:00AM. Didn't see tullibee, neither did Pete who fished all over the place. Called it a morning at 9:30AM. One other guy came off with us.

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7:00-8:10PM NE SW GOMH

53℉, Cloudy, 3-4mph S

I got to the GOMH and there was a guy and a lady fishing off the bridges Southside. I went down the NE side. He asked me which side was better. I told him right now it probably doesn't matter much as it would probably be a couple of weeks before anything showed up. But I did tell him that indeed the Southside tends to be the better option. They left at about a quarter of 8. I switched sides. Nothing going on.  The water is low, but not as low as last Fall. It is probably going to be a week plus before anything shows up.

Almost a Great Night On Rock

10" THE Jig (O/C)

 

6:30-9:00PM 6-10' In front of the Reeds at Rock

31-34℉, MC, 0-4mph SSE

Stopped at the GOMH on the way out. Almost saw an otter and some swans get in a scuffle. When I arrived at Rock a guy was just getting loaded up. He had gotten a couple of bass but didn't find any crappie or sunfish of any size. I told him about my lack of even seeing a bass this winter. I got unloaded and looked down a few of his holes in front of the reeds. In the shallowest one, I spotted some sunfish in the weeds. I down viewed and didn't drill any more holes. Had a few small sunnies come in and nip at me. Then a nice size bass came in and took THE Jig before I realized that is what it was, could have been a doggy but I don't think so. I set the hook and immediately broke off. Fiddled with a few sunfish with the pink VMC Fly/Polli. Had a slab come in and grab the fly. She was flopping back and forth in the hole. I couldn't get her lip and she came off. I tried to scoop her in, but she slid out of my hand and down the hole. That fish might have been my personal best, had to be pushing 14-inches. I blew it. I caught a 10' several minutes later than it kind of died. I sent the camera down a hole that was in 10' over the break and there were shiners and perch all over the place. I drilled a couple more holes and moved shop. The glow Demon was hot for about 20 minutes, then things slowed down. They loved tiny minnows. One of my lanterns came off the hook and was behind the orange bucket. I thought it went down the hole. I fished until 9:00PM.  One of my lanterns came off the hook and was behind the orange bucket. I thought it went down the hole and only found it while I was packing up to leave.

Bust Hunting Bulls On Sullivan

 

3:00-7:00PM 7'-26' out from the NE Access on Sullivan 

45-54℉, PC, 0-5mph N turning SW

I went and took pictures at the GOMH. Made the executive decision to go to Sullivan in search of bull gills instead of Rock. Should have chosen Platte instead. All I found was perch. The depths on Sullivan on the Navionics App burned me again. I went and tried for crappie in the Tullibee Hole the final hour. Had one looker that didn't bite at 12' over 26'. With the weather forecast being what it is. I suspect this upcoming week will be the last for ice fishing this year. I'm guessing shorelines won't be safe by next Saturday afternoon. Bonus weather

Morning at Sullivan/Evening Skunk At Rock

 I got a bit of a late start this morning because of the truck acting up yesterday, so I took my first trip using the Kia Soul with the Fish Trap. I was the first person at the access and it was 18-degrees out. Colder than I expected. I decided to try closer to the saddle in 25'. When I was getting my rods ready there was something down there that was gone by the time I was putting lines down. Didn't mark anything until it was light out and I had the camera down. Had a crappie show and track into view, but then a wheeler was motoring by and the fish spooked. Had the exact thing happen a second time. Had a 9" sunfish come in and suck in the pink VMC Fly with Polli. The line got tangled with the Glow Demon line on the way up. Because of that mess, I mishandled the fish when I was trying to get the camera out of my bibs and I dropped the fish right in the Aqua-Vu hole. I saw a few small shiner and perch near the bottom. Had a couple of possible tullibees come through quickly. I left at 8Am. Started fishing at 6AM.

Didn't get to Rock until after 5PM because I wasn't really motivated. On my way out I had 6 swans fly over en route to the RPRO. I went to where I caught them last night. I had a pike down there swimming around for 15-minutes. Had a big sunfish swim through while the pike was still around. Also had a school of perch swim through briefly. The pike came back for one last pass. I pulled the camera up. Had a fish come in and bite the VMC Fly on the Meat Stick. Was a solid pick-up, but I didn't get to see what it was. Nothing was going on so I hole hopped. Nothing going on there either. I packed up at 7PM. 

Evening On Long (Last Second Switch)

10" Glow Demon Spoon/Maki Polli

4:15-6:00PM 33-34' LOng Lake

27-28℉, Cloudy, 10-15mph NW

I was kind of sluggish about getting out due to the wind. I was going to hit Rock, but when I saw no one was fishing Long tonight I turned the truck around at South Platte Lake Drive. When I got to the access on Long there was a truck parked. It was three guys with two rods, a depth finder, and an auger. I went right out to my spot and marked fish, but didn't catch anything and the fish disappeared. I found fish just a little deeper and caught 4 of them. I missed 5 or 6 bites on the Fly. The final fish of the night was the 10" on the Glow Demon Spoon. I caught both bites on the minnow.

4 Crips