Motor Issue Morning/Reeds Across & F Flat with Todd

7:30-9:30PM Reeds Across, F Flat
65-73℉, PC, 0-3mph NW
74℉ Very Low

The Motor Story:
So I was at the Lake Place a little after 5AM with new gas in the tank. I noticed a bunch of gas in the filter that I failed to get out of the line yesterday. I got that taken care of.  I then decided it would be best to put my stuff in the boat, and I try running the boat with the new gas.  That didn't solve the problem.  I called Prince's Marine. He told me to flush the line with air and check the spark plugs. If that didn't resolve the issue, he would look at it as soon as I could bring it in.  I went home and got dad and the tools we needed. We blew out the line.  I went out in the boat, and well ah, it worked full power.  I quickly turned around and brought it back in. Dad said, go out and run it some more.  I got up to full speed for about 15 seconds ad then it bogged down again. Drats!

I came in, and Dad thought the issue was the quick connect fitting that attaches to the gas tank.  Unfortunately, Bear Trax was out of them.  They did have them at Hardware Hank in Onamia, but I would have to buy the $50 hose to get the $12 part. Oh well.  So we went back to the lake. Issue not resolved.  We then checked the spark plugs. They seemed to be fine.  By this point, it was too late for me to make it to Prince's. Todd and Mallory showed up as we were finishing up. I went home for a little bit.

The Trip:
Todd and I got out at 7:30PM.  We headed to the Reeds across.  I lost something that hit Mann's Buzzbait right away.  Todd put a quick bass in the boat on the Sprinker and then caught a pike.  We thought things were looking good.  Then nothing for quite a while.  I had a small bass jump me off and got a pike at the boat path.  We didn't get a hit in the North bed at all. Maybe Todd missed one bite. It sucked. I eventually beat feet for the F Flat juice. I got a decent bass at the Brown Boat House dock, and Todd got the big fish of the day there on the Sprinker. Todd and I both lost quality fish to the West of Brown Boat House.  There were baitfish jumping all over the place, but they didn't seem to be getting busted on by anything.

Not a great trip, but not horrible either.

In the Trophy Morning And Evening

17" SBKO (Orange)

6:00-9:00AM  NGOMH, NSPRO to River Mouth, East of GOMH
60-56℉, Cloudy to PC, 0-7MPH SE

Elected to straight to the Trophy this morning with the late start.  I had to be off the water by 9AM.  I drove straight to the GOMH picking off a 17-incher immediately on the SBKO (orange).  I then got a couple of pike and a Platte Lake Special as I got to the bridge.  Nothing on the S side.  I then went to Eagle Look Point working my way quickly to the second buoy picking off one pike on a buzzbait.  I had caught bass here and there as I drifted across the NSPRO Flat picking up Platte Lake Specials.  I anchored several times, but didn't get bit much when I did.  I lost a Platte Lake Special at the boat that went for the Sprinker.

I spent the final half hour in Platte East of GOMH.  Panfish Guy was fishing the hay on the Platte side when I drove by the GOMH.  I think I got a couple of bass and pike on the flat related to pads.
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17" Right Off the Bat

Typical Day of Platte Lake Specials

8:00-9:15PM East Of GOMH
65℉, Cloudy, 2-8mph S
60℉

 Caught the Sunny off the dock.

I went East of GOMH.  While I was getting set up a fish boiled within casting range. That little tell ended up getting me two quality bass in the first three casts with the black herringbone Shower Blows Knock Off.  I thought it was going to be AWWWWWWWN with stuff busting to the West of me.  Turns out that was a school of little hammer handles.  I got one more 14-inch bass near some pads on the flat. Big disappointment.

Devin's Birthday Bullhead and Rampaging Pike In LSB

Devin's Birthday Bullhead

18" SBKO (Pearl/Org)

24" Mann's Classic Buzzbait

Water Level getting really low

Not a great morning by any means

5:00-6:00AM GOMH NE SW Getting Devin's Birthday Bullhead
7:00-10:30AM Loon Sex Bay, Dock
58-54℉, Cloudy, 2-9mph SE
59-61℉ Low Water falling

I tried to get Dev a golden, but it wasn't to be. At about 5:30AM I lost a jumper at the Rocks.  I cast the Jerk Shad to the same spot and caught the bullhead's twin brother on the next cast.  I ended up leaving the GOMH after an hour with 5 jumpers all on the Jerk Shad and 1 toothy that went for the orange SBKO on the SW side.

Next, I took the Trophy to Loon Sex Bay and there was life with baitfish getting popped all over the place.  I threw out a Horny Toad and immediately had something erupt on it but not hook up.  Never did find out what it was.  I then got a couple hammer handles.  I switched to the SBKO and caught a bunch of pike getting bit off three times, but never losing the lure.  I did get a skinny 18-inch bass in the SE corner on the SBKO that was holding on a Lilly pad root.  Probably a spawning male.  I got one other small bass out of that general area.  I drifted with the wind to Loon Sex Point getting some bigger pike on the Mann's Buzzbait with Horny Toad. I did get another quality bass at the North bay entrance on blue/black Poison. 

I didn't have it in me to go up into Inlet Bay. I stopped at West Point and missed a couple of bites  I did get two bass off the dock on a Poison.

I didn't fish in the evening and went to bed early.

10 Bass
26 Pike

And Then I Found Them On Chuck's Point

3.50lb/18.25" Terminator Frog

3:20-3:45PM GOMH
4:30-7:30PM West Point, Green Cabin Bay, Chuck's Point
Conditions: 59-56℉, Mostly Cloudy some light drizzle as I went in, Windy WSW WNW
Water Temp: 65-63℉

16.25" Pure Poison/Swim Fluke Jr. (White)

I caught a dink jumper (11.75) on the SW side and the jumper in the picture on the NE side, both on the Pure Poison/Swim Fluke Jr.  That was it for bites at the GOMH. I briefly stopped at West Point.  The Juice Dock is out of the water. I got a couple pike on the Poison.  I then headed to Green Cabin Bay. I started along the South shoreline.  I missed one hit, probably a pike on the Spro Shad Sprinker.

25.9"  Mann's Buzzbait/Horny Toad

I got the one good pike over towards the inlet in the pads and reeds.  I got a couple more pike in the area.  I had the yellow Terminator Frog get bit off and I was unable to find it.  Good thing I had another one with me.  I missed some thing big as I was fishing in the pad fields.  I got over by Chuck's Point and finally had a bite from a small bass around 6:15PM.

The stretch of water they were in.

I then got a the 18.25" on the Terminator.  Then I had another good hit.

16.25" Terminator Frog

I thought it was going to be a bigger fish from the way it hit. I then had a 18-20 class fish jump all over the Terminator Frog, but get off in the reeds.  I was quite bummed.  I missed a hit in the shallow rice and had a big fish swirl on the Terminator, but not hit it.  Didn't want the craw tube either.

16.75" Zoom Horny Toad (Black/White)

I then caught 5 bass (16.75,16,15.33,12,10.25) on the Horny Toad.  At 6:50 I moved to the NW Bay juice.  I missed one fairly weak hit there and then it started drizzling and got dark.  I headed in at 7:30.

6 Best Bass Tonight

10 Bass
7 Pike    

Cedar Lake Pre-fish

26" or so on Mann's Buzz w/Horny Toad

8:30-3:30PM
Conditions: Cloudy until about 11:30 or so,  air temps from about 60 to 74,  water temp mid 60's, wind out of the SSE

Got out with my boater Guy today to pre-fish for our tournament next week.  I just wanted to catch fish so I mostly threw a Mann's Classic Buzzbait with Horny Toad for pike:  I got 8 pike on that including 28" that I thought was a big bass at first.  I might have missed 30" class muskie as well.  I caught 11 pike total.  I caught 3 bass, only 1 of which was bigger than 12 inches.  Guy got a few nice bass, but they were scattered for the most part.

Tonight's Trip

I wanted to get some of gear tested out before my tournament tomorrow.  I hit the inlet first.  The water is as high as I've ever seen it and is higher than it was this Spring.  I missed a few hits on a Spro Frog and a Horny Toad, then had to sit in the car for about 20 minutes so a storm could pass.  After the storm I missed hits on the Horny Toad and a pike missed the Stanley Phantom.

Next I went to the culvert.  The sun was in my eyes and I missed 3 or 4 hits at the juice on a Horny Toad.  I did get this 14" largie in the mouth of the North Culvert.

I also got a 11.75" letting the Toad sink at the juice.

I then went to the GOMH.  I got this bullhead on my very first cast on the NE side.

16.25

You can tell how high the water is in this pic.  I also had a bullhead crush a Bronze Eye.

16.5"

What I Did Instead of Fish The Tournament at Lake Alexander Today

17" or so

9:40AM-3:20PM

Conditions- Warm Rain, drizzle, cloudy, sometimes calm mostly light to moderate wind out of the E NE but starting out of the S SE, turning partly sunny by the time I left

Our Bass Snatcher Tournament at Lake Alexander was postponed until next week due to a floating blog blocking the access and the thunderstorms today.  So I went to the Grumpy Old Man Hole to give my new Cabela's Guidewear jacket it's first real test.  It rained pretty good for the first couple of hours I was out and it performed well other than me keeping the notepad I write my fish catches on in the inside mesh pouch at the bottom of the jacket.  From now on anything more than a sprinkles and the notepad goes in the inside zippered pocket where I put the cell phone.

I left behind 7' H Avid Crawtube rod and took 6'6" MH rod in it's place and I also put the 6'10" Crucial I have the Mann's Classic Buzzbait on in the truck as well. I also left my dock/Super Fluke rod at home.  I switched all the other rods I was going to use today at Alexander into the truck.  When I arrived it was raining pretty good and I decided to only take out the buzzbait rod.  I started on the SE side and  I had something blow up and not get hooked on my second cast.  I didn't get hit again until I was casting across the channel along the rocks.  I missed that hit too, but eventually got the toothy to hit it again.  It was almost a 23 incher.  I moved to the NW side and got the jumper right away.  I also got a smaller toother.  I then went and got the 7'3" Lamiglas Pure Poison/Stanley Phantom, Crawtube rod, Senko rod, and Yabbie Rod.  I proceeded to catch fish on all of them including my first dogfish of the year on the Lamiglas.

20.5" on the Pure Poison w/Grass Pig Trailer

 

If my count is correct I got 17 jumpin' bullheads, 6 toothy bullheads, and 1 dogfish.  The bites came sporadically and I missed a few of coarse.