One Bullhead This Morning

12" Outkast Beaver

7:40-8:10AM
Conditions- Very Windy out of the E NE, cloudy, some light rain, 73 degrees.

I caught a fish so I'll call this short trip a win.  I nearly got blown off a rock on the NE side.  We only got a little bit of rain.

Pretty Good Morning at the GOMH

As the Sun came up this morning

5:20-7:20AM
Conditions: Mostly cloudy, high 50's, light winds out of the SE

It would have been a better morning had I caught all the fish that struck at me this morning.  I got the first bite, a 13" jumper on a yellow Horny Toad.  Then I missed a hit on the Horny Toad.  I was fishing the Slush Minnow under the bridge and lost the first fish that hit on it.  Then I caught this silver bullhead on it.

11.75" bluegill Slush Minnow

I don't remember if I've ever caught a crappie on a topwater before.  Then I got this small toothy also under the bridge.

15" Slush Minnow

I missed a couple of hits on the Spro Frog, before I switched to the SW side.

Over there I got a 13" jumper on the Pure Poison and this jumper and another 13" on the Outkast Beaver.

16.25" Outkast Beaver

I didn't expect that 16" to come out from under the bridge.  You just never know what the Grumpy Old Man Hole will give you.

I Need To Learn To Cast, But I Caught Fish Today Anyway

The Rig I Cast With This Morning After Hitting the Bridge.  Note the wire leader tied to the speed clip

5:50-7:15AM GOMH
8:45-9:50PM GOMH

Conditions Morning: Light to moderate rain, cloudy, breezy out of the SSE, Temp 61 degrees
Conditions Evening: Mostly Sunny, light wind out of the WNW, temp low 70's,  water came up a little

I had to cut out two separate overruns/backlashes today from hitting the bridge with lures on a cast.  One cast in the morning on the Platte side and one cast in the evening on the Sullivan side.  Both on TD-Z103H reels on St. Croix 6'8"M rods (one IPC, one not).  The one in the morning with 17lb Sunline Defier Armilo line and the evening with 14lb Fireline.

I'm lucky I didn't break the sexy shad Jerk Shad in the morning I hit the bridge so hard with it.  I had just lost a fish about half way in and was casting back under the bridge in frustration.  I ended up putting the Jerk Shad on the Lamiglas Rod as that was the only one I had with that had a speed clip on it. I ended up catching two jumpers on that including this 18.5" and a 12" that almost jerked the rod out of my hand.

18.5" Ultimate Jerk Shad

I also got a 13.75" jumper on the Outcast Beaver on the SW side and missed a couple bites as well.  The beavers tail had been bit off before I got the jumper.

On the evening trip I had a toothy steal my Fluke on the SW side.  I ended up tying the speed clip on the Fluke rod a 6'2"M Avid after casting the Z-Man Chatterstick into the bridge.  I tried the Sweet Revenge Mad Maxx on both side of the bridge having fish boil but not get it on both sides.  At about 9:35PM I went to casting for golden's with the Jerk Shad.  I was just about to give up when this golden hit it.  Click to enlarge to see the mosquito coming at me on the right.

14.5" Jerk Shad Sexy Shad color

   That was the only one I got and I threw it back.

Morning And Evening At The GOMH

a little bit of mist

4:45-6:45AM Fish caught in Sullivan Only
Conditions- Cool 50 degrees, mostly sunny, no wind to very light out of the North.

12.25" Bubblegum Super Fluke

I got the Fluke fish and also a 20" toothy and 11" jumper on the Outkast Beaver on the SW side.  The mosquito's were horrible before the sun came up.  Not the morning I was hoping for.

8:15-8:35PM Bulldog Nothing
8:50-9:30PM GOMH

Conditions: Light rain, temps in the low 60's,very light winds

13" Bubblegum Super Fluke

I should have gotten out earlier or not stopped at Bulldog.  I missed a fish on the Fluke on the NE side before getting the 13" way under the bridge.  I went to the SW side and had a toothy break off my Fluke.  That was it for action.

Only One Golden Today at the GOMH

23.75" Grass Pig in "Swamp Gas" color

4:45-6:40AM GOMH
6:45-7:00AM Culvert
7:10-8:05AM Bulldog

Conditions- Overcast, wind out of the SSE, temps around 64 degrees.

I got that golden on my second cast of the day.  I thought it was gonna be on with the way it swallowed the Grass Pig.  I had one more nip at the Grass Pig and something bump the Shallow Wart and not hook up.  Had one slap at the Stanley Phantom and one boil on a Horny Toad on the N side.  And something pick up the Outkast Beaver on the S side.

I then went to the culvert where I got this pike.

20.5" white Horny Toad

Same spot the pike came from the other night.

I then went to Bulldog.  I had a pike or a dogfish attack the Grass Pig, but it buried me in the weeds and got off.  I got 11.75" bass at the access on sapphire blue Outkast Beaver.  The tails got bit off.  I cast back and got bit again catching the dink.  I didn't get any other hits, so it was probably the fish that got the tails.  And that was my morning.

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.  

Bowfin at Bulldog

20" Stanley Phantom

Rock Lake 7:45-8:10PM
Bulldog Lake 8:20-9:15 PM
GOMH 9:30-10PM

I ended up putting the Armilo on a TD-S because the two Fuego's I have in reserve have issues with the breaks.  I'll be sending 3 reels in to get checked out I guess.

Rock was a bust as usual now. I might of had one bite.  I quickly bailed.

A guy was bringing in a fish a Bulldog, so I went to the Holy Family access.  Right away a fish popped it's head up.  Dogfish didn't even enter my mind.  I had a fish swirl on the Phantom as I was navigating it through some pads.  A couple casts later I got the little puppy at the start of my retrieve.

After that I had a pike hit the Grass Pig and not hook up.  That pike hit the GP four more times biting off the tail, then completely wrecking it.  I cast the Outkast Beaver and the pike took that.

21.5" Outkast Beaver

I had a fish on it the pads briefly on the OB as well, but it got off.

I headed to the GOMH.  The rowdy bullhead fishermen who likes to catch bass was there.  He had gotten a couple bass tonight and a pike.  Nothing was going for me.  The water was up about 4 more inches.  I guess we'll see if it makes a difference.  Somebody left an unopened can of root beer, which I took and a Chatterbait stickbait lure.

Bass Opener Score Card
Bass 2
Pike 3
Dogfish 1

Bulldog, Jenny's, GOMH this Afternoon in the Rain

15.75" Grass Pig

3:15-4:15PM Bulldog
4:35-5:15PM Jenny's
5:25-6:25PM GOMH

Conditions- Mid 60's, light wind out of the E NE, light rain

I didn't want my tackle soaked so I didn't take the Slop Slip out this afternnon.  I was disappointed with the casting distance performance on my TD-Z with the Armilo line.  I think it was mostly the reel.  I'm going to have to get it serviced to get the performance it's capable of giving.  I got a pike at access at Bulldog on an Outkast Beaver (not called a beaver and they no longer offer them).  I went to the Holy Family access and the bass smoked the Grass Pig as I was bringing it through some pads.  Can't fish that way on an open jig head.

I tried going to Rock, but there were people fishing there.  I decided to give Jenny's a try.  The wind made seeing the rice tough.  Still I got at least 5 good hits but I didn't catch anything on the Grass Pig and Spro frog.  I'm guessing they were pike.

At the GOMH, I got 21" toothy on the bubblegum Ebay chatterjig on the NE side.  I think I also had a bite on the Grass Pig.  Had a small toothy follow the Grass Pig in on the SE side.  There was a guy with two gals fishing for orange's on the SW side.  He got a small toothy.  I got hungry, so I went home.

1 Bass
2 Pike

So now I'm at 2 Bass and 2 Pike for Bass Opener weekend.

I decided not to go to Mille Lacs tonight, all my minnows were dead.