MN Opener 2022

 Skunked (Some natives were fishing at the North Jetty when I arrived at 11:30PM and not getting anything. One small eye was swimming around and a boat was out bobber fishing and I think getting fish. I quickly bailed on the North Jetty for the South as some guys with a boat set up on Center Jetty. A little bit of activity on South, but nothing close in so I could track with the fish. I texted Brett and he told me they hammered 'em at the GOMH. I bailed at 2:15 am. I stopped at Kathio Bridge and listened to loons calling.) 

GOMH:

Skunked (Nobody was there when I arrived just after 4AM. Put on the rubbers and headed down on the NE side. WHG showed up as I was getting settled. There was a lot of baitfish activity, but I couldn't buy a bite. Made the executive decision to head to the Trophy at 4:30 AM)

First Legal Bass of 2022 Mini-Max (Fire Craw)

Big Bass of the Day at the GOMH

(Skies looked dark but I sent it anyway. Hit something as I was steaming toward the small Island. The motor sputtered but didn't lose much speed. Got to the River Mouth; first and only boat. Got a 10" on the Mini-Max. Started getting some fish on the SBKO. As the front approached I missed 7 or 8 bites. The front passed only raining for a couple of minutes. Got fish on jerks, chatters, craw tubes, paddletails. Seems like I would get a couple of fish then need to switch up. Wasn't real efficient with my business. The sun came out and wind came up out of the South. I made my way across the SPRO, but it was really blowing so I called it a morning.)

20Bass 3Pike 

 (Stopped at the GOMH on my way home. Nobody was there so I headed down with 3 rods. Craw tube got bit off before I could catch anything on it. Had multiple hits on the the craw, Grass Pig, and a couple of Chatters. Fish just not getting it good today. Had a lot of misses in the boat. Got my biggest of the morning in the Pirahana 2, but left the scale at the lake. Mother nature called so I bounced.)

3 Jump

(4 Rods with me, 5 casts per rod on the SW side with a few bonus casts resulted in 7 jumpers before I headed to the lake place as Todd was finishing up with the dock decking.)

7Jump 

Todd's first bass of 2022, 1st fish was a pike

 (Todd started off on fire at the River Mouth. I talked to Chuck Steinbauer who is coming down to fish P/S tomorrow. We worked our way East into Platte. Nothing was going on in CIB other than at the dock just beyond the Abrahamson's where Todd got a 3lber. So I jumped us back to the river mouth after nothing at the juice. We got a few more bass. Good trip. Todd was headed home before I was done loading the boat.)

Todd: 15Bass 1Pike, Me:12 Bass

Todd: 15Bass 1Pike

Me: 42 Bass 3 Pike

Total Fish: 57 Bass 4 Pike

"Sometimes You Kick, Sometimes You Get Kicked"

5.04lbs/20" Shower Blows (Bone)

6:30-10:00AM NPBI, SPSI, GOMH, Intersection
76-68℉, Mostly Sunny, 0-3mph S
WT: 77℉

I got out of bed at 4:50 and didn't make it to the Lake until 5:30AM.  I was off to the Big Island by 6AM.  I caught one 12-incher on the Shower Blows then mother nature called and I high tailed it back to the cabin.  I was back to fishing by 6:30.  I stopped at the SPBI and didn't get a bite.  Next stop was the SPSI.  I caught a 12-incher on the bone Shower Blows, then the big girl struck.  She jumped twice and I was thinking 18-incher.  Then she bulldogged hard.  Thankfully there weren't any weeds to get tangled in.   It wasn't until I had her in hand that I realized it was a special fish.  Darn if she didn't go 20-inches and top 5lbs.  I then missed a quality bass caught a 16.5" and 13" on the Blows. They stopped hitting on top so I went to the junebug Piranha 2 and got a pike then a16-incher.  I then dropped a good one on the craw tube when I got a less than stellar hookset.  I was then off for the intersection after getting bit off at the GOMH. Got my last good bass of the morning from there out in the middle of the channel away from the emergent veg.  I went into the old juice.  It looks very fishy but nothing was doing.  I had a big pike miss Cali Ish out of the rice past the log.  Took a pass at SPSI on my way in and nothing happened.

7:00-9:15PM East of GOMH, CIB, SPSI
I thought for sure on my evening trip I would be able to add to my weight for the day, but I was wrong.  I think the high pressure had the bass buried and unwilling to take topwater.  I tried working the slop to the East of GOMH had maybe 2 opportunities there and didn't connect with either fish; they could have been pike or doggo's.  I then tried some boat lanes in Channel Inn and had a couple pike take swipes.  Went to SPSI to end the night.  Had a 12/13 bass jump and throw the craw tube and I landed my only fish of the night a 15-inch pike which took the craw tube.  A pathetic evening of fishing.