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| Tuma Get The Win |
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| 4/1 Pig for Beau |
8:00AM-3:50PM NPBI, Green Cabin Bay, Chuck's Point, Reeds outside of Chuck's, West Access Flat to Melon Patch to Deep Melon Patch, NPBI, F Flat, North Reeds Across, GOMH, River, SW Intersection, NW Sullivan Reeds, NPSI, NW Juice all the way to the Starting Spot.
Conditions: 42-32℉, Cloudy to Partly Cloudy periods of sleet light snow, 4-10mph WNW
Water Very High
The Day: We blasted off at 8AM with Alan Steinbauer waiting at the dock for his boater who had overslept. My boater Arnie Farber is a member of both the Range and Brainer Lakes Bassmaster Clubs and was fishing this one for the Range Club. He only had found fish in one spot and we were boat 6. Two boats headed in the direction of his stuff, so we went to the North of the Big Island at my suggestion starting at the NW Point. When we got to the juice I made a couple of casts with the Poison. I went to switch to the craw tube rod managing to get the craw tube and Poison tangled. It didn't matter cause fish weren't there, but what a cluster.
Next, we went to the reeds in Green Cabin Bay. I had something pick up my craw tube and quickly drop it. Couldn't get it to hit again. Then I had a small feeling fish on for about 10 feet, but it got off in the reeds before I saw what it was. We worked our way around to Chuck's Point where Arnie caught the big pike. We talked to Emmitt and his partner who both had a bass apiece. We worked out to the reed bed off of Chuck's Point, I think I got a pike there. Then we went to Arnie's spot starting at West Access Flat Reeds. I got 3 pike on a spinnerbait. We worked our way down to the Melon Patch. This where Arnie's juice was in the sporadic rice. He figured the cold weather drove the fish out. We ended up taking a second unproductive trip to NPBI to CPBI. From there went to F Flat and couldn't even get a pike. We tried the inside edge of North Reeds Across, nothing. Then we headed to the GOMH, nothing again. So then we went to the river. A boat came out of the SPRO while we were fishing the GOMH. Not sure if they fished the river or not. Arnie lost two fish in the river but he thought they were pike. We fished for a little bit in the NSPRO rice line. Then we went to the SW Intersection. Somebody caught a bass that didn't help him in front of us along the reed edge of a boat lane. We control drifted through the deep reeds not getting anything. We went back to Platte stopping briefly at NPSI. Next, we went to NW Juice and fished our way all the way across to the Starting Spot where we ended the day. I did get a pike on a spinnerbait over by double cane point. I was just dumbfounded that one of us didn't come across a single bass.
Results:
Bass Snatchers: 53lbs 9.5ozs 21 Bass
Brainerd Lakes: 42lbs 8.5ozs 17 Bass
Range: 23lbs 4.5ozs 9 Bass
Snatcher Keith Tuma: 14lbs 8ozs
Brainerd Lakes Jason Schmitt 13lbs 9ozs
Snatcher Beau Bacon 11lbs 13.5ozs
Only three five-fish limits were brought to the scales.
My thoughts: Due to me not being able to get out and pre-fish by myself because of the weather and then having Pete up meant I was fishing this one pretty much blind. Basically, lake levels had come up a foot plus and the temp had dropped at least 10 degrees since I had last fished the lake by myself. Unfortunately, we just were not able to get a bite to clue us in. I think I was a little too keyed up which resulted in me reeling to fast when I was throwing a spinnerbait, chatterbait, and swimbait. I caught the same amount of weight as my boater, so there is that.
