Jumpin' Bullheads at the GOMH Tonight

1st Jumper of 2025 was caught on this Mepps Spinner

4.93lbs Rocket Shad

4.53lbs Mepps See Best Spinner

Dark blue ice and open water out from the GOMH

Bulldog Access

5:45-8:50pm GOMH SW

40-55℉, MS, 0-3mph NE

Water: Low

Bulldog about 10% open, Rock still locked up. Open water at various points in Platte, maybe 10% open. A warm sunny day with little wind brought some jumpers to the Grumpy Old Man Hole. I also lost a couple of fish and had a couple of bites that did not hook up. Lots of Candanian Geese sorties tonight. Muscrats, ducks, and swans. I think I spotlighted a carp, but it was tough to tell in the dirty water. I was only up for 5 laps. If it's nice tomorrow, I'll see about getting some crappie minnows.

6 Jump 

Checked Lakes And Got A Gator Bullhead @GOMH

 

Last cast

Ducks were out there

It will be interesting to see if this area refreezes 

5:55-6:20 PM GOMH SW

48-53℉, PC, Calm

Opened my Tackle Warehouse today, then took a nap.

I checked lakes first. I think Lantern Man was out on Bulldog. I saw some deer on the way to Rock. Rock also had a guy out fishing by Rice Island, his truck was at the access. Open water is now past the N GOMH Point. I heard ducks quacking but didn't see them. I had a gator steal my Cubby/Minnow. I think I got the thief on my last cast of the night with a Rocket Shad. I saw a muskrat tonight and had a lone Canadian flyover as darkness descended.

1 Pike 

Double Extended Trip At The GOMH

 

19.5" Rocket Shad

3:00-7:45PM GOMH SW

48-51℉, Cloudy some drizzle, 5-10mph NE

Water is very high falling

Todd dropped off the pontoon today. I went to the lake place and got a rake and a landing net. I cleared some dead fish and slop before fishing. Somebody had a minnow trap hanging from the SW corner of the culvert. I got a couple of 4lb jumpin' bullheads to start. A mom and gram showed up with two boys to teach them magnet fishing. They each caught something. After they left, some teens showed up. I broke off the Wing It Bobber rig about a yard above the bobber when I was fighting a fish that felt like a panfish. I saw the bobber and caught the rig on my first cast; it was out there quite a way. The teens applauded me when I landed a 3lb jumper. They left. Federal Ammo Dave showed up with his posse and started on the N bridge. I got a couple of Gator Bullheads and lost a big Orange Bullhead that I thought was a bass by the way it pulled; the big gill dove under a small dead dogfish and into the cattails and got off. Dave's posse came to the S side of the bridge as it started to rumble in the distance. One of Dave's guys got a silver as I was packing up. I was gone before it began to rain. I shot my report video when I got home from the car in the rain. It was a short storm. The power went off at the lake place. I noticed on the radar that the heavy stuff missed us but bullseyed on P/S.

Short Mid-Morning And Long Evening GOMH Trip

10:00-10:30AM GOMH 
53℉, Sunny, 3mph E

1 JUmp (Just a quick trip to see if anything was happening. It wasn't. Hopefully, I'll have the Trophy in Platte tonight.) 

5:30-11:30PM GOMH NE SW

63-71℉, Sunny, 0-6mph ESE

Another guy arrived a little before me and took the SW side. Amazingly no boats when I arrived. The other guy got one jumper about 45 minutes in. Shortly after that, Lantern Man Son and Kyle showed up. I gave them the SE and went to the NE side. Two dudes showed up and fished off the N bridge. I caught a small toothy. I had a bigger one follow me in. I started seeing baitfish activity. Got more toothys and a few jumpers as well. One of the Jumpers buried me in the shore weeds, but thankfully Dock Guy had rubber boots and a net and was able to net the 2.5lber. The bald dude finished the shore East of GOMH and got one silver. I got into three oranges, and then some wind came up. Got a couple more toothy and jumpers. I went to get my sweatshirt and hoodie, which were on the SE side, with Brett. And behold, Drinkin Dave was up on the bridge fishing, sober. So we talked for about 10 minutes. When I finally returned to the NE side, Dock Guy and his dad had left. I didn't get any bites, and the guy who was there when I arrived left, so I went and joined Kyle on the SW side. We both got a couple of silvers, and Brett got 3 or 4. We called it a night after 11 PM. Wild beat the Blues 3-0 and are now up 2-1 in the series.

Good Night at The GOMH Catching Bullheads

 

Bullhead Bullhead

Lantern Man's 2nd 14-incher of the night

12" THE Jig (Glow/Pink)

17.5" Cubby/minnow (Glow)

Hunting Pack of Pelicans

5:00PM-Midnight GOMH SW SE

41-59℉, cloudy clearing late, 0-4mph 

Water high and rising

1st person there tonight took the SW corner. I got done stretching than an old-timer named Richard S. stopped, and we talked for 10 minutes. He didn't have any minnows, so he left. Think I got 3 small jumpers before a friend of LM showed up and took the SE side. I got a few more jumpers and a toothy on the Swim Shad after I caught a weed right away on the previous cast and spooked it. Some guys fished on the NE side for about 20 minutes. LM showed up around 7:30. His son was on his way. Skibidi showed up and joined the guy on the SE side.

We all got a few bass. Brett showed up and caught some jumpers. We watched several groups of pelicans fly in and land. We got to see them hunt and start a feeding frenzy. I missed my first two silvers. They started catching them on the other side. LM's wife showed up while I was missing those first two. As it got dark, the action picked up but not as fast as last night. Beautiful night. LM got two 14s, and Brett got a 14.25" as well. The SE vacated after 10PM. Brett started getting smaller ones. I went to the SE side. and they kept catching fish. I got a 9" and missed a couple of bites. They left at 11 PM. I didn't care for the current, practically to the cattails. I got a 14" bullhead and headed back to the SW side. I Got two more silvers, and my last bite was a 17.5" jumper with melanated spots. I stopped fishing a bit after midnight. The sky was clear when I left. A lot of loon chatter after 11PM, and I heard an owl as I was packing up

3 Trips to the GOMH On the 3rd

14" 

Egret on Eagle Perch Point

Morning Bullhead

 The first trip was an attempt to get the bobber light that fell off when I set the hook on my last silver last night. Had the light on the shovel and would have gotten it except for that dang tree I was bringing up with it. Didn't get any bites.

Took a sunrise trip: 

Slow, but I got bullheads, so I can't complain. They wanted meat, and I used up my last 3 minnows. Had a 3-pounda bury me in the cattails when John W. stopped. I Got visited by a guy who was out yesterday afternoon getting a few big jumpers. Left at 8 AM to get the car back

5:00-9:45PM GOMH SW

32-52℉, Sunny, 3-8mph NE

Dead for the first hour, Ruh-roh. Then I got a couple of quick jumpers. Nice, a sign of life. Dock Guy showed up. Had two C-130 roar in at just above treetop level. It was incredible. Started to see activity on the surface and caught a few more jumpers. Skibidi showed up. Lantern Man showed up and came down by me on the SW side. He had minnows from Prince's. He started getting silvers almost immediately and offered to let me use his minnows which I accepted. I got a 13 and then a 14-inch crappie on THE Jig. LM got a 14.25. LM caught the fire out of them. I texted LMS and diddled while the fish were AWWWWWWN!. They were getting a few on the SE side. LM had his limit by 8:45 PM. He gave me a scoop of minnows and left. I caught a couple more fish, and then they shut down at 9:15. I called it a night when my minnow came off at 9:45 PM.

Two Trips, Got A Slabber Bully

1.49lbs/13.5" THE Jig/minnow

Loon during the late afternoon trip

Loon evening trip

4:30-6:00PM GOMH, Rock, Bulldog

I started at the GOMH. Nothing going on either side. Then I went to Rock, where I might have missed a bite. Rock Dock not in. Then to Bulldog, nothing.

7:40-9:45PM GOMH NW SW

36-38℉, Cloudy some sleet and light snow, 5-15mph W

I was not enthusiastic about my chances tonight, but ya never know. I started on the SW side and didn't get any bites. I took a few rods over to the NW side. I had a hit on the first cast with the rocket bobber. I ended up having a 15-inch jumper on a few casts later. It got off at the base of the rocks, which was good with me. I think I got a hit on the craw tube as well along the West side of the channel. It was starting to get dark, so I went back to the SW side. I had fished about half an hour and was about to hang it up for the night when I brought my bait in by the rocks, and sure enough, the bobber started moving off. I set the hook, and a long skinny ran me right into the cattails, and then my line broke, darn toothies. About ten minutes later, I was contemplating leaving again when the slabber bullhead hit. Then nothing for 15-minutes. I missed a bite. Cast back to the same spot and missed another bite. Cast back to the same spot, and I got an 11.75" silver.  I fished for another half hour or so and didn't get anything. I didn't see any fish with the spotlight.

I got my new Okeechobee Fats Tackle Bag Today. 

Some Bullheads Night with LM and Son

11.75" Glow Demon/Minnow

7" THE Jig/Minnow

6:00-11:00PM GOMH NE, SE

43℉, Cloudy, 2-7mph NNW

When I arrived at the GOMH, there was a guy down on the SE side that hadn't caught anything. I had been there about 10-minutes when Lantern Man's son and granddaughter arrived. He came down by me. A little before 7PM, I went over to the NE side and immediately got a small toothy on the Rocket Shad. I also missed a bite on the rocket Shad and white craw tube. At 7:20, I split for Bulldog and Rock, which were dead. In the time I had been gone, the other guy had gotten a jumper, a couple of toothies, and a couple of tiger bullheads. LM Son had one silver in the bucket. I went down on the NE side and didn't get a bite. I went and fished with Brett. I think he landed his second keeper. LM showed up. The other guy left, and I went to the SE side. I quickly picked up two dinks and solid 11-inch silver bullhead. They engulfed the minnow each time so I thought I was on to something, but then it went dead. LM caught a couple. I lost a fish when I went to turn on my headlamp and my anti-reverse stopped working, which resulted in a cluster. I got one more solid silver after a light boat came through. A second light boat came through. Nothing was going on so LM and son left a little before 11PM. I left shortly after when I quickly lost my decider minnow. If I caught a fish on the minnow I would stay. The minnow came off, not sure why, so I packed up and left.

Slabber Bullhead And A Visit By CO Vang

1.56lbs/13" THE Jig/minnow(G/Pink)

2.50lbs/16" Rocket Shad

Loon where the Swans Were Yesterday

 7:00-10:00PM GOMH SW SE 

42℉, Cloudy sprinkles, 3-14mph NW

I checked to see if Rock Dock was in. It wasn't. Briefly fished at Bulldog, nothing. Then I emptied the water from the boat. The neighbor to the West dock is in but not the boat lift. I then arrived at the GOMH around 7PM. Caught the jumper right off the bat on a Strike King Rocket Shad, which is basically a heavy mettle Beatle Spin. I then had a fish pick up the white craw tube, but I pooched the hookset. Around 7:30PM CO Vang showed up to check my license. I told him what I had been catching and what I was fishing for. After he left, when I thought the crappies would start biting, I switched to the SE side and threw out THE Jig/minnow under a lighted bobber. On the second cast, the Slabber Bullhead choked THE Jig. A couple casts later, I got a 10-incher that I put in the bucket. There was a long lull, and Lantern Man showed up for the first time this year. I got a 12.75" shortly after he arrived, and he got a couple of good ones right away as well. The 12.75" was my final bite of the night. LM had 6 or 7 when I left, and he had released a couple of dinks. I gave him the 10-incher. His son should be coming up tomorrow.