I Was A Hot Mess At Prime Time

 

Only gill I caught

Bullhead

Oh yeah, I should take a pic of one of these

3:45-8:15 PM 16' Same Holes I've been fishing at Rock Lake

34-37℉, Cloudy,slushy, 0-3mph WSW

I went and checked out the GOMH and Bulldog as well as stopped at Bear Trax for minnows.

There were about 4 groups fishing Rock when I arrived. None in my area. I talked to a guy who had been fishing the point getting crappies and a bunch of pike. Turns out visibility is ok before 4:30 PM. I saw a bunch of sunfish, a few crappies, and at least one pike. The pike missed THE Jig, but wouldn't go for the Switch. I lost the first crappie that I saw take my minnow. It was slow for a while.  The bite was pretty good at prime time, but I was a  complete mess trying to fish two lines. I should have just rode the minnow as it was getting dusted soon after I dropped it. I got a bullhead during prime time on the minnow as well. It was over by 5:45 and I struggled thereafter. I did lose a good fish when I didn't get the Cubby up fast enough and the lines got caught on the transducer. I did check the other holes after 7:30 with the Cubby, no life. At the end of the night, I went and drilled some more holes; It was sloppy. At the access, a female lake owner came along with her two dogs wondering if I had left stuff on the ice tonight. Weird question because she came from the opposite direction I did.

32Crip 

11Sun 

1Pike 

1Bull 

Ok Night At Rock

10" T.H.E. Jig (Pink/Glow)

 

Dude was checking my spoon first drop

4:25-7:30 PM The Holes I fished yesterday in 16' My Area of Rock.

34-36℉, Cloudy/Fog,slushy, 0-2mph S

I arrived a little early than I have. I went to Reeds today and got more hooks for the Trap, a couple of rubber straps for the auger blade, and some maggots. I also scoped out Ice Fishing Jackets. It appeared like they began pairing down the ice fishing selection in mid-January. I decided not to get minnows, probably a mistake as my remaining minnows were on the large side. I put the camera down first. Spotted some gills. Put the spoon down to locate on the camera and pike was investigating. It didn't want the spoon. The pike left and I could no longer find the spoon. Prime time bite was OK and went fish kept coming through until 7 or so. I got 5 or 6 ten inch crappies. I called Pete before I left the access. It was sloppy and foggy. I went by Bulldog on  the way home and didn't see anybody out.

32 Crip 

5 Sun

1 Pike 

Only Crips Caught Tonight

 

9" & 7.5" Demon & THE Jig

1st fish 10" on Demon/CM

4:40-8:00 PM 16' My Area December Holes

33-35℉, Cloudy, 0-4mph S

I don't know how it was I arrived as late as I did, but I did. About 20 minutes quicker than yesterday and I was moving faster than turtle speed. A guy can't win. I drilled an extra set of holes today and that was where I fished the whole time. I saw sunfish with the camera. Only landed about 66% of my bites tonight. A fair number of 10-inch fish for the first time. I had a fish break me off at the hole Demon/minnow. Big mark down there that I got to bite 3 separate times but never hooked up with right after I broke off. I did double up once. I caught one or two fish in the final hour. It was above freezing the whole time and I didn't put my hoodie and sweatshirt on until after 7 PM.

23Crip 

5 Sunfish (Aqua-Vu)

Much Better At Landing Bites Tonight

 

Nice 1st fish on T.H.E. Jig

Well fed bullhead

4:50-7:45PM 16' Farthest South Set of holes, same ones I got most of my bites last night.

31-33℉, Cloudy, 0-4 SSE

I had to wait for Mom to finish her report, so I got out 30 to 40 minutes later than I would have otherwise. I did drill a camera hole where I mostly fished last night. I was pushing the light envelope and only managed to see a couple of sunfish. The very first drop with the THE Jig produced a quality crappie. I did a much better job landing my bites tonight. I would say I was about 75%. The fish were mostly around 9", no little guys tonight. Maybe I got 4 keepers total, 10 inches is my minimum keeper. I got one bullhead; I kept the bullhead hooked on the line for about 15 minutes because the crappies were active with it swimming around. The action slowed down around 7 PM. Early on a big minnow got bit and seemed to call them in.

21Crip 

1Bullhead

3 to 5 sunfish 

Rust, Small Fish, or I Suck

Dinks were probably why I was missing fish

Last bite of the night

 

Fish may be smaller than it appears

8.75" First bite of the night

5:00-9:40 PM Rock Lake, I drilled three sets of holes. Farthest South was the most productive

26℉, PC, 0-3mph N

I wasn't in any rush to get out and it ended up costing me because the ice is just a foot thick right now, so I didn't drive out. I drilled 3 sets of holes out. I didn't have lines down until 5 PM. There were fish in my first set of holes. I was a bit unsettled missing bites and wanting to check the other holes. After an initial flurry of bites, the first set of holes died. I got one small crappie at the second set. There wasn't much life there. The third set had small fish and a 10 or so incher that came off at the hole sending THE into the cargo net. Missed several bites along the bottom. Ended in the first set of holes and stayed late. I did start pulling some small fish up in the water column and landing them. The last fish of the night was a gill. I'm gonna need more maggies. Turtled it back to the car, thankfully the snow was slick.

14Crip 

1Sun 

Sullivan Aborted, The Dog Produced Again

 

1st Crappie Demon/minnow

One of 5 or 6 ten inchers

5:00-8:30 PM The Dog Holy Family Hole 30' 8 to 12' off of bottom.

3-14℉, PC, 0-4mph W

Ice maybe 8" or 9" thick

The plan today was to fish out from Jaimen's Reeds in Sullivan. I got the car unloaded and discovered that my safety ice picks were missing. WTFrick! Not happy. As I was making my way out it looked like there was a pressure ridge from shore right through the area I wanted to fish.  Without picks, I wasn't going to chance it and turned back. I didn't get the car loaded until after 4 PM. 

I was grateful no one was at the Dog. I made it about halfway out before I slowed down. I put my holes close to where I was last time and only drilled one set. Only crappies again tonight. The size was about the same 8" to 10" maybe a couple more 10 inches than last time. It got slow by 6:30, but didn't die until about 7:45 PM. After I had my rods in the case I swear there was a pike that came through; Biggest mark I saw all night. I turtled it back to the car. Thank God there wasn't much wind; It was 3 °F. Twenty fish for the night, it could be a lot worse. Never did send THE Jig down, probably a mistake. My mind got thrown off by the missing ice picks.

20 Crips 

Rocky Solstice Action

 

23.75" Demon/Minnow

11" Demon/Minnow

6" EBay Blade Bait (Gold)

Famous Rock Lake Bullhead to end  the night

3:00-8:00 PM Rock Lake My Spot 12-16'

37-38℉, MC, 0-5 MPH SE
Visibility was about 5' to start, but by 4PM reduced considerably with the overcast and sediment in the water.

I took Mack out and visited with Belle and Bean. Nobody was out so I just parked where the dock normally sits. I waddled my way out and drilled four sets of holes starting at 12' by the Cane. I immediately had perch down the 12' hole. I caught a couple on a small gold-blade bait. The Perch scattered sure enough I had a pike come through and hit the bait, but it came off quickly. I saw a couple more pike come through. I put a minnow down and had a pike hit it. Unfortunately, the line got caught on the blade bait when I was trying to reel it up. As I was trying to get the line off of the blade bait, the 3lb test down by the Glow Demon broke. Who knows if I would have been able to land the fish if it didn't get caught On the blade bait. It got slow. I left the minnow down and checked my other holes for life, 2 out of 3 did. I got back and my bobber was down. I set the hook and landed the pike which was hooked on the outside of the beak, fortunately.  I saw one or two more pike and caught a few perch on the minnow. It was getting dark and the action shallow stopped, so I worked my way deeper, stopping briefly at the 2nd set and then set up shop at the 3rd set where I was marking something on the bottom. I switched to a glow Tubby Jig and finally got a bite, small crappie. That fired up the school. I got a nice crappie out of the hole that engulfed the Demon/Minnow, but the line broke before I lipped it. I took pics, got the Demon out of the back of its throat, threw it back, then got retied. Put the minnow back down and got hit quickly.  Once again I broke the 3lb test before I lipped the fish. Then I knocked my forceps down a hole when I went to reach for it. I didn't put it back where it belongs. To make it even more of a cluster of a situation I needed to cut myself a fresh leader of 3lb test off of one of my jigging rods to get the minnow back in action. By the time I was back in the action, the fish had gone inactive and it was like pulling teeth the rest of the time. The final fish was a bullhead. I think the crappies started hitting a little before 6PM when I was contemplating giving up for the night.

8Crip 

7YP 

1Pike 

1Bullhead

 

Back To The Rip Rap Rocky Way

 

Finally caught 'em

One small crappie

4:00-7:15PM My Spot 16'

27-34℉, MC PC, 0-4mph S

I had to mess with the seat yet again at the access. I got out early enough to give me a little camera time, but visibility was crap due to slight overcast and sediment. I think I saw a couple of bass and a pike along with some sunfish. I couldn't locate the Switch, so I sent down the White Spoon.  The fish moved on about the time I pulled the camera up and never moved back. I did eventually drill three holes by the cane but didn't see anything. I caught the sunfish that had been looking at me for a good hour. I called it quits after that. So much for getting in a groove.

1Crip 

1Sun 

Slow Evening On Rock, Late Start

10.5" Demon/Minnow

Happy Bullhead

As he took the minnow

7:00-9:00PM Rock Lake 17' fish were 10' and up

25-34℉, PC, 3-8mph NNW

I hemmed and hawed about getting out tonight. Turns out the wheel wobble was due to a slightly underinflated tire. Good thing I Googled it.

Got a late start, put the camera down, and waited them out. The first fish was the nice crip. It came in with a small mixed school of crips, sun, and the bullhead. Everybody left except for the bullhead who harassed the camera. As it was getting dark, the bull ate the minnow as I took a picture. A NICE PIKE CRUISED PAST when I pulled the camera up to ice level. Got a few crips as it got dark and several nibbles that may have been sunnies. Had several looky loo's as well.

1 Bull

Crips

3 Demon/minnow

2 Tubby/maggot

5 Aqua-Vu

Sun

3 Aqua-Vu

Pike

1 Aqua-Vu

 

Nice Night At the Dog (Dog Sitting Mack)

 6:30-8:30PM The Dog, Matt's Corner, and Last night's holes out from Holy Family

35-47℉, PC, 0-4mph W

The first night of dog-sitting Mack. They canceled the day at Santee Cooper.

Started at the same holes as last night. There was a guy out front of Holy Family. Spotted Pike and Perch in the same holes as last night. Sunnies were out a little deeper suspended. Drilled holes there. Caught a bunch of sunnies. Had a pike prowling around and attacking the camera as I was bringing it up. Got out to my holes from last night just after sunset. Short flurry, and then they were done. Coming off the ice was butter. Don't know how much longer the access is going to last. The water is coming up with the snowmelt.

45 Sun

11 Crip

5 PerchAV

2 PikeAV

Caught Something Other Than Crappies, Got A Few Of Those As Well

 6:30-9:00PM Matt's Corner and Out from Holy Family 

30-41℉, PC, 2-6mph NE

Got the low down from Steve and then headed to the lake.

Pike down in the first hole, I put the camera down. I checked 6 or 7 of the holes somebody else drilled in Matt's corner. Saw a bunch of perch toward the bottom in the weeds, and sunnies were up high. Fished the second Sunny Hole. They were all over. Down Viewed 'em. I got bored with that quickly. Headed out to my area before sunset. It started slowly had a flurry on the Glow Demon and minnow. Good size fish up high. It was a Clown Show, or I would have caught more. Fish shut off for the final hour. Beautiful Moon!

31 Crips

20 Sun

10 Perch AV

1 Pike AV

Late Start at The Dog

7:15-9:00PM Out from Holy Family at The Dog

30-34℉, Cloudy, 

Short trip. Don't remember why I procrastinated on getting out. Didn't get to writing this because the rents left for FL the next day. Deer walking across the lake with me and had one hit me on the way home. Should have listened to John W. closer about the heard in the road N of Club of the Pines. I caught some, but I was a bit of a clown show.

5 Crips

Another Slow Night at The Dog

 

Whew!

10.75" VMC Fly/Maggie

4:20-8:00PM Bulldog

23-32℉, PC, 5-15mph WNW

I drilled a little to the West of where I was last night. Didn't see a thing until about 5:45PM when three crappies came through; I snatched one. Had another pod of three come through before I brought the camera up. A few fish started coming through when it got dark, but it was slow. Only landed 11 fish tonight, but 40% were keeper size and the good fish were 12' and up. I'll try a new plan tomorrow.

8 Demon

3 VMC Fly

March 1,2, & 3 The Dog En Fuego

March 2nd

Even was catching them on the Rippin Rap

March 1st

4:40-8:00PM Bulldog

21-31℉, Sunny to cloudy, 0-4mph NW

I was the only person in the hole tonight. Fished my holes from last night. Fish ran on the small side and were mostly 15 to 18ft deep. Consistent action all night with it slowing down after 6:30. Was comfortable, Didn't turn on the heater for about an hour and I was only wearing my performance hoodie. Should have gotten out sooner.

72 Crips

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 2nd

4:30-8:30PM Bulldog

23-28℉, PC, 0-3mph N

Moved slightly to the North. Fish all over the place. Should have gotten out earlier. Fish were on the small side.

81 Crips

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 3rd

4:00-7:00PM Bulldog

14-20℉, MC, 0-4MPH N

Guys who didn't get 'em were coming out as I was headed out. Fish were in 17' but small. Mostly a Aqua-Vu bite. Hot on THE Jig to start. They would mouth the bait and spit and didn't care for minnows. Good thing I got out early as the bite tailed off at dark. 5 Days in a row had me pretty beat up that final walk-in.

72 Crips

Ended up taking a break to watch the Bassmaster Classic.

 

Trips Feb 27 & 28

 

5:00-8:00PM 

The 27th was a nice day right about freezing little wind. There was a family on the juice and pulling the Trap out was a workout. I set up to the NW of them and had to shovel out a spot. I put down the minnow than the camera and what did I see, but a pike. The dude wouldn't hit my minnow and stayed around all night. I am amazed he didn't snatch the first crappie I brought up as I got all caught up in the spring bobber. I caught some crappies in the first 10-feet, but most were around 20. Action really shut down by 6:45PM. The walk back

13 Demon/Minnow

3 Cubby

3 VMC Fly

19 Crips total

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4:30-8:30PM The Juice

Was in the mid-30's today, with light wind. A guy who had been in the NE Corner came in on his wheeler as I was heading out. He said the sunnies were small. As I arrived where I was going to fish another truck pulled up at the Access. The guy fished about 50feet to the West of me. He said he only got 3 keepers the rest were all little. I got maybe 8 or 9 keeper-sized ones for the evening. With all the snow lighting isn't great right now and there is a lot of junk so visibility with the camera wasn't the greatest. Fish were mostly 18-feet or deeper. The walk out was far less taxing than yesterday. I would have active pods move in and move out all night. If the wind didn't startup out of the west I would have stayed longer. A Sheriff happened to come by when I got to the access and he offered to help me, so I gladly accepted the offer. Not sure if he was Crow Wing or Morrison. It was a white SUV.

23 Glow Demon

4 Cubby

5 THE Jig

10 VMC Tubby

42 Crips

Good Night at the Dog

 

Forgot to take a picture tonight

4:00-8:45PM HouseHole22 Bulldog Lake

16-32℉, PC, 3-12mpn N NE

When I arrived, there was a Suburban parked on the ice at the access. Thought that was strange. There was one guy with a wheeler at the far side of the lake and one permanent over there as well. I got out drilled my four holes, and there were fish all over the place right under the ice. There was also some fish 20' deep. I was an idiot and placed the camera deep. A couple of trucks drove out in short order. When the guys closer to me started drilling, the high fish vamoosed. I talked to the other guy whose son had been out earlier this week. He was told South of the fish houses. I told him where the houses were. I had fish moving in and out all night up high and down low. I did spy one pike up high. Solid night, too bad we are getting a snowstorm tomorrow and may have a foot plus by the time it's over on Tuesday.

37 Demon

12 VMC Tubby

3 Mini Rippin' Rap

1 Cubby

1 VMC Fly

54 Crips

1 Pike

Little Crips On the Dog Today

7.5" Glow Demon/Minnow

4:30-6:45PM NE of the 2021 Spot on Bulldog

13-21℉, PC, 5-20mph NW

Yesterday I didn't get out because the battery on the truck died. Got a new battery. There are 3 perms set up out where I've been fishing and they are on the juice. All three houses were occupied, so they are locals. I hoped maybe there would be fish off to the North, but they were small. Since I was out the last time somebody drilled a bunch of holes in a grid. The little guys were on the minnow to start. I had the camera down ad saw quite a few fish.  The little crappies were on the minnow to start. At about 5:15PM it got slow and never picked up again. The biggest fish of the night was a 9-incher that was about 10-feet down. Because of the wind, my feet were getting cold and the bite was slow, so I called things early tonight.

15 Demon

2 THE Jig (Chart/Org, Pink/Glow)

2 VMC Fly

2 Cubby Mini-Mite

1 VMC Tubby

22 Crips

Tough Bite On The Dog

 

4:30-8:00PM 2021Spot, Same Holes as last night

14-22℉, PC, 2-18mph SW NW

A bunch of people fishing Bulldog in the nice weather. There were even 3 trucks that drove out. The people out in the hole were either farther South or farther East than my area. I used the same holes as last night. Wish I had been prepared for the wind NW shift and drilled different holes. When I was getting set up, a couple of guys out fishing for pike came by and gave me their minnows. They had gotten one small pike. I didn't see anything for the first half hour plus. Then I had a pike show interest in the pink/chrome Mini Rippin Rap. I was not interested in losing that lure. I didn't have the good sense to send down one of those bigger minnows the guys gave me. Finally, around 5:30 or so, some crappies showed up. They were finicky and on the small side. I maybe got two 10-inchers. I missed a bunch of bites. It could be small fish, or I did have several fish that I watched just lip the lure on the camera. At around 7:30, the bite started picking up as the wind did. I started getting blown around and called it a night. 

16 Glow Demon

10 Cubby

6  VMC Tubby

1 VMC Fly

1 THE Jig

34 Crips

1 Pike

Slower Night On the Dog

 

10" Glow Demon/Minnow

4:45-8:15PM 2021 Spot a little to the North Bulldog Lake

7-13℉, PC, 2-4mph SW

I elected not to get more minnows, the bite was off tonight so I didn't run out. Didn't have anything show up in the first 15-minutes. Then a school showed up but quickly scattered when a pike showed up and hung around. After about 10 minutes it left. I started getting a few, but mostly lookers. I had another pike come through up high around 5:15.  The action picked up after I pulled the camera until about 7:45PM or so. Almost didn't take a picture, but thankfully I remembered when I caught the best fish of the night at about 7:50PM. Thankfully, it was warmer than forecast. I was comfortable tonight.

5 THE Jig

20 Demon

16 VMC Tubby

41 Crips landed