Good Morning And Pulling the Dock Up

20" ZHT

6:30-8:00AM GOMH NE, Culvert, Inlet
Conditions: 64-54 degrees, Mostly Sunny, Wind out of the S

I arrived at the GOMH about 5 minutes after sunrise.  A fish lightly tapped the Whopper Plopper.  I had an OK sized hard fighter throw the Chigger Craw back at me as I got it to the rocks.  I then caught two small jumpers.  I got the Chigger Craw stuck on a rock.  I went up on the bridge and got it unstuck then stuck a 14.5" jumper while vertical jigging off of the bridge.  I didn't think to take a picture of a jumper.

I went to the Culvert and had the pike wake to Horny Toad and take it when I paused it.  I also got a pike at the access at the Inlet.

In the afternoon we pulled the dock in about 10 feet and got it out of the water.

While we were doing that a couple of times something got tagged off to the West.  I couldn't get a bite.  Was unable to fish at Jenny's due to the deer fly's.  I went to the GOMH and punched the rice mats that floated in.  Didn't get a bite.

Platte Lake Tonight in the Trophy

16" Mad Maxx Sweet Revenge

7:35-8:45PM Lake Place out of the Trophy
Conditions: Mid 60's, Calm, Mostly sunny

I should have gotten out earlier.  Conditions were excellent and the fish were snapping.  I got the first one next to Sherman's dock just out of view to the right.  Didn't even have the trolling motor in the water yet.  I had a nice bass jump over the frog 8 feet in front of me at Beaver Point.  I then had another fish miss the frog, think it was a pike.  I got a 13.75" out of standing rice on Maxx.  That was my last bite.  Felt very Sept like today.  

Rabbit Lakes Snatcher Tournament

17.33" Craw Tube Grn pumpkin/brown

7:45AM-3:55PM
Conditons: 65-59 degrees, Cloudy to mostly cloudy, Windy to very windy N, Light to heavy rain

Pre-tournament thoughts:  Rabbit Lake has always given me fish and my boater Dennis' confidence had me pretty confident I would get a limit.  Turned out getting there was more difficult than we thought.

The Day:
The last two boats waited until 7:30 to put in, which annoyed Dennis and me as well.  Conditions were perfect and we easily could have been fishing by 7:30, but as it was we blasted off at about 7:45.  We went straight to one of Guy's spots with Dwight right behind us.  We fished it for about 20 minutes and didn't get anything.  Dwight caught a nice one, but we didn't see it.

Next we went to a spot that was protected from the wind where Dennis got some good fish pre-fishing.  I put on the small Plopper and immediately had a 11.75" bass on.  I think Dennis first fish was a pike. He then got a couple small keepers.  I had a couple fish not get the Plopper, unfortunately all I have is the one color.

Next we  headed to the wood and Dennis got a little better keeper, but that was it.  We got to the spot where I got my best fish in pre-fish and I got an even bigger one (17.66) on a Lake Fork Craw Tube.  Unfortunately that was all we got.  We followed the road out and I got a 15.33" by where I got one in pre-fish.  I also got a pike on the Craw Tube as well and Dennis got a walleye.

I think we then went to the island and didn't get anything there.  We went back to our starting spot and Dennis got a quality fish that came off just as I got the net under it.  Dennis was quite thankful.  We spent quite a while there and Dennis got one more keeper.  I just couldn't buy a bite there except a pike that bit me off.

We left to go to the numbers spot.  Dennis forgot to put the trolling motor up and we got drenched.  We had a good laugh.  I missed a hit right away on the Craw tube and Dennis had a fish on pretty quickly as well.  I think it might have been a pike.  Dennis got a keeper and then he got his big fish.  I got bit off.  I started throwing a white spinnerbait and got a pike. Then I got a 14" and 12.75" pretty quickly as we worked back over the area.  I think Dennis got a couple more keepers and missed some bites as well getting a nice walleye.

We went back to the island and I got a big dogfish.  It put up a great fight.  Unfortunately my attempt at a selfie with it failed.

Dennis got himself a cull.  A rain storm was moving in on us, so we went to our second spot.  I missed a fish on the Craw Tube right away.  Then it started raining.  I had a bass hit the Craw Tube as I was reeling it back to the boat and I landed it (14").  It started pouring.  Dennis missed a few more bites. We got out in the wind and I cast out the Craw Tube and had an over run.  When I picked the bait back up I thought I felt a fish, so I set the hook.  My line cracked as my line broke just above the rod.

We headed back to where Dennis got his big fish.  I got a nice pike on the black blue Piranha and I got a dink on the jerk shad that was only a couple inches longer than the bait.  We got up by the pads and I got 15.5" on the white spinnerbait; the fish really thumped it.  I got my limit with about 2 hours left

We went back to our starting spot and I discovered I didn't have enough line to fish on the craw tube rod.  We didn't get anything.  We went back and tried to expand on our numbers spot, but came up empty.  We finished expanding on our second spot.  Dennis had a fish that would have culled get off just before I could reach it.  My last hit didn't get the spinnerbait and the day was over.

Results:
My limit weighed 11lbs 4ozs and put me in 12th Place out of a field of 16.  Dennis was one more big fish short of contending for the win.  His 15/11 put him in 5th Place.  Dwight "Hammer" Hammermeister took his very first Bass Snatcher victory with a 16/8 limit.  Paul Ruff had a 4lb 3oz smallmouth that took Lunker.

My Thoughts:
I wish I could have gotten rid of the 12 incher.  I would have moved up 1 spot for sure and possibly 2.  I tried a number of lures that came up empty: Super Fluke, Swim Jig, Rattlin' Rap, Baby Minus One, Fat Free Shad, Chigger Craw, Jig and Chigger Craw, KVD Sexy Dog, and RI Vixen.  For whatever reason I just cannot get in sync with the fish, it's frustrating.  I should have been able to catch more than 6 keepers.

Next tournament is at Whitefish Chain on Sept. 24th.

Skunked

7:15-8:15PM
Just a quick shore trip to the Lake Place, Jenny's and the Grumpy Old Man Hole.  Didn't get a bite.

The water level was possibly down just a little bit from yesterday.

On the Slow Side This Morning, But I Got a Dog on a Frog

18.5" Mad Maxx

Just as I arrived at the GOMH 

6:25-9:25AM GOMH & Trophy at the Lake PLace
Conditions: 74-60 degrees, Humid, Calm, Mostly sunny

I arrived at the GOMH just as a boat was going under the bridge and the sun was rising.  Didn't get a hit on the NE side and had a toothy miss Sweet Revenge on the SW side.

15.66" Maxx

Next I headed to the lake place and took out the Trophy.  The bass hit Maxx in open water right out front.  I tried to duplicate the pattern heading West.  That was a waste of time.  Next I headed to the Beaver Point.  I got the dogfish in some rice and pads.

I made a cast into some tall semi thick rice.  A fish that sounded like a monster by the way it hit missed the frog.  It didn't hit again.  Fish were definitely in the area, but didn't want Maxx, a craw tube, or Horny Toad.  It was getting too warm so I headed back and put the battery on the charger.  And that was my morning.

Evening Misses
7:15-8:30PM Trophy Lake PLace
Conditions: 74 degrees, Cloudy, W wind, Humid

I decided to head out East of Jenny's and got a good fish right away.

16.5" Mad Maxx Sweet Revenge

Nothing after that so I started heading towards Jenny's.  I got distracted by a fish hitting something and a fis sucked my frog in.  I didn't get a good hookset.  I made a cast along Jenny's West neighbors boat line and missed another one.  I think I missed another one on the West side of the boat lane, then caught an 18" pike. I got to where I got them last night and got a 17 incher.

17" Sweet Revenge

 I missed two solid hits in the same spot.  I headed in about 15 minutes early to only find out Teddy wasn't going to play.  The Vikes looked good and beat Seattle anyway.

Eventually Got Into 'Em Tonight

19" Mad Maxx Sweet Revenge

7:30-8:45PM
Conditions: Mid 70's, Mostly Sunny, Calm

After taking a few casts out front, I ran across the reed point over to the entrance to Jenny's neighbors.  Did get anything as I worked my way down.  Got a pike in front of Jenny's.  At about 8:25 I started heading back.

Big one came from the left of center.

I was just on the other side of the boat lane when the toad hit.  It's mouth and shoulders had me thinking 20 incher, but it only went 19".  The fish made my night.

I made a cast to the far side of the open area on my left and got a 14".  I then fished around not getting anything for about 5 minutes. It was getting dark and skeeters were coming out.  I made a cast into the open area to my left and about half way across it a 17" smacked me.

17" Maxx

The mosquito's were getting bad and I was just about to head in when I caught a fat 17.75" that also smacked it hard.

17.75" Maxx

 I had the other camera with me on the selfie stick, but the Canon is so much easier to use for taking pictures and retrieving them.

Morning & Evening Trips

15" Piranha 

6:15-7:45AM GOMH NE, Culvert, Inlet
Conditions: 68-64 degrees, Partly cloudy, Light NW wind

I decided not to fish out of the Trophy this morning.  I got 2 jumpers on the NE side of the Grumpy Old Man Hole.

17" Craw Tube Pump/Red Flk

Didn't get a hit at the culvert.  At the Inlet I missed two hits on the Horny Toad.  I wasn't ready for the first one to the right of the access about 8 feet out.  I was ready for the second one out of the reeds but still pooched the hook set.

7:45-8:40PM Lake Place, Jenny's, GOMH NE
Conditions: 70 degrees, Calm, Partly Cloudy

I went to get the charger so I could charge Pete's batteries.  I decided to throw a few casts.  I cast across the dock towards Sherman's when a fish smoked Mad Maxx.  I had to jump into the Trophy to land it.

15.75" Mad Maxx Sweet Revenge

I then went to Jenny's and got this toad on Maxx.

18" Sweet Revenge

I also had another fish hit me twice but not get it at Jenny's.  I then went to the GOMH.  Put the first cast with the Whopper Plopper 90 against the wall on the NW side and a jumper was on it the second it hit the water.

14.5" Whopper Plopper 90 bluegill

That was my first hit on the small Plopper.  Unfortunately the camera was not wanting to give me color.  That was the only hit I got.  The skeeters got really bad when it started getting dark.

Slow Calm Evening Out Of the Trophy

14.5" Mad Maxx Sweet Revenge

7:45-8:45PM
Conditions: 70 degrees, Cloudy, Calm, Water level stopped rising, some sprinkles

I got out later than I wanted to.  It got dark quick.  Had a pike come out of the water after Maxx off of the beaver point dock.  I got the bass in the open water area where I have been getting fish the past couple of trips.  That was it for hits.

Camera on the fritz

Pre-Fishing Rabbit w/Dennis

6:50AM-4:30PM
Conditions: 82-56 degrees, light to mod NW Wind, Mostly sunny to partly cloudy. About 5' of visibility in the lake and 2' or less in the pit.

I arrived a little late thanks to not finding the car keys in the car the first time I looked and also having to get gas. We drove to the pit side first to the weed line on the SW corner.  Dennis started catching small keepers right away.  We eventually switched to fishing some "cane" and didn't get git.  We started working North up the W shore line.  I had a pike break off my Swim Fluke Jr. Dennis caught a quality bass out of some wood.  I finally got a bass and it was a descent one off of the road bed close to shore on Lake Fork Craw Tube.

We went out a little farther on the road bed and I got a couple more 14" bass on the LF Craw Tube.  I had to put on a different craw tube after the 3rd fish wrecked the bait.

We then went and tried some more "cane" I had pike follow in the Horny Toad and got a small bass while letting the Horny Toad sink in a likely looking spot.  Dennis set the hook into a dogfish but didn't hook up.

We then went out and worked a couple of humps.  I got a small bass on one of them on a craw tube.  We then went to the SE corner.  Dennis got a good fish out a ways from a dock.  We ran across Chuck and Lois.  The apparently had found the fishing today difficult as well.

We then ran to the Lake.  We fished around the island for smallmouth.  Dennis had a keeper get off and I caught a 10" and had a follow by what looked like a small keeper.  We then went to a spot that Dennis says always has fish except it didn't.  I think I eventually did get a 14" on the breen Chigger Craw.  While I was trying to grab it.  My line broke.  My tungsten sinker landed in the boat, but the fish got away with my hook because I wasn't quick enough to grab it.

We went to an unmarked hump and got some small keepers.  Then we worked the weedline picking up a couple more small keepers.  We ran into Swanny.  He said the fish were small and not very many of them.

We then went back to the pit.  We worked the road not getting anything. We then went to the NE of the island.  Dennis snapped his line up by the rod on the hookset.  We worked our way to the N point and
Dennis picked up 3 nice fish along the way.  We worked the cane not getting much.  We then worked the weed flat not getting much but 1 pike for me on the H2O Wake bait and a small bass which jumped me off on a Red Eye Shad.

We then went and worked around the Island.  I got a small keeper on a craw tube and Dennis got a small keeper as well.  At 4:30 we called it quits.

Dang Tackle Wrecker Wrecked My Net

22" Craw Tube brn/gp

Darn fish bit right through it.

6:00-9:30AM GOMH Lake Place Trophy
Conditions: 67-72 degrees, Mostly Cloudy, Light E wind, Water high and rising.

Up a few inches from last night

I didn't get a thing at the GOMH.  The weekend guy was there getting a few oranges. Skeeters were annoying.  I then headed to the lake place.  Wasn't getting anything until I had a pike miss Maxx then got a bass on the next cast just like the other night.  Was in the same general area as well on the bass hit.

It was an 18" Or maybe not

15" Mad Max

I then had another couple of pike come out of the water after Maxx. I caught a 15" bass on a Lake Fork Craw Tube out of some pads.  I then caught the bowfin punching some matted rice on the Craw Tbe.

The fish went through the net right back into the lake.  I had to land it with my line through the net.  It worked out thanks to my fish grippers. I had one more pike come out of the water after Maxx.  There was a lot of activity in the rice this morning.  I also missed one good hit on the frog that I had on for a few seconds.

An OK Night out of the Trophy

17.5" Mad Maxx Sweet Revenge

7:50-8:50PM Trophy to the East of the Lake Place
Conditions: Mid to high 70's, Mostly Cloudy, N Light to calm, Water is up and rising.

I missed the first hit of the evening on a Spro Frog in the rice along the entry to Sherman's.  Wasn't a very big fish. Didn't get anything else until the beaver point when a bigger fish hung me up and got off on Mad Maxx.  I got the 17.5 in Steve's opening just off of the pads.  Wasn't hooked by much and I had to go in to get it because it got hung up on the rice.

 A couple of casts later I had a pretty good sized and very dark pike take a shot at Maxx and miss.  I missed a fish in an open spot by shore, very pike like hit.  I spotted a place that looked like it might hold a fish and mad a good cast with Maxx.  A 15" bass was sitting there and took it.  That was the last bite of the evening.

Fishing In Between The Days Storms

Morning storm, didn't fish.

9:30-10:30AM GOMH NE
Conditions: 73-67 degrees, Cloudy to mostly sunny, Windy out of the East

I went to fish at 6AM at the GOMH, but the lightening got there first.  I went to the Lake Place to put a battery on the charger and got the pic as the storm approached.  It was pouring by the time I got to 8.  I pulled off the road briefly at Bear Trax.

I went back to the GOMH as the rain was ending.  I went through baits not getting anything until the craw tube.  I had a nice jumper jump me off.  I then got two 14.5" jumpers.

14.5" Green Pumpkin Craw Tube

The sun came out and it was warming up fast.  I went and pumped water out of the boat. We got about an inch.

At 4:30PM a storm built on top of us and it poured for more than two hours.  At one point our main sump pump wasn't able to keep up.  We got about 5".  I had to use a sump pump in the Trophy and it took 45 minutes or so to get the water out.  Will the dock be under water tomorrow?

Whew, Didn't Get Skunked

14.5" Mad Max Sweet Revenge

7:30-9:00PM Trophy at the Lake Place
Conditions: 82-77 degrees, Calm, Mostly Sunny

Couldn't get gas at JD's because they were out of premium.  There was a big black cow on the loose on 8 about a mile North of 27.  I'm glad the thing didn't charge the red KIA. Would have done some serious damage.

At the lake it was dead calm and fish were active.  They just weren't hitting my lures.  I fished for more than an hour without a strike.  Then I had a pike come out of the water after Maxx, then got a 14" on the next cast.

14" Sweet Revenge

Got the fish in the middle of this picture just in the open water

About 10 minutes later I got the 14.5" sitting in the same spot.  I had one more solid blow up that didn't hook up before the skeeters drove me off the lake.

Might pull the Trophy out of the lake tomorrow, but then again maybe not.  It doesn't look like we are gonna get the rain they were predicting.

Skunked Tonight, But I Had A Shot

Out of focus less than 1/2 moon

8:00-9:00PM Inlet, Culvert, GOMH SW NE
Conditions: Low 70's, Partly cloudy, Light S wind, Water level down 3" to 4"

Nothing at the Inlet or Culvert.  Finally on the NE side of the GOMH I was down to tying a Speed Clip on the 7' M Avid for a Jerk Shad as it was getting dark.  Had something on for about 5 seconds but it got off.  The skeeters got bad, so I left.  Skunked!

Snatchers Pokegama Tournament

2nd From Last, 2nd Place, 1st Place

Dave Smith 4lb 8oz Lunker

7:40AM-4:00PM Pokegama Lake (Grand Rapids) 14 Guys Fishing
Conditions: 76-58 degrees, Light to M NW wind, Mostly Sunny to Mostly Cloudy,  Water visibility about 5'

Pre-Tournament Thoughts:
I was due for a good tournament finish.

The Day:
We made the long run down to Sherry Arm and started on a large sunken Island with some cabbage where Bill had gotten a nice smallie in pre-fish.  Nothing was home except a small rock bass that I got on a craw tube.  We then moved to a wind blown point.  I pulled two pike on a chart/white Strike King Spinnerbait and Bill got the first keeper of the day, a small largemouth.  I had a good sized smallmouth head butt the spinnerbait right in front of me.  Why couldn't the fish bite it instead?

About an hour and a half in we went to the slop in the South end of Sherry Arm.  Bill got a couple more small largemouth.  We then worked the W shoreline and I got a 13.5" largemouth on Sweet Revenge Mad Maxx.  It showed itself and I got it on the second cast.  A little farther down I got a 13.75" out of some bulrushes on a craw tube.

We went to another point and Bill got another small keeper largemouth.  We went back to the point where I saw the smallie.  I had a couple dink bass grab the spinnerbait and get off.  Bill caught a 3-15 smallie on a jig.  That made his day.  We went back to the sunken island and didn't get anything.  With about two hours left to go we headed back towards Tioga.

I got a 14" in some reeds with rice on the craw tube.  We went into Poole Bay.  I lost a tungsten sinker to a snag in the reeds because I didn't retie my line which had been getting frayed.  Was not to happy about that.  We then moved across to the West side of the bay to some lily pads that Bill hadn't pre-fished.  I had fish miss the Horny Toad and Bill missed what sounded like a good fish just outside of the pads on his frog.  Then his trolling motor caught a bunch of braided line with a spinnerbait attached, so we lost use of the trolling motor for the final hour.

We moved into Tioga Bay and drifted with the wind along some reeds.  I had a good fish hit the Horny Toad but it swam right at me and I couldn't keep up and it got off.  Don't know what it was because I never saw it.  I had some dink bass hit the Horny Toad and had a couple good strikes not hook up. Bill got a small cull and the day was over.

Results:
My three fish weighed 4lbs 13ozs which put me in 13th Place out of 14 anglers.  Bill's fish went 11-7 and put him in 10th Place.  1st Place went to Tim Benson with 17lbs 8ozs and Dave Smith had the 4-8 Lunker.

My Thoughts:
I thought for sure I was getting last place in this one, but Art saved me from that fate.  We just weren't on anything as Bill having the smallest limit of the tournament with a 3-15 kicker proves.  I should have thrown the jerk shad some, but was to lazy to switch the spinnerbait for a speed clip.  That smallmouth bumping the spinnerbait and not eating it got in my head a little bit.  They usually crush it and are hooked up solid.

Next Tournament Rabbit Lake in two weeks.    

Pre-Fishing For the Pokegama Tournament On the Mississippi

Heading Up River

9:00AM-2:00PM
Conditions: 86-68 degrees, Windy out of the South, Mostly Sunny, Water level falling.

We put in at the 6 Bridge Access and headed up river past the 2nd bridge to an eddy that had some 13" bass in it.  We went up river some more and found another eddy with some 13" bass in it.  We went up river farther and started getting pike.  We went back to the 2nd bridge and Bill got a decent bass.  We didn't get anything else but a few missed bites.  We did go down by the Power Plant.  A lot of running without much to show.  We ruled out the river for tournament day.  I got 4 bass total and Bill got 6 or so.

I should have waited a minute to get the power plant in the background

Got Bit At The GOMH, Slow at the Lake Place Morning Trip

17.66" Mad Maxx Sweet Revenge

6:00-9:00AM GOMH NE Lake Place out of the Trophy

Got the fish right away just outside of the tunnel on the NE side.  That was it for the morning at he GOMH and out at the lake place out of the Trophy.  I did lose a bite in the rice.  I ran out of juice on the battery on my way back in.

Evening Trip In the Trophy

The area I got 2 bass and a pike, right before the open area.

7:45-9:15PM To the east of Jenny's in the Trophy
Conditions: Mid 70's, Mostly cloudy, Light SE wind

I decided to go out fishing tonight.  I motored around the reeds and went down the boat path east of Jenny's.  First hit was something that didn't put much effort into getting the frog and didn't.  Multiple casts didn't get it to commit.  Second hit was a small pike that missed.  Then I put a cast right down the open lane and got a 14.75" bass on Sweet Revenge.  It was bleeding from being hooked in the tongue and the camera was on the fritz, so I didn't get a picture, but I took the picture of where I caught it.  I worked my way into the dock and then fished off to the left in the slop.  I started coming back to the West and got this 15.5"

15.5" Mad Maxx Sweet Revenge

  I worked my way further West and cast across the boat channel and got the biggest bass of the night.

16" Mad Maxx

A couple casts later I got a 20" pike.  That was the last hit of the evening