Same ole Same Ole

10.5" Glow Demon w/Minnow

4:15-9:45PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions: 40-31℉, Partly Cloudy, Light SW Wind

7" Fly Jig w/Jamei and spike

I started out in the waypoint holes using my old Aqua-Vu again.  First fish was a crappie before I had the camera down.  First thing I saw on the camera was a pretty good sized pike.  It was interested in the camera not my presentations.  It stayed for about 5 minutes before moving on.  Eventually some sunnies and crappies showed up.  The fish didn't want anything to do with the minnow and sunfish weren't real big on taking in the Fly so I could get a hookset.  The crappies that came through were very aggressive on the Fly for the most part, except for a really big one that nipped at it once and then left.  I'm guessing it was a 13" fish at least.  I did get one decent bluegill.

8.5" VMC Fly

Got a couple of perch

   I started hole hopping after it got to dark to see with the camera.  I picked up maybe 1 more sunfish.  The rest of the night was spent on crappies to 10.5" and down to 6".

6" VMC Fly

10.25" Glow Demon w/minnow

I'd pick up 2 maybe 3 fish then I'd have to move on.  It was warm enough I never used the heater.  I stayed out until 9:45PM

30 Crappies
18 Sunfish
4 Perch
1 Pike

Rock Again

8" VMC Fly w/Jamei

4:00-9:30PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions:  33-27℉, Sunny, Windy West turning calm after dark, Moon was up after 7PM

10" VMC Fly w/Maki Jamei

I picked up some more minnows and Bear Trax and forgot the maggies and wax worms, so I bought some waxies as well.  I started out by setting up the old camera at the waypoint holes.  All I saw at first were a few perch  and I was almost ready to give up when a school of crappies and sunnies showed up.  I had a sunfish hit the Rippin' Rap but not hook up.  First fish was a 10.5" crappie on the Demon.  I caught quite a few sunfish do to being able to see them on the camera and a few crappie on the Fly and the Tubby Jig.  I took my eye off the camera for just a moment and I had what I assume was a pike hit the Fly and then the Demon; I didn't lose either, but the fish came off.

8" VMC Fly

Once it was almost to dark to see from the camera a couple nice bluegill came through.  Once I pulled the camera out I got a couple more crappies then I went out hole jumping.  It got really slow.  I would get a bite about every 15 minutes or so. I stayed later tonight with the nearly full moon. It was cooler today than forecast, supposed to get to 40℉ tomorrow.

Smallest Crappie of the night

24 Crappies
26 Sunfish

Another Evening On Rock

10.25" Glow Demon w/minnow

4:30-8:00PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions : 35-31℉, Cloudy, Light SW Wind, Sleeted for a half hour or so after dark, same general water depth I've been fishing.

5" Glow Demon w/minnow

I got out a little later than I wanted too.  Watched A-Mart set a new record on MLF and then watched Seth weigh in.

5" VMC Fly w/Jamei & spike

I started out in my waypoint holes.  Somebody had been fishing in the area earlier today.  I used my old Aqua-Vu with the MoPod.  Nice but not necessary.  I had crappies and sunnies coming in.  I missed a crappie that bit the Rippin' Rap.  First fish was that crappie on the Demon.  The crappies were not gung-ho on the minnow tonight; I only got 6 on the Demon with a few whiffs on the hookset.

7.5" VMC Fly

I lost quite a few bites again on the way to the hole on the Fly again tonight, probably a mix of crappies and sunfish.  I got 7 sunfish and 11 crappies on the Fly.  I got one bullhead on the Fly with a spike.

11" VMC Fly

Thankfully it stopped sleeting by the time I finished.

Smallest one  of the night

18 Crappies
7 Sunfish
1 Perch
1 Bullhead

A Nice Night On Rock

10" Glow Demon w/minnow

4:30-7:00PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions: 42-36℉, Mostly Sunny, Light SW wind,  at the Waypoint holes

It was a beautiful evening to be out on the lake.  First fish was that crappie on a stickleback.  I got 8 crappies on the Glow Demon and Minnow.  I got 4 crappies and 7 sunfish on the VMC Fly with Maki Jamei and a spike.  I missed quite a few bites on the Fly couldn't keep em hooked all the way to the hole.  I decided to call it quits at 7PM.  I'm sure I would have gotten a few more had I stayed later.  Temps getting above freezing for as far as the eye can see.  I'll be getting out a lot maybe I will try a new spot or two or give Platte/Sullivan a try.

8" VMC Fly Jig

12 Crappies
7 Sunfish

Long Sucky Day On Rock

1st Fish of the Day 7" VMC Fly w/Jamei and spike

6:30AM-2:00PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions: 21-18℉, Windy North, Snow then turning clear.  Enough snow and wind to be very annoying.

Since the forecast temps where for temps to drop once the front passed I elected to go fishing in the morning.  I didn't get anything for the first half an hour or so.  Then I pulled up 3 descent sized sunfish on the Fly Jig.

8.75" VMC Fly with Jamei and spike

I missed a couple bites on the minnow then got this pike.

Corner of the mouth

22" Glow Demon w/minnow

 I then got my only crappie of the morning.  At least it was a fairly descent one.

10.75" Glow Demon/minnow

After getting the crappie I struggled to find the fish for about an hour.  It started snowing.  Finally I got some gills in a hole.  That action lasted about 45 minutes.  After that all I could find were perch.

5" VMC Fly

The sun came out around noon, but my body was shot and I didn't feel like making a big move, so I died on the spot.  The reason the day was so sucky was the combination of wind and snow.  That made holes I drilled disappear.  

1 Pike
1 Crappie
8 Perch
13 Sunfish

The Struggle Was Real

5" VMC Fly w/Jamei and spike

5:00-10:00PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions: 21℉, Windy North, Cloudy, 14.5' to 16'

I don't know why I changed up the routine that had been working so well for me, because what I did tonight didn't work.  I started off fishing the Rippin' Rap and the VMC Tubby. I caught nothing in the first two set of holes I drilled.  I drilled 4 sets and started on the Southern most.  The wind was strong enough to be highly annoying.  Finally in the 3rd set, waypoint holes, I put a minnow down and landed a 10" crappie.  I caught a total 5 nice one's in that set over about half an hour all on the Glow Demon and minnow.  I then went to the farthest North set and got a couple right away on the Demon.  Then I got several 8 to 9 inchers on the Fly.  I went back to the waypoint holes and got a couple right away on the Demon then nothing.  I went back to the N most holes and got 3 small one's on the Fly.  I then went back to the waypoint holes and got a couple more high 9 inchers.  I finally went back to my hot holes from the past couple of nights and landed 4 nice one's really quick on the Demon.  I got my last fish on the Fly.  Over all size was up, but action was much slower.  If it wouldn't have been so windy out.  I would have moved around more.

I only thought to take one picture.

21 crappies

Doh! I Forgot the Rods

Waiting for Dad to bring the rods

6:15-9:15PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions: 15℉, Mostly Cloudy, Light NW wind, 14' to 16'

The fog in my brain showed up on the camera this shot

I watched Major League Fishing until 5PM.  I had decided to go fishing instead of watching the Super Bowl and loaded the car during commercial breaks during the last hour of MLF.  I forgot to grab my rod bag.  I left for the lake at about 5:15.  I had unloaded everything and went to drill 4 sets of holes.  I did't realize I had forgotten the rods until I got my house set up 5:40. Doh!  So I called Dad and had him meet me at Beat Trax.  That cost me basically half an hour.

1st Fish/9" Glow Demon with Minnow

I started in the holes I did best at last night.  I got a 9" crappie pretty quickly on the Glow Demon with a minnow.  I caught my first six or so fish pretty quickly then they got finicky.  I left the minnow down at the Trap and went out and hole hopped.  I didn't get anything in the farthest South set of holes. I went to the other set of holes from last night and there was activity there,  I went to get my stuff and the bobber was down; a small crappie.  I then moved to the other set of holes from last night.

4" VMC Fly w/Maki Jamei (white)

I only got three or four small one's in this set of holes and pretty much the same at the next set of holes using the Demon and Fly.  I went back to the farthest South set of holes and lost what felt like a good crappie on the Fly.  Then I got a bullhead that pulled down the bobber.

10" Glow Demon w/minnow

I got a 9" crappie there as well. I ended on the holes I started at getting one final crappie on the minnow.

Fish were really finicky tonight and I missed a bunch of them on the Fly.  Possibly small sunfish, who knows.  Fish ran even smaller on average tonight than last night.  I only got one 10 incher.  The football game was over by the time I started the truck. Congratulations to Tom Brady and the Patriots for that epic comeback. I didn't listen to any of the game while I was out on the ice except when I drove to meet Dad.

17 Crappies
1 Bullhead

Night Fishing at Rock

1st Fish of the Night
9.25" Glow Demon with Minnow

6:30-9:30PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions: 30-25℉, Cloudy, Light wind and calm, mostly in the 14.5' foot spot

Because of the Snatchers meeting and mom's shopping I didn't get on the lake until 6:30.  I pretty much smashed 'em the first hour only getting one line down.  Same spot as last night.  Fish ran on the smaller side again with some small one's in the mix.

5" Glow Demon w/ Minnow

Then the bite slowed down by 7:30.  I eventually went to the deeper holes and got mostly smaller one's there except for this 10.5".  I thought it was gonna go 11".  All these smaller fish are effecting my guesstimates.

10.5" Glow Demon w/ minnow

I did get only one small crappie on the VMC Fly with Jamei. They were either looking or biting real light on that lure tonight.  I didn't get anything but crappies.  I was too lazy to drill more holes and called it quits at 9:30.

24 crappies

Back On Rock

1st Fish/9" VMC Tubby w/Jamei (purple)

2nd Fish/5.5" VMC Fly w/Jamei

3rd Fish/5.5" VMC Fly w/Jamei

4:20-8:10PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions: 19-16℉, Mostly turning cloudy, Wind SW, 14'-16' of water

I needed to get new water on the minnows, it was reasonably warm today, and I needed a break from the Internet, so I went fishing at Rock today.  Since it snowed this week nobody had been in my area.  I drilled 3 sets of holes and started on my hot spot from last time.  I put the minnow down first and nothing was happening.  I then called some fish over with the Rippin' Rap.  I put down the VMC Tubby with Maki Jamei and got that first crappie on it.  I then caught the Sunfish on the VMC Fly with white Maki Jamei.  I got the perch on the Fly;   Immediately after taking the picture my bobber went down. It was a big fish that broke my line 4" down on my foot long dropper line;  It may have been a pike, but it didn't cut me off.  I just misplayed the fish trying to rush it up to the hole.

I got my bobber rod retied and started getting a few crappies on that, the Fly and the Tubby.  Then at about 5:40 the fish disappeared.  So I went to the second set of holes.  First thing I pulled up there was this nice gill.

8.5" VMC Fly w/Jamei (white)

As it got dark the crappies moved in and I caught a bunch of them.  Mostly on the Glow Demon minnow, but I got a few on the VMC Fly and Tubby as well.  The fish were running a half to three quarters of an inch smaller than my last trip with a couple 7" and 8" thrown in as well.  I got 3 that were legitimately at least 10" and nothing over 10.5".  The bite was consistent enough that I never moved until I left.  It wasn't the mad house bite like last trip, but I still got over 8 fish an hour on average.

27 Crappies
2 Sunfish
1 Perch  

Rock Lake Smack Down!

13.5" Glow Demon w/minnow

4:00-8:00PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions: 32-31 degrees, Cloudy, Light W Wind, the water on the ice had frozen up pretty much.

I was not happy that I didn't get out the door until 3:30 or so.  I forgot the maggies at home, so I picked up wax worms along with the minnows at Bear Trax.  I started out by drilling a second hole at all the holes I drilled yesterday.  I then stared at the first holes I did yesterday.  I never moved from that spot.  I sent down a minnow first thing and it was bobber down almost immediately.

10" Glow Demon w/minnow

I caught a couple more quickly then they stopped biting so I put the minnow down in the far hole.

5.5" VMC Fly w/Wax Worm

I then started getting crappies and sunfish on the VMC Fly with Jamei and a wax worm.  I got a this bass on the Demon with minnow.

12" Glow Demon and Minnow

 Two trips two bass.  Never would have guessed that after not catching one out there last winter.

10.5" Glow Demon w/minnow

The crappies started biting the minnow so frequently I only fished one line for about an hour and a half.  At about 6PM it slowed down and I resumed fishing with two lines.  I caught a few more crappies on the minnow.  I got a couple of crappies on the Fly, a couple on the Tubby Jig, and couple sunfish on the Tubby Jig.  This was the biggest sunfish of the night.

7.5" VMC Tubby Jig w/Maki Jamei

 I decided to leave at 8PM

39 Crappies
9 Sunfish
1 Bass

With the one slab being the exception all the crappies were no bigger than 10.5" with most of them being from 9.5-10".  I only got two that were shorter than 9".  The Rock Lake specials are definitely growing.  One more year and I'll have a pretty good crappie lake.

My lower back is really feeling it.  That has never happened from sitting in the Fish Trap before.

First Ice Fishing Trip of 2017

17.5" VMC Fly Jig w/Maki Jamei and maggie

9:00AM-1:30PM Rock Lake My Spot 14'-17'
Conditions: 34 degrees, Cloudy and fog in the morning, light W wind, sloppy and wet on the ice

Sloppy and Wet

With the warm weather we have been having my motivation meter finally started ticking up and so today was the day I put it all together and got out.  There wasn't much going on at Rock Lake and two parties pulled their permanents off of the lake today.  I'm taking that to mean the bite hasn't been very good out there this winter compared to other area lakes.

I had a thought before I started drilling holes that since I didn't have any minnows all I needed was a single hole instead of my usual double.  I found one open hole in the area but that was it.  I didn't really look to hard to see if there were any others.  I think I drilled 6.  I started in the farthest North.  And my first fish for 2017 was a...

1st Fish of 2017

Bluegill on a VMC Tungsten Fly Jig w/white Maki Jamei with a spike

All I got in the first hole was sunfish and they were finicky.  My line on the VMC Fly's rod was getting caught on the spool where I tied to the backing.  I took the time to get the not put at the very bottom of the spool where it is less likely to catch.  Turns out that was a good thing I did that.  

In the second hole I busted the bass first thing after not getting a hit with fish down it on the Rippin' Rap.

17.5" VMC Fly w/Maki Jamei and spike

Not where it was actually hooked

The way the bass ran I thought I had a decent sized pike on.  I was pleasantly surprised it was a bass seeing as how I didn't catch a single one out there last winter.  That fish made my trip.

I also caught some perch.

7.5" Rippin' Rap

This was the only bite I had on the Rippin Rap.

I was satisfied I knocked the rust off and packed up at 1:30PM.  I should have moved around more quickly and drilled a few more holes.

1 Bass
6 Perch
12 Sunfish