Skunked On a Nice Day at the GOMH

2:30PM GOMH South Side

5:30PM GOMH South Side

2:30-3:30PM GOMH & Sullivan Inlet
5:30-5:45PM GOMH NE
Conditions: 54-52℉, Mostly Sunny, Calm then Gusty Wind

Dad had to run up to Fleet Farm today to get stuff for the Expedition, so we were unable to get the Trophy out today.  After a Dr. appointment I headed to the GOMH.  It was really nice almost no wind.  The open water area expanded nicely with the two warm days in a row we had.  Out of nowhere it got gusty from the West while I was fishing on the NE side.  No dogfish to report.  I did successfully fish with a Fuego reel that I fixed with some super glue to reattach an inductor that had come loose.👍👍  I've got at least two more of those reels with the same issue.  I fished for a bit on the SW side as well. Nothing.

     I then drove to the Platte River Culvert.  Water is pretty low.  Then I went to the Inlet.  Was surprised the South side of the culvert there was iced up, but with dark ice.  Nothing there either.

I had to pick something up in Onamia.  Lake Onamia had more open water than the GOMH at the outlet.  The gas station formerly known as Meleen's has reopened with a Taco John's in it where the tackle used to be.  I don't think I've ever eaten at Taco John's.  I'll have to give it a try sometime.  There were a couple of people fishing out on Mille Lacs.  One just north of Rocky Reef and a couple of people up by the Rum River Outlet. There wasn't a whole lot of open water there or at the Whitefish Inlet.  I circled back to the GOMH.  It was kind of breezy out of the SW.  I fish the NE side for 15 minutes then left.

It's not supposed to get above freezing tomorrow, then it warms up a bit and turns wet and windy.  I am rooting for rain at this point as we could use a good 10" in the lakes.  I believe lakes to the South and West of us will begin opening up again after that cold front stopped things dead in it's tracks.  It's supposed to be warmer down in the cities.  I suspect Tonka will be declared open in the next day or two.

I Went Ice Fishing Again

8.5" VMC Fly w/Jamei & spike

6:00-8:30PM Sullivan Lake (Sunfish Spot)
Conditions: 34-28℉, Mostly Sunny, Light N Wind, 26' of water

I went to Bear Trax and picked up some minnows and then headed to Rock Lake.  I was putting on my ice cleats when one of them broke, Doh.  I decided to drill some holes in the access area and look with the camera.  Ice was about 12" thick and honeycombed.  I didn't see any fish.  I wasn't going to walk out to my spot with only one ice cleat on.  I gave Bear Trax a call and they were open to 6PM, so I packed up and went and got a new pair of cleats.

I then headed to Sullivan.  I was the only person at the East access.  There were a couple of people fishing out toward the middle between the two accesses.  I went out to the spot I caught the sunfish last time I was out.  Fish were there, but I couldn't get them to bite, at least not bite so I could detect it.  I put the camera down and spotted some crappies, sunnies, and perch.  I watched crappies come up to the Fly look at for a few seconds then swim away a couple of times when I was down viewing.  I pulled the camera up because visibility just wasn't that good.  I had the bobber get pulled down a couple of times, but missed both fish.  I did get a couple of 8.5" crappies.  It was a nice sunset, but a little colder out than I wanted it to be.

     When I pulled away from the access the check engine light came on, Ruh Roh!.  Was this my last ice fishing trip of the year?

2 Crappies

A Forgettable Debut For the SS SV

Daiwa SS SV Reel on Daiwa Tatula 6'10"M Rod

So my scratch and dent Daiwa SS SV that I got for a steal on eBay arrived from Japan today.  I knew it was coming today thanks to tracking, so I stayed up for it instead of going to bed.  I spooled it up with a full 125yrd spool of Fireline and headed to GOMH to test my new to me combo out.  That was a mistake.  I should have watched the SV Concept Demonstration Manuel on YouTube first.  I only discovered there was such a video after coming home in defeat.  I had seen several videos about Daiwa SV reels but hadn't seen that one.  The videos I had seen led me to the mistaken belief that the SV spool was practically backlash proof;  Had I watched the video first I would have discovered that was not the case.  I also learned I overfilled the reel from the video.

So I get to the GOMH and the wind is blowing like a son of a gun out of the SE.  No problem, I would just go to the NE side.  So instead of going right to trying to skip a Fluke, I go to see what the reels got as far as casting distance from up on the concrete.  After a couple of solid casts with the breaks set at 4 or 5.  I backed them down to 2 or 3 and was really impressed with how far I was throwing the Fluke.  The distance that I'm pretty sure I've never matched with a Fluke on a TD-Z and 6'8"M Avid.  To be fair I don't think I've ever tested that combo for distance and certainly not with such a strong wind at my back.  I never thumbed the spool as there was no need to do it.

Then I went down on the rocks to try skipping the Fluke.  I didn't readjust the brakes.  I was so excited the see what the reel could do I didn't pay attention to my casting mechanics.  I threw the Fluke with a lousy trajectory and backlashed the reel something awful.  So awful in fact that after 25 minutes and little progress or hope for getting it out I started cutting it out.  I was frustrated and ended up screwing that up resulting in losing all but maybe 40 yards of line.

With all the line taken off the reel wasn't casting nearly as far.  I was able to get it to skip the Fluke ok with only minor overrun with breaks set at 5.  I did try casting into the wind with an X-Rap for a little bit.  I also had the TD-Z Avid 6'8" combo along for comparison.  I was having a hard time adjusting to the differences between throwing with the Avid/Z combo with which I am confident with and the Tatula/SV combo which I was not confident with.  I was getting chilled in that wind so I gave up my testing.

  At Tackle Tour I got some advice.  I am going to try putting some 15lb J-Braid 8 on the reel next and I definitely won't fill it so full.

No Tullibee This Morning Either

8.9" VMC Fly w/Mak Jamei and spike

6:30AM-12:00PM Sullivan Lake (Tullibee Area)
Conditions: 32-48℉, Windy SSE, Cloudy to Sunny, 26' fish were 10' of the bottom

Oops,

The rod bag fell of the Fish Trap when I first started walking out and I didn't realize it until after I was all the way out.  That wasted a good 15 minutes.  There was snow on the ice when I went out, by the time I left not so much.

About an hour before I left, a wet mess.

 There was pretty much almost nothing going on where I fished yesterday.  I caught maybe 2 sunny's and this one little crappie.

All fish were caught on the Fly/Jamei Combo

I decided to move farther to the South and I got into a school of active sunfish and picked up 9 nice sized ones.

8" VMC Fly

3.5" VMC Fly

I got into a school of little perch that just lit up the Vex.  I put the AquaVu Micro 5c camera down and they were all over the place.

1 Crappie
11 Sunfish
3 Perch

No Tullibee This Morning

10.75" VMC Fly w/Jamei and spike

6:00-10:00AM Sullivan Lake the Tullibee Hole
Conditions: 24-34℉, Mostly Sunny, Windy SE, 25'-26' of water most fish came 15' down

I was hoping to luck into some tullibee this morning.  I was up at 4:30AM and off to the lake by 5:30.  I was fishing by 6:00AM.  I caught a small crappie right away on the Demon/minnow combo.  I then missed a fish that took the bobber down.  About 20 minutes later I got a 9.5" crappie on the VMC Fly w/Jamei.  I got a nice crappie on the minnow, then one on the Fly.  I put a wax worm on the Demon for about 20 minutes. And jigged a rattle spoon with a wax worm dropper hoping to get a tullibee.  Didn't really seem like anything showed interest in that.  I got a 7" sunfish.  A little after sunrise I went to holes that were a little deeper.  I got a little more action there and some possible tullibee looks.  I put down the Aqua-Vu, but visibility wasn't any good so I brought it right back up.  I got a few more crappies and a good bluegill.

8.9" VMC Fly

Things slowed down by 9:30.  I switched holes a little shallower and didn't get anything there.  I packed up at 10AM

12 Crappies
3 Sunfish

I Didn't Get Skunked On Sullivan This Time

10.25" Glow Demon w/Minnnow

5:30-8:00PM Sullivan Lake West Access
Conditions: 31-28℉, Mostly Cloudy, Occasional Flurries, Windy out of the WNW, 42' of water

I went to Bear Trax and bought my 2017 fishing license.  Found out that they don't have a replacement for Kuske ready yet.  My guess is that his wife will now be the main person overseeing the area in addition to her regular patrol area around the river at Little Falls.

I decided to head over to the West side of Sullivan.  Nobody was out there, but a wheeler had blazed a trail out to the area I wanted to fish;  I ended up marking fish in the area the wheeler had fished.  I drilled my own holes as they were frozen over.  Same as last time marking fish 10 to 15 feet off bottom in 42' of water.  I sent my minnow down first and had a fish take my bobber down while I was getting my other rods out.  I caught it.  I wasn't patient enough on the next bite on the Demon and missed it losing my minnow.  I got the heavy pink/glow Tubby Jig w/pink Jamei and wax worm down the hole.  I had several interested fish, but didn't get any.   I set the hook maybe 8 times.  The bobber went down, but I think I waited to long as the bobber was coming back up the hole when I set the hook.  Then the fish disappeared and I couldn't find them.

At least I didn't get skunked.

1 Crappie  

When A Plan Doesn't Come Together

Out for a fishing trip on a grey snowy day.

4:30-7:30PM Rock Lake My Spot
Conditions: 33-30℉, Cloudy, Some Snow, Light N wind

Lugging the stuff out wasn't to bad in the fresh 1" to 2"

The plan was to set up on the waypoint holes then watch and catch fish.  The problem was the fish weren't there. I never put the camera down because I didn't mark anything.  After 20 minutes of that, I left the minnow with the Fish Trap and went out and hole hopped making my way South.  I had 5 sets of holes drilled.  I didn't mark anything until I got to the 4th set.  I dropped the VMC Fly down on it and it showed interest for a few moments and then left.  I marked something in the 5th set and as soon as I dropped on it the fish swam off.

I drilled some single holes going back North hoping to hit the 12' to 9' foot range.  I ended up still being in 14' or 15' feet.  I did have one fish that was kind of hot, but I didn't detect a hit.  I then drilled some holes in 9' to 10'.  I think I had some perch in them.  I went to one of the 14' holes and had a good bite that I didn't hook up on.  I drilled a couple of holes in 6' to 8' with weeds.  It was too dark to sight fish by then so that was a waste.  I ended up going back to my original sets of holes and missed one bite in them.  There was something causing interference in the area that has been the sweet zone.  No crappies came in on the Demon and minnow.  I gave up at 7:30PM.

Rock Lake Public Access as I was unloading

The ice heave that has been there all winter long.

  

Another Skunk at the GOMH

Swans and ducks

A little more open than last time

5:50-6:30PM GOMH
Conditions: 33℉, Mostly Cloudy, Light wind, water level was up slightly

The wind had calmed down.  It was above freezing and the sun was still up. I thought what the heck.  I'll give the GOMH a shot.  Nothing doing, but the swans, some ducks and two Canadians that flew in as I was packing up.  Totally worth it for the sunset and the birds.

Night Fishing With Peter W.

9" Glow Demon w/minnow

11:00PM-2:30AM Rock Lake my spot
Conditions: 31-28℉, Cloudy, Windy NW W, 16' of water

Peter Woitalla got a hold of me on Facebook and we ended up meeting out on Rock Lake last night.  He found his way to my holes before I got there.  It had snowed about an inch, so traction on the ice was pretty good.  I arrived at about 10:30PM and was fishing by 11.  We started at my waypoint holes.  I got one small crappie there.  I went out and drilled some more holes.  Didn't get anything in those.  I went and drilled some more holes.  I marked a fish in one of them and I caught 4 crappies there on the Demon with a minnow.  I drilled a couple more sets and Peter got two in the last set we fished.  At least that's how I remember it.  We stopped fishing at 2:30AM

9" Glow Demon w/minnow

7 crappies

Skunked Again, But I Was Fishing Open Water

The GOMH when the swans arrived

4:30-5:00PM GOMH both sides
Conditions: 44℉, Mostly Cloudy, Windy NW, water level low

When I arrived at he Grumpy Old Man Hole the wind had come up and it was cloudy.  I'm surprised I didn't get rained on.  There was an otter laying on the edge of the ice that jumped in the water when I turned to truck around.  As I was getting ready to take pictures two swans arrived.

I tried a Piranha and a couple of different STX's.  Didn't have a hit.  I'll be back.

1st Skunk of 2017

Looking SW

4:00-6:30PM Sullivan Lake West Access
Conditions: 48-40℉, Mostly cloudy, Wind SSW, Fished from 7' to 42'

We were not fishing very close to that point at all

Pete decided to stay another night and go fishing, lucky me.  So I didn't go to the Grumpy Old Man Hole like I planned.  Dad using the Kia had something to do with that as well.  I ended up choosing to go to the West access on Sullivan.  I didn't put a whole lot of thought in to what we were trying to accomplish.  It would have been nice had Pete remembered to grab his jacket.  I gave him my hoodie and fleese sweatshirt, thus leaving me with two base layers and my Clam Jacket.  There was enough of a wind that I ended up getting pretty chilled.

There was a guy with a four wheeler fishing the area I wanted to go to.  I didn't think to go and talk with the guy and amazingly enough Pete didn't either.  We started out fishing open holes we found.  Pete started getting a few perch and he kept a couple that he found acceptable size.  He moved holes and an eagle came and stole the biggest one.  I couldn't hook a perch for some reason.  I wasn't detecting any bites.

As the sun started going down I took notice of the beautiful sky.  I went out and drilled some holes over 40' of water.  I marked some suspended fish, but once again couldn't feel if they were biting.  They just weren't aggressive and didn't stay long.  Pete couldn't get the suspended fish either.  The the guy with the 4 wheeler left and Pete went over in that area and marked a ton of fish.  Couldn't get them either.  The batteries on my GPS had quit and I forgot that I had the battery back up in my coat, duh!

I was cold and it was pretty dark so we left.

Skunk

Sullivan With Pete

10.75" VMC Fly w/Jamei (purple)

4:30-6:30PM Sullivan Lake
Conditions: 53℉, Partly Cloudy, East Wind, 25' of water

We finally got out on Sullivan.  The access wasn't in that bad of shape. I wasn't really sure where we were going to fish.  A lady was waiting outside her wheelhouse for her husband to show up with the truck to move it away.  We stopped and she told us they had gotten some sunfish and perch, so we stopped right there.  Basically in the area where I've caught sunfish and tullibee in the past.  I drilled some holes to the West and Pete went to holes that had already been drilled.  I caught a 6" gill first.  Then I got the crappie.  Which Pete wanted me to keep, so I threw it on the ice.  I caught another couple of gills and Pete caught a spottail shiner.  That gave him walleye on the brain.  I gave him my bobber rod, thinking that is what he would use.  His thinking was to get rid of the bobber and tie on a spoon.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize that was what he was doing until it was to late.  I, of coarse, had my jigging rod sitting in the bag I took the bobber rod from.  I was pretty frustrated by that development.  I went back to fishing after locating my bobber rig in the truck.  I caught a couple of nicer sunfish.  Fortunately Pete was a ways away and didn't see me catch them, so I threw them back.

8" VMC Fly w/Jamei and spike

9" VMC Fly

Me looking to see if Pete's saw me with the bull

After that I had a few more bites that I missed and Pete had the shiner stolen.  We had a flock of swans fly over when it was getting fairly dark.  Our Vex's went blank so we packed up and left.  Good thing, because I was getting hungry and I had that fish to clean and Pete had my crappies from last week to cook.

They were delicious

1 Crappie
7 Sunnies
1 Spottail Shiner-Pete

Lots of Fish on Aqua-VU

Not the greatest picture and the only one I took of the Aqua-Vu.
 The sunny at bottom middle had a nasty gash on the top of it's back

3:45-7:15PM Rock Lake My Spot mostly the waypoint holes
Conditions: 51-40℉, Cloudy, Very light to no wind SW

Pete wanted me to meet him at Garrison to fish after Bucks for Ducks, but I wasn't having any of that.  Good choice for me, as it was a total cluster for people trying to get off, not to mention all the standing water.

I ended up getting out later than I wanted too.  There were several trucks on the ice and the ice at the access seemed solid, so I drove on.  Obviously no problems.  I didn't use the Ion.  I was pretty much immediately marking fish in the waypoint holes.  I put the camera down and it was a mixed school or crappies and sunnies; I was really on top of them.  I got a few crappies on the Demon with the minnow and on the Fly with Jamei.

9.75" Demon w/Minnow

 Mostly the fish just milled around.  I did get a few sunnies and 1 perch.  I had 1 pike come through.  It disappeared by the time I put a spoon down. The fish pretty much split by 5:30PM.  I did pick off a few more.  Once it got dark it got tough.

5" VMC Fly

6" VMC Fly

I saw and heard some swans as they flew over tonight.

24 Crappie
13 Sunfish
1 Pike
1 Perch