Two Trips Today, Ice Getting Close, Trophy Ready

Ice went off our bay when I was vacuuming out the Trophy.

Red-Wing Blackbird

Did Not turn into a thunderboomer, thankfully

Ice-free to South Big Island

Open to LSB

Ice at the access tonight, so ice out will be tomorrow.

Platte Lake Access

 

North Platte Lake Drive Looking SE towards our bay

Where I park the Trophy, looking OK for now

The rain this morning lit a fire on Bulldog in the access area, and I could see with significant open water on the Eastern side that Bulldog wouldn't have ice for much longer.

Rock dark, but I thought it would still have ice tomorrow.
I was wrong about that.

This morning at 8AM, we got a call from the Chiropractor that he wouldn't be in today, so I headed to the GOMH. Got skunked and left when it started to rain. Got a short downpour at our place and .25" of water. Platte and Mille Lacs got more significant downpours in duration and intensity. I took a nap. Got up around 3:30PM and headed over to the lake place to get the Trophy ready in the 70-degree weather. No thunderstorms, so I got her done. When I was headed over, our bay was 2/3 covered, and there was a kayaker and canoe out along the ice edge. By the time I went down front, our bay was wide open. I took the N. Platte Lake Drive loop, and there was still plenty of ice N and W of the Big Island. Rock was iced up. Bulldog was looking ready to go, as was the ice at the Platte Lake Access.

I fished for about half an hour at the GOMH. Otters were chasing one another in the cattails, and two of them made trips up to the road a couple of times. Red-wing blackbird was in that small tree to the West. Loons were out front. Got skunked again. I started seeing lightning about dark, so I bounced when I heard thunder. The storms never made it this far east. 

Skunked Again Tonight

 

 

Thunderstorms did not develop today in our area. It was primarily occasional light rain with a hefty ENE wind. It was only in the low 40s for most of the day. Bulldog was slightly more open, same with Rock. Ice was pulling away in a bunch more places on Platte. With the warm temps and high winds and rain, I don't see the ice on Platte making it through the weekend. Don't know if I'll be able to get to work on the boat this weekend or not due to the rain. Would really like to have Trophy in Rock Lake no later than Wednesday.

I took two trips to the GOMH tonight. I took the lake tour during the first one after getting the low beam situation taken care of. The first one I only fished for about half an hour. A guy stopped to talk during the first trip. He remembered meeting me over at Rock Lake. We talked for maybe 5-minutes. He said he would be back next week if it warms up and drove a white pickup. Had an Osprey fly over the bridge, then went around Eagle Perch Point about 20-feet off the ground. Very Cool. Also had a low-flying trumpeter swan fly over to Sully tonight. As I was packing to leave on Trip 1. A second smaller loon joined the one that had been swimming over by Intersection Point. They swam around and around one another while dipping their heads underwater, presumably looking for baitfish. Never seen that before. Maybe it was a mating thing.

I stayed until after dark the second trip, hoping some silver bullheads might show up. Nope. Skunked again.

Skunked Tonight, Got Minnows Today

Sunny when the sun came up, then clouded up quickly. Cloudy when Dad and I went to Onamia. Sun came out again by 3PM. Nice night. 

I think Local Walleye Guy fished tonight on the NE side for a while. The weather was pleasant, but I forgot my headlamp. Got minnows today at Reed's. We then went to check Kathio Bridge for suckers, none. Had a turkey take out the driver-side mirror, and dad stopped too quick, spilling the minnows; what a mess. Didn't get a bite. Had a loon make me believe I would get something tonight the way it was bird-dogging on the SE side. There was open water off of the point at SPSI, but was only open 75% of the way there. 

 

Saw Toothy And A Bunch Of Loons

 

Cubby Rod Has Seen Better Days

Bulldog A Little Separation heading North

Water to the foot of the steps SW side

Maybe 14" from the high watermark

Toward SPSI

Spot Stealing Barbarian

Saw a small pike swimming along the NE rocks, Loon night at the GOMH; saw many birds flying South when I was on the SW side and several flying North when I was on the NE side. Didn't get a bite. Stayed after dark. Cool, but calm. Loons calling from the south and north. No signs of life with the spotlight. 40% of the way to SPSI. Some areas on Platte with significant separation from shore and others none at all. Bulldog and Rock didn't change much with today's rain. But I think there will be a significant jump toward open water in the next few days as it warms up.

1st Jumpin Bullhead of 2022

 

3.47lbs Panfish Chatterbait

Fatso? Don't Think So

33% of the way to SPSI

Ever so slight improvement at Bulldog

Went to the Chiropractor today. It was sunny until about 4PM.  Headed out before 7PM. Bulldog and Rock were about the same. Got my first jumper of the year. That was the only bite I got. Nobody at the GOMH but me. Guessing we are about a week out from Platte being open Tons of ducks flew over as I was packing up to go shine the channel.

DNF

Eagles On Eagle Perch Point

 

Skunked For Easter

 No other fishermen. One truck did briefly pull up but left quickly. No bites.  The snow stopped for only a minute or two, not what I meant, which was for the snow to stop altogether. Snow was blowing in my face on the SW side. Left before it got too dark.

DNF

 Did not fish today. Didn't even get out to check the lakes. Took a nap at 2PM and didn't get out of bed the rest of the evening.

DNF

 Took Kaylee for a ride around the lakes. Saw one small turkey before we got to Bulldog. Rock was refrozen. Had I had rods along, I would have fished at the GOMH.  It really didn't look that nasty out there. There may have been an open water channel to the river mouth at the SPRO, but I'm not 100% sure it connected the two open water zones. I saw a herd of deer along the field on Logan Lane. There were a couple of pheasants along the road just past our mailbox, and somebody pulled over by the Sherrif just beyond the birds when we got home.

DNF

 Windy and snowing off and on all day. Took Kaylee for a ride after 7PM. Bulldog the same. Rock less open than yesterday and about the same on the Platte side. Nearly in whiteout conditions for a couple of minutes coming home.

Skunked On A Cold Windy Night

 

1st Bullead of 2022, Plus 1st Loon

18" Swim Shad (Purple)

 

Loons Have Arrived

7:15-8:30PM GOMH SW

45℉, Cloudy/light rain, 8-14mph E

Past experience says you never know what your gonna get at the Grumpy Old Man Hole. Tonight I came up with two aces. First was the first loon sighting and hearing of the year. I started on the NE side and didn't get a bite. As I was crossing over to the SW side, I heard a loon call and looked up to see a loon flying from Sullivan toward Platte. The bird that made the sound was in the water. I figured out that I could zoom in on the iPhone 11 to take a picture beyond the two presets I had been using. Cool! 

I tried throwing a few different things. Then I put on a 2" Storm Swim Shad and got the toothy bullhead on the first cast. Only bite I got. Before I left, I called Teena from the car. As we were talking, I started seeing some lightening in the South. When I heard thunder, I headed home. It was a very minor thunderstorm, very little thunder. I did have to run the side pump for over an hour.

Rocked The Final Ice Fishing Trip Of Winter 21/22

7+ Rippin Rap

8.5" Cubby

8" Rippin Rap

6:30-9:00PM Rock Lake 8' at the Cane

36-45℉, PC, 4-23mph NNW

I got on OK. Stepped in slush and soaked my right boot. I then walked straight out. Drilled a hole to the South, wasn't impressed with what I saw and headed to my cane holes, which I could not find. I ended up stepping in two of them later on. I drilled one hole out deep. Then moved in closer to the cane and set up there. It was pretty windy once I got past the hill. Also drilled a set to the South. When I got back, there was a school of sunnies off in the distance that I think had a big bass in with them, but it was too far away to tell. Had a few schools of sunnies and crappies swim through, but not very frequently. Saw one pike. I caught the one sunfish and one Crappie on the Rippin Rap. And I got a couple crappie on the Cubby Mini-mite  I packed up at 9 PM as nothing was going on. Checked the Sullivan access on my way home; it's trash. I will probably hit Rock again in the morning and call it a season.

I did not get up, so this was my final 21/22 Ice Fishing Season trip.

 

Skunked At The GOMH Again & No Suckers at Shakopee

Fished for about half an hour tonight. No bites. Counted 44 swans, saw a couple do battle and a pair do a mating dance, cool.. Was super windy and sleeting/snowing the whole time. About a 100-yards of open water.

Saw two eagles as I rounded the curve to Kathio Bridge. The water is low in the river and in Shakopee Lake. No sign of suck activity. Nobody was fishing the Lake. 
 

Quick Trip To The GOMH Tonight

 Took a quick trip up to the GOMH tonight just to take a quick fishing break from cleaning the house. Didn't get a bite. Was windy, cold and snowing. Quite a few swans around. No bites.

Good Evening On Rock By The Cane

8.5" THE Jig (Chart/Org)

7.5" THE Jig

Should have hand landed it, oh well

Crips started with a double

 4:00-9:00PM 8' and 10' By the Cane 

33-40℉, Cloudy, 3-15mph WNW

 (I started in yesterday's 12 holes, but it was dead there, so after 20 minutes, I moved to the 8' holes and drilled a new set to the south in 10'. Schools of something came through every 10 minutes. Shiners and perch tended to be together. Had a couple of small schools of sunfish quickly come through. Had a good 3 to 4lb pike hit the stickleback when I was fiddling with the camera trying to get a picture. I tried to pull it up out of the hole as it was hooked in the snoot, but the line broke a couple of inches from the dropper; oops. I decided to give the other holes a try. Lost a small pike that came out of nowhere and hit the Cubby. It came off just after I got the camera up, not even a nick in the line. Had a good size school of gills move through and a couple of smaller schools. Right before it got too dark to see, the crappies showed up. I used up my last couple of minnows. Had a hot bite with the Cubby, and then it was looky loo's and pulling teeth. Think I saw a small bass in the 8' hole.)

Three swans were flying around, and as I was packing up, two were calling back and forth. One was to the West and one to the East. The PRO narrows opened up a good bit today.