Evening Trip In The Trophy

 5:20-6:45PM F Flat, NPSI Platte Lake

38-50℉, PC, 0-4mph W

40-41℉, Water Low Falling

Had a difficult time getting the boat to move with the falling water and me running the boat so far up last trip. Went to F Flat where it was calm and actually almost warm. Got 2 pike there on the Fleet Farm Spin. Went to NPBI a little after 6PM. No dice, so I ran back to F Flat. No surface activity, but I did get one more gator. Loons were calling and it was a nice sunset, but temps dropped quickly. Froze my face heading in.

My report at IDO:
Got out for just under an hour and a half on Wed. night. The highest water temp was 41. I didn’t get any bass, not a surprise, but I didn’t get skunked either. I got two hammer handles and a 30-inch pike on a black single Indiana blade spinnerbait with fire craw Z-Man Goat trailer. With the way the big pike hit and fought at first, I thought maybe I had a big bass on for about 15 seconds. I set the hook, and it was just solid, and then it slowly bulldogged me. With the amount of pressure I was putting on the fish, I knew it was good, whatever it was. I also threw a big Blade Chatterbait, Dark Swimmer, and suspending jerk bait. I think I might have gotten a hit on the jerkbait, but I’m not totally sure as I was fishing where there is cabbage which I did get hung in on that cast. I didn’t throw any jigs other than the Sleeper, and that was on a point, not in the cabbage where the pike were. Hopefully, the warm-up will activate a few bass.

Pike On The Bubble Walker

5:15-6:30PM 3-Loon, F Flat, NPBI
35-41℉, Cloudy to PC, Sleet downpour, 3-9mph WNW N

Darn popcorn sleet storm. Had one follow on 3-Loon Flat, where I stared and where the sleet storm took place. The wind switched more out of the North, and I moved to F-Flat, where it was calm, passing a loon on the way. Saw baitfish get busted as I was setting down. I switched to a Bone BW and, sure enough, got a pike in the midst of a bunch of baitfish. At 6:15 PM, it looked like NPBI was calm, but by the time I got there, an NW wind was blowing on it. Didn't get a bite and the sky to the NW looked dark, so I headed in rather than back to F-Flat, which was my plan when I left. At least I didn't get skunked.

Oct 10 & 12 Skunked at the Jetty

 A slight ripple on the 10th. a lot of little eyes swimming around fished from 9:30 to midnight.

On the 12th, I fished from 10:30 to midnight. Some wave action and wind out of the NNW. I got fowled on weeds quite often. The wind came back when I fished the N Corner with jerks, so I went to the S Jetty, where there was a sleet storm. No bites either night

Bass Snatchers South Long

  

Beau Won (16/14) and Got Lunker (3/15)

Mr. Bass 2022, Snatcher Fields

Conditions: Overcast temps 61-50℉, Wind 3-8mph ESE

The Day: We were the last boat out, and the first boat out went right to where my boater, Snatcher Fields, wanted to start. It seemed like 75% of the field went to the same general area to the NE of the narrows. We joined the scrum on the Eastern edge of the line of boats. Nothing on starting spot, so we headed up the lake to an area where we found a school during pre-fish. Chuck got a keeper in the boat. I think I got a pike, then lost a keeper and one that looked like it wouldn't go 12-inches. I got a walleye down the way a little bit. Ran some docks, but nothing. It was an extremely slow morning for us. We \went back to the starting spot and got an 11-incher. Ran back up the lake to a calm weedline. Finally got a keeper in the boat on the big Bubble Walker. Ran down to Bill Bongs Challenge Cup Starting Spot and got another keeper that took the LiveTarget Wake Gill. Chuck put several fish in the boat in short order, then culled with a couple of good 3lber in the cane. Game Over for Mr. Bass 2022. I got my 3lber out along the weed line out from the cane. We ended up back where I got my first keeper. I got my 4th keeper right before we were going to move on a spinnerbait. We went back to the starting area. I caught a short and a small keeper on the spinner bait. Went back up to Bongs Starting Spot. Got bit off twice with jigs and caught several pike on the spinnerbait. Had the craw tube get a bit off. Chuck caught a couple that didn't help and culled once or twice with minor upgrades, and then the day was over.

Results:  My fish weighed 10/09, which put me in 14th Place (2nd to Last Place). Beau Bacon won it with 16/14 and got Lunker with a 3/15. 2nd went to Snatcher Czech (14/11), who showed his face for the first time this season. And 3rd Place went, and Co-Angler Cash went to Snatcher Sarah.

My Thoughts: At long last, I finally got paired with Chuck Fields, and it was cool to do it when he clinched his second  Baxter Bass Snatcher Mr. Bass title. He accomplished the feat back in 1994. This was the first complete season he has fished with the club since winning it in '94. As for the fishing, I figured there was no way, under those conditions, I wouldn't be able to get a limit of keepers in the boat. Besides a half-hour window when Chuck caught most of his weight, it was really slow for us. Unfortunately, I didn't get any bites fishing on the bottom during that window, and when we returned to the spot, the pike had moved in. Whatcha gonna do? It just wasn't my year.  

Bass Snatcher's Tournament Gull Lake

3-Time Champ Chuck Fields
(18/13) (5/04)

(3/10)

Conditions: Heavy Overcast with some fog until about Noon, then partly cloudy. Wind: Calm to 4mph from all directions.

The Day: 
At blast off, we headed North to a fairly good size sunken island. Chuck made a self-described rookie move and accidentally ran us right over the juice. About a half-hour in, Chuck put the first bass in the boat. A solid keeper that may have been culled out by the end of the day. About 15-minutes later, I got the skunk out of the boat with my big fish of the day (3/10) on a craw tube. Chuck handed me the net with the fish in it. I went to step down off the back casting deck and got punched hard just under my nose by the net's hoop. Hurt like a son of a gun, and I was surprised I wasn't bleeding. The area is still tender more than a week later. A couple minutes later, Chuck had a 4lber jump him off about 10 feet from the boat just after I grabbed the net. I think Chuck caught one more fish on that jig but lost 3 or 4 more, so he cut it off and gave it to me. Chuck got his second keeper in the boat about an hour in. I wasn't getting any bites on the craw tube, so I decided to see if maybe they would hit topwater as there was some surface activity. I think I missed my first 5 or 6 bites; I think they were little bass. After a miss, I finally hooked into a boil, and it was a good fish (2.46). I got one short, and then the topwater bite shut off.

I think we moved, and I got a 2.25lber that clocked my Strike King Buzz Toad Buzzbait with Z-Man ToadZ. We moved again. Chuck filled his limit. I started throwing a jig and caught 3 pretty quickly. Chuck said I would be an idiot if I were to fish any else but a jig the rest of the day. We tried one more crowded spot on the North End, then headed East, but Snatcher Ludenia was on the juice, so we headed south to try a short stretch of docks. Chuck lost a good one that he very well might have caught later in the day one dock over. We ran back north to the starting spot. I got a pike on the buzzbait. I don't remember if Chuck caught anything. We moved a couple of times. I had a fish miss the buzzbait, fired a cast right back, and got my final cull of the day. We would have had a double, but Chuck lost the one he had on, which he didn't think would have helped him. I think I got a fish or two that didn't help on a jig. We returned to that spot on the East side of the lake, and Ludenia was there again. We went south and fished docks for the final couple of hours. Chuck lost a couple more toads. Culled up a couple of times. I got a few that didn't help my cause. Chuck hit the jackpot on one of the final few docks, finally getting a 4lber in the boat. 

Results: My fish weighed 15/02, which was only good enough for 10th Place. Chuck Fields won his third tournament of the year with 18/13  and caught 5/04 Lunker. Snatcher Nate came in 2nd with 18/7. And Snatcher Dennis got 3rd with 18/05. Hammer was the Co-Angler Challenge Winner with a 17/11 bag out of Snatcher Dennis's boat, which broke down at their first stop on the North end of the lake.

My Thoughts: Basically, all the boaters but one really sacked 'em, and so did Hammer. Whaddya gonna do. I don't think I lost anything that hurt me. All of my fish were over 2lbs. Going to need a high finish and for a couple guys to stumble if I am going to make the Top 10 this year. 

 

 

Bass Snatcher Rabbit Lakes Pt. 5

Snatcher Dennis Gets The W

 

Snatcher Notsch Gets the $ (Lunker and Co-angler)

Conditions: I arrived at the access just in time to do my stretching outside. I got back inside the car, and it wasn't more than a couple minutes before the thunderstorm hit. It stopped raining at about 6:30 or so. Conditions during the tournament were cloudy to mostly cloudy, 67-77℉, And mostly very windy out of the SE with a little break in the afternoon when the winds settled down under 5MPH.

The Day: We fished on the pit side all but for about 20-minutes. It was windy right from the get, and our first spot didn't go. We didn't stay long. Next, we hit some reeds on the East side of the lake. I had a swim jig get bit off right away. I would lose 3 jigs and 6 Texas Rigs on the day, dang pike. I put the first bass in the boat, pitching a brown/orange Hack Jig in the reeds. We then worked a weedline. I had a 30-inch pike break me off. It put on quite a show before it did.

I then caught a couple dinks on a spinnerbait, and Baily got a few keepers throwing a Senko on docks. Bill started getting better bites fishing a swimbait on the weedline, filled his limit, and started culling. We ran west, and I picked up a line burner on the Billy Goat Grub in some reeds. We worked our way back to the weedline, and I finally put a craw tube on (watermelon/red). I missed a bunch of bites, caught a few dinks, and had two keepers, including my big. The wind slacked off, so we went over by the East Island, and I got a bass throwing the Billy Goat to the cattail island. The wind came up. Bill got two good culls, and I got my last fish of the day on a black/blue Hack Jig. We moved to one more spot on the pit side, then went to the lake for about 15-minutes. I fished in the access area as well, and that was it.

Results: My limit weighed 10/6 minus 2oz dead penalty, so 10/4, which put me in 12th Place. Snatcher Dennis won with 16/12. Snatcher Fields got 2nd with 15/14, and Snatcher Darren 3rd with 15/02. Lunker was 3/13 and caught by the top Co-Angler, Snatcher Notsch, who had a 12/8 bag. 12 of the 17 anglers had limits.

My Thoughts: I figured with conditions being what they were, the fish would be on fire, but the weights in this one tell a different story. The weights last time had 14lb bags down to 10th Place; this tournament, there were only 3 bags over 14lbs. I gambled on a big worm on my Texas Rig rod to start and lost. When I finally put a craw tube on around 11AM, I got bit immediately. It took me a while to get comfortable with the craw tube; I missed quite a few bites. Not my greatest tournament execution-wise. I will have to step it up in the final two tournaments to have any hope of finishing in the Top 10 for the season.

 

My Morning on Team Bass Tournament Day

 

Platte Lake Special To Start the Morning

5:36-10:00AM Cookie Jar, Out From Chuck's Reeds, Chuck's Pt, West of Access Rice, Reeds, and Docks, Todd's School to just North of the Dead Head where it becomes complete slop. 

55-70℉, Sunny, 2-5mph S

69-70℉ Water Temp

So it was Team Bass Tournament day, and I was fishing a solid hour plus before they blasted off. My first stop was the Cookie Jar. I lost what I assume was a Platte Lake Special. Caught a dink, a PLS, and a pike. Next, I headed to Chuck's Out Reeds. A sure thing to get bites, except it hasn't given me anything three times in a row now. They blasted off with 5 or 6 boats. I was amazed that they all appeared to head East except one that looked to be headed for Sullivan. I went to Chucks and had only one blow-up that missed my lure, probably a pike.

I went to West of Access Rice for the first time in forever, not getting anything. I slid in and tried some docks and didn't get anything. Went out and tried the reeds where there were signs of life, but I didn't get anything to hit. So I headed to Sullivan. Pulled one Platte Lake Special off of Todd's School on the Pit Boss after thoroughly working the area with frogs and not raising anything. I was thinking about working my way to the river. I got a 1lber at the last boat lane and had 3lber miss the Billy Goat right before the slop started that I would have to work my way through to get to the river. I said screw it and called it a day instead. I ended up napping instead of going to the weigh-in.

The Team Bass Results:

Skunked Tonight Off The Dock

 Wierd ran in the sun as I drove up to the lake tonight. I got my new transducer arm squared away and then fished off the dock for half an hour. No bites, not even on T.H.E. Jig. Did hear some sunfish snaps in the rice.

I just couldn't make myself wake up and get out of bed this morning to fish with Todd. He got a bass and pike. Fishing the Melon Patch and Access Across. He got the fish at Access Across.

DNF

 Was thinking about going out tonight, but the weather made it an iffy proposition so I went back to bed after dinner. I will be well rested when I head out tomorrow morning.

DNF

 I was maybe a bit fished out today. Got tired after dinner, so I laid down for a bit rather than pack the car and go. I was just going to fish out front if I went, which I didn't. I will probably be out early tomorrow even though it is supposed to be windy.

Bass Snatchers Gull/Crow Wing River Tournament

Chuck Fields wins 2nd Consecutive Tournament.

 

Sara & Herman with "Lunker Wood"

Sara with her 6lb Lunker & a 3/03

4/02 on Big Bite BFE

Pike on the Berkley Fusion19 Jig/KVD Shiner

What I caught fish on

Conditions: Periods of clouds and sun, 70's to upper 80's, a bit humid, light winds

The Day:
I was so disappointed that my Tackle Warehouse order did not arrive on Friday, but such is life. We blasted off as boat #4 and headed West, getting passed by Snatcher Dennis as we headed up river. Our first and second spots were slop areas on adjacent sides of the river, and we didn't get a bite at either place in about an hour of fishing. So we headed up river farther, and Bill got a quality smallmouth right away on a popper. He then got a rock bass and a couple of non-keeper smallmouths. I got a pike on a lipless Frenzy and a rock bass on a Jackhammer. I also had something that felt quality on for a few seconds on our second pass down by where Bill got the smallie.

From there, we headed up in sight of the bridge, and Bill popped a nice large on his first pitch. I think I got a pike and rock bass, and Bill got a couple of non-keeper smallies and rockies. I think we moved down the river just a little way. Bill got a nice smallie throwing a Senko by the shore and a fourth nice keeper smallmouth in the middle of the river. We pulled in behind Snatcher Al, where Bill got his first keeper; Bill got a non-keeper smallmouth.  We went down river a little way, and I got the big pike which put up a good battle. I took my time with it, and Bill eventually netted it and took pictures. I wasn't too pleased because the day was more than half over, and I didn't have a bass in the boat yet. We worked a shaded bank and didn't get anything. So next, we headed back to where the river narrows to the East of the public access. And started working our way West fishing wood. Bill got his 5th keeper pretty quickly. We continued working wood. Finally, I got a keeper in the boat out of some weeds and wood, and it was a good one, 4lbs.

There was a slop area just upriver from where I got my fish, and in the next 10-minutes, I had my bag for the day, catching two quick fish on a frog. We then went back up river to our second stop working that slop bay better than we did the first time. I got one 11-inch largemouth on a frog. Then we crossed the river expanding on our first area of the morning. Bill had to miss 5 or 6 bites on his frog before he finally got his limit fish in the boat, which was a quality largemouth. I think he then caught one that didn't help him. For the final 20-minutes, we worked the slop area by the access. I had a fish boil on my frog but did not get it and didn't try again. And then the day was done.

Results: My 3 fish weighed 7/13, which put me in 13th Place out of 17 Anglers, two of which blanked. Chuck Fields made it back-to-back wins with a 17/01 bag, and my boater Snatcher Ludenia made it back-to-back as runner-up with a 16/12. Lunker went to Snatcher Sara with a 6lb Pig.

Thoughts: I should have thought more about what it would take to catch some smallmouth. I should have thrown a football jig and brought some swing heads and square bills. I really think my lack of forethought cost me a limit. At a minimum, I should have been able to catch at least one smallmouth.  

 

One Small Bass, Tonight

Belle took the pic

 

One bass tonight, ouch!

6:40-9:45PM Reeds Across S & N, Loon Bay

72-80℉, MS, 3-8mph ENE

78℉ water High

Went to Reeds Across South while Todd had dinner. Got two pike and one bass on a chatterbait along the reed edge. I went back to pick up Todd. He tweaked his back, so I went back out alone. I went to Loon Bay. I got a pike off of a dock on Grapes of Wrath. It was dead in there, so I bounced to Reeds Across North. Had a couple of fish slap at my frogs in the reeds, pike probably. I left the reeds for F-Flat cabbage. I didn't get a bite at my waypoint, so I turned around and worked the reed line getting two pike and missing a couple of bites. Rough trip.

Bass Snatchers Thunder Lake Tournament

Chuck Fields with the W and Lunker,
with Co-Angler Snatcher Sarah.

 

3/8 Herb's Dilly Buzzbait (Yellow Frog)

Conditions: Rain intermittently in the morning with the sun coming out in the afternoon. Wind: 3-8mph

The Day: It started raining as we were waiting to blast off. We headed to our first spot, and Hammer was amazed no one went North along with us. We started off in the best cabbage Hammer had found in his prefish. About 45-minutes in, he got the skunk out of the boat on a craw tube. We worked around a point of reeds, and he got a second bite. I started throwing a buzzbait into the reeds as we worked outside the reed line. I missed my first bite, which was a small fish. I then got two bass in the boat lickety-split. So we drifted into the reeds, and I got my big fish of the day. As we worked inside the reeds, I got fish four and five along with missing a couple. Hammer had a couple fish blow up on his buzzbait, but they got off. Snatcher Chuck and Nate showed up.  Chuck and Nate doubled up on a spot I had my eye on.  I got my limit fish, which was a line burner. The topwater bite quit. I got a couple of fish on the Brovarney/Rage Bug combo with both fish throwing my Rage Bug, rats. Hammer was having a rough time getting his bites in the boat, losing a good one on a jig or craw tube. I also got a case of the misses in the same area not hooking up with 2 or 3 that hit the buzzbait; partly my fault for making ill-considered casts. 

We then went to some docks on the west side of the bay, but nothing there. Hammer borrowed a spinnerbait from me, and we returned to the reeds. Snatcher Bailey and Metalhead were in the area this time. Hammer was getting bit on the spinnerbait and me on the buzzbait and Jig, with both of us catching most of the bites but dropping a few as well. It rained pretty good when we were in the reeds that second time. We then went back to the West side of the bay, where it was calm and worked reeds along the shoreline. I was unaware they were there because they only stood about a foot above the water. I got my frog game on catching several pound and a half to pound and three-quarters cookie cutters. Hammer was throwing a Sprinker Frog and having a rough go keeping them pinned. We got over by Smitty and Mick, where I had a Platte Lake Special miss Little Alan, but it wouldn't hit it again.

We then headed south to try Hammers Smallie areas. He got a couple of largemouths, and I maybe had a small smallie take a shot at the 130 Plopper. For the final hour and a half, we went back North trying the cabbage one more time with nothing happening. I got a minor upgrade pitching the Brovarney to some pads in the reeds. We ended back on the West side of that Northern bay. I checked my fish before we headed out and was dismayed to discover my big fish, which was swimming just fine when I culled  20-minutes prior, was now dead, bummer.

Results: My fish weighed 12/8 with the dead fish penalty, and I finished in 11th Place. Snatcher Fields won it with 19/10, and he got Lunker with a 4/3 smallie; at least that was what I think it was. Snatcher Darren won the Co-Angler Challenge/Cash in a close race, with his 4-pounda putting him over the top.

Thoughts: I just didn't get enough of my bites in the boat. Probably could have had a 14 to15ish bag if I did. I wish I had known those reeds were along the shoreline the first time we went there. We should have given them a try.  

Slow morning, but I enjoyed myself

 I got a later start than I wanted due to a bolt breaking on my trolling motor bracket last night. I was lucky it wasn't a much later start as I had an inspiration that was a time saver from the original way I was going to go about it. I was off before sunrise. I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to head to F Flat because there would be calm water there. Tried topwater, nothing. So then I tried a Jackhammer, unbelievably nothing. Finally, I got a small pike on Z-Man Big Blade as I made my way to the reeds, where I got my two fish last night. Topwater wasn't happening there either, so I started throwing a swim jig. I was about to throw the white flag as I completed my drift through reeds when a 19-incher made my morning. I got the 27.5-inch pike on my second drift through the reeds. I ended up back on F Flat. I learned a lot about how the cabbage is set up this year. It looks better than it has in years. Not holding hardly any fish is power for the coarse at this point. I think the lake lost 80% or more of its fish population last winter because they didn't put in the aerator as they needed to. 4 Bass landed out of 6 opportunities in 5 hours of fishing. I did at least get some action from a pike in the cabbage with several fish being 24-inch class.

DNF

I was unaware that I would be the lead plumber in replacing our kitchen faucet. I found this out when I got back from the chiropractor around 4PM. Had I known about this project, I would have stopped at the Grumpy Old Man Hole on the way home. Putting me in charge of completing this "honey-do" was not a good plan by Dad. Post-stroke, I have a mechanical IQ of about 2.  The job required somebody with some plumbing experience and at least an average mechanical IQ. I quickly recognized this job would sap my patience reserves. I told the parents I was calling my brother Steve. He has done a variety of home improvement tasks including plumbing. He was already planning on coming over tonight. Well, things got shuffled, but Steve got over after 6PM, and his tire patching project didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked. Then the faucet was a PIA. We finally got the old faucet off, but by then, it was too late for me to consider hitting up the GOMH. Steve will be back to put the new one in tomorrow.

Bass Snatcher Farm Island Tournament

 

Snatcher Dennis Took The W!

Thoughts Going In: 

Farm Island has always given me a limit. Pre-fish made me even more confident. Dennis tells me before we blast off that he did get out pre-fishing one more day, and his starting spot was full of bass; it was empty the day we pre-fished, except pike. Confidence level: High.

Conditions: Sunny, Light to Moderate SW Wind

The Day: We blasted off boat one and went to Dennis' honey hole. The problem is that it was filled with pike, just like the day we pre-fished. Dennis got bit off two or three times, and we both caught multiple slimers. Dennis did get a quality bass off a dock. After an hour and a half or so, we headed southwest. Nothing at the point where I got two fish during pre-fish. So then we headed NW. I got the skunk out of the boat using a fluke at a dock just after Dennis got bit off. From there, we headed south again, and Dennis cracked a biggun off a dock. That is what we did for most of the day, with Dennis picking off a good fish every half-hour to 45-minutes. My dock game was rusty, and there weren't many bass around. I did get my second keeper on a return trip to the starting spot. And that was all she wrote for me, two bass in the boat. I did miss a few bites on the Fluke, but those could have been rockies.

Results: My two fish put me in 19th Place. Dennis ran away with his 19/1 bag. Lunker went to Smitty with a 4/2, and Zach Noyes won his first Co-Angler Challenge, beating out The Beast Beau Bacon by an ounce.

Thoughts: We just caught "The Farm" on a tough day, as the final results show. Congratulations to Snatcher Dennis for starting off the year on the right foot. On to Thunder. 

Big Golden, A Jumper, and Bass 'n Pike at S. Inlet

 

7.04lbs/28" KVD Shiner

8:15-8:55PM S, Sully Inlet
Nice night. I elected to mow the lawn instead of fish. It worked out for me

 (The first cast didn't have distance so I was unprepared for the strike I got on the buzzbait which came almost immediately after it landed. Then got a couple of pike and a couple of bass. Missed my last 4 or 5 bites, because I had a bent-up hook point.)

2Bass 

2Pike

9:05-9:40PM GOMH SW NW

(Nobody was around so I quickly unpacked and headed to the SW side. Got the one jumper on a chatter and missed a couple of bites on other stuff. Stuff was getting smoked in the tube. So I headed to the North side just as somebody else arrived. He was able to get to the NE side first. He lost a jumper then broke off on a lily pad. I missed something then hooked into the 7lb Golden. The other guy took a picture and measured it. I called it a night after releasing the fish. Mosquitos were annoying but not terrible.)

1Jump 

1Gold