National Fishing and Boating Week June 4–12, 2011

This is my National Fishing and Boating Week contest entry sponsored by Take Me Fishing and the Outdoor Blogger Network.

“How do you plan to celebrate National Fishing & Boating Week?”

That is the contest question I need to answer.

This much I do know. June 4th, the kickoff day of National Fishing & Boating Week also kicks off the tournament season for my bass club the Baxter Bass Snatchers. We will be fishing my "home lakes" of "Platte/Sullivan." Platte/Sullivan are connected lakes in Central Minnesota about 15 miles West from the South West End of Mille Lacs Lake. Platte is 1,746 acres shallow (Littoral Area 1,694 acres) and generally weedy with a fair amount of undeveloped shoreline. Sullivan is 1,221 acres, has deep water (Littoral Area 567 acres with a max depth of 57ft), still has a fair amount of aquatic vegetation and is developed everywhere except it's NW corner where the Platte River flows out of the lake. I have fished Sullivan since about 1999 and Platte since 2001. This will be my 5th bass tournament on the lakes; I have a mixed record with 2 OK finishes and 2 terrible finishes. Because of my terrible finishes I look on this one with a bit of trepidation.

I am a non-boater in our club, so I will be fishing out of someone else's boat. By rule I am allotted half the day in the front of the boats on spots I want to fish. Normally I don't take advantage of that rule, but at this tournament I just might. Right now the bass population in both lakes is very good, but for the past 3 years or so I have had a hard time catching quality fish in June. In the past these lakes have been know for their quality fish and the potential is certainly there for some big bags to come in. If fishing is tough it may take only 14lbs on a 6 fish limit, but if fishing is good it may take more than 20lbs. I expect fishing is going to be good, here's why.

One thing that will play a factor this year is high water. The water has been up more than a foot over normal levels since last Fall. We had a fair amount of snow in the winter and it has been a wet Spring and so water levels are still quite high and I don't see that changing over the next 4 weeks. In addition to a wet Spring, ice off was on the late side and it's been cool. Combine the high water with cool conditions and weed growth will probably be a bit behind normal. Last year many area's were unfishable due to weed growth by late May. I expect on June 4th there is going to be a lot of shallow water that is just prime for fishing and in early June in MN the bass should be shallow.

I plan to kickoff National Fishing & Boating Week by rocking Platte/Sullivan largemouth bass. Topwater should be AWWWWWWWWWWN!!!