December 31st At The GOMH & More

 

Platte Lake Access

Eddy's Jetty

Zoomed Out

I went for a drive on the final day of the year. There were maybe 5 fish houses on Long. About a dozen people on Bulldog fishing. Rock Lake didn't have a house on it, and there were no vehicles in the lot or out on the ice, as far as I could see I didn't get out of the car. Platte had a smattering of houses out and a couple of small bunches. On Sullivan, they seemed to be spread out. Same thing on Shakopee with maybe a dozen or so vehicles. On Mille Lacs there were maybe 20 shacks out to the South out of Randy's and a small cluster of Eddy's Houses to the North.

Goodbye 2024.

Super Sam Sweeps the Pack In 2024, 14-2 BOOM!

 

Super Sam was "The Man" yet again. He went 33/43 for 372 yards using 8 different receivers, throwing 3 TDs and had a QB rating of 116.1. Amazing day. The Vikes held the Pack down for three-quarters, then held on at the end to win 27-25. The game really wasn't that close, and I never doubted that the Vikes would win. I was not happy with the pick Uncle Sam threw that let the Pack think they had a chance, and our Special Teams had another bad game. Our kicker, Will the Thrill, needs to get himself squared away.

Now it is on to Detriot for the opportunity to be the NFC #1 Seed, which comes with a first-round bye and home-field advantage. I am bullish on the Vikes chances for so many reasons. Some of them are:

The Vikes are healthier as a team than in the first meeting this season. We got Cashman and Hock playing this time.

The Lions D is a MASH Unit and will be missing their power running back.

The Vikes got Uncle/Super Sam throwing the rock to our elite receiver corps.
Dan Campbell played his starters for the whole game vs. the 49ers. Not bright when they had nothing to play for.
The 49ers were hitting.

The Lions will have a short week and played on the West Coast.

The Vikes just played really well in Seattle, giving the offense experience and confidence in a really loud environment against a defense that is a couple of notches better than the Lions.

We won the Seattle game on a short week.

The Pack lost to us playing on a short week where they played at home, so they didn't have to deal with the travel headache the Lions do.

The Vikes will come in as underdogs with revenge on their mind.

The Lions are trying to hold on to the Division Crown and #1 Seed and the Vikes have positioned themselves to take it with the win.

I really like the Vikes chances, SKOL!

My Juice In 2024

 I do not in any way attribute the disappointing fishing I experienced this year to me sharing my "Juice" last year. This year was just off. The Jumpin Bullhead bite was off at the Grumpy Old Man Hole. The frog and topwater bite were a struggle. 2024 was just off. 

Here is my Juice for 2024

2024 Platte/Sullivan Trips Fish Caught

Sullivan Only Trips

Platte Only Trips

Platte Lake was just brutal for me this year.

Here is the Juice for me in 2024. Where I did my ice fishing:

Sure the panfish and pike are small for the most part, but I got a lot of action.

Bro's Big Bass Battle Declared No Contest Again in 2024

3.92lbs

Once again, I am declaring the Battle of Big Bass between my bro's no contest for the second straight year.

Steve and I got out for three trips, and Steve only got one little bass on those three trips. Todd and I got out 11 times.  Todd got skunked on four of those trips and only caught 23 bass on the trips he took with me. Steve wanted to get out more this year, but the fishing was so tough for me that I didn't feel comfortable inviting him out for a struggle session. 2024 was a tough bite. 

Vikes Win In Seattle, 13-2!

 

Super Sam showed up in Seattle on Sunday. Some drops by receivers and crappy clock management at the end of the first half kept Seattle in the game. Uncle Sam and Jets would not be denied when it mattered. Gink sacked Geno twice. And they picked Geno off to seal it.

13-2. If the Vikes can beat the Packers, the #1 Seed will be there for the taking Week 18 in Detroit.  

Vikes Beat Da Bears, Now 12-2 And Control Destiny

 

The Fans and Defense carried the team this week until the Offense finally locked in the second half and put Da Bears away 30-12. Uncle Sam and Jetta didn't have a great game but made plays when it counted. Free 3 got thrown like a rag doll, drawing a long PI call on the defense in the endzone. The running game looked good with plenty of bursts from Jones, who scored his 50th career TD; Cam Akers ran it in after the PI of Addison.

The Lions lost a boat race at home to the Buffalo Bills 48-42, so now, if the Vikings win out, they will probably get the #1 Seed in the NFC. Winning the next two games is critical to achieving that goal. We are going to Seattle on a short week after playing on Monday night. Geno Smith, the Seahawks QB, injured his knee vs. the Packers in a highly physical game that the Hawks lost on Sunday Night. The Hawk's backup QB looked lost. Geno is a gamer who will probably try to play, but the chances of him being 100% are not good. The Vikes D will be licking their chops. The Hawks can't afford to lose this game. If the Vike's O-Line holds up and our running game gets going, I don't see how the Hawks can keep up without getting multiple turnovers.  

The next two weeks, the Vikes play the Packers at home and the Lions in Detroit; both teams will be on short weeks coming off of Monday night games, so the schedule makers did us a solid, provided we don't stumble on our short week. If the Vikings can beat the Hawks and the Pack without sustaining any costly injuries, I really like their chances versus that beat-up Lions team, which could be a game or two behind us if my boys take care of business. 

SKOL Vikes!

Went For A Drive Today

 

Platte Lake Access

December Dreams of Soren

Update 12/18/24
 I had another dream with Soren. It's one that I have had or one similar to it in the past.  It was summer, and we were in the cabin at Lake Sylvia; I let Soren out. He bounded down the driveway, chasing after squirrels and birds. Then he came running back up toward me before veering off down toward the lake on a dirt path that a neighbor labor lady was coming up with her dog. Maybe a Springer Spaniel. The dogs met. Soren tried to get it to play. I called Soren, and he did listen. He came right back to me in the cabin like a good pup, and I gave him a treat.

Update 12/21/24
So this morning, I was dreaming about hanging out with Soren in the backyard of the house in Bloomington, and I decided to go fishing for bass because I had a pile of my fishing rods sitting there. I grabbed a Bass Pro Crackin' Stick, which, upon closer inspection, turned into a Shimano Crucial with a handless reel that disintegrated and came apart as I was looking at it.  I set that mess down, grabbed my bunch of rods, and went to the back of the house, where I laid the rods down against the house. I picked a rod that had a Strike King Skippin' Jig on it. I noticed dogs roaming around in a couple of yards to the north Soren didn't seem interested in them or they in Soren. I cast to the fence line to the North, where I had recently had some success. The line on the reel wasn't sitting right, so I let out the line and walked toward the South fence line. I got the line straightened out and reeled that cast back in. I walked within pitching distance of the North fence line and the neighbor's garage. Soren was snooping around and got on the other side of the fence, then went and lay down next to the driveway. There was water and rocks between the garage and the fence, which I worked diligently but didn't get any bites.

In my dreams sometimes I catch fish in yards, sometimes not. This time I got skunked..  

Uncle Sam Goes Off, Vikes 11-2

Put the tights and cape on the man, Uncle Sam turned into Super Sam; He along with Free 3, Jordan Addison, and Justin Jefferson, put on a show for Kirko, Viking Nation, and the world. It seemed to me that three weeks back, during the Titans game, things clicked for Uncle Sam and his play got locked in at a higher level. He was more confident, made better decisions, and let her rip every throw. With few exceptions, that has been Darnold ever since. Aaron Jones looked like he was close to being back to 100% yesterday. The O-Line had some problems early again but were rolling in the 2nd Half.

The D continued to produce turnovers, but I'm a bit concerned about the lack of pass rush and leaky run game the last couple of games. Hopefully, an extra day before Da Bears tilt at home will give the D a "second wind" that will allow them to get on a roll as the playoffs approach.

 

 

Vikes vs. Kirko Prediction

 

I believe Kirko gets the hook if he turns the ball over twice by halftime or three times by the fourth quarter.

Vikes 4th Quarter Comeback Gives Vikes 10th Win

10 And 2, Just Win, Baby!

The Vikes beat Kyler Murray and the Cards, who won the stat sheet except for the final score and turnovers. SKOL! 

Vikes Beat Da Bears, 9-2.

 

An insane comeback by the Bears results in the game going to OT. The Bears won the coin toss. The Vikes Defence came up big, and then Uncle Sam did work after getting sacked on first down taking us down the field quickly resulting in a Romo game-winning field goal.

3 Quick Thoughts:

1. Caleb Williams is an impressive QB. Just Wow! Lions better not sleep on him Thanksgiving Day.

2. Uncle Sam was locked in, and our Offensive weapons went off.

3. Aaron Jones looks healthy, and we need him to stay that way.

Final Thought:
The Cards and Kyler Murray are dangerous, but are they as dangerous as Uncle Sam and the Flores D. We will see next week. 

Bass Pundit's 20th Blogoversary Canceled

 I got a full hip replacement on November 19th and got out of the hospital the next day on my 20th Blogoversary. I had thought about the impending date and pre-publishing something but never got around to it.

It is now December 2nd. So I missed it. 

Vikes Win 3 In A Row, Now 8-2

 

I had a lot of questions three weeks ago, the last time I did some Vikings blogging. I still have quite a few questions, but as of right now, there are reasons for optimism. Cam Robinson is no Christian Darrisaw and Dalton Risner isn't a great run blocker, but these guys aren't to bad at pass pro. The O has not been hitting on all cylinders and the win 12-7 win in Jacksonville was ugly, but really was total domination by the Offence. The run game may be in a bit of a rut but if Darnold continues to be the guy we saw in Tennesee and not at Jacksonville, the sky is still the limit for this team. Hock and Addison are still getting acclimated to Darnold. 

The Defence with Cashman back in the lineup is dangerous and really tough to run on. 

Right now the Lions look unstoppable, but they have a trap game this week against the Colts, play the Bills in mid-December, and play the 9ers on the road the week before they play us. This horse race is far from over. We'll just have to see what the Vikes put on tape. 

Update: I didn't mention Green Bay at the Lions because I figured that Jordan Love's leg injury would be an ongoing impediment, but he got healed up during the bye week and looks to be at least 95%. 

Trophy Out Of Platte For 2024

 I got my tackle out of the boat house in the morning. When I got home, I discovered the small pole barn garage door had been lowered too far, so I couldn't raise it. I was not happy.  Dad got home from church early, and I had the boat trailer hooked up and ready to go at the top of the driveway before the Vikings game started. The Vikes handled business in Nashville, and I headed to the Lake Place a bit after 3:30PM. I had a bit of a delay getting the Trophy started, and then off I went. Per usual, things didn't go totally smoothly getting the Trophy on the trailer, but we got it on the trailer and out of the water straight eventually. I was home before dark, and a couple of deer greeted me as I headed up the driveway.

On Monday evening, on his way home from work, Steve stopped by, and we got the pole barn door working again. It got dark quickly. I took the trolling motor off the boat, and Steve put the batteries in the basement. I got the cover on the boat as it started sprinkling. A couple of the long old bungee cords gave up the ghost, but I was able to get things strapped down. I managed to spill a little gas in the pole barn because of a moron chip malfunction when I tried to fill the boat's gas tank on an uneven surface. I wasn't a happy camper. I finally got things squared away and headed up to the house.

News On Minnesocold Bass Seasons

 

It looks like we have one more year of a closed bass season in MN before the state does away with a completely closed season for bass in favor of allowing catch and release fishing for bass year round.

My Final Fish of 2024

24.75" Jerk Shad (Chart Shad)

 

It turns out that this trip to the jetty on November 9th produced my final fish for 2024. Fall fishing pretty much sucked, and I didn't get out in the Trophy the final week I had it in the water, even though there were a couple of decent days I could have. My mind was distracted by the election and my upcoming hip surgery on the 19th. The 2024 Fishing Season was really good for big silver bullheads and that was about it. Not sure when I will get out fishing again, as I don't wnt to take any chance of injuring my new hip.

"And then depression set in"

 

I was still pretty high after the loss to the Lions; They barely beat us and Hockenson hadn't played yet. I figured Hock would be back for the Rams game except he wasn't. Puka Nacua was unexpectedly ready to play for the Rams. Son of a ... Just the spark the struggling Rams Offense needed. Cashman was a no-go at LB; The Defence struggled again with him out. The pass rush struggled to get pressure. Darrisaw tore his ACL and MCL. Uncle Sam nearly had his head ripped off on an uncalled Facemask Penalty in the endzone resulting in a game-sealing Safety for the Rams. Ridiculous! 

Oh, how the cruel winds of fate turned on my favorite team. Losing Darrisaw and the game basically assures that the Vikes will not be able to catch the Lions for the Division and the #1Seed. All my hopes and expectations went out the window with that loss. Losing one of the best Left Tackles in the NFL totally bites. How negatively will the running and passing game be affected? Right now, it's anybody's guess. 

Will the injury bug keep biting and bring down a once-promising season?

After the next three games, I think I will have a clearer grasp on where things are headed. Right, now things are muddied up. I think the picture is even darker for the Packers and their fate with a one-legged quarterback and the Lions coming to town this week.

Final Bass of 2024

 Despite several nice days between October 23rd and when I took the Trophy out of the lake on November 17th, I only went on two trips in the boat in that span, and I came up empty on Jumpers at the Grumpy Old Man Hole. So this little guy I caught off of the dock at the lake place was my last bass of 2024.

Huge Game This Sunday

 This is what I wrote over at IDO about the match-up with the Lions this Sunday. The Lions and Vikes are the premier teams in the NFC right now. The odds of the Vikes being the #1 Seed in the NFC go up significantly if the Vikes get the W. Will that happen? The Lions have to be the most feared team in the league right now.  I think the teams are fairly evenly matched with the Lions having the stronger Offense currently and the Vikes with the better Defense. It is a true toss-up from my perspective. This game could go in any direction at any time. It could be a blowout in either direction or be nip and tuck from start to finish depending on how the ball bounces and the success or failure of game plans on all sides of the ball. The teams don't play again in the final game of the regular season. Who knows what will happen between this week and that match-up in January? Either team could be injury-depleted or both could be the juggernauts they have been to this point. A Vikes win this week is a big step toward making that final game in Detriot meaningless, but there is a lot of football yet to be played between now and January.

SKOL Vikings!

 

Vikes Take Care of Business In London, Defeat A A Ron

 The Offense and aspects of the Special Teams did not play well, but the Defense and other aspects of the Special Teams were on point, so we won the game in a squeaker. Uncle Sam made bad decisions and bad throws. AJ got injured. We had the Jets Defence on the ropes and didn't press the advantage when we had the chance to impose our will in the running game when we were ahead in the first half. The Special Teams had multiple screw-ups that cost the team.  It was a sloppy, but we got the W. Now we have the bye week. Hopefully, AJ's hip injury isn't that serious and the team comes out refreshed and ready vs. the Lions in a couple of weeks.

Vikes D picked off A A Ron three times including the dagger in the final minute. Flores won the chess match vs. Rodgers pretty convincingly. If other aspects of the team could shoot straight they would have won easily. 

4-0, Vikes Win At Lambert

 

The refs made this game closer than it was by not overturning the Darnold INT call. KOC needs to run more often. Addison is so fricken good, as is Jets and AJ. Who is going to beat this team? The Jags, SeaChickens, or Lions at home, maybe. I don't see this squad losing at home. This team is elite and the front-runner for the #1 Spot in the NFC.

Historical note: I was under the impression the impression that Hock would be back for the Lions game at home after the buy. Cashman got injured in London just before the bye. The Lions lost at home to Tampa Bay in Week 2. So, the Vikes led the Division at this point. I will always maintain that had Cashman and Hock been able to go, the Vikings wouldn't have lost that game at home to the Lions. Also, the Rams were not on my radar at this point. They only had one win vs. the 49er squad that got beat up by the Vikes in a heavyweight fight the previous week. I think both Kupp and Puka were out with injuries by this point. Unfortunately, they both returned for the Vikings game on Thursday Night after we had just lost to the Lions home in a slugfest. The Vikes didn't have Hock or Cashman for the game in LA, either. The LA game will be memorable for the dropped pass by Speedy Nailor at a key juncture and the uncalled facemask of Uncle Sam that resulted in Safety ruining any chance of Super Sam saving the day. Everything was working against the Vikes in LA. It was a very hard-luck loss    

Farm Island Plan And Rods I'm Bringing

If nothing else I plan to eat good

The Plan: We got out prefishing for a few hours on a cold Sunday morning, that warmed up quickly. We didn't find much. Basically, my plan right now is to fish some cabbage in the morning trying to get a limit; then hope I can frog up some pigs in the reeds and slop in the late morning and afternoon. I don't think getting a limit will be a problem unless the lake is really off.

Goals:

1. Catch a limit.
2. Somehow beat Tuma.
3. Be the top Co-Angler

4. Finish in the Top 5.

5. Catch the tournament Lunker

Rods I'm Bringing:

7'4" H Tatula Elite (Frog)

7'4" H Tatula (Spinnerbait, Swim Worm,Frog, Swim Jig)

7'4" H Tatula (ToadZ, Pop ShadZ)

7' MH Mojo (Wake, Chatterbait)

7' H Avid (Texas Rig)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Jig, Swim Jig, Chatterbait, Spinnerbait)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Buzzbait)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (FC) (Jig, Fluke, Texas Rig, Dinger, Ozark Rig)

6'8" M Avid (Topwater)

Bold indicates what I will have on the rod at the start of the day.

3-0 Vikes Dominate Texans, On to Packers Week

 

Vikes with a great team win. Next week we roll into Lambert to face the Cheese. Will Love be back in the drivers seat? Or will the Pack keep going with Willis? It should be a good game. Turnovers will be key.  

My Snatcher Tournament Recap of Sept 7th on the Crow Wing/Gull River

 

The Winning Trio

 Weather: 50-70℉, Mostly Sunny w/some fog in the morning, 2-9mph SSE

My Thoughts Going In: My boater was quite confident that we would both be able to get a limit. I have never done that in a Snatcher Tournament on a river, so I was hopeful but not counting my chickens yet. This has not been my year.

The Day:

It was a beautiful slightly foggy morning take-off. I wish I would have taken a photo. We should have stopped at the bridge because nobody was fishing off of it. At our first stop up the Gull River Tyler was getting bites immediately on his frog but missed the first two or three; then he got a pike. He said he got a bunch of pike prefishing on the frog. He continued to get blowups but wasn't converting any of them into hookups. I had a couple of fish swirl on me in the cheese and duckweed, but not actually make an attempt to eat the frog. Tyler finally hooked into a bass and got the skunk out of the boat. Shortly after that, I had a fish blow up and take the frog, but I came up empty on the hookset. We ended up reworking the area at my suggestion and Tyler got his second fish in the boat. 

We then went back downriver to another slop area where Tyler had some big fish show themselves. It was dead for quite a while. I finally got my first bass in the boat. It was right in the middle of a cheese mat and it took four attempts for it to get my frog. I should have told Tyler to cast to the spot a few times to make sure there wasn't more than one fish there. By the time I was ready to fish again, we had moved on. About 15 minutes later I got a small keeper out of some pads. 

We went back to the starting spot and came up empty, but then just went across the river into a little cut and I frogged up my third fish. We then headed to the rice at the confluence. A guy on the bridge had a three-pound smallmouth as we passed under.  There was some activity at the confluence, but we were not getting bit. I finally had a good bass blow up on my frog after I saw some movement behind my frog; I laid the wood to her, but she buried me in the junk and got off. I couldn't believe it. That coontail/milfoil was like getting stuck in concrete. Eventually, we went back up the Gull and refished the areas in the morning from closest to farthest. Tyler got a couple of keepers inside of the cuts and I got my fourth and final bass on a spinerbait. We both missed at least a couple of blow-ups in the final hour. I should have been throwing a frog instead of that Snag Proof Popper with little hooks. No limit for me yet again on a river.

Results: 14th Place, Ugh! But I'm lucky it wasn't far worse as Ludenia, Tim, and Larry didn't catch 'em.

Sarah won her second Co-Angler Challenge this year.

My Thoughts: It just wasn't my day yet again.  Hearing that Tuma, Smitty, and Sarah crushed them on frogs is a heart smasher. I should have known those little hooks on that Snagproof Popper made hooking fish risky.  Frustrating year. 

Grade: D When they are biting on frogs I should have gotten a limit.