Mille Lacs Bust, Opener Saved by Bullheads

Conditions: Clear and cold, but no wind, so I was never chilled.

I didn't have my tackle organized enough to be at Mille Lacs at midnight because I overslept yesterday but arrived at Eddy's at around 12:20 AM. As I was driving, I thought about my plan to stay until sun up and fish for smallies and decided with it getting so cold tonight, that wasn't a good idea. At Eddy's, they put up a construction fence around the whole place, including the Marina but the Jetty wasn't blocked off in any way. The lights were off, and there was a lot of piled ice where I fish.    I could have fished off the center dock, but elected to put on my waders and head to Option #2, where I fished last year. I parked across the street from a couple of cars there.   Some guys went to their car while I was getting my stuff ready. I said loudly enough for them to hear. Did you get your limit already? They didn't acknowledge me at all, got in their car, and left.

It was right around 12:45 when I got down to the water. I took my jerkbait rod and two rods with swimbaits, one of them being the Abu Garcia Rocket/St. Croix LTB with the Powerbait  4.5" Rib Shad. I put my stuff down where I crossed the road. I saw and heard the two guys fishing closer to the inlet. I picked up the jerkbait rod and waded straight out. I tried 3 different jerkbaits to no avail. I didn't see a single walleye which was a bad sign because I saw them last year. At some point, the two guys left, but I didn't see or hear them when they did. I got over closer to the inlet and actually saw a walleye. I then noticed a guy walking toward the area where my stuff lay, so I quickly walked back. Turns out it was a creel survey guy. He told me he hadn't talked to anyone who got a fish and said the eye's just got done spawning, and he thought the eye's were going to be in a post-spawn funk. He took the water temp at the shore, and it was 42 degrees. He wished me good luck and took off.

I picked up the Rocket, and I put in the rocks on my very first cast. Luckily I got it unstuck, but the hook was bent. I thought no problem, I'll still be able to hook fish. Wrong! I had several hits but couldn't get a hook into anything. I suppose it could have been bumping suckers as well. Eventually, I went and got the other swimbait rod. I had a few fish just grab the back of the swimbait. Eventually, my feet got too cold, and I headed to the GOMH. I removed my waders, tied a new hook on the Rocket rod, and left right at 3AM.

I arrived at the GOMH at about 3:15, and there were two cars whose people were all fishing on the  SW side. I went to ask if they caught anything;  They said they weren't getting much and had no golden bullheads. Liars, they did get one, which I found out later when more of their friends arrived.

I decided to go to the NE side and started throwing the Rib Shad, which didn't get anything, so I switched to swamp gas Havoc Grass Pig and got this golden bullhead on the first cast.

18.5"

It was a beautiful clear night which I noticed after a brilliant shooting star went across the sky. Loon called, and an owl was hooting in the distance. Eventually, I decided to go to the SE side before somebody else showed up. I was there only briefly when a couple of the other guys left as another group showed up. It started getting light out, and not much was happening. A guy on the other side landed a good-sized golden bullhead. Another couple of people arrived, and one came over to fish by me. He told me that golden was 4 to 5 lbs. It got light out, and I landed a 20" toothy bullhead that hit the Grass Pig. About 20 minutes later, I missed a couple of hits, then had a good toothy bullhead hit right by me and Rocket 3 feet in the air. I landed it.

27" or so

Good thing that another guy was there to take the picture because a selfie of a fish that long doesn't look good. I also got this one on the grass pig. I tried several different jerkbait, only getting one bump that didn't hook up. I also missed several hits on the Grass Pig. I noticed the Rib Shad wasn't swimming well, and I had no hits on it. C.O. Kuske showed up but didn't come to check on me. The guy who fished next to Mike and me yesterday, who I will call Local Walleye Guy, showed up in his boat and picked up 3 people from shore. He went over and parked by the point on the SW side of the GOMH; they were throwing suckers or shiners and getting golden and jumpin bullheads occasionally. Us shore fishers were not getting much. I did get one small jumper on the Grass Pig. I tried the NE side again, but my upper back barked at me, and I had had enough of that. I left around 6:45. I Got home and called the Chiropractor. Fortunately, Dr. Grunst was willing to take me in early because he was booked.  

I'm Gonna Have A Rocket, Man

I was informed this week that I won the first Justin Lucas "Rocket" to the Top Contest from Berkley® and Abu Garcia®.  I thought I had guessed 68th Place for Table Rock, but I didn't go back and verify it when I first heard Lucas finished in 68th. I didn't want to get my hopes up.  Then I got an email titled: Winner: Rocket To The Top Contest.  The email didn't tell me what all I had won, so I went back and looked at the contest post on Facebook.  Looks like I will be getting $200 worth of stuff beyond the Revo Rocket Reel.  I'm a happy camper. I've never owned a Revo reel, but I thought about getting some when they first came out and got such good reviews.  Now I'll get my chance.  Not sure which rod I'm going to put it on yet.  I'll have to see what if any lines they send me before I make that decision.  The stuff should arrive by the end of the first week in May, so I'll have plenty of time to figure it out before the Fishing Opener.