Fishing Goals For 2017

New and of Note for 2017- I am attempting to intentionally fish with more people this year hence the added fishing buddies category.  I want to catch at least 1,000 bass this year;  I believe that is doable since I should have the Trophy in the water all season.

Fishing Buddies:
1. Fish with Dad at least 5 times.
2. Fish with Mike Thompson
3. Fish with Jim Bonin
4. Fish with  Mike "Spike" Miller
5. Fish with Jeff and Renee
6. Fish with Todd and the girls several times
7. Take Peter W. out in the Trophy at least once.
8. Take Matt W. out in the Trophy at least once.
9. Fish with Dave Lindmark
10. Fish with Christopher Glaze
Dream Fishing Buddies:
1. Fish with Josh Douglas
2. Fish with Al Lindner

Bass Snatcher Goals:
1.  Get "Wood" in at least one tournament. (1st-3rd Place Finish or Lunker)
2. Win my 1st tournament. (My best finish to date is 2nd Place.)
3. Get "Lunker" in a tournament.   (Preferably one over 5-8 to win the revolving big bass pot that I'm now entered in thanks to somebody finally winning it last year.  With 3 big bass lakes on the schedule there is a shot.)
4. Get paired with Chuck Fields.  (He usually only fishes a couple of tournaments a year so chances of it ever happening are not very good.)
5. Finish in the Top 10 at the end of the year.  (Something I haven't done since 2011)
6. Catch a limit at every tournament of the year.  (I've done this twice, but in 2012 I only fished 4 out of the 6 tournaments due to a bad back.)
7. Pre-fish with at least 3 boaters.
8. List the Rods I'm bringing for each tournament before the tournament.

Technique & Tackle Goals:
1. Win something in Fantasy Fishing or Facebook giveaway/contest.
2. Catch fish on a Lucky Craft Gunfish 117
3. Catch a fish on % of Mystery Tackle Box Lures
    3a. 1st Box 100% (5 out of 5)
    3b. 2nd Box 60% (3 out of 5)
    3c. 3rd Box 110 % (6 out of 6)
4. Catch a fish on the Rapala BX Waking Minnow
5. Catch a bass on the Salmo Bass Bug
6. Get my brother Todd set up with a Frog rod.
7.  Officially Open the Tackle Warehouse this year. (I never did that in 2016)

Blogging:
1. Blog about anytime I reach a goal.
2. Record all fishing trips at Fish Swami
3. Fish at least 150 days and blog about them
4. Do a better job of blogging when the Elites come for the AOY this year on Mille Lacs.

Fish Goals:
1. Catch Devin's birthday bullhead on May 20th.
2. Average 5 fish caught per hour. (4.08 in 2016, 3.62 in 2015, 3.55 in 2014, 4.41 in 2013, 4.31 in 2012, 2.77 in 2011)
3. Catch 3,000 Fish

Crappie:
1. Catch a new personal best. (Currently 14.25")
2. Catch* over 300 this year. (Caught 306 in 2016)

Dogfish:
1. Win my 3rd Minnesota Bowfin Club Grand Championship
2. Catch a MN State Record fish. (11-4  or 35" x 20")
3. Catch a new personal best.

Pike:
1. Catch* over 200 this year. (Caught 488 in 2016)
2. Catch a 38" or over/personal best.

Bass: 
1. Catch a 21plus inch or 6lb Largemouth
2. Catch a 21plus inch or 6lb Smallmouth
3. Catch* over 1,000 bass this year. (Caught 764 in 2016)
4. Catch* at least 25 smallies.  (I caught 24 last year)

Walleye:
1. Catch at least 30. (Caught 42 in 2016)
2. Catch 30" or new personal best. (28.5 is current PB)

* Catch is anything I deem it to be including follows by pike or smallmouth (while pre-fishing), a pike missing my lure, fish seen on the Aqua View, and fish that get off before I have them in hand that I can positively identify.

A goal that I reached is in bold.

A Wheeler Went Through On Platte Lake Tonight

Sullivan Tonight

Sullivan Inlet

Tonight I went fishing for about 45 minutes at the Grumpy Old Man Hole and caught another toothy bullhead.  As I was leaving a wheeler showed up on the South end of the small island.  I drove down to the inlet on Sullivan then over to Bulldog Lake. As I was heading home on 8 a cop passed me lights on and turned at Richardson Corners headed towards the GOMH. Turns out the guy on the wheeler fell through. Lucky for him Peter W. was out and saw the whole thing happen and called 911. I don't know if the person crawled out on his own or if he had to be rescued, but he made it out. I saw and heard some sandhill cranes out there tonight.  I'm guessing Platte Lake will be ice free by Tuesday the 22nd at the latest.  I think it will probably be earlier especially if we get significant rain on this Tuesday (15th).

Morning Skunk, Rock Redeems Me (Barely)

Mille Lacs This Morning Around 8AM

I headed to Mille Lacs this morning in the fog around 5:30AM.  I was fishing by 6.  The fact that I didn't see any little walleye's swimming around was a bad sign.  When i t got light out I saw one baitfish jump, compared to dozens I saw on Monday morning.  I did some exploring, saw some ducks and seagulls and left around 9AM.  I tried Erskine, Bulldog, Rock, and the GOMH with not even a single bite for the morning.

I spent the afternoon getting my tackle organized.  The last couple of years I neglected to do this after my last tournament of the year leaving organizing until Spring.  It's a good thing. I needed to do some work on the Tackle Warehouse that I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

I ended up not getting to Rock about 6:20 or so.  It was dead calm.  I decided to throw the Stanley Phantom Topwater.  Sure enough what I'm pretty sure was a nice bass nailed it but didn't hook up.  I tried throwing the craw tube as a follow up bait, but she gone.  On pretty much my next cast with the Phantom I had a fish hit me beyond the weed clumps to the South.  I stuck this one.

21" Rail of a fish with weird light and dark coloring

That was all I got.

I then headed to the GOMH.  I grabbed two rods and headed to the NE side.  Somebody spoke to me and it was then that I noticed somebody was fishing off the bridge on the South side.  Turns out it was Peter.  After throwing a few casts on the NE side I joined him up on the bridge.  I told him what I've been getting lately.  He didn't get anything, not even a bullhead.  We talked about going ice fishing this winter.  Looks like I am going to have to get my ice fishing gear figured out.

Limit Tonight at the GOMH

I went in to Little Falls today to get my eyes checked.  I should be getting new glasses in about 10 Days.  We didn't get back to Jenny's until around 5PM.  I went and checked Rock and it's 80% open.  I checked Bulldog and it's 90% open.  I then went to the Grumpy Old Man Hole and Peter had just gotten there.  He missed a really nice sized silver bullhead, then he caught one.  He threw it back because he wasn't going to keep fish tonight.  I had seen enough so I went home to get my rods.  But first I went to the NE access on Sullivan and it's wide open.  The NW access looked open as well.  I still think there is some ice on the SW shore line, but it should be gone by opener.

After getting my stuff together and some warmer clothes on I got out to the GOMH around 6:30PM.  Peter had a silver bullhead for me right when I got there.  I joined him on the SW side and  I caught a silver bullhead right away and in to the bucket it went.  I got another one about 10 minutes after that.  After a bit of a  lull I decided to try the SE side.  I wasn't there long and someone else showed up.  So I immediately went back to the SW side.  Not long after that I caught this 12.75" slabber bullhead.  I let it go.

Around that time some big floating weed mats started floating in giving us trouble.  We still caught an occasional fish.  Here are a couple jumpin bullheads that I got through that junk.

T.H.E. Jig in the bullheads mouth tipped  with a minnow is what I caught everything on tonight.  Peter also caught a 12.75"  slabber bullhead.  His also went back in the lake.

You can see the weeds we were fishing around behind him.  I ended up getting 3 jumpin bullheads and  I believe I caught 10 silver bullheads total two of which went back, one of them was to small.

All in all it was a good night of fishing.  Had it not been for the weeds we probably would have caught a lot more fish.

Tonight at the GOMH

10.5"

Tonight I fished from 4 to 6PM and from 8:30 to 9:50PM.

During the early trip I got 1 jumpin bullhead and a couple of bites that I missed.  It was raining out so lightly for a while I was in my T-shirt.  I went to the SE side and pulled some of the weeds up on the rocks.  I didn't get very much East of the steps where there is a ton of weeds.  That kid from last night, who I found out's name is Peter showed up with minnows.  He didn't get anything.  I did try the NE side for a little while and didn't get anything.  A guy showed up and fished for a bit off the bridge on both the N and S sides.  They all left around 5:30 and I left at 6PM to go check the lakes and have dinner.

During the late trip it was raining more heavily.   I missed a fish, presumably a silver bullhead, right away.  At about 8:45PM I got another hit and landed the 10.5" in the picture.  At about 9:20PM I got a hit with the lighted bobber and landed a 9.5 incher.  I got both fish on T.H.E. Jig red and yellow with a chartreuse head and a minnow.

1st Silver Bullhead of the Year, Met Peter W.

11"

I got my first Silver Bullhead of the year tonight.  Only one, though.  Got it on a Red/White 1/64th T.H.E. Jig with a minnow.

I actually fished twice today.  Once from 4-6PM and then from 7:45 to 9:20PM.  On the 4-6PM trip, I bought minnows and immediately got a jumpin bullhead.  A kid showed up (Peter W.), and I went to the truck to get out the hoe I brought to clear out the weeds up against the shore.  The weeds were a hazard to get a fish through on the 4lb test.  I got a couple more jumpers, including one that tail-walked a bit.  Here is my biggest one of the day.

I'd say 17+."

I caught one more, and the kid asked if he could borrow a minnow.  He then got a jumper as well.  I think I got a couple more.  Then it got quiet, and I left for dinner.  The kid left as well.

After dinner, I came down with dad.  I got a jumper right away.  I got 4 jumpers and 1 silver, all on T.H.E. Jig, and a minnow.  Dad had a few bites but didn't hook anything on a pink Cubby and minnow.  The kid showed up.  I don't think he caught anything.  I stayed until it got pretty dark, but the S.B.'s were either not hitting or not quite in yet.

Ice Out Report: I think I will call Ice Out for 2013 on Platte Lake tomorrow.  It was open beyond the public access.  Some guy even had his boat out.  I'll check the area lakes tomorrow.