Trophy In the Water For 2026

 

Several others were at the Grumpy Old Man Hole this morning, but the bullheads were not. So instead of catching nothing and looking dumb, I decided my time would be better spent getting the Trophy ready and putting it in the lake today. It turns out fate knew what it was doing, and I crushed them the next couple of nights on Sullivan. It is nice to have all options available early.

Trophy Out Of Platte Lake for 2025(11/8/25)

 

My plan was to be at the Lake Place by 2:30 pm. The parents were not in on that plan and didn't arrive back from their Saturday adventuring until a little before 3 pm. I didn't get to the lake place until a little after 3:30 pm. Steve was ready to go, and I had things prepped to go last night, so I was off to the Platte Lake Public Access quickly. We got it loaded on the trailer and had almost completed running gas out of the system when I couldn't get the motor to turn over. I figured the starting battery was out of juice. I tried the pull cord, but it wouldn't budge. I figured out the problem and fixed the issue when I got home; It was the same deal I encountered somewhat frequently with my older 25hp Johnson.

I think I'm done in the Trophy for 2025. Temperatures around here are supposed to be about 10 degrees below normal for the next few days, before it is supposed to warm into the 50s by next weekend. If I get out for the warm-up, it will be in the Slop Slip, most likely on Rock Lake.

I didn't put the Trophy in Platte until June 5th this year, because some leaks in the hull needed to be fixed, and Todd wasn't able to make it up to do the repairs until either late May or June. In 2026, I plan to get the Trophy in the lake ASAP after ice-out to take full advantage of bass being open to catch-and-release fishing. 2026 is the year my long-awaited wish for year-round bass fishing happens. I took 137 trips in the Trophy this year, up significantly from the 89 trips I took last year. A bad back, bum hip, and poor fishing curbed my enthusiasm for getting out last year.

June 2025	28
July 2025	35
August 2025	28
Sept 2025	19
Oct 2025	21
Nov 2025	6
Total 2025	137

The weather wasn't the greatest in September and October, and I think in September and early October, I was kind of fished out and missed a few opportunities when the weather was nice as well. 

Trophy Out Of Platte For 2024(11/17/24)

 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.

Last Trophy Trip of 2024(11/2/24)

  

5:00-6:30pm F Flat, N Reeds Across, NPBI

45-50℉, PC,  3mph S

I had to use a dock pole to move the Trophy backward. There were swans where I was headed on F Flat and loons in the wider bay. I got a pike in the first 10 minutes and missed another bite on F Flat. I fished the North Reeds Across Reed Edge for about 10 minutes, then went to NPBI. I didn't get a bite there.

1Pike

Despite the weather being nice in November until I took the Trophy out of the lake on the 17th of the month, this was my only trip in the boat for the month. I was preoccupied with the election, my surgery, and how sucky the fishing was in September and October.

Victory Achieved (sort of)

I finally stopped putting off getting the Trophy in the water, but not before sleeping in long enough to ensure I didn't have any time to fish; I just put it in and made sure the motor didn't have any issues then took it right back out, so I would be home before it got too dark. It rained while I was on the lake, which was a positive because it cleared out the guy fishing at the Rock Dock and the last trailer in the lot. The (sort of) is because I left fishing time on the table by sleeping into the afternoon. I would have been on the water about 3PM if I had gotten up on time.
 

140 Trips Taken In The Trophy In 2023

 I have slowly been working on a spreadsheet to keep track of how many trips I have taken with each of my two motors. This year I took 116 trips with the 1993 Johnson and 24 trips with the 2001 Johnson for a total of 140 trips in the Trophy this year. That is a fairly significant drop from the 162 trips I took last year and the 184 trips I took in 2021, both years on the 1993 Johnson. Motor issues depress me and I had those in 2023. Platte Lake freezing out was a factor as was a late Spring, and I fished into November the previous two years. I took 35 trips in July and 32 trips in June this year and only 31 trips in September and October combined. No trips in the Trophy this November so far this year and there probably won't be any. However, I'm not going to rule it out completely as that I am storing the boat here this winter and the forecast has taken a turn in a warmer direction.

Trophy Out & Dock Most Of the Way For 2023

 

About a month ago maybe even longer ago Roy Ponder of POW Ponder Weather on YouTube looked into his crystal ball and saw it getting cold around the start of November. I filed that in the back of my brain and enjoyed the warmer than average Fall we were having hoping Mr. Ponder had it wrong. Well, he nailed it, unfortunately. There will probably be no November bass fishing for me as I pulled it out of the lake on Halloween. I feared that with the cold temps tonight the area around the dock might freeze up, thus making pulling the dock out of the water a pain. The thought of fishing in 30-degree water temps in 40-degree conditions is not appealing. I'm packing it in for bass fishing in 2023.  I'll still fish at the Jetty and maybe at the GOMH as long as conditions allow.

2001 Johnson Back On The Trophy

Picture From 2019

 I don't know why I didn't have the motivation to get my motors switched once it was clear the the 1993 Johnson was not going to snap out of the loss of speed this time; I came to that realization around the end of last month. 

I didn't get the Trophy out of the lake until Sept. 16th.

I didn't get "My Other Johnson" switched until the 18th and didn't get it back in the lake until a day later.

I hope the 2001 Johnson's run this time is a lot longer than its first one, basically four months of fishing.

Trophy In Platte Lake May 12th

 Put the trophy in Platte Lake today and made a last-minute decision to put the deep cycle in the boat and go for a short fishing trip. At least I think that is how things worked out several months later.   

Trophy In At Rock Lake

 

I didn't go fishing at Rock Lake today. Just put her in for a quick spin then took her out due to impending rain. There was Crow Wing Sherrif investigating an abandoned boat when I arrived at the Rock Lake Access as well as a pontoon boat that was just coming out. I fished Rock out of the trophy the next day.

Trophy Story:Took A Very Short Trip Today

 I slept in today. That resulted in me getting a late start on prepping the boat for the maiden voyage of 2023. Mom met the ram that was born at 2 am while I got the boat prepped. I drove her back home and grabbed the rest of the stuff I didn't bring on the first trip. I left the house the second time after 5 pm. Radar made it look like I had until about 6:15 to have the boat out of the water so I didn't get drenched. I made the executive decision to skip fishing and just take it for a quick spin on Rock Lake. When I arrived at the Rock Access, there was a pontoon getting ready to be taken out and a Sheriff's Deputy investigating what may be an abandoned runabout. I talked to the Deputy for a minute as I got launch ready, and by the time I was done with that, the pontoon was out of the water. I back down. The motor started right up. I dumped her in and idled for a couple of minutes, then got her up to speed, headed back to the ramp, and pulled it out. 

If I had a do-over, I would have taken the Trophy out fishing on Rock on Monday night; The weather was nice, and the fishing at the Grumpy Old Man Hole was slow. I wanted to take the Trophy out but stayed with the security blanket, which could have been more comforting, with the slow fishing telling me I made a poor choice the whole evening. About forty minutes into fishing, I almost bagged it and went for the boat. I should have gone with my gut. Water under the bridge, which resulted in me getting skunked today because I didn't catch a fish in the half hour I fished at the Grumpy Old Man Hole today.

Really, skunked at the GOMH in May with a front moving in, ridiculous!

Trophy Pulled For 2022

 

I put her into Platte Lake on May 7th and took it on November 9th. I got it in so late because the fishing was so good at the Grumpy Old Man Hole that I wasn't in a rush. I didn't take nearly as many trips in May this year for the same reason. I ended the year having taken 163 fishing trips in the boat, down from 186 last year.

Trophy NOT Coming Out Of The Lake This Week

 On the 15th of October, I speculated on Facebook that I would be taking the Trophy out for the year this weekend. But then the weather did me a solid and went into Indian Summer. I think the Trophy comes out next weekend, but I am not making a final decision on that until Friday. If it looks dry the second week of November, I might keep her in another week.

Trophy Into Platte Today(5/7/22)

 Trophy in at the Lake Place, going to have to do something about the pontoon lift with the high water.

Skunked For First Trophy Trip of '22

 

 

Rock Dock, Not In

I got over to the lake place a little after 2PM.  Steve was home. Couldn't get the bilge pump to work or get the motor to turn over, doh! Quickly figured out that I didn't have the motor in neutral; I thought I did and played with it several times. Finally found neutral when I connected the motor up to the troller battery. I got the bilge pump cleaned out the next day, and now it's working. It was sunny but cool.  So rather than start fishing right away, I mapped the lake for a couple of hours.

I then started fishing in the Platte River Outlet Bay, where many Pelicans were and the warmest water, 41℉. Not a single sign of life. So I spent the last hour and a half between the access and the Cane. I was marking stuff in 6 to 10-feet but didn't have a bite.  Water temps were 38-39, so I figure the fish were just lethargic.

I've got two and a half weeks before Opener, and hopefully, the Pelicans will find greener pastures somewhere else.

Will I Have The Trophy In Platte Lake By May 1st?

3/23/22

 I figure we are about a week away from open water as of yesterday.  It is supposed to really warm up on Saturday with a pretty good chance of thunderboomers. I hope the storms hold off until evening and that I will be able to get the boat cleaned up and water ready before the storms arrive. I am mulling not putting the Trophy in Platte Lake right away this year. I'm thinking about sampling the fishing in Rock and maybe a couple other lakes first.

Trophy Pulled For 2021

Forgot to run the gas out, oops.

Loaded and ready to go.

Final Trophy Fish in 2021

I took 186 trips in the Trophy this year. I am not sure if that is a record or not. I caught more than 2,223 fish on those trips.

April	12
May	28
June	36
July	26
Aug	32
September	24
Oct	21
Nov	7
Total	186

Is This My Final Bass of 2021?

Final Bass of 2021?

 Well, the literal answer is no. I didn't like how dark the picture was of the bass after I caught this one.  It is possible I will catch bass at the GOMH or through the ice, but I wouldn't bet on either of those things happening. So today may very well be when I catch my last bass of 2021.

Frog Fishing With Mallory and Todd

 It was a warm July night and the fish were snapping in Inlet Bay. The goal was to get Mallory her first-ever topwater frog caught bass. She got quite a few opportunities and even had a fish hooked, but it hung her up in the reeds and pads. Todd got big fish of the night with the 3.46lber.

Trophy In The Water Today