Missed A Good One at the GOMH

Tonight I missed a good fish at the Grumpy Old Man Hole on a Horny Toad.  It came all the way out of the water and had it.  I just blew the hook set.  I'm going to need to work on my Horny Toad hook sets this week, with Leech Lake coming up next week.  I did catch two small bass on a Pure Poison with Craw Fatty.  I got out a bit late, so I didn't get to the Culvert or Inlet.

Yesterday I got 2 bass at Jenny's on the Horny Toad and got bit off.  And in the morning I got 2 bass at the Culvert on a spinnerbait and a Crawtube and I got 2 bass at the GOMH on a Yum Wooly Bug.

Pete 2 BP 1

Tonight we got out a bit later than planned fishing from 8:30PM to 9:30PM.  We fished at the culvert again and on the South end same as last night.

Pete caught 2 bass including his biggest one yet.

I got 1

14"

Then we headed to the South end of Sullivan.  Here is a picture I took last night of Pete wading.  (Couldn't find it last night because it was in a new folder.)

BP 4 Pete 3

Pete and I went out shore fishing again from 8PM until 9:45PM.  We went by the GOMH and didn't stop even though Willard was there.  Platte Lake Access was being fished, so we went to the River Culverts.  Pete got the first couple of bass on the Yum Wooly Bug.

I then caught a 16" on the Wooly Bug on a weighted swimbait hook.

Pete caught his last bass on the WB and I got a 15.5".  Pete hung the WB up in the weeds and I had to break it off.  Pete then got his waders and retrieved his Rapala from last night.  I got a chunky 19" on the Wooly Bug.

Right after that I lost the grip pin off the swimbait hook, so we were SOL on the weedless bottom bumping lures.

We went to the outlet on the South end of Sullivan and I amazingly caught a walleye on the Pure Poison w/ Craw Fatty.

Pete waded around but didn't get anything.

BP 3 Pete 1.5

Tonight Pete and I got out for some shore fishing.

First stop was the Grumpy Old Man Hole.  I think we both got a bite, but didn't catch anything.  Next we went to the NE access on Sullivan.  That was a bust.  Next we went to the Platte Access and Pete got this pike.

Next we went to the culverts over the Platte River and I got this nice bass, missed another one, and a pike.

16"

Got them on the Pure Poison with Havoc Craw Fatty. Pete got a Rapala stuck in the cattails.  Then we went to the inlet on the South end of Sullivan Lake.  Pete got some bites on a Yum Wooly Bug but couldn't hook up.  He gave it to me and I caught a 14" bass.  Gave it back to Pete and he got a couple more bites but only caught a stick.

Bulldog & Platte

I got out fishing tonight from shore at 8PM.  First stop was Bulldog where I got this 14" largie on a Yum Wooly  Bug.

Next I headed to Jenny's where I got 2 bass and missed 1 or 2 more.

16.75"

Same Fish

Last stop was the Grumpy Old Man Hole.  Willard was there with another old guy.  John W. was there and he got a limit with the help of a jumpin bullhead from me.  Caught on the "Big Sexy" Mad Maxx same as at Jenny's.

Rock Lake Again

I headed back to Rock tonight from 6:30PM to 9PM.  Conditions were windy out of the West, cloudy, and cool.  First fish was this pike on a Grass Pig just out from the access.

Didn't get anything after that in the lake so I headed back into the RPRO.  I manged to miss my first 3 or 4 hits before connecting with a 17" bass on the Horny Toad.  I quickly caught a 13" and a 15" and then I missed a bunch of fish.  I moved the boat and got a Toad on the Horny Toad.

20.25"

I caught a few more 14's and 13's on the Horny Toad and got a 15" on a Yum Wooly Bug.  I also got one more pike also on the Horny Toad.  I missed several more bites on the Horny Toad and a few on the Grass Pig.  Didn't get any hits on the Crawtube.

Bass Snatcher Win!!! The 2011 Challenge Cup@ Fishtrap Lake

(Bill Ludenia, Mark Munson, Dennis Lothspeich, Charles Steinbauer, and me. (Missing is Tony Bauer)

Well Team Baxter Bass Snatchers has done it again and won the Challenge Cup Tournament that pits the Brainerd area bass fishing clubs against one another. I fished the Challenge Cup Tournament in 2009 on Mission Lakes and 2010 on Sylvan Lake, and we won the Cup those years as well. Previously when I fished it was only the Snatchers and Range Bassmasters fishing against one another, but this year the Brainerd Lakes Bassmasters showed up to fish. The Brainerd Lakes Bassmasters had the Challenge Cup Trophy so I had never seen it before; As you can see in the picture, it's quite large.

Here is how it went down:
Baxter Bass Snatchers 66-5
Range Bassmasters 60-8
Brainerd Lakes Bassmasters 53-12

Normally each club provides 6 anglers to fish and the Challenge Cup winner is decided by the the best total team weight, but one of the other clubs was a person short; Because of that only the 5 best weights for a team counted towards each teams weight total this year. We went by the Range Bassmaster Club's rules this year and that meant a 5 fish limit. I had the Bass Snatchers worst bag, so my limit didn't count towards our winning total.

1st Place was taken by Snatcher Chuck Steinbauer with 14-14
2nd Place was Ranger Kevin Tengwall with 14-12
3rd Place was Snatcher Dennis Lothspeich with 14-8

Big Bass was 4-9.5 and caught by Ranger Mandy Uhrich who was in Brainerd Lakes Jim Eide's boat. She caught the fish around 9:30am on these Chompers Tubes:Mandy bought the tubes the day before at Gander Mountain just for this tournament. She had never used these tubes before but thought they looked good. I don't know if it was her instincts or training as a biologist but she obviously made the right call.

My Day:
The forecast was for clouds, showers and possible thunderstorms with 10-15mph winds out of the SE and temps starting in the mid-50's and getting above 70. Temps were on the money, and we had showers and clouds in the morning but around 11:30am the sun came out and never left. Wind speeds were about right, but out of the NE for most of the day.

I was suppose to be paired with Ranger Boater Brian Smude, but he dropped out so I fished with Ranger Jeremy Bjorgaard in his boat. While his boat wasn't much to look at it was actually really nice to fish out of as a non-boater. Jeremy was a really good guy and he went out of his way to try and make sure I caught fish. Still he kicked my butt pretty good with a black/blue Lake Fork Crawtube.

Jeremy had pre-fished and was pretty confident we would be on quality and numbers. Our first spot, actually the very same first spot I fished the only other time I had been on Fishtrap Lake in the Fall of 2007, was a bullrush Island on the South end of the lake. We went around the whole thing keeping our distance and Jeremy got the first keeper in the boat on a spinnerbait. After we got around the whole thing once we moved in closer so we could pitch with a vertical presentation. Jeremy confessed that he thought we would both have a limit after one pass. I started throwing a green pumpkin jig with a orange crawdad Yum Wooly Bug trailer and was rewarded with a nice 15.25 fish. That was the last fish we got on the bullrush Island. Next we went to a reed bed off the end of a point. Jeremy caught a small keeper on a blue/black crawtube which he immediately threw back. I had my green pumpkin crawtube get bit off by a pike.

Next we went to some reeds that were around an Island. I got a 14.5" bass on the jig with Wooly Bug. I missed a hit on a Herb's Dilly Buzzbait and Jeremy got a nice bass on the back side of the Island on a spinnerbait.

Next we went to another Island to an inside turn that went to a reed point. Jeremy proceeded to whack the fish, while all I could muster was a dink and 12.25" swimmer. It was kind of ugly as Jeremy must have gotten 10 good fish to my 2 and we were both throwing black/blue crawtubes.

Next we went to a weedline where Jeremy had gotten a couple of good fish in pre-fish. We were working our way up the side of a point where I told Jeremy we had caught fish the last time I was on the lake. Just about a minute later I had a hit on my spinnerbait and brought in a 12.5" swimmer. Jeremy said I pretty much called my shot.

Next we went back to our starting spot. I finished off my limit with a 14.5" on a spinnerbait and I had my green pumpkin jig bit off by a pike. I suggested we work the near by weed flat with the wind blowing on it. We were throwing spinnerbaits and I starting catching pike including a nice one we both thought was a bass at first. Jeremy got the first bass and then a couple of minutes later I got a 15.75", which was my big fish of the day. We worked up to another tournament boat and they said they hadn't gotten any bass on blades. At that point the sun came out and we headed to a weedline where Jeremy got quality fish in his pre-fish. It was dead.

We went to another weedline on the North end and that was pretty dead until we got to an inside turn and Jeremy pulled two fish in quick succession, but then that was it.

Next we headed to a saddle with a reed island. The wind was blowing in on it and it just looked prime. I got a 14.75 on a spinnerbait and I was very glad to have the 12 inchers out of the boat. On the back side of the reed island Jeremy pulled his big fish of the day on the crawtube. We worked along the back side of the saddle but nothing was home.

We went to another weedline where I missed a couple of bites on the crawtube.

Our last stop was the inside turn where Jeremy whacked them earlier in the day. I missed a bite that hit almost the second the crawtube hit the water. I decided to throw the Repo Man and I had a fish smack it, but not hook up. I threw back with a crawtube and got bit but I pooched it and that was it for the day. I think I had 9-12 or 9-14, which was on the small side for this day. Jeremy beat me by a little over 3 pounds.

As I said my weight got tossed and we won, so it's all good.

Finally a 5er And A Nice Pike To Boot

Today I fished Platte Lake from about 4PM to 7:15PM. Conditions a first were mostly cloudy with a 15-20MPH wind out of the NW. About 6:00PM the sun came out and by 6:30 the wind died down to nothing. Temps were in the mid to high 60's. It turned into a beautiful night for fishing.

To get out of the wind I headed to the NW corner of the lake and I went shallow. I started off in the reeds near a rice bed that was practically non-existent at this point. Right away I got a small pike on a green/yellow Herbs Dilly Buzzbait. I moved up very close to shore into pads and sparse rice and scored a 13.25" bass on a watermelon red Zoom Horny Toad. As I moved North I got a 24" pike on the Horny Toad, which came off during the fight. I went a long way in great looking water with nothing. I wasn't seeing any fish activity at all.

I got to a spot that has traditionally been good where there is pads and rice that give way to reeds and sparse rice. I cast into the reeds with a pumpkin Zoom Horny Toad when I brought it out into the open space before the pads start a fish blew up and missed 10 feet from the boat. I figured it was a pike, but cast back anyway. The fish blew up on it again about 6 feet from the boat. I quickly discovered it wasn't a pike, but a big bass.
She went 20" and looked to be a touch over 5lbs on my Rapala spring scale, which I believe is pretty accurate. This is my biggest largemouth in several years.

I ended up working out of the reeds and into the deeper sparse rice when I had a swirl on the Herb's Dilly. I cast back a couple of times but it wouldn't go. So I cast back in with a crawdad color Yum Wooly Bug. The fish hit just as I got into some weeds and it didn't hook up. I cast back and it flashed but didn't get it. I was right next to the boat and it flashed again but missed. I saw it was a nice pike. I just kept shaking it right next to the boat and finally it slammed it and hooked up, fortunately with the hook safely in the side of it's mouth. It put up a good battle and finally I netted it.
The fish went 31".

Conditions basically got perfect about 20 minutes before sunset and the stuff I was fishing looked awesome, but it was totally dead water. Didn't get another bite.

Fishers of Men Club Twin Cities Fall Outing Report

(FallEE WallEE the Fall Outing Tournament Trophy)

On Friday it was cold very windy and wet in the morning. Nobody wanted to go out in it. Around 1PM it dried up, still overcast, and I was willing to go out but nobody with a boat wanted too.

On Saturday I fished with Gary Pflipsen on Mule Lake. Conditions were clear, then cloudy, then clear again with little to no wind and it got warm enough that I fished for about 3 hours in a T-shirt.

When Gary and I arrived we motored a fair ways North of the access and started fishing the West shoreline. I got the first fish which was this largemouth.
It bit on a green pumpkin Strike King Pro Model tube on a leadhead jig. Gary got then next bass which was a 15+ largie caught off a dock. I got another decent bass on the tube. I was missing a few bites.

In the calm and overcast I started throwing topwater and I caught an 18" pike on a Lucky Craft Gunfish. Gary caught a nice mid 20" pike off a dock with a Senko. Finally we got down to the Narrows and on the North point I got largies number 3 & 4 on a PB&J Yum Wooly Bug. 4 Bass was the limit for bass in the FallEE WallEE Tournament. I believe bass #4 was 15" and my biggest of the day. To the East of the narrows we started seeing a lot of baitfish activity on the surface so I started throwing topwater. I got an 8" largie on a clear bluegill Deps Buzzjet Jr. I put on a motor oil Yum Wooly Bug and caught my second pike which was a meager 14 inches long. 2 was the tournament limit on pike and it was this fish that won me the top spot for 2010 on FallEE WallEE. I caught one more 11" largie on the bluegill Deps Buzzjet Jr. and a 12" largie off a dock on the Strike King tube.

When the sun came out in the afternoon the fishing got tough and I didn't catch any more fish.

As it turns out fishing was kind of tough on everybody. Several of the guys had their 4 bass, but didn't get their limit of pike. Because of this and Gary Pflipsen and Mike Thompson not participating in the tournament I won the top spot on FallEE WallEE. Gordy got second and Jim Druk got 3rd. Gordy was fishing out of his new boat on Boy Lake and Jim got his fish on Three Island Lake fishing with minnows.

Platte Lake Sept 27th

It was a nice day. 70+ degrees, partly cloudy to cloudy, and a 10 to 15mph West NW wind. I got out around 3:30PM.

First stop was Jenny's and I got bit off by a pike on a white Sizmic Toad.

Off the dock at the Lake Place I got a 22" pike on a wht/silver Herb's Dilly Buzzbait. I took the boat and mostly drifted towards Jenny's fishing a watermelon red Horny Toad and a green/yellow Herb's Dilly. I only got a couple of hits and didn't hook anything.

Around 6PM I moved to the North side of our bay to try around some docks. At the first dock I think I missed a fish. On the second dock I had a bass flash on my brand new bluegill Deps Buzzjet Jr. but it didn't get it. I pitched back in with a crawdad color Yum Wooly Bug and on about my 4th cast it got picked up and I got a 13+" bass. On the next dock down I pulled 2 bass on an electric chicken Zoom Super Fluke. Next came a big open area with scattered weeds between docks. I was throwing the bluegill Deps Buzzjet Jr. when it got crushed by this 15.75" largie.
In this open area I also got a 14" largie and a pike on the Buzzjet Jr. Also had a couple of blow ups that I missed.

On the next dock I got this 15+ bass, obviously on the Buzzjet Jr.


I pretty much worked to the bend South and didn't get any hits, then I quickly worked the reeds in the area I missed that big one a couple of weeks ago. Then I headed to the place I got a 19+" last week. There was baitfish activity and a couple of big swirls that I was able to cast too fairly quickly, but those fish wouldn't hit. It got dark and I went in.