My Snatcher Season at the Mid Way Point

The fishing funk I fell into last year has continued into this one unfortunately.  All of my finishes so far this year have been a disappointment.  First Tournament on Birch I didn't fish very intelligently and finished 2 places up from last.  Second Tournament on South Long lost fish cost me, but at least I got a limit; Finished 6 places up from last.  Third Tournament at Fishhook we just weren't on the fish and I feel fortunate I caught what I did; Two places up from last again.

So far only 1 of my goals for the season won't be reached.  I failed to catch a limit in two tournaments.  All the rest of my goals will be in play until the last tournament of the year.

I am seriously overdue for a Top 5 finish.  I haven't even cracked a Top 10 finish in the past two years and a half years. And that was with two fields of 15 or less anglers in the mix .

Draw for Pokegama is this Wednesday and the draw for Rabbit is two weeks later.  All it takes is one really high finish to get on a roll.

Snatchers Fishhook Tourny July 16th

A pod of about 8 Loons we came across

7:50AM-4:00PM Fishhook Lake
Conditions: 63-79degrees, Mostly sunny to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy, started calm then winds from 5 to 10 MPH out of the SW

Pre-tournament Thoughts:
I came into this tournament hoping for the best, but expecting it might be a difficult day.  My boater Art doesn't have a GPS and the Lakemaster Chip for mine just has generic contours of the lake that may or may not be accurate.  I didn't even think it was worth bothering putting in waypoints of spots to check out.  I did bring the GPS with though.

The Day:
We blasted off third and headed East to large point with a big weed flat.  I believe 5 other boats started on it.  I took that as an encouraging sign.   We were the closest boat in towards shore.   Dennis Lothspeich was in the closest boat to us and he had a pike break him off on his first cast.  My boater Art got a rock bass.  Herman who was in Dennis boat got himself a keeper largemouth.  I started out throwing topwater and didn't raise a thing.  I got a rock bass on the Piranha and had a pike follow in it as well.  Art got a couple more rock bass and pretty much everybody left the area after an hour and a half.  I had a pike break off my Texas rig and the wind started up.

We moved to the NW corner of the lake and I got a pike on the Pure Poison with Swim Fluke Jr. for a trailer.  We then moved in to try a few docks.  Very fishy looking water to me.  Between two of the docks there was a tree hanging over the water and I put a cast up right by shore.  Sure enough there was a good bass sitting there that took my Fluke and I hooked it.  It went 16", I wouldn't be getting a skunk for the day.  I was feeling pretty good about that.  We came up to some slop and reeds and I missed a hit on a LiveTarget Frog.  I wasn't looking at the lure when it hit.  I did get a good hookset, just don't think the fish had the frog.

We ended up going back to our starting spot.  We started catching rock bass and I had a pike break me off again.  I think I caught the next bass, a 14.25" keeper on a craw tube.  I didn't have my wits about me, as I didn't throw out a marker buoy I brought or think to put a waypoint in the GPS.  Art inexplicably decided to move us pretty much right after I caught the fish.  Art eventually did catch himself a keeper.  I didn't even cross my mind to throw the buoy or mark a waypoint.  We caught a few more rock bass.  Then we left and tried a couple other spots getting nothing.  With about an hour and a half left in the day we went back to the starting area again.  I quickly landed a 13.75" and a 14" keeper on the craw tube and Art landed his biggest fish and had one jump him off.  Once again I didn't think to throw the marker or put in a way point.  That was the last of our action other than a few more rock bass and a couple of bites that I missed.

Results:  My four fish weighed 7lbs 8ozs which put me in 16th Place out of 18 anglers.  Art's 2 fish weighed 3/11 and put him in 17th Place.  Keith Tuma won with a modest 16/10 and Lunker went to Tim Benson with a 5/2.

My Thoughts:  Who knows if I would have thrown out the marker buoy or marked where we caught fish on the GPS would have made a difference or not.  I just wish I had thought to do it.  Catching 1 more fish would have moved me up at least 2 more spots.  Other than the brain fart on the marker buoy and GPS, I thought I took advantage of what I was presented with.  The one suggestion I gave on where to fish didn't produce anything for us.  Getting bit by rock bass kept me from getting bored and I only lost two tungsten weight's to the pike.  The day could have gone far worse.  I'm just glad I caught anything.

Next Tournament:  Lake Pokegama (Grand Rapids) Aug 6th.      

Bass Snatcher Fishook Lake Quick Report

I didn't get a limit, but I'm not really disappointed about the 4 fish I weighed.  My boater only managed to get two keepers.  Chuck Steinbauer and Jim Smith only weighed 4 fish as well.  In other words, fishing was tough.  I'll have the full report in a couple of days when I get the results.

My June 2016: Less Larry, More Sally, More Teeth, Less Teeth

Highlight of the Month

After catching more largemouth in May of this year (181) than last year (141), I had high hopes for the fishing this June.  But we just didn't get the rain in this area of MN and my largemouth numbers caught dropped significantly. I caught 30 less largemouth this year (84) than last year (114).  Low water is a GOMH killer.  The two tournaments I fished in the month were underwhelming as far as the number of fish caught.  At least I got 10 bass at South Long; That was the most bass I caught in a day in June.

I did catch 5 smallmouth up 3 from last years total in June.

Pike numbers were not off the charts like they were in May when I caught 126 of them, but 42 is a record for June.  I have easily surpassed my goal of catching 150 pike for the year;  I am currently at 219.

After getting 31 walleyes in May, I only got 4 in June.  Last year I got 16 in May and 12 in June.

You can read about all of my fishing trips this year over at Bass Pundit's Fishing Log Blog.