Ruh Roh!

Teddy suffers a freak injury and is done for the season.  That pretty much bites.  But I don't think all is lost provided the other major pieces of the team can stay healthy.  I believe the Defense is going to contend for best D in the NFL this season.  If that's the case, we aren't going to need a whole lot of points.  It will be critical that our Offense does not turn the ball over.

It will be interesting to see if Spielman can conjure some magic.  I hope he puts in a call in to gauge Favre interest.  

My Snatchers Rabbit Lake Tournament Aug 20th.

17.33" Craw Tube Grn pumpkin/brown

7:45AM-3:55PM
Conditons: 65-59 degrees, Cloudy to mostly cloudy, Windy to very windy N, Light to heavy rain

Pre-tournament thoughts:  Rabbit Lake has always given me fish and my boater Dennis' confidence had me pretty confident I would get a limit.  Turned out getting there was more difficult than we thought.

The Day:
The last two boats waited until 7:30 to put in, which annoyed Dennis and me as well.  Conditions were perfect and we easily could have been fishing by 7:30, but as it was we blasted off at about 7:45.  We went straight to one of Guy's spots with Dwight right behind us.  We fished it for about 20 minutes and didn't get anything.  Dwight caught a nice one, but we didn't see it.

Next we went to a spot that was protected from the wind where Dennis got some good fish pre-fishing.  I put on the small Plopper and immediately had a 11.75" bass on.  I think Dennis first fish was a pike. He then got a couple small keepers.  I had a couple fish not get the Plopper, unfortunately all I have is the one color.

Next we  headed to the wood and Dennis got a little better keeper, but that was it.  We got to the spot where I got my best fish in pre-fish and I got an even bigger one (17.66) on a Lake Fork Craw Tube.  Unfortunately that was all we got.  We followed the road out and I got a 15.33" by where I got one in pre-fish.  I also got a pike on the Craw Tube as well and Dennis got a walleye.

I think we then went to the island and didn't get anything there.  We went back to our starting spot and Dennis got a quality fish that came off just as I got the net under it.  Dennis was quite thankful.  We spent quite a while there and Dennis got one more keeper.  I just couldn't buy a bite there except a pike that bit me off.

We left to go to the numbers spot.  Dennis forgot to put the trolling motor up and we got drenched.  We had a good laugh.  I missed a hit right away on the Craw tube and Dennis had a fish on pretty quickly as well.  I think it might have been a pike.  Dennis got a keeper and then he got his big fish.  I got bit off.  I started throwing a white spinnerbait and got a pike. Then I got a 14" and 12.75" pretty quickly as we worked back over the area.  I think Dennis got a couple more keepers and missed some bites as well getting a nice walleye.

We went back to the island and I got a big dogfish.  It put up a great fight.  Unfortunately my attempt at a selfie with it failed.

Dennis got himself a cull.  A rain storm was moving in on us, so we went to our second spot.  I missed a fish on the Craw Tube right away.  Then it started raining.  I had a bass hit the Craw Tube as I was reeling it back to the boat and I landed it (14").  It started pouring.  Dennis missed a few more bites. We got out in the wind and I cast out the Craw Tube and had an over run.  When I picked the bait back up I thought I felt a fish, so I set the hook.  My line cracked as my line broke just above the rod.

We headed back to where Dennis got his big fish.  I got a nice pike on the black blue Piranha and I got a dink on the jerk shad that was only a couple inches longer than the bait.  We got up by the pads and I got 15.5" on the white spinnerbait; the fish really thumped it.  I got my limit with about 2 hours left

We went back to our starting spot and I discovered I didn't have enough line to fish on the craw tube rod.  We didn't get anything.  We went back and tried to expand on our numbers spot, but came up empty.  We finished expanding on our second spot.  Dennis had a fish that would have culled get off just before I could reach it.  My last hit didn't get the spinnerbait and the day was over.

Results:
My limit weighed 11lbs 4ozs and put me in 12th Place out of a field of 16.  Dennis was one more big fish short of contending for the win.  His 15/11 put him in 5th Place.  Dwight "Hammer" Hammermeister took his very first Bass Snatcher victory with a 16/8 limit.  Paul Ruff had a 4lb 3oz smallmouth that took Lunker.

My Thoughts:
I wish I could have gotten rid of the 12 incher.  I would have moved up 1 spot for sure and possibly 2.  I tried a number of lures that came up empty: Super Fluke, Swim Jig, Rattlin' Rap, Baby Minus One, Fat Free Shad, Chigger Craw, Jig and Chigger Craw, KVD Sexy Dog, and RI Vixen.  For whatever reason I just cannot get in sync with the fish, it's frustrating.  I should have been able to catch more than 6 keepers.  Thank goodness I chose to bring the spinnerbait rod with as it was a last minute addition.

Next tournament is at Whitefish Chain on Sept. 24th.

Snatcher Quick Report Rabbit Lake

Big Dog

I didn't quite make it to 12lbs, but I got close.  It took almost all day to land 6 keepers.  Just couldn't get rid of a 12.75". The guys caught them pretty good so I'm pretty sure I'm in the bottom quarter of the field.  I got bit off 3 times and with a couple hours left had the line break at the rod on my craw tube rod with a lot of line out; It was unusable after that.  I couldn't get a hit on the Chigger Craw.  You can't tell from the picture, but the dogfish was a brute that put up a really good fight.  I'd say it was 7 or 8 pounds.  I didn't get a length because I tried to take a selfie holding it up with pliers, but it wiggled loose and off the back of the boat.  I'll have the full tournament report sometime later this week.

Bowfin Selfie fail.

Baxter Bass Snatchers Tournament at Rabbit Lakes Today

Will I finally break out of the slump I've been in the past two seasons?  I've got a good draw and it's a lake that has been good to me in the past.  It will be interesting to see if the cool, cloudy, windy, and rainy weather turns them on or off.  With the way club tournaments have gone this year, I'm betting on turns them off.  Hopefully I'm wrong.

My goal today is first to catch a limit and then to catch 12lbs by the end of the day.

August 6th Pokegama Snatchers Tournament

2nd From Last, 2nd Place, 1st Place

Dave Smith 4lb 8oz Lunker

7:40AM-4:00PM Pokegama Lake (Grand Rapids) 14 Guys Fishing
Conditions: 76-58 degrees, Light to M NW wind, Mostly Sunny to Mostly Cloudy,  Water visibility about 5'

Pre-Tournament Thoughts: 
I was due for a good tournament finish.

The Day:
We made the long run down to Sherry Arm and started on a large sunken Island with some cabbage where Bill had gotten a nice smallie in pre-fish.  Nothing was home except a small rock bass that I got on a craw tube.  We then moved to a wind blown point.  I pulled two pike on a chart/white Strike King Spinnerbait and Bill got the first keeper of the day, a small largemouth.  I had a good sized smallmouth head butt the spinnerbait right in front of me.  Why couldn't the fish bite it instead?

About an hour and a half in we went to the slop in the South end of Sherry Arm.  Bill got a couple more small largemouth.  We then worked the W shoreline and I got a 13.5" largemouth on Sweet Revenge Mad Maxx.  It showed itself and I got it on the second cast.  A little farther down I got a 13.75" out of some bulrushes on a craw tube.

We went to another point and Bill got another small keeper largemouth.  We went back to the point where I saw the smallie.  I had a couple dink bass grab the spinnerbait and get off.  Bill caught a 3-15 smallie on a jig.  That made his day.  We went back to the sunken island and didn't get anything.  With about two hours left to go we headed back towards Tioga.

I got a 14" in some reeds with rice on the craw tube.  We went into Poole Bay.  I lost a tungsten sinker to a snag in the reeds because I didn't retie my line which had been getting frayed.  Was not to happy about that.  We then moved across to the West side of the bay to some lily pads that Bill hadn't pre-fished.  I had fish miss the Horny Toad and Bill missed what sounded like a good fish just outside of the pads on his frog.  Then his trolling motor caught a bunch of braided line with a spinnerbait attached, so we lost use of the trolling motor for the final hour.

We moved into Tioga Bay and drifted with the wind along some reeds.  I had a good fish hit the Horny Toad but it swam right at me and I couldn't keep up and it got off.  Don't know what it was because I never saw it.  I had some dink bass hit the Horny Toad and had a couple good strikes not hook up. Bill got a small cull and the day was over.

Results:
My three fish weighed 4lbs 13ozs which put in 13th Place out of 14 anglers.  Bill's fish went 11-7 and put him in 10th Place.  1st Place went to Tim Benson with 17lbs 8ozs and Dave Smith had the 4-8 Lunker.

My Thoughts:
I thought for sure I was getting last place in this one, but Art saved me from that fate.  We just weren't on anything as Bill having the smallest limit of the tournament with a 3-15 kicker proves.  I should have thrown the jerk shad some, but was to lazy to switch the spinnerbait for a speed clip.  That smallmouth bumping the spinnerbait and not eating it got in my head a little bit.  They usually crush that little spinnerbait and are hooked up solid.

Next Tournament Rabbit Lake in two weeks.    

Pokegama Quick Report

My streak of poor tournament performances continues.  I only got 3 small keepers in this one.  Amazingly I didn't finish in last place. The day started out with a 3lb plus smallmouth head butting my spinnerbait and not hooking up.  We just weren't on anything.  I'll have my full report when I get the final results.

Pokegama Lake Snatcher Tournament Tomorrow

This will be the 3rd tournament I've fished with the Snatchers at Lake Pokegma (Grand Rapids).  I've gotten a limit each time previous and the 2012 tournament was post stroke with a bad back.  I did get out to pre-fish with my boater Bill Bailey on Wednesday.  We've got a game plan.  Hopefully it works.

It's gonna be a long day, but temps are going to be mild thankfully.

Fishing With My Brother and Nieces This Past Weekend

Hawg I got the night before they arrived, 19.9"

Brother Steve with a 16" on Mad Maxx Sweet Revenge

The only pike I could find outside of the slop

Belle and Mallory

Belle Had the hot hand

Mallory with a pumkinseed and Devin

Belle And Haley

My 19.9" Giant, it's a fish headed for 6 or 7lbs