Mini-Bucks Tournament on Mission Lakes Tomorrow

This is an annual tournament between guys in the Baxter Bass Snatchers that has been going on for quite a few years.  This will be my third year fishing it as Chuck Steinbauer's partner.  The lake is broken down into as many sections as boat's fishing.  Each team starts in a different numbered hole.  We fish about an hour in each hole and then go to the next one in line until we have fished them all.  I've fished Mission in the fall when it's been tough and when it's been OK.  Hard to say what this cold weather tonight will do to the bite.

Here are the rods I'm Bringing:
7'4" H Tatula (Buzzbait/Frogs)
7'4" H Zillion (Jig)(Braided Line)
7'3" MH LTB (Horny Toad)
7'2" H Tatula (Jig) (FC Line)
7'1" MH (Swimbait)
7' H Avid (Crawtube)
7' MHM Mojo (Chatterjig)
6'10" MH Crucial (Spinnerbait)

And a last-second addition while I was composing this list:
6'6" M GLX Spin (Ned Rig)   

Birch Lake Bass Snatcher Tournament Sept.15th Full Report

I drove up to Snatcher Darren's Place and rode up with him.  When we arrived at Leech, it was blowing to beat the band out of the NNE when we arrived at 6:30AM.  Not a good thing when we were launching out of Horseshoe Bay.  The wind didn't die down, and the tournament director switched us to the alternate lake at about ten to 8:00AM.  So off we went to Birch Lake.  My boater Alan had only fished the lake twice when the club fished here for the first tournament of the year in 2016.  I fished the lake twice in 2016 and twice in 2011 when we fished there on Oct 1st.

The Day:
I think we blasted off by 8:40AM.  Alan and I were boat number 1.  Alan decided that we would run to the farthest west bay in the lake; It's a pad-lined slop bay.  Al got two quick small bass in the boat; One kept, one short.  I missed a bite in the pads and had a pike hook up on the frog over open water where I saw a fish bust.  We got into the open area in the bay.  I hooked up with a bass near a pad patch out in the open on a black/red Terminator Frog.  Immediately after I set the hook, so did Also we got a double.  My bass was my biggest of the day (2/10), and Al's was just a keeper.  I think Al got 2 more keepers in there.  We then went across to an adjacent point and didn't get anything.  So we headed a little farther East and tried some docks and wood on the north shoreline.  I got a pike on a dock.  We worked our way out on a point, and I got a 2lber there on a green pumpkin Jackhammer.  Other than a couple pike, that was all we got.  Next, we headed to the south end of the western basin and started working the weed flat.  I put on a junebug Jackhammer and was quickly rewarded with a small keeper.  We went up and worked the pads for a little bit and tried some reeds to the west, not getting anything but a few pike.  I then suggested we try the channel between the lake.  I got a tiny keeper out of the reeds on the southeast shoreline.  We didn't get anything in the channel.

Next, we headed to where the river goes to Ten Mile Lake.  I had a fish hit, hook up, hang me in some cabbage and get off.  As I was reeling in, I saw a 2lber following my Jackhammer, so I killed it, and the fish smashed it.  I didn't get another bite until we were across the other side of the bay when a 14-incher hit my bone Sprinker Frog in some reeds.  That was my last landed bass of the day.  We went back to the bay we started in, and Al got his biggest bass off the day in the pads.  We worked around the southside pads of the little island. I had a couple of fish hit my Terminator Frog, but I didn't hook up.  Probably just small bass like Al was catching.   Then we tried the south side of the big island, and all I could get was a pike.  And just like that, the day was over.

Results: 
My fish weighed 10lbs 1oz which put me in 14th Place out of 18 anglers.  Al had 2 more ounces than me and finished 13th.  Keith Tuma won it 19/3 and had a 4/04 for the tournament "Lunker."  Dwight Hammermeister, who was in Tuma's boat, came in 2nd and won the Co-Angler Challenge.

This finish makes me finishing in the club Super 6 highly unlikely, but I'm pretty much guaranteed I will reach my goal of finishing in the Top 10

My Thoughts:
My mental state wasn't optimal.  I hadn't fished since Monday, and I was 100% sure we were going to be fishing Leech Lake and had prepared myself for a tough bite there.  My head just wasn't in the game like it needed to be.  It didn't help that the fish never really clued us in.  It didn't help that I didn't have rods and tackle along that would have diversified my fishing options.  I think we probably should have tried a few more docks and definitely fished the eastern basin.

   

Snatcher Birch Lake Quick Report

To much dismay and consternation the weather report at Leech Lake this morning was wrong.  When we arrived at Horseshoe Bay Resort this morning the wind was blowing about 15mph out of the NE.  The worst possible direction.  We ended up going to the alternate lake, Birch in Hackensack.  This move was totally unexpected.  Both Al and I managed to scratch out a ten pound limit and finish somewhere in the back half of the 18 angler field. 

My Snatcher Leech Lake Preview

What will Leech Lake give us?  Looks like fairly East light winds, but with the possibility of thunderstorms to start the day.  I don't know whether or not we are on anything from our pre-fish.  The size we caught was OK, but we didn't get a lot of bites.  That may be do to fishing under unfavorable conditions.  I think the bite should be better tournament day.  I haven't gone fishing since Monday due to the all wind we've been having.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get some sleep tonight and will be well rested for my 3AM wake up.

Rods I'm Bringing:
7'6" MH Mod LTB (Heavy Jig)
7'4" H Zillon (Jig)
7'4" XH Zillion (Frog)
7'4" H Tatula XT  (Frog/Buzzbait)
7'4" H Avid-X (Sprinker Frog)
7'3" MH LTB (Horny Toad)
7'3" MH Lamiglas (Swimbait)
7' H Avid (Crawtube)

Football Season Starts Today

All the experts seem to agree that Vikings have one of the best teams in the NFL.  Hear are my  questions coming into the season.

Will our O-Line hold up?  They could take a half step backward from last year and I think we would still be OK. 

Will the Defense take a step back or step forward? It's going to be tough for the D to improve off of last year.  But I think that could actually be the case.  The D wasn't that great at causing turnovers last year.

Is DeFilippo up to the job?  Hopefully🤞

Will Cousin's be the man to bring us a Super Bowl Title?  Kirk, we would like that!

September Has Arrived

And just like that summer gone.  Football season is about to start and hopefully I will start to figure out where the bass are in Platte Lake.  For the most part I struggled in August especially toward the end of the month as the Melon Patch, 17" Hole/Big Rice Point, and Green Cabin Bay dried up.  Sure I was catching some fish and some good one's, but the fish were going away from me all month and not reloading.  I suppose I don't help myself by being so frog focused.

 Hopefully, the topwater bite will turn on.  On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best I would rate this summer's topwater fishing this way:
7 for June
8 for July
6 for August